No BS Beauty Bulletin Update

South Korea & Japan

We had a great trip.
South Korea was the amazing skincare mecca I thought it would be—and more.
Skincare is sold at literally every store, and incredible sunscreens were even available at the 7-11 right outside our hotel!

The weather was cold. We woke up to several weather warnings about snow, but honestly, it wasn’t much snow compared to Minnesota!

We went shopping in an area called Myeongdong. There must have been hundreds of stores selling skincare products. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t get to all of them—but that didn’t stop me from trying! Let’s just say the weight of my suitcase went from 30 pounds to 75 pounds after all that shopping. Cameraman even had to mule half the stuff I bought home for me, lol!

After our shopping day, we went on a tour of the DMZ Zone between North and South Korea. Our tour guide was someone who had escaped North Korea. After traveling on foot with his mom for four months, he was able to settle in South Korea. It was a very moving and powerful experience.

We went to a lookout point where you can see North Korea—and even see people working on “their” farms (where the government literally takes 100% of the harvest). I know I take my freedoms for granted more than I should, and this tour was incredibly eye-opening.

Next, we went to Osaka, which was also amazing, and the weather was a little warmer.
We saw a sumo tournament—such a unique and fun experience. Sumo wrestlers train for years in what they call “the stables” with other sumo wrestlers. The matches were fast-paced and done in a very traditional, ceremonial way. The wrestlers showed no emotion after winning or losing, which was fascinating. Osaka had lots of shopping, so of course, I bought a little more—but I definitely overdid it in Seoul already. At this point, I had both Cameraman and my dad muling my skincare products home!

In Hiroshima, it was finally warm outside for the first time during our trip!
We visited the Hiroshima Shrine, which is on its own little island filled with cute, hungry, friendly, tiny deer everywhere. There were tons of oyster bars and a special dessert Hiroshima is known for: Momiji Manju—delicate cookies filled with different types of fillings, sold everywhere on the island. We also visited the memorial and the area where the atomic bomb was dropped during World War II. This was an incredibly emotional and sobering visit.

Finally, we wrapped up our tour in Tokyo.
I wasn’t quite prepared to visit the most populated city in the world—but it was amazing. Just people everywhere. I’m not used to that in Minnesota! Tokyo has about 37 million people. My entire state of Minnesota has around 5 million. Our hotel had a view of Tokyo Tower, and we went to the very top—which was mind-blowing and even a little scary (despite the fact that I’ve been skydiving three times!). The view from that tower was unreal. We enjoyed some sake, and... one night we even had McDonald’s because we were all too tired to go anywhere else.
But don’t tell anyone! I’m embarrassed about it. 😅

What’s Been Going On?

I’m sorry I’ve been away much longer than expected. The day we returned home from our trip, I received heartbreaking news about my dear friend, Jodi. Several years ago, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of metastatic breast cancer.

Jodi and I shared nearly 40 years of friendship—we met in elementary school, and she lived just around the block. She was a constant presence in my life, and her loss has left a profound emptiness.

While she was on spring break with her husband and two small children, her condition suddenly worsened. She had to be airlifted by private medical plane from Cancun to Minneapolis. The plane was so small that only the pilot, doctor, nurse, and her husband could travel with her. Thankfully, a relative was able to fly down to bring her kids home safely, allowing Jodi to be transported to her hometown hospital.

Once Jodi was reunited with her closest family and surrounded by love, she passed away peacefully. I’m so grateful I had the chance to say goodbye—and that she’s no longer in pain. Her strength, grace, and the love she gave to everyone around her will never be forgotten.

Please—cherish each day. Don’t take the small things for granted. Life is precious, and so are the people we share it with.

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