Lob Hairstyles

I've been seriously pondering on getting a lob. Not a bob, but a lob! A longer version of a bob. I think it makes women look younger and more active. These are some of my inspirations:

My idol: Jessica Alba with her polished soft curl lob.

And of course, when it is not styled all the way, thus making it looks effortless.

Rachel Adams with her fringe that frames her face so well. I mean soooo well! Making her look very chic, girlish, and youthful.

Lily Collins with her lob partly pulled to the back. Adorable!

When my lob grows out a little longer, I definitely want mine to look somewhat like this!

And of course, there is the lob with layers

You can even crimp your hair to create more volume and chic like Minh Hang too!

Black, Red, & Pearl

My previous post was all about Ao Dai, light makeup, super loose waves, and the softness as a whole. In this post, it is all about looking simple but sharp, thus elegant!

I chose a long black dress with cut out back. I originally got the dress at Winsor, but then I did some alterations on it, and of course, to add a little sexiness I did a side slit on the dress.

It is a night wedding event I went to. Since my look was light and dreamy in the morning, I decided to go bright at night. Never ever combine all the bright elements in your wardrobe together! If you really wanna go bright, choose from 1 to 2 elements of brightness as attention points and leave the rest in contrast colors. You want your highlights to stand out. This is key to simple but elegance!

Makeup:  Taupe and brown eyeshadow. Black cateye eyeliner. A little blush in coral topped with highlighter. My attention graber no. 1 would be bright red lipstick with a hint of orange in it.

Hair:  Lots of layers of curls and waves. I flipped my hair upside down and did an overall sea salt spray to keep my curls in shapes the whole night and to add volume. Then I pushed it to the side to show off my backless dress.

Outfit:  Black dress with cut-out back. Nude/gold heels. My attention grabbing element no. 2: pearl necklace and earrings. The way I wore my pearl neclace is a little different. I wore it at my neck line, leaving the rest hanging on my back because of my cutout back dress.

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!

Subtle Red Balayage

Just got my hair done by Vidogi Salon over the weekend. I wanted to go red this time, instead of brown. So my hair stylist suggested to go "dark" since it's Fall. My red seems to be like a pretty subtle red. She still kept some of my brown strands out, that way it's more blend in, like a balayage!

It does give a little effect when it's in the sun!

Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone!!!

I have to say that I have been so excited for the Lunar New Year. Not only because it plays an important part in our Asian culture, but it also brings me a sense of home - warmth - and self-identity. Got my hair done before the New Year to celebrate this event. May all the bad lucks from last year be dropped off, and that good luck and fortune be coming in this new year!

On me: I was wearing the 1-Day Acuvue Define in Natural Shine series. My recent haircut was inspired by these modern Asian hair style. The soft waves with a little bit of curl in the end, with/without bangs. I think they frame your face pretty nicely, than straight hair. This is such a fresh, youthful and natural looking style!

 

How To Create Effortless Hair without Effort!

Do you want pretty hair in the morning? Do you want a hair style that doesn't require much effort to get ready for? Do you want effortless hair without putting much effort? 

I'm sure you want all of that! Who doesn't? We're all women and we share a common thought that, having nice hair is just as important as wearing nice clothes. However, we also share the same pain, time!!! Time is everything, nowaday guys. As we grow up, 24 hours in a day is not enough. Especially in the morning when you try to rush through everything, time becomes essential. Then, you'd become selective with your time frame... Ok, 10-15 mins to brush teeth and put facial creams on (depending on how many layers of creams you put on that will determine the time... Like if you have toner, serum, morning cream, etc.). 15-20 mins for makeup, and then another 15 mins for hair (I don't know about you but it'd take me 15-20 mins to do my hair, just because it's stick straight and it's a freaking pain to create waves). This is already taken 45 mins of your precious time, not including the time that you take shower in the morning and the 5 mins of pick-and-chose the clothes to wear because you wanna look pretty for work, of course! 

I've seen and tried a few different ways to save time while still creating volumous hair, but sadly none had worked. I'd tried tying my hair in a hair tie in a high pony tail and sleep with it, didn't work! Tried putting my hair in a plaid, didn't work either! Slept on a satin pillowcase for soft skin and hair, and no, I didn't see any result in my hair getting softer or my face has less wrinkle like they advertise. All I know is that it's pretty annoying coz it's slippery and you keep on having to scoot up all night long... Annoying!!! By the way, what really makes your hair and your skin soft is by installing a water softener system in your house. What it does is that it filters out all the harsh chemicals that are still in the city water and mix the water in accordingly. So as you use the water for your living activities such as washing your clothes, dishes, taking a shower, etc., it is less harsh on your skin and on the stuff that you use. It is surely expensive, but well worth it for the long term!

I have found a solution to end this pain for goods, well... For me anyways! What I do to save time in the morning but at the same time achieving nice hair is:

1) I take shower the night before right off when I get home from work (Once when you're out of work, who cares how much time you have.)

2) I flip my hair over and blow dry my hair upside down to create volume (especially my hair is so dead flat)

3) Then I roll my hair into 1 bundle high up on my head crown, using the Sponge or Foam Rollers that looks like this and sleep over night with it on.

Yes, they might make you look like a 60 year-old granny, but who cares. You're at home and going to sleep anyways, only that after you wake up you'll more beautiful with this effortless hair. Rolling your hair up like this not only helps to prevent it from getting tangled and split ends, but it also saves you A LOT of time in the morning too! And I really mean A LOT. The foam is definitely soft enough for you to sleep on. Plus, you'll be rolling it up high almost onto where your crown is so you won't even lay on it. The higher you roll, the more volume it will have the next morning. Ever since I started using this method, I ditched doing hair in the morning. 

What I usually do is, before brushing my teeth I brush my hair out and then re-roll it so it'll come out more in shape. Because I have bangs so I usually roll another one for my bangs while I'm getting ready with other stuff. There, I've just saved 15-20 mins... And I don't have to worry about battling with my straight hair using the curling iron because my hair would have been already wavy the minute I wake up. If you want more defined waves or curls, you can use the curling iron but it's gonna be nice because you only have to hold it for less than a minute. All you really need to do at this point is just to add a finish touch to it! Otherwise, you just need to brush it out again in the end and off you go! No need to put any styling products on, because it'll set like that for the whole day.

Sorry for the crazy lighting..

With my hair, I usually don't put any styling products on except for just the heat resistant spray for blow drying the night before. By the end of the day, I still be able to keep my volume and Volume is everything to me!

Cheers guys. Have you tried this method before? If not, what do you do?

Tips for Getting a Pretty Haircut

I got a new hair style since the last time i blogged. I haven't gitten back to bangs in ages, so this actually feels refreshing to have them back again. Makes me feel youthful again... Haha! I also got ombres but very subtle ombres. I told my hairstylist lady that I want it to look as natural as possible. Pretty happy with the result!

For those of you live in Phoenix, Arizona, you should really try Denise Tanigawa at Perfect Glamor Salon.

7045 E 3rd Ave

Scottsdale AZ

United States

Tips for Getting That Perfect Haircut that You Dream For:

• Do your research - ask around close friends and family if they have a fav hairstylist of their own and observe see if you like their haircut. 

• Look on Yelp.com for reviews before choosing a salon.

• Google - what hair style do you like? What's the length that you wanna go for? What color? Do you want bangs or no bangs?

• Look for the pictures of the celebrities or images that you like and either print them outnor save them on your computer/notepad to show your stylist. The more the better, so they can grasp an idea of what you're trying to go for, especially if it's your first time with them.

• Not to be racist or anything but honestly speaking, if you're Asian, try to find an Asian hairstylist and pictures of Asian celebrities or hairstyles that you you're going for. The same goes with others such as whites, black, Mexican, South African, etc. Simply because before you can do people's heads, you gotta practice on yourself and close ones to gain not only experience and the hair textures and head shapes of each ethinicity are designed differently, that only familarity becomes expertise!

On me: I'm wearing the 1-Day Acuvue Define in Vivid Style, false lashes and natural makeup!

*not a sponsored post*

L'Occitane Aromachologie Repairing Shampoo & Conditioner

I was given sample sizes of both of the shampoo and conditioner from the L'Occitane Repairing line. Although it only lasted for 2 uses, I swear that I could see the result on my hair right away after using it the first time. The L'Occitane Aromachologie Repairing Shampoo & Conditioner are enriched with 5 different essential oils (Angelica, Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Lavender, and Patchouli). It is no kidding because I actually felt the oils in it. You'd want to wash your hair with warm water to maximize the result (not hot and not cold water), because essential oil works best when it interacts with heat.

This particular line of shampoo helps repair and smooth capillary fiber of your hair, leaving it looking and feeling supple, shiny and silky. It also has wheat proteins, which helps to repair, strengthen, regenerate, and soften dry/damaged hair. So, it is obviously a great product for hair that is color treated, permanent wave, blow drying, curling iron, and styling products.

Do You Have Dry Damaged Hair?

Do you have dry damaged hair? Here's a perfect treatment I have for you.

 Mix extra virgin olive oil (the amount is up to your desire) with a few drops of frankincense or lavender essential oil. (Frandincense resin is used as one of the traditional medicines in Asia and is edible for digestion and healthy skin) But it is really optional to have the essential oil.

 Or

You can use the Organic Root Simulator Olive Oil sold at Walmart or at any drugstores for less than $7.


I would lightly rinse off my hair so that it can be clean before putting the mixture on. This way, you're washing away the dirt and leaving hair clean to better absorbed all the good nutrients. Spread the mixture onto wet hair and give it a little scalp massage for better blood circulation. Nutrients are better absorbed this way, too. Wear a shower cap to keep it in place. Leave it on for 30 minutes and then shampoo as usual.

If you want the mixture to be mixed really well, just leave it in a jar or cup at room temperature for a day before using it.

Did you also know that?

Did you also know that our Victoria Secret angel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and the super movie star Jennifer Aniston both use Moroccanoil to keep their hair healthy and effortless?

I have to personally check this out. Available at Ulta for $33

(Written by Tina from Beauty Toast)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankincense