Traditional Vietnamse Áo Dài

My first time wearing the traditional Vietnamese Áo Dài. There are many styles and types of Ao Dai. The style that I'm wearing is called "áo dài cách tân," which means modern Ao Dai style. It is a little different from the traditional in the collar, the sleeves, and even the material. Mine is 100% handmade with blue turquoise lace. I chose short sleeves instead of long and still kept the same type of high collar. I wanted mine to give off the impression of a mix between modern and traditional. 

In the olden days, women in Vietnam generally only wore Ao Dai once when they were in middle school, high school and college. Basically, the image of Ao Dai goes hands in hands with the image of the students and innocence. Because when you are a students and still in schools you don't have much to worry about. Your life would normally be school, home work, friends, and social life. Thus, the innocent and carefree image go with it very well.

Makeup:  Chose a soft pink eyeshadow, which has a little bit glitter in it, just to play with the light as a base. I also wanted to make my eyeliner and eyelashes pop out later on. Then I topped it up with a dark pink/burgundy/browny color on the outer corner to create the illusion of bigger eyes. A bit of ighlighter on my cheekbones and T-zone. Petal pink blush on the apple of the cheeks. Lips: Orange/coral lipstick color from Revlon topped with a little bit of YSL #204 light coral lipgloss to add shine.  This kind of makeup techniques go very well with day light or any event that is going to be outdoor. At the same time, it doesn't feel overwhelming in the eyes of others. I actually received quite a lot of compliments on this look!

Hair:  Crimped my hair underneath to make it look thick. Did soft layers on the top and at the end of the strands. Clipped one side up to show off my half crimped hair. Crimped hair gives off the youthful look!