Glossy, useful, tempting to try - the cookbook for Asian beauty

Makeup is like cooking, directions like recipes - toss together all the right ingredients as basic as tomatoes & basil, or pricey and seasonal as fresh truffles, add a dash of pepper there, a sprinkling of cheese here, all for a spicy, sweet, or decadent result.

Gathering all the ingredients could be a bother, and the cooking less tempting when the recipes are on bland white paper, alas the genius of Nigella Lawson & Martha Stewart. With beautiful, enticing, homely pictures and easy 1,2,3 steps and ingredients for how to achieve the look, the feel, the lifestyle...

Now, the makeup "cookbook" for the Asian face is finally here!

Complete with mimic-able-looking images, straightforward directions and accessible ingredients to create everything from daily looks to costume makeup, Asian Faces by makeup artist Taylor Chang-Babaian is the new powder room goddess.

Three of my favorite looks from the book below! On a side note, I am not copying out her directions here but you can learn how to achieve these looks and many more, if you get, and every woman should have, the book here.

Look 1: Pretty in Pinks
Using pinks, shimmery cremes and salmon tones on eyelids, cheeks and lips, Taylor creates a defined, yet romantic, look.

Look 2: Smoldering
Perfect for evening soirees or if you're just the smoldering type & love to show it. This is my personal favorite NYC night look.

Look 3: Ganguro
A how-to for the toned down version of the over the top Ganguro fashion trend from Tokyo (created by high school girls) - bleached hair, dark tanned skin, pale lips, white accents - the ultimate bold statement for a girl who loves contrasts and standing out.

xox

Welcome to the forest - a mystical world of natural beauty

Pade Vavra takes the daintiest elements found in faraway forests and crafts them into whimsical, one-of-a-kind treasures that showcase your new flawless, organically-cared-for complexion.


A delicately woven gold nest with three, droplet-sized pearl eggs



Leaves wrap around the wrist as if it is still growing


A vintage, hand-painted robin perches above a 22k gold cabin-esque cuckoo clock on a multi-chain


For all store locations and new collections, go to: www.padevavra.com

xox

PS. The first image is from one of my favorite W shoots of all time - August 07 issue

audrey nods approval for at-work emi-chu-tainment and a little inside note on the hazardous editorial thrashing machine

As luck would have it, I chose a site name starting with an A, placing my blog review in the April/May 2007 issue of Audrey mag, as the leading feature on extensive article!

Thank you Anna Park (associate managing editor, of the daring fashion-, helpful beauty- and tips-about-life-packed Asian women's magazine) for giving my site the a-OK from a nationally-read publication. Although it was a good month of trying to lower towering hopes just in case the item gets cut by the art dept* or from the EIC** the end result was way bigger than I could ever have imagined my photo being! (yes my face is plastered on there, so long to keeping my visual identity hush hush)

Thanks Audrey and thanks Anna! And as for my increasing readers, I appreciate any questions or comments or brand/product introductions as I always need inspiration! Just click on Email Me! in the left column.

xox

Audrey is available at select Barnes & Nobles and other local bookstores or could be purchased online at www.audreymagazine.com

*In a pub, especially a visual one, the last and most dangerous stage for an item surviving the various levels of editorial cuts is the Art Department. Even if the editorial team places stories and images that they think is amazing, quite frequently the color or theme just doesn't fit into the rest of the magazine or the page layout so the visually strict & precise Art editors cut items out or push them to future issues if it fits. But give thanks - it is the art dept that make the pubs look as gorgeous and marketable as they are...don't be bitter about last minute cuts :( it's sad but it happens, A LOT.
**editor in chief

Rockin' the High Fashion Main Stream

Can it be? An Asian model on the cover & feature story in Time Style & Design magazine...and the talented & charming (in all her moody-charismatic ways) Sandra Oh as the feature starlet of Marie Claire...


...a fashion story featuring Ai Tominaga, bare with only the hottest accessories draped over her, in the industry-coveted Elle Accessories magazine...
...the spring advertising campaign for mass-marketers like Gap, Banana Republic and even the posh-y Neiman Marcus.

Show'em girls, it's about time the high fashion media featured beautiful, cover-worthy girls en force.




Yes, some props to the sexy, gutsy, "Madonna of MySpace" Tila Tequila, too.
xox

A-ha! Beauty Trick #3: Your most flattering brow shape

Brows are difficult and usually best left with a professional to tweeze and wax. Even then, is there an ideal brow shape for everyone?

I always suspected those kitch brow stencils since my asian eye shape and placement of my brows in accordance to my eye was so visibly different from caucasion girls and celebs. So, is there a universal shape? A formula??


Christine Chin, new york city's (and maybe the world's??) top facialist known for her thoroughness, cunning advice and amazing skill at crafting the perfect brows on any face, instructs, "follow the eye bone." Straight, arched or bow shaped, as long as the brows frame the eye bone perfectly, it looks good on everyone. Penelope Cruz, Rachel Weisz, Hilary Swank, Kimora Lee Simmons are some of Christine's fans!

So take a good look at your facial structure today and see if you or your go-to person did a good job. Are your brows wiggling happily on top of the bone? If not, lay off the tweezers and let it grow back...it only takes 6-months to get your original shape back...oye! and then go see "Mean Christine".

xox

Cameleon Rinko: Pulling off drastic looks with ease & grace

Every since her Babel breakthrough, Rinko Kikuchi has been hitting various red carpets with a drastically different look while maintaining a punk-but-elegant consistency. From platinum blond hair to pure black, from stick straight to volumnous curls, her hair has had quite a year, too!

Arigato Rinko, for showing us that blonde is definitely do-able for the brave of heart and that it's A-OK to go from dark to blonde to auburn for those of us fickle of heart!

At the Oscars, in a sophisticated black dress, dangly earrings that flatter the neck and jaw, and a clean, pulled back bun. For an evening look like this, try angling the eye liner and shadow up to strengthen and accentuate the eyes.






Fresh faced and adorable at a press conference before the big night. For a youthful, fresh look like this, try an orange lipstick with a slight gold flip. Keep eyes natural yet awake with a trusty concealer, brown liner on just the above lid and layers of black mascara after curling lashes up, up and away.



Platinum blonde but still innocently chic, the soft pink Chanel dress and her big smile keep her hair from overpowering her personality. Keep skin lucent by going easy on the foundation and dusting sheer loose powder over face instead. For a healthy glow, finish with a sweep of subtle light orangy brown blush on the apples of the cheeks.



For a sexier, evening look, curl the ends with a medium to big curling rod and set with a blast of cool air. Keep eye color to basic tones to avoid looking overdone. Allow the hair to take centerstage, especially if it is dyed blonde or another pop color, by keeping clothes clean, modern and straighforward.



xox

all images from wireimage.com

The "You can, too!" celebrity makeup look #1 - lips lips lips

Yes, I might have smaller, boring lips, or less penetrating eyes, and my cheekbones might not protrude as much as Kate Moss but I, and of course you, too, can gloss, pencil and lipstick appropriately to pull off these US celebrity pout-looks.

Take a pick - and if not these blonde, burnette weekly tab-loved beauties, there's always the gorgeous Lucy Liu but these suggested tips & shades are tailored to you - dare to try!?

Sexy Matt Lips a la Lohan


1. With a very neutral, nudy beige nude lip pencil, fill in the entire lip completely, staying within the lip line. Tip? Make sure that you don't create odd streaks, zigzag the pencil as you shade.

2. Using a thicker lip crayon in a slightly pinker beige, roughly line the lips - starting in the middle of the bottom lip line and lining outwards. Don't forget to go all the way to the edges.

3. For the top line, create a fuller look by lining the middle lip crest (dipped area) with a softer curve, rounding out and up. If you want to create a plumper top lip, try edgeing the outer line with the thicker, soft crayon used in step 2. This way, lips look plumper, fuller but natural, still.

Note: Don't skimp and just use 1 pencil - it's the duo-trick that creates the fuller, 3-dimensional matte allure!




TRY:
Dior Lip Liner Pencil in Linen for step 1.
Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Calliope or Sierra for step 2 & 3.









Glossy, shiny & smackalicious mod-pink - the pout of la Parisienne:


1. Create the color base for the lips by using a lip brush dipped in a sheer pink lipstick - the brush gives a more precise & minute covereage of the entire lip, letting the color blend into the lip rather than hovering over the lips.

2. Dip the brush applicator into a neutral toned pink gloss, and apply completely over the entire lip, adding an extra dab at the center of the lips adding more dimension.

Note: For this glossy, flirty-look, opt for a pouty, juicy look rather than for the below, Angelina-esque fullness or plumpness which ends up to be a little too much with this much shine!




TRY:
Stila Lip Glaze in Papaya and do good for the earth at the same time with Cargo PlantLove Botanical Lipstick in Killarney.









Angie Lips - must we say more? nah, of course not...even this, you can, too!


1. Line the upper lip and lower lip with a pink or sheer pink (muted pinkish beige is fine if that works better for your lip color.) For this look, line "roundly" and softly, so that the top lip's line is almost a heart shape and the bottom, a rounded curve that goes along the outer edge.

2. Use a lip brush to apply the lipstick making broad strokes left and right over the entire lip, blending in the lip liner and filing in the lip. Don't stop the brush in the middle of the bottom lip, you want the brush to leave the least color in the middle this time around so that you can create a luminated, lighter, and plumper full, middle-of-lip area.

Note: Don't use gloss, although it's tempting, over the lipstick. That's too much & lips end up looking too fake, crafted and makeup-dumped.



TRY:
To line the lips, opt for a softer, easier to control liner like Rimmel Exaggerate Full Color Lip Liner in Addiction. For lipstick, choose a beigy pink, nude color as T. LeClerc Transparent Lipstick in Tulle.

xox

Images from wireimage.com

Memoirs of a Smokin' Haute Geisha

Saw the Christian Dior take on the various Japanese traditional garments for the Spring 2007 Paris Haute Couture shows and was blown away. Each look is such a precise mix of the classic aesthetic mixed with a sexy, glamorous, modern edge...it was so sickeningly beautiful, I wanted to vomit.

Seriously, for this post, let's just say pictures are worth a billion, trillion, beauty words!! Take a look.


Mimicking the creative mix of style that was in vogue right after the Western influences seeped into the long-closed country.
















The full Kimono look, complete with the long sleeves that is meant to show off the most delicate part of the women's body - the wrist











Using the classic matsu (Japanese pine tree) design often found in the Hangas (wood block art prints) and on the Fusuma (sliding doors often found in traditional japanese style homes), the dress shape resembles the top and wide balloon bottom look that fishermen in Japan still wear.










Capturing the structured fragility of the Origami swans and flowers. A transcendental take on the beauty of the folded thin fabric - washi paper. Stunning!

xox

Just around the corner - Fall 2007 Fashion Shows!

S/S 2007 shows were charmingly well-cast with a handful of stand-out Asian models that set the tone for each designer's style and edge. With the F/W 2007 shows not even a month away (gasp!) here are a few to keep your eyes glued on:



Ah, the classic & yet still absolutely stunning Ai Tominaga who set the bar and paved the way for the rest to come. Here at Alberta Ferretti looking goddess-like. How beautiful and composed can she be!?



Anne Watanabe, who's snapshots were on every glossy for her charming walk swathed in the splashy, hot colored flirty, breezy designs of the next-hot-man in town, Stephen Burrows. She also got beckened and made a splash at Anna Sui and Marc by Marc.



This girl seriously has it all going on. The traditional asian beauty with sharp, sleek eyes, pouty lips and glistening jet black hair - as seen at Gucci backstage - Han covered all the "it" shows including Chloe, Louis Vuitton, Celine, YSL, Karl Lagerfield, Valentino, Cavalli...phew.



Speaking of Louis Vuitton, Hye Park shared the backstage fun and runway with Han and pulled off the futuristic/80's pop color DSquared2 aero-wear AND Blumarine's romantic, floral sheer summer dresses with the same edge and finesse. Absolutely gorgeous and with lots of attitude, Viktor & Rolf totally hit the nail when they squabbled over her busy bookings schedule this year - will they get her in Feb 07? (psss, she walked Prada and Burberry, too!)



A tanned, slim version of tinker bell, this ethereal long-legged, tiny faced model, Eugenia M. was cherished by designers as Marc Jacobs, Andrew Gn, Lanvin and Tuleh - see the trend there? Every downtown Soho girl wants to be her. Me, included...

Last but not least - completely Brit and purely Aussie but if you love fashion, how can you NOT love these two super stars? Had to add so hope you love them too! Gotta love - Kate Moss & Gemma Ward







PS. All images thanks to style.com and ELLE for the images~ xox

Asian Editors who are rocking the fashion mags - Eva Chen of Teen Vogue

We both got to the Marc Jacobs show 30 minutes too late to snag our assigned seats so, ended up sitting crammed on the tiny footstep of the bleachers as the band marched past us, trombone horns blasting inches above our heads. That was the first time I ever met Eva Chen, Beauty Director at my absolute fave mag Teen Vogue, and an asian icon that's leading the next generation of beauty addicts.

Her articles and picks are always practical, trendy, up-to-date, thoroughly researched and I love the amazing array of colours and shapes she manages to pull together for the beauty pages every month. I'd see her running in and out of the Conde Nast revolving glass doors, perfectly dressed & put together and couldn't help but wonder how she does it all and still manages to be oh-so-sweet.

Check out her picks and articles in each month of TeenVogue & be sure to log into the publication's website Beauty Buzz forum to pitch in & get some helpful tips from beauty addicts like you!

My picks from this months issue?? Try Dior Limited Edition, Pretty Charms Pink Enchantment ($55) which captures the flirty, feminine and ethereally romantic feeling that was all over the runways for spring! Comes in two shades of wearable, glossy pale pink and peachy rose.

xox