Bemoaning the loss of Lost? It’s the same feeling we had after Friends and Seinfeld ended. Well, television execs are not giving up on you so easily. They’ve got a whole slew of shows set to premiere for the summer season, starting tonight. Here, some shows with some AA representation you may wanna watch this week.

Drop Dead Diva, Lifetime

Premieres Sunday, June 6, 9 pm

Former Audrey cover girl Margaret Cho returns as the title character’s sassy assistant Teri in the second season of the Lifetime hit series Drop Dead Diva. Here’s the premise: shallow wannabe model Deb dies in a sudden car accident only to find her soul resurfacing in the body of a brilliant, plus-size and recently deceased attorney, Jane (Brooke D’Orsay). Deb has to come to terms not just with Jane’s curvier frame, but with how to reconcile her beauty-queen ways with her brilliant new mind. D’Orsay does an amazing job conveying Deb-in-Jane, and based on some premiere photos, it looks like Cho is gonna take on a bigger role in the series.

Margaret Cho as Teri, Jane's assistant in the law firm. Photo courtesy of Lifetime.

Looks like Cho 's gonna be upping her game in the second season of Drop Dead Diva. Photo courtesy of Lifetime.

Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family

Pretty Little Liars.

Premieres Tuesday, June 8, 8 pm

You’ve seen the billboards. Four hot young girls, covered in dirt. Eye catching, to say the least. But what really stood out to me is the girl on the far right, actress Shay Mitchell.

Mitchell plays Emily Fields, an athletic girl who is struggling with her sexuality and the loss of her best friend. Emily, along with her now estranged, former BFFs, holds a deep, dark secret within in what appears to be the perfect little town of Rosewood. But they’re not the only ones with secrets apparently, as things start to go very wrong.

Mitchell, whose mother is Filipino and father is Irish-Scottish, is a native of Toronto, Canada. She’s been performing and modeling since the age of 5, appearing in the hit series DeGrassi: The Next Generation and Disney’s Aaron Stone. She is featured in the music video for Sean Paul’s hit song “Hold My Hand” and will appear in the upcoming ABC series Rookie Blue.

Filipina-Irish-Scottish American actress Shay Mitchell.

Shay Mitchell and co-star Ashley Benson at the Prince of Persia premiere.

Troian Bellisario, Shay Mitchell, Ashley Benson and Lucy Hale of Pretty Little Liars.

But Mitchell is not the token Asian in this series. Janel Parrish also stars in Pretty Little Liars as now popular classmate Mona Vanderwall. Parrish, best known for her role as Jade in the Bratz series, and May in NBC’s Heroes, was born in Oahu, Hawaii, and is Chinese-Caucasian American.

Janel Parrish in Pretty Little Liars.

Doreen Fang competes on the new season of The Next Food Network Star.

The Next Food Network Star, The Food Network

Premieres Sunday, June 6, 9 pm

Another season of cooking hopefuls looking to land their own show. Last season, Korean American Debbie Lee made it to the top three. This season, Chinese American Doreen Fang is gonna try to make it with her California cuisine with Asian influences.

The 38-year-old from Los Angeles co-owns a catering company and teaches cooking classes for adults and children. Raised in a predominantly Chinese community, Fang says she finds culinary inspiration in her family and friends, and wants to encourage home cooks of all levels to explore new cuisines, and stretch their imagination in recreating dishes inspired by a childhood memory or favorite haunts.

True Beauty, ABC

Mondays, 10 pm

Last (and unfortunately, probably least), we have yet another season of the reality show competition where contestants think they’re being judged on their good looks, but they’re actually being judged on their “inner beauty.” (They haven’t figured it out yet??)

Vanessa Minnillo hosts True Beauty.

Filipina-Italian American Vanessa Minnillo returns to host, and this time, they’ve got an Asian American contestant, Amy, who was adopted from Korea as an infant. The bio on Amy on ABC’s website describes her as “ditzy” and she says she “doesn’t identify with Asian culture.” Hm. I say, watch at your own peril.

True Beauty contestant Amy.

Happy Friday! For today’s giveaway, we’re gonna do you up with some of the most daring colors of the summer.

Lily Lolo Mineral Cosmetics is a London-based, award-winning cosmetics line. They only use certified organic ingredients and all their products are free from bismuth oxychloride and other harsh chemicals. The ingredients are carefully chosen to avoid irritating the skin’s delicate pH balance, and they’re vegan and vegetarian friendly!

Sure, that’s all good, but how does it look? Well, their color range is pretty spectacular, and they say they test each new product and color for application and wear before it launches.

Formerly only available in Europe, Lily Lolo is now here in the U.S. and you can be one of the first to try out their line of natural and organic mineral makeup. With a mission to really value each customer, Lily Lolo provides “how to” videos for their products and have experts available to answer your questions on their website Lilylolo.us.

Lily Lolo "Be Dazzled" kit includes a mineral blush, two eye colors and a lip gloss, all in your choice of colors.

Now two Audrey readers can get started with their very own customized “Be Dazzled” kit from Lily Lolo. Each kit contains your choice of mineral blush (9 hues, available in matte and shimmer), your choice of two vibrant eye shadows (28 colors available), and your choice of one delicious lip gloss (9 to pick from!). Try out the color of the season with the Khaki Sparkle eye shadow, or get your flush on with the Clementine blush. Each kit retails for $48, but of course, we’ve hooked you up for free!

Lily Lolo "Be Dazzled" kit.

To enter, you know the drill — just comment below. You have till June 9, Wednesday, at 11:59 p.m. to comment. And you must have a U.S. mailing address to win.

Good luck!

Why hellooo …

Allen Tsai in Levi's 501 fall 2008/winter 2009 ad campaign.

I was casually flipping through the latest H&M magazine when I noticed an Asian guy in one of the main fashion spreads. It’s rare to see Asian models at all, much less Asian male models, and even rarer, one Asian male model with a bunch of white female models. I had to find out who this guy was.

Turns out, it’s Allen Tsai with Next Model Management. The 6’2″ model’s quite the star, at least by Asian male model standards. Gap, Esprit, cKone … that’s a pretty impressive resume.

Allen Tsai's card.

Check out some more of his work here. And stop drooling.

Juliana Imai and Allen Tsai in Esprit's spring/summer 2010 ad campaign.

Allen Tsai in Esprit's spring/summer 2010 ad campaign.

Allen Tsai in a Gap ad campaign.

Allen Tsai in Levi's 501 fall 2008/winter 2009 ad campaign.

Cleansing milks always make me wonder if they really do the job of getting rid of dirt and makeup. Anokha’s Oatmeal Cleansing Milk for normal to oily skin goes on creamy and smells like sweet oatmeal, which is just fine since the company’s products feature all-natural ingredients native to South Asia.

This cleanser looks deceptively like any other milky cleanser. But, once you slather it on and massage it over your face, you really start to feel something, like the ingredients are soaking up all the oil on your forehead (goodbye T zone!). Immediately after rinsing, my skin not only felt clean, it felt soft and totally clear of any trace of oil, and actually felt that way for a few hours. If you’re heading off to bed, finish off with Anokha’s Jasmine Serum for a really nice, clean scent as you fall asleep.

tokidoki's milk-stealing "Moofia."

The kooky world of tokidoki.

I know, I know. No matter how “Asian” tokidoki looks, the designer behind the adorably wicked characters is Italian and there is no other Asian connection other than its obvious inspiration from Japanese pop art. We discovered that in the early days of Audrey when we went to a press preview and saw the characters and got excited, thinking it was a new Asian brand or line or designer that we could feature. Nope. Simon Legno, the creator, other than his passion for Japanese culture, has no discernible Asian connection that would allow us to finagle the brand into the magazine.

A colorful look from Tokidoki's exclusive new makeup line at Sephora.

But that doesn’t stop me from loving the line. And besides, what is “Asian” anyway? I think something like tokidoki that perpetuates and mainstreams a visibly “Asian” aesthetic is all good.

Now that I have that out of the way, I can just show you the adorableness that is tokidoki’s exclusive new line at Sephora. So, so, so cute, with its ever-present wicked bent. Kawaii for adults. Get it just so you can look at it on your vanity.

The line includes everything from brightly hued eye and lip makeup to character-splashed makeup tools like the all-important kabuki brush. One of my favorites is the tokidoki Perfetto Eyeliner ($16). It’s a chisel-tipped pen liner, which is incredibly easy to use, and it comes in so many cool colors. Don’t limit yourself to your eyes — get creative with the eight bold shades to draw anywhere, anytime.

tokidoki Perfetto Eyeliners.

I like the tokidoki Fantastico Lip Stain ($15) as well — it’s also got that marker pen applicator that makes you feel like you’re literally painting on a canvas.

tokidoki Cromatico Eyeshadow Palette in Diamante. How adorable is the little phone charm that comes with it?!?

Other goodies include:

* tokidoki Cromatico Eyeshadow, either in their signature tokidoki heart and crossbones packaging ($15), or an illustration-filled quad set ($25).

tokidoki Luminosa Powder.

*tokidoki Luminosa Powder ($22) for a luminescent, radiant glow.

* tokidoki Inferno Bronzer ($22) for a hint of warmth, and it’s good for your skin, too, with its rice lipids and vitamin B.

* tokidoki Cactus Pup Buffers ($8) are three little friends you can take anywhere with you for a quick nail buffing. But with mascots this cute, they’ll just add pizazz hanging from your keychain or bag.

tokidoki Cactus Pup Buffers.

* tokidoki cystal embellished key chains ($16) … just because.

tokidoki "Melodia" key chain.

DETAILS The new tokidoki collection is available exclusively at Sephora stores. 877-Sephora, Sephora.com.

Photos courtesy of Sephora.

tokidoki "'Till Death Do Us Part" characters.

tokidoki's sweet and prickly "SANDy" and her "Cactus Friends."

Amla, or Indian gooseberry, is reported to have the highest amount of vitamin C in natural form. And of course, everybody knows that vitamin C is a potent ingredient in fighting free radicals and contributing to younger-, healthier-looking skin.

Anokha Amla Skin Brightening Lotion is on sale today only at AudreyShops.

Dr. Nina S. Naidu harnesses the power of this potent sour fruit in a brightening formula. Amla Skin Brightening Lotion, doesn’t lighten as so many Asian skin brightening creams claim to do, but it “brightens.” Though the product tells you that it will take some time – four to six weeks – for the magic to happen, this editor saw some pretty impressive results after just three applications. Then again, I went a little crazy and slathered several pumps’ worth all over. The lesson? A little of this potent cream goes a long way.

If there’s one holy grail that I pursue relentlessly when it comes to skincare, it’s the GLOW. Call it radiance, luminosity, a glow from within. I want it all. And I want it all now.

Unfortunately, Glow escapes me. But that does not stop me. In my never-ending pursuit of Glow, I proffer myself as Guinea Pig Number 1. I will try them all until I achieve Glow. Here are some of my latest finds.

Hard Candy Moon Glow

Now, with a name like “Moon Glow,” you can’t go wrong, right? I mean, who doesn’t look good in moonlight, candlelight, or any other light that is one step away from no light.

I’ve finally come to terms with my pale face, so no more bronzers for me. Instead, I turn to Hard Candy’s Moon Glow to diffuse the splotches years of sun baking in the ’80s have left me with. It’s subtle but effective. I sweep it all over like a Photoshop’er gone beserk.

Hard Candy Moon Glow shimmery translucent powder.

Hard Candy Moon Glow, $8.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blendable Blush in Winter Glow

Another sort of Glow I covet is the youthful, pink-peachy, sculpted cheeks of so many a model. But as someone with an Asian skintone, it’s hard finding the right pink-peach that gives me a healthy flush, but doesn’t look too clownish.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blendable Blush & Highlighter.

The genius of Rimmel London’s blush in Winter Glow is the three tones. Sweep your brush over all three layers for a balanced flush, or focus on one side for a deeper or lighter finish.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blendable Blush & Highlighter, $5.

Primed and Ready for the Glow

M*A*C Prep + Prime.

One thing age has taught me — a good primer really is vital.

Yeah, sure, when you’re 19, a primer is waste of time. By virtue of your age, you’re naturally primed and probably have Glow pouring out of your ears. But if you’re not 19, the key to any Glow starts with a good primer. It not only reflects light and gives you a nice airbrushed base, it helps everything else (powder, blush) go on more smoothly, and keeps it there all day long.

Colorescience Let Me Be Clear primer.

For treatment primers, I like M*A*C Prep + Prime, $25.

For oily or acne-prone skin, nothing beats Colorescience Let Me Be Clear primer with salicylic acid, $50.

Sun-kissed Glow

I suddenly found myself on a last minute press trip to Hawaii last month. Which meant that my pasty, sickly legs needed a color boost ASAP. Now, while I may have accepted my official status as a pale face, I refuse to blind the world with my whiter than white gams. I’m just not a sadist that way.

Needless to say, no gradual tanning lotion was going to cut it. So I turned to the sample closet and found Mystic Tan’s sunless tanning lotion.

Mystic Tan sunless tanning lotion and shimmer powder.

I admit, I had some trepidation. After all, I remember Mystic Tan from the 2000s, and Paris Hilton-orange I did not want. I made sure to bring all sorts of tinted lotions and leg highlighters, just in case the Mystic Tan failed me.

I’m glad to report I didn’t use those lotions or highlighters once. My gams were golden and even, just enough to be believable on my otherwise pasty skin. And a week later, the color was still going strong. The best part? No sickly smell. Now that is hot.

Mystic Tan Perfect Tan Holiday Kit (includes the lotion and a bronzing shimmer powder), $29.

C’mon, admit it. When the thermostat outside turns up, calling for shorts and tanks, we all do the same thing – we dial down the makeup and even our skincare practices. We suddenly become too lazy to get to the third step in our three-step skincare regimen. I mean, it’s just so hot. Who wants to slather on cream after cream on top of sunscreen?

When the temperature rises, switch that cream-heavy anti-aging skincare regimen so perfect for cooler months with a lighter formula.

Laveré's Anti-Aging Hydro Lifting Serum is on sale today only.

Continue Reading »

Internationally renown actress and L’Oreal brand global ambassador Aishwarya Rai makes a stunning entrance at the 63rd Annual International Cannes Film Festival. Don’t you wish you were there?

Bollywood film star Aishwarya Rai in Elie Saab.

If all those cameras in the background freak you out, check out this next view. Gorgeous, sunny South of France. Sigh.

Actress Aishwarya Rai wearing an Emilio Pucci dress on the Martinez Terrace during the 63rd Annual International Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2010 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage, courtesy of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week)

Photos courtesy of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

It’s almost swimsuit season and I’ve finally made it back to the gym after a five-year (yes, you read that right) hiatus.

Of course, I know the benefits of exercise (staving off PMS and depression, preventing osteoporosis, etc.), and I swear, I’ve been meaning to go. But other than that nagging in my conscience telling me I’m getting older, I’ve got to start exercising, I was able to maintain my weight thus far through healthy eating and running after my nieces. But when I strained a muscle in my lower back last month — just vacuuming, of all things! — I knew I had to return to the gym.

Marika "New Wave" v-neck racerback tank.

It helped, I admit, that I had just gotten some workout clothes from Marika. Marika specializes in lifestyle-driven activewear designed for everything from the gym to Pilates, from yoga to cardio. But it’s not just clothes for the gym. Their Balance line is stylish enough to wear around town, and their Miracles line features shape-enhancing, technologically advanced materials which help you look good while you work out.

Indeed, to my surprise, workout gear has come a long way. Balance by Marika’s “New Wave” color block v-neck racerback tank features a built-in shelf bra and is long enough to cover the dreaded muffin top. The matching yoga capri has a wide, slightly low-rise waistband and flat lock stitching along the side seams for a flattering fit. Other styles feature Marika’s signature “Dry Wik” fabric to wick wetness away from the skin, as well as removable padding and super breathable “Cool Max” lining.

Marika "New Wave" color block capri.

So now that I’m back on the treadmill, I wanted to share some of the wealth with you. Marika is giving three lucky readers not only a workout outfit, but one from their Miracles collection.

Think of it as Spanx-meets-workout wear that magically improves your posture, lifts the butt, controls the tummy and otherwise contours every other part of your body before you even take a single step on that elliptical machine. The miracle is in the construction — the piecing, construction and stitching — as well as the technology. Marika uses their exclusive two-way stretch fabric, Elasta-Tight, which provides body-enhancing support without any of the constriction.

So now you’re not only working out to get hot, you’ll look hot while doing it.

We have one small set, one medium set and one large set (each set contains one tank, either waist cincher or uplifting, and one tummy control capri), so just tell me what size you need by commenting below. You have till May 19, 11:59 pm to enter. (You must have a U.S. mailing address in order to win.)

Good luck and happy exercising!