Remember when I said I would do a Korea make-up haul post? Shopping for makeup in Korea was an incredible experience, especially for skincare. I have three rules when I am shopping for skincare: organic ingredients, affordable, and of course, effective. The Korean makeup industry is much more advanced, cheaper, and regulated than the US. Therefore, South Korea was a haven for a picky shopper like me!

Here are a couple of products I came back satisfied with. All the products are either from Skinfood or Innisfree, brands known to only use natural ingredients. None of these products contain harmful parabens!

Moisture Firming Skin and Lotion 36,000 won (18000 won each)

The Koreans have developed a 5-step skin regimen, essence, serum, skin, lotion, eye cream. I opted out for barest necessities, skin and lotion. The Innisfree had a nifty device that measured the moisture level of your skin. My skin was just below the ideal moisture level, so they suggested products that focused on hydrating my skin. After using it for a week, the moisture and firming lotion by Innisfree does pretty much what it says. The skin feels hydrating and the lotion makes my skin velvety smooth. The price was great too for the generous size especially considering how expensive organic products are in the US.

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Formal Audrey covergirl Frieda Pinto is starring in a new movie, Trishna, opening in select US theaters on July 13th. The film, directed by Michael Winterbottom and co-starring Riz Ahmed, is a profound commentary on the tension between the old and new generations in India based on the classic novel, Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and Tribes Film Festival with high hopes.

Trishna is a story of a peasant woman who falls in love with a handsome and wealthy young man. However, this is not the typical Cinderella story, as Trishna faces many obstacles. Her world is changing at an incredible pace and culture clashes arise, and she is forced to choose between her familiar past and exciting future. The trailer leaves you wanting more, showcasing Pinto’s acting abilities, an amazing soundtrack, and the many charms and sides of India audiences have yet to see.

Trishna Trailer (http://www.ifcfilms.com/videos/trishna-trailer)

You can find more information on their official website here.

And if you want to purchase the issue with the talented and gorgeous Pinto on the cover, click here.

With America is still stuck in one of the biggest recessions since The Great Depression, days and nights of eating out have been hard to come by. We get it, so we pulled out some of the hottest restaurants and bars out of our little black book that has some of the happiest of happy hours around. Whether the hotspot is a chill bar to hang out with your friends or it’s an upscale restaurant to lure in a love interest, we got your back!

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With America still stuck in one of the biggest recession since The Great Depression, days and nights of eating out have been hard to come by. We get it, so we pulled out some of the hottest restaurants and bars out of our little black book that has some of the happiest of happy hours around. Whether the hotspot is a chill bar to hang out with your friends or it’s an upscale restaurant to lure in a love interest, we got your back.

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Last Sunday, the Nokia Club was packed with fans lined up to see this year’s Verizon’s APAHM tour headliner, Jay Park. Even hours before the concert, the diverse fans–most of them non-Korean–eagerly waited for the former 2pm leader’s first tour in the states.

The crew traveled from East to West hitting up major cities like DC, NYC, San Francisco, and of course, Los Angeles. For the West Coast tour, Jay teamed up with AJ Rafael, a Filipino-American artist with a huge following on Youtube, and Blush, a five-member Pan-Asian pop group. Jay performed selections from his first full length solo album and a mix tape he produced exclusively for the tour for his adoring fans–both in English and Korean.

The tour marked Jay Park’s successful crossover from kpop to the US music scene. It seems mobile companies are increasingly targeting Asian American audiences (AT&T and Wongfu just released a web series). Who do you think should headline next year’s APAHM tour?

Check out our video interview with Jay Park below!

Although I am a SoCal native, my upcoming trip to South Korea has inspired me to do a post on makeup for humid weather. The last thing we want is to have our face melt off.. Here are some tips to keeping your makeup fresh and intact!

Face

For the face, ditch the powder and liquid foundation. Instead, use a tinted moisturizer or BB cream. Most of these have SPFs in them so you kill two birds with one stone! Couple products I would suggest are:

Stila’s BB Cream

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

Eyes

For your eyes, make sure all your products are waterproof, and prime your eyes if you’re going to wear eye shadow. I swear by Stila’s liquid eyeliner in black. Rain, wind, snow, it doesn’t budge! Urban Decay is famous for their primer; it is a bit pricey, but a little goes a long way.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer

Lips

Lip stains are known to have long lasting effects, but also known to dry your lips out. Try Tarte’s moisturizing lip stain. They have one that is both shimmery and matte, and the unique crayon shape makes it easy to apply quickly.

Tarte's LipSurgence Natural Lip Stain

With the exception of the eyeliner and primer, all of the products mentioned above are paraben-free. I found it difficult to find natural alternatives when it comes to long lasting ability, but if there is a fantastic product we are missing out on, please tell us in the comments! Yes, Asian products, especially BB cream often times fare better to the ones in the US, but it is trickier to get your hands on. I am planning to do a huge makeup haul when I get to Korea though so stay tuned!

After receiving requests for an event focusing on Women’s Health, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be hosting a live in-person Women’s Health Townhall on June 7th at the White House.

Kathleen Sebelius and Mayra Alvarez speaking at Minority Health Townhall in April. HHS photo by Chris Smith

The Women’s Health Townhall will be an interactive, pen dialogue with stakeholder groups and bloggers to highlight what the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, means for women. Senior White House officials representing the US Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius and Mayra Alvarez will be in attendance along with many other distinguished guests.

The event also will have breakout sessions focusing on specific topics and discussing outreach to women. The event will be streamed live on June 7th, 10am-1130am via www.whitehouse.gov/live and www.hhs.gov/live.

What do you think this year’s Women’s Health Townhall should talk about?

ISSUE: Spring 2012

DEPT: Audrey Style

STORY: Anna M. Park

Indie rocker Meg Frampton has always been frustrated with jewelry. “I think jewelry should have special meaning and should remind the person of something positive. It shouldn’t just be a shiny rock on a chain,” says the 26-year-old, who once worked at a jewelry chain store. So she crafted a robot out of base metals and vintage watch parts and named it Chandler (yes, the one from Friends — Frampton’s one-time obsession).

“Chandler the robot is quirky, steampunk, a bit on the ‘industrial’ side with a classy-feminine edge,” says Frampton. She’s expanded the collection to include other iterations of the original (Stupendous Chandler is particularly adorkable), bringing her visions to life while on tour with her sister Dia and country singer Blake Shelton. Her love of the quirky spills over into the Korean-Dutch American’s personal style as well, who finds inspiration in the gothcute aesthetic of filmmaker Tim Burton. “I love it when fashion has personalities,” says Frampton. “Sometimes I like adding a little
‘darkness’ to an outfit.”

My feel-good outfit: Cute shoes and a vintage dress. Big earrings.

Wearing straight off the runway: Floral accents, wedges.

Can’t wait to wear: High-waisted cut-off denim shorts — because I live in Austin, Texas, and I can.

Style secret: Keep a pair of flats in your purse if you know you are going to be out for a whole evening, just in case your heels are killing you.

More stories from Audrey’s Spring issue here.

World Championship gold medal gymnast Anna Li may have her foot in a cast, but that’s not stopping her
from aiming for the Summer Olympics in London this July.

ISSUE: Spring 2012

DEPT: My Story

STORY: Anna Li

When I was 4, all I wanted was a sparkly gymnastics competition leotard. My parents told me I couldn’t get one unless I competed, and they were reluctant to get me started. They themselves had been in the 1984 Olympics for China and understood the commitment and discipline gymnastics required. It was demanding, to say the very least. However, I persisted, and by the age of 6, I had started my career in gymnastics.

When I was in high school, I competed at the elite level and trained for six to eight hours a day, six days a week, in addition to attending school. My parents trained me at their gym. With their help, I won a number of titles and placed at Nationals, the USA Championships and the U.S. Classics from 2002 to 2005.

When I was in college, I was a full-time athlete for UCLA and trained to be in all of the 17 competitions each season. Training began anywhere from 5:30 to 7 in the morning and ended at noon, followed by classes till the evening. As a college freshman, I competed in every event in every meet and was the only freshman in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) selected to be on the All-Pac-10 team in the all-around. I suffered a concussion my sophomore year, but I didn’t allow that to slow me down. I captured 19 individual victories, seven on bars, two on beam, four on floor, and five in the all-around. By my junior year, I had won the NCAA Regional title on uneven bars for the third consecutive year. During my last year at UCLA, I earned my fourth consecutive NCAA Regional bars title with a perfect 10. After college, I made the World Championship Team for 2011, the year the U.S. team brought home the gold. Shortly after, I had surgery and got two screws placed in my foot because it had been bothering me.

Right now, I am training to be on the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team at the London Summer Olympics this July. Though it has only been three months since my foot surgery, training has already begun. I’m at the gym all day, every morning and every evening. When you’re involved in the sport of gymnastics, you learn about strict discipline. When you start competing at the age of 6, you know what kind of competition you are competing in, and you know you’ve got to give it all you’ve got. You train your entire life for this kind of competition. It would be sad to shy away from this kind of opportunity.

However, even with my discipline and dedication, I can’t say it’s easy training six days a week with my coaches, who happen to be my Olympic gymnast parents. And I can’t say it’s easy getting up every morning to warm up and start my strength and conditioning. By the time my day is done, I just want to go home, rest, eat and get ready for the next day. There really isn’t much time for anything else.

It’s a lot of sacrifices. I don’t have a regular 9-to-5 job. Even my relationship with my boyfriend is different from most because gymnastics is my number one priority; my relationship isn’t. Who wants to hear that?

But then I have to remind myself what my head coach at UCLA said: “What hurts more — the pain of discipline or the pain of regret? The pain of failure or the pain of regret?” There are days when I want to give up. There is no guarantee that I’m going to make the Olympic gymnastics team. There are only five spots on the team and to get a spot on the team, it’s nearly impossible. But all I can do is train my hardest, and whatever happens, happens. If I try my best and work my hardest, I won’t regret the outcome. I surround myself with people who support my goals and aspirations. My friends and boyfriend understand and support me. My parents know my body and how I train under certain situations. We trust each other. They help me move forward.

It doesn’t matter what your dream is. If you want something, when you believe in yourself, no one can take that away from you if you give it your all. If it works out, that’s great. If it doesn’t, you know you tried your absolute best to be what you wanted to be. If I can accomplish something today, I’m going to push for my dream. I can definitely say I won’t have any regrets.

— as told to Han Cho

More stories from Audrey’s spring issue here.

FAMILY TIES: Praised for her collection of stories, We Should Never Meet, Aimee Phan returns with her first novel, The Reeducation of Cherry Truong, a multi-generational, cross-continental family saga. Susan Soon He Stanton reviews.

ISSUE: Spring 2012

DEPT: Plugged In

STORY: Susan Soon He Stanton

Aimee Phan’s debut novel, The Reeducation of Cherry Truong, is an intricately woven tale of two Vietnamese families, the Truongs and the Vos, bound together by an unwanted elopement. Phan deftly tracks dozens of Truongs and Vos through their harrowing escape from Vietnam and struggles with assimilation in the West. Phan’s multigenerational, cross-continental saga is surprisingly palatable, as she explores themes of identity, love and redemption with a nuanced grace. Cherry, the youngest grandchild, struggles to unlock decades of secrets and bitterness from her family, dispersed between France and America. The novel’s greatest secret, and the one closest to Cherry’s own story, involves her brother Lum’s family imposed exile to Vietnam.

On Cherry’s visit to Vietnam, Lum tells her, “The things our family did to each other … they don’t make up who you are. Our mistakes don’t dictate our lives.” However, the flood of events in Cherry Truong suggests otherwise. Decisions made in the heat of the moment indelibly shape lives. Cherry’s mother, Tuyet, chooses one ill-fated marriage over another. Cam, a female cousin, has her entire hopes of romantic love decided over the course of a holiday party. Grandma Vo, the family dowager, decides to teach her grandchildren a dangerous lesson. In the novel’s 30-year span, perhaps the most heart-breaking story is that of Grandma Hoa Truong, who endures reeducation camp and a life of displacement in France, while quietly suffering a lifetime with a disloyal and abusive husband.

While Phan plumbs emotional depths in her narrative and subtle details add startling realism, her narrative hopscotching can still feel like a collection of short stories rather than a fluid chronicle. Jumping from one decade to the next, and one family member to the other, at times, creates a dislocating effect. Some of the family members’ stories are more compelling than others and I wanted to spend more time getting acquainted with the key players than diving into yet another narrative about a second cousin. Nonetheless, despite this circuitous journey, Phan has created a rich tapestry of two families’ difficult immigration to the West that feels emotionally honest in its messy complexity.

Phan’s sensitively rendered first novel serves up a fierce tale of ordinary families displaced from their homeland during the Vietnam War. Despite the numerous characters and complex plotline, The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is well worth the read.

- Susan Soon He Stanton

More stories from Audrey’s Spring issue here