What does “autumn” mean to you? Maybe back-to-school? Maybe Halloween? Maybe your own Asian American version of Thanksgiving, like Kerala, India’s festival of Onam, Korea’s Chuseok, or Mooncake or Lantern festivals?
Whatever it may be, show us! We want to see what “autumn” means to you, and you just might get your photo into the next issue of Audrey Magazine! (Runner-ups may be featured on AudreyMagazine.com.)
Submit your photos that in some way reflect the Asian American experience as well as the theme of “autumn.” You don’t have to be a pro, so submit your photo by July 19, 2010. To submit, please see instructions below.
We’re looking forward to seeing your work!
Submissions
Images should be in digital jpeg format, at least 300 dpi resolution and 2400 pixels on the long end. Along with each image, please include your name, location and an explanation of how your image relates to the theme. Only submit photos that you’ve taken yourself. Please do not digitally alter your photos, besides cropping and applying basic tonal adjustments. Send your photos to Derek@audreymagazine.com, maximum three entries per person.
Legal & Releases
By submitting, you are granting Audrey Magazine permission to publish your submitted photos online and/or in print with your photo credit. You must be 18 or older to submit; if you’re under 18, a parent or legal guardian can submit on your behalf. If there are recognizable people in your photograph, you should be prepared to submit a personal release signed by the person, authorizing our publication of the photo (download here).
It’s been forever since I last listened to indie music. Though my taste in music has changed since my young’un days when I blasted The Killers or the next up-and-coming band, I can still appreciate it — the power blast from the lyrics and amazing guitar riffs, especially if it’s catchy enough to push repeat.
PaperDoll, an Asian American girl-fronted indie rock band, just conquered Kollaboration NY and is on their way to play in Shanghai at Frexh 2010 and the World Expo.
PaperDoll is, from left, Chip Thomas (drums), Steve Paelet (bass), Patrick Moloney (guitar), and Teresa Lee Chaisiri (vocals). Photo by Lorie Reilly.
Reminiscent of No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani’s vocals supported by a steady stream of drum and bass and everything in between, Chinese-Taiwanese-Thai American vocalist Teresa Lee Chaisiri packs a powerful punch. Her voice soars above the intermingling melodies and the steady pound of the percussion as it heralds lyrics that pull you into the music to create an incredible blend of punk soul.
PaperDoll.
Rolling Stone said they “embody the defiance and joie de vivre that define rock music,” while MTV World described them as “Harder than The Killers and tighter than Pat Benatar ever was. Pure post‐punk energy with a melodic heart.”
Take a listen to their song “If Nothing Happened” off their debut album Ballad Nerd Pop:
Teresa even sings in Mandarin in their song “Anything At All.”
PaperDoll kicked butt at Kollaboration NY last month (how could they not with a front woman in such a cute, retro get-up?).
Teresa at Kollaboration NY.
PaperDoll and their giant check at Kollaboration NY.
Wanna hear them live? Check out their upcoming shows:
Saturday, July 17, 2010, 8 pm
Crash Mansion
199 Bowery St (at Spring St), New York, NY 10003
August 6 – 7, 2010
Frexh 2010 (Music, Fashion, & Food Festival), Shanghai, China
Childhood is calling. There’s something about the newest makeup products these days that reminds me of elementary school art class. From markers to paint brushes to finger painting, the easiest makeup this summer just requires a little dexterity.
Liu Wen gets playfully colorful backstage at Derek Lam's fall 2010 show.
Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Stain.
Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Ink
I’m not a lipstick person and I’m certainly not a lip liner person, and that goes double for the hotter months of the year. And yet nothing is worse than hair stuck in lip gloss. Ew.
But the genius that is Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Ink stains your lips with a soft marker tip and feels like you have nothing on (except for that luscious mango scent and the fact that it has moisturizing panthenol so your lips stay hydrated). It goes on sheer and light, allowing you to layer more for a deeper stain. And it lasts. Wow, does it last.
Available at Sephora, $15.
Hard Candy Powder Keg in Dagger
Hard Candy Powder Keg Loose Eye Shadow in Dagger.
Throw away the brushes and the applicators. Nothing is easier than dab, dab, dabbing with your ring finger.
Case in point. Hard Candy’s Powder Keg Loose Eye Shadow in Dagger is so easy to use, you’re liable to go a little crazy. Spill proof container and applicator deposit just the right amount on your finger, allowing you to dab silky smooth olive green shadow with just a hint of golden sheen on your lid. Dab a little for a sheer sheen. Dab more for a unique, deep smoky eye perfect for summer.
Oh, and the hue looks so good on Asian skin tones.
Available at Walmart, $6.
Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen.
Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen
I may be great at dabbing (cream eye shadow, lip gloss), but anything requiring precision application (nail polish, eye brow pencil) gets a bit tricky. I have a cousin who always has the prettiest, coolest nails — sometimes with just a swipe of blood red on the tips, sometimes with a unique design on each nail — and she always does it herself.
Nail art designs in white.
Sure, it helps if you’re an art major, like she is. But if you’re not, you can always cheat with Sally Hansen’s Nail Art Pen. A fine tip pen lets you draw precise lines and the water-based formula can be corrected with a moist cotton swab without damaging dry nail polish.
Available in eight different shades, and as always, it’s toluene, DBP and formaldehyde free.
Available at most drugstores.
Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic
Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic kit.
I’m not usually fan of makeup palettes and kits, especially the eye-cheek-and-lip kind. Before you know it, little bits of aubergine shadow are embedded in your nude pot gloss, and everything becomes one gritty mess.
Benefit’s concealer kit, on the other hand, is genius because now you have everything you need to touch up those blemishes on the go — even a handy mirror built right in.
With mini sizes of their best selling concealing products including That Gal primer, their hard-core Erase Paste concealer, two shades of concealer (for dark circles versus blemishes), a pink concealer for under eyes, a yellow for everything else, and two double sided brushes that get you covered!
Open up the kit and you get step-by-step instructions on how and where to cover. It doesn't get easier!
Available at Benefit, $36.
A few months ago, Audrey contributor Janice Jann won First Princess in the 2010 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown. Since then, she’s been blogging about life as a beauty queen — from a real girl perspective. Here, part two of a First Princess’s tales from the inside.
A couple of days ago, I went to the gym and weighed myself on the scale and my jaw dropped to the ground. I had lost 20 pounds in the past six months. Physically, it’s not that big of a difference, is it?
Winning Miss Los Angeles Chinatown 2010 First Princess is not the best reward I received from this whole pageant experience. This body was.
For the past four months, I dragged myself out of bed nearly every single morning and worked out, whether taking ballroom dancing classes, lifting weights or just using the bicycle machines. I moderated what I ate, chomping on carrot sticks like I was Roger Rabbit and turning a blind eye to every burger joint and taco shack. It was not an easy task. I am a girl who loves to eat. If I could choose eternal beauty or the opportunity to enjoy amazing meals every single day of my life, food will win every time. I get giddy over a beautiful piece of steak. I think sharing a meal with someone is one of the most worthwhile ways of bonding and communion. I take pictures of food, for goodness sakes! So yea, it’s safe to say I like food a lot.
Janice Jann is newly svelte, but still loves her food!
And I am not naturally skinny. While it is true that I am skinnier than most, I am by no means a lithe size 0 with a six pack (maybe of beer …). I worked hard to get to this size. There is no secret magic shortcut to staying thin. You pretty much have to love yourself and your body enough to want to eat healthy and work out.
Taking care of your body the right way will not only give you a satisfactory physical appearance, it will make you feel better all around. I’m more alert, more awake because I don’t weigh myself down with sweets and fatty foods. I don’t break out as much. I go (you know, go) easily and on a regular basis. Endorphins flow through my veins, making me happier and smilier. I’m more flexible and quicker on my feet (still as klumsy as ever, though). I find that taking classes greatly boosts my motivation towards working out. It is really hard to slack off when you have all these middle-aged housewives puffing away, sweating bullets.
Now that the pageant is over, my top priority is keeping myself in shape. It does get kind of hard when I have weekly banquets to go to, where seven-course Chinese meals await, but I just also remember to keep my portions in check and remember that if I eat too much today, tomorrow is always a fresh new day.
Got Eclipse mania yet? It just released and it’s a long weekend, soooo … I’m thinking a lot of you are gonna go out and watch. Just ’cause.
There’s a lot more eye candy in this third installment (namely, the Quileute werewolves), but in a recent poll held by Fandango, it turned out one little-known newcomer to the Twilight series got top prize for most anticipated Twilight newbie: 16-year-old BooBoo Stewart.
BooBoo Stewart as Seth Clearwater in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," out now.
And why should we care? Because BooBoo (apparently a nickname from his mother that stuck) is of Japanese, Chinese and Korean descent from his mother’s side, and Russian, Scottish and Blackfoot Native American from his father (phew!).
But BooBoo’s no newbie to the entertainment scene. The actor (who plays the 15-year-old Quileute werewolf Seth Clearwater) is a former member of T-Squad, a Disney hip-hop/pop group, and sings with his sisters Fivel and Maegan Stewart, in TSC (The Stewart Clan). (You can download his song with Fivel, “Rainy Day,” on iTunes.)
BooBoo Stewart and his sister Fivel at the Los Angeles premiere of Eclipse.
BooBoo apparently doesn’t get too much screen time in Eclipse, but watch for him to really shine in the fourth installment of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, hitting theaters in 2011. He’s already been touted as the next Taylor Lautner (and he does have more than a passing resemblance to him).
BooBoo Stewart at the London premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."
What do you think? Are you gonna watch Eclipse? And do you think BooBoo is the next teen heartthrob?
It’s Fourth of July weekend! Who’s ready to Rumbaaaaaaa?
RumbaTime waterproof watch, available at National Jean Company.
Ok, enough cheese. Down to the serious stuff. We know you’re busy buyin’ up ice for the cooler, packin’ your swimsuit and inner tubes, and gettin’ ready for some serious summer fun and fireworks. But before you go, enter our TGIFree Friday giveaway for RumbaTime’s cute little waterproof watch.
Never again will you have to worry about getting your little timepiece wet. (And it’ll look so good intermingled with all your cool, multi-stacked bangles or braided bracelets.) This sporty little watch will keep you chic and on time, courtesy of National Jean Company.
What is National Jean Company, you ask? Yes, they have brick-and-mortar stores and an ecommerce site, but it’s not just denim. They’ve got an array of 150 designers at various price points — clothes, jewelry, even kids!
So comment below. Three lucky Audrey readers are going to win their own RumbaTime watch. And remember — you must have a U.S. mailing address, and you only have till Wednesday, July 7 at 11:59 pm to comment. (Don’t forget — retweet this post for a double entry!) Good luck!
Summertime is one time when I do not feel like fussing and preening. When the weather’s this nice, I don’t even feel like shopping! Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m just going to let myself go. Thank goodness for these quick fixes that’ll make the hottest season just a little bit cooler.
Goody Pro Volumizing Comb and Simple Styles Spin Pin
Be forewarned: I’m not a hair person. That is to say, I’m a lazy hair person. I can’t straighten, pin curl, or do anything requiring bobby pins. I’ve never been a very good French braider. That’s why I love the messy ponytail seen on spring runways — I know no other kind.
Shu Pei Qin in Vera Wang, spring 2010. Photo courtesy of Style.com.
Liu Wen in Alexander Wang, spring 2010. Photo courtesy of Style.com.
On the other hand, a messy updo is a bit trickier and generally far too complicated for my unskilled paws. To get it just unkempt enough, but still chic, one needs a whole lotta bobby pins, more than a pair of hands and apparently eyes on the back of one’s head. To wit, Filipina-Irish-Native American Vanessa Hudgen’s wonderfully undone updo:
Vanessa Hudgens at the Night of Fashion & Technology with LG Phones event held at Soho House on May 24, 2010. Vanessa is wearing an M.C.L. by Matthew Campbell Laurenza big pave blooming flower pyramid ring. Photo courtesy of D'Orazio & Associates.
Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin.
But I have to admit. Goody makes it pretty easy. Their Pro Get Volume comb features several rows of tines of variegated length, so all it takes is a couple of backcombing swipes for instant volume.
Then use their Spin Pin, which is fairly easy, even for me. Just twist your hair into a bun, then spin the pins in. The twisting action magically keeps your hair in place, but not so much so. Instant undone! It gives you that perfectly undone chignon we all covet on actresses on the red carpet. And best of all, no bobby pins.
Goody Pro volumizing comb.
Available in blonde and brunette shades. Get it at Walmart or Target, starting at $2.50, or at Goody.
We Love Colors shoelaces
Versace, spring 2010.
One of my favorite things to do is tweaking my existing wardrobe with little DIY projects that instantly update for the new season.
Case in point: last year’s booties. The easiest update for last year’s lace-up booties is with bright neon laces. Whether in black, cognac or grey, a pop of neon color instantly gives your shoes a modern twist.
I like We Love Colors splash color laces in every color from pastels to neon. It’s a little bit surfer chic a la Proenza Schouler and Versace, a little futuristic a la Balenciaga.
We Love Colors laces, starting at $2.
We Love Colors splash color laces.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar AI
I never believe those testimonials in beauty magazines anymore — “dab it on your blemish and it’s gone tomorrow!” Sure, that may work for the occasional teeny tiny red spot that models swear they get. But for those nasty, hormonal, once-a-month, deep-down painful, rock-hard bulbs, there is little one can do. You just have to wait for the angry mass to run its course. And use plenty of cover-up.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar AI intensive acne spot treatment.
Now, I’m a big fan of La Roche-Posay. Nothing beats their sunscreens. But when I came across the brand’s Effaclar AI — an “intensive acne spot treatment” — I was skeptical. Like I said, I’ve tried quite a few products as an Audrey editor. But this one not only had a higher percentage of benzoyl peroxide (5.5%) than I’ve ever seen, it also claimed to treat the residual reddish brown spot that lingers long after the blemish itself has actually healed.
So I gave it a shot. The minute I felt that painful lump, I dabbed Effaclar AI on it. No, the lump did not magically disappear the next morning. But the pain was gone, a miracle in and of itself. And the lump did magically disappear in three days.
The ultimate proof? I dabbed it on my husband’s angry little blemish for a couple days, and then forgot about it. A week later, I asked him about it. He couldn’t remember where it was.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar AI intensive acne spot treatment, $29.
What’s your favorite quick fix style secret this summer?
Anyone watching So You Think You Can Dance? I don’t normally watch that show, but with all the noise Asian Americans have been making with their mad dance skills of late, one Asian American contestant on the reality TV show has caught my attention. Take note of what many are saying is the show’s front runner, Alex Wong.
The 23-year-old was a principal soloist with the Miami City Ballet, (he joined at the age of 17 after winning the prestigious “Prix de Lausanne” competition), but gave up his position to compete in the show. He’s pretty damn good, and easy on the eyes to boot. I just may tune in tonight at 8 pm on Fox. You?
So You Think You Can Dance contestant Alex Wong.
Alex Wong competing in last week's episode.
The top 10 contestants on "So You Think You Can Dance."
The contestants of "Young Imam"
It’s no surprise that the religion of Islam tends to make some Americans a bit testy. After the name “Osama Bin-Laden” started making news hour rounds, the name “Muhammad” immediately lost all rights to dinner table conversation, except in reference to boxing movies with Will Smith (or attacks on Danish cartoonists).
Then there’s Young Imam, the Malaysian reality show. Think American Idol minus Sex And The City 2. Ten young, good-looking men compete for the favor of a judge, who eliminates one contestant every week. Sounds familiar, except the contestants are all devout Muslims, and the judge is a former grand mufti of the Malaysian national mosque. And the grand prize? A free trip to Mecca, a scholarship to al-Madinah University of religious studies in Saudi Arabia, and a job as one of the country’s premiere religious leaders. That’s Imam for you.
Calling this an unusual perception of Islamic culture would be sort of like calling Caddy Shack a different take on golf culture. Islam is the second mostpracticed religion in the world, and yet in America our views are shaped by the actions of a relatively small number of extremists. Young Imam gives us a version of Islam that is decidedly moderate — and, as it turns out, crowd-pleasing. After three weeks, the show’s Facebook page has garnered plenty of fans; among them are a good number of mother-in-laws trying to marry off their daughters to the show’s rising studs.
Four seasons? Hardly. In Southern California, we’re lucky if we get two.
In fashion, it’s the opposite. There are now officially seven sartorial seasons. (Good for fashion rags, good — or bad, depending on your wardrobe budget — for consumers.) Besides the traditional four, there’s also resort, pre-spring and pre-fall.
I know. Confusing, especially when one hails from the West Coast where, really, the only weather considerations are “nice” and “not nice.”
But fear not. All it really means is you have more choice and don’t have to resign yourself to wearing that tired, old look displayed in every magazine, on every red carpet. After all, with the frenetic pace of fashion and 24/7 media saturation of what everyone is wearing everywhere, it really is too easy to develop some serious fashion ADD.
A look from Ardistia's spring/summer 2010 collection.
So just take a step back, wind down and enjoy a leisurely evening of style, beauty and drinks at Ardistia‘s private sneak preview sale! Yes, the award-winning, Indonesian American designer Ardistia Dwiasri, whom we featured in our Oct/Nov 2007 issue, will have her spring/summer collection on sale (and summer’s just started!), but she’ll also have her pre-fall collection available for preview.
The perfect yellow in an Ardistia spring dress.
Ardistia is known for her architectural cuts (she got her undergrad and master’s degrees in industrial and and manufacturing engineering before turning to fashion design at Parsons The New School for Design in New York). Famous for her structured coats and jackets, she creates pieces always with an element of innovation or surprise — there’s so much more there than meets the eye.
While you discover the ins and outs of Ardistia’s workmanship, enjoy some pampering with complimentary hand massages courtesy of Juara Skincare as you peruse their line of rich, natural, lusciously-scented products. Juara was founded by four Asian American women — Metta Murdaya, Tami Chuang, Yoshiko Roth and Jill Sung — with the goal of harnessing the active botanicals of Indonesian herbal recipes (rice, tamarind, turmeric, etc.) and fusing them with Western science to create products that represent the best of both worlds.
Sip some wine, nibble on chocolate, get pampered. Let that sweet, fleeting season that is pre-fall sink in.
The Ardistia and Juara spring/summer sale and pre-fall preview, June 30, 2010.
Ardistia's specialty -- the best coats and jackets.
DETAILS
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
6 pm – 9 pm
Ardistia Showroom
280 Park Avenue South, Suite 9E, New York
RSVP to: ardistia@ardistianewyork.com
Find out more at the Facebook event page.
www.ardistianewyork.com
www.juaraskincare.com
