Who went to our Audrey’s Night Out last week? (If you missed out, read about it here and here.)

If you were lucky enough to be there, you saw Carol Chen’s C.C. Couture line on the catwalk. Well, good thing we’ve got your back, cuz whether you were at Audrey’s Night Out or not, we have three C.C. Couture pieces to give away to our oh-so lucky readers!

White tweed coat with crystal and satin pleating embellishment. Size S available.

C.C. Couture was started by Carol Chen, who first came to Audrey‘s attention as the first Asian American Miss San Francisco. Back then, she talked of her aspirations of becoming a designer, and now she has!

A puff collar, precise pleating and satin takes this coat from day to evening in a snap. Size S available.

As you can see, Chen creates modern-chic pieces for the uptown girl. I love the way a coat can practically be a dress, and vice versa.

Button this up for a chic coat dress; open, it's a sleeveless jacket you can throw over anything for instant polish. Size XS available.

For all our usual giveaway participants, listen up! The rules to win have changed!

@audreymagazine is trying to get up to 500 followers by the end of October. So, we’re giving the coats away to three tweeters who can get us the most followers by Wednesday, October 6, 11:59 p.m. Simply get your friends to follow @audreymagazine and tweet: “@(YOUR TWITTER NAME) told me to follow @audreymagazine for this awesome giveaway.” We’ll count up the tweeter with the most @mentions and award them the coats. And, you must have a U.S. mailing address to win. Good luck!

The right clutch for an event is always difficult to scrounge up. You only need a few necessities for the evening. A lipstick, credit cards, a camera, your phone. Therefore the bag has to be compact yet pretty enough that acquaintances won’t think you just picked a random brown bag off the street and decided to use it for the night. JLouise Handbags came up with the Pearl , Beige and Tan Ring Bling handbag that suits this need perfectly. They’re super sleek and clean, giving it a very elegant look yet has some funky metal ridges at the bottom that goes well for the modern girl. I like that this handbag looks like something that wont dent if I accidentally swing it around. It’s not too softy-softy. Which I like ‘cause I am so not a softy softy girl.

When a review copy of the latest release from Variance Films, Ip Man, crossed my desk last month, I sighed. “Another Asian martial arts movie.” Even the name was odd. But then Assistant Editor Janice Jann told me that she had seen it and it was really good. In fact, her cousin was in it, she said.

And not as a kung fu extra, either. Nope — Janice’s cousin was the star, Donnie Yen himself.

Hiroyuki Ikeuchi as Colonel Miura and Donnie Yen as Ip Man.

Now we had profiled Donnie Yen back in our early days, when Jackie Chan was the go-to man in Hollywood for anything martial arts. Little did most Americans realize that the man behind much of the martial arts stunts and choreography coming out of Hong Kong was Donnie Yen.

Today, Yen is a bona fide martial arts star in this critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning film. Not only did the film break box office records all across Asia, it won Best Film and Best Action Choreography at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards, and Best Action Choreography at the 46th Golden Horse Film Awards (China’s Oscars). It was so successful, a sequel, Ip Man 2, will release in January 2011.

Directed by Wilson Yip, with choreography by Sammo Hung (remember his CBS series Martial Law, starring Arsenio Hall, in the ’90s?), Ip Man tells the true story of the grandmaster of the Wing Chun school of martial arts and mentor to no other than Bruce Lee himself. In the 1930s, Master Ip (Donnie Yen) has it made — with a beautiful family and a impeccable home in the bustling town of Fo Shan, Ip lives a life of leisure, spending his days honing his Wing Chun martial arts skills.

But when the Japanese invade China in the Sino-Japan war (1937), Ip and the rest of his townsmen are rendered destitute. When the Japanese Colonel Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), fascinated with Chinese martial arts, sees Ip’s skills and tries to force him to teach Wing Chun to his soldiers, Ip must face the most intense challenge to his training, for both the honor of his family and the honor of his country.

Ip Man's wife, Cheung, played by Huang Yi.

While the action sequences are awe-inspiring, even to this non-martial arts fan, it’s the heartbreaking story of a brutal, cruel time that really appealed to this viewer. The muted, sepia’d tone of the latter half of the film starkly contrasted with the brilliant hues and vibrancy of the first half, a clear reflection of the earlier, happier days of Fo Shan.

You can catch the original, uncut and undubbed (with English subtitles) Hong Kong version in New York at The Cinema Village starting tomorrow, Friday, October 1. The film releases nationally thereafter.

For more info, check out www.ipmanmovie-us.com.

Photos courtesy of Well Go USA/Variance Films.

For skin as clear as Shu Pei Qin's, read on.

I love what Brits call pimples: Spots. It makes it sound so benign, almost cute.

“Oh, you’ve got a spot.”

“Really? Let me brush it off.”

If only it were that easy.

We Americans have slightly more aggressive terms for those little suckers: Zit, Acne, Eruption, Blemish, Bacteria-clogged Pustules. Ew.

From 21 to 41, we all suffer from those miserable little “spots.” And now that it’s back-to-school, back-to-work, or just plain back-to-life, you’ll want to put your best face forward. Thankfully, the editors, staff and interns at Audrey have tried our share of acne treatments. So here are some that actually work.

For sensitive skin:

Boscia Willow Bark Breakout Treatment.

Camelia says she’s allergic to everything. “I’m lucky enough to have both sensitive skin and a million allergies to basically everything under the sun,” she says, “so when I find beauty products that won’t irritate my skin or give me hives, I can’t help but jump for joy.” Camelia tried out Boscia’s Willow Bark Breakout Treatment and has declared it her “new best friend.”

“It comes out of the bottle as a light, clear gel so I don’t have to worry about my pores being clogged; definitely a plus when I’m out and about in the warm weather,” says Camelia, who is based in the high humidity city of Chicago.

The Willow Bark Treatment is preservative-free and contains Vitamins E and C that fight free radicals and prevent future breakouts. The willow herb also helps to calm inflammation and the soapberry peel (rich in saponin) purifies and heals the skin.

Get it at Sephora or at Boscia’s website.

For stubborn spots:

Han has generally clear skin. But occasionally she’ll get that one stubborn spot. Here’s what she had to say about Murad Acne Spot Treatment.

Murad Acne Spot Treatment.

“I had just gotten back from Chicago and New York for some vacay time, and thanks to all the yummy but heart-clogging food my friends had treated me, I was breaking out. Not like gross junior-high-I-just-hit-puberty breaking out, but my skin wasn’t as nice as it usually was.

“There was one particular blemish, though tiny, that was bugging me. It was the only blemish as my skin had only turned a little irregular in color, so I focused all my attention on getting rid of it. Soap, astringents, and easing off the junk food did nothing.

“I put a tiny dot of Murad Acne Spot Treatment Step 2: Treat/Repair on my finger and gingerly applied it after washing up. Crawling into bed, I hoped that something would happen.

“The next morning, it was gone! What had been a bump had disappeared. Pleased, I treated myself to a sundae.

“Sometimes, there are such things as miracles.”

Get it here.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar AI intensive acne spot treatment.

For hormonal pimples:

It’s simply not fair to have to deal with wrinkles, discoloration and pimples. Not fair at all. (Fifty percent of adult women deal with acne.) And while I’m still shaking my fist at the complexion gods, at least they sent a salve called La Roche-Posay Effaclar AI Intensive Acne Spot Treatment. With 5 percent benzoyl peroxide (twice as much as most over-the-counter treatments) to zap zits, Effaclar AI also contains lipo-hydroxy acid, a pro-exfoliating molecule designed to micro-exfoliate the skin and stimulate cell renewal. What does that mean? Less residual dark spots and more even skin tone. What it means to me is my spot diminishes twice as fast and with less pain and torture.

It’s now available online at their official website.

Glytone Acne Treatment Gel.

For heavy duty zit whacking:

One of the benefits (or downsides — you decide) of being married to an editor is you get to be the guinea pig for all manner of beauty products. The husband of a certain editor (who shall remain nameless, but really, it’s not hard to figure out) still gets that occasional angry pimple. (He sleeps on his face, uses all sorts of waxes and sprays on his long-ish hair — no big surprise.) So we pulled out the big guns for him: Glytone Acne Treatment Gel with 10% benzoyl peroxide. Ten percent! Needless to say, it does the job, but to prevent overdrying, use it for your occasional, super-angry spot.

The whole shebang:

If you need or want more than just an occasional spot treatment, go with what one editor swears by. The packaging may not be oh-so pretty, but Clearogen does the job. A three-step acne treatment and prevention system addresses both the causes and symptoms of hormonal and stress-induced acne. Created by board certified dermatologist Dr. Alex Khadavi, Clearogen attacks DHT (dihydro-testosterone) which causes oil glands to become overactive. Clinical studies show a 95 percent success rates, with results seen in as little as 30 days. Our editor swears it’s the first system that’s ever prevented a PMS pimple. Now that’s progress.

Clearogen 3-step acne system.

Get the three-piece set (foaming cleanswer, clarifying toner and acne lotion) for $69 at Clearogen.com.

Let’s just all face it, ladies. Fall is just about here so it’s time to get our wardrobes ready. Ease into the autumn weather with the Lucca Couture long sleeve “Colorblock” tunic.

Whether you opt for black stripe or navy stripe, this is an outfit that would flatter any woman’s shape. What’s even better is that you can dress it up for a romantic dinner or dress it down for brunch with your girlfriends. What’s not to love?

‘Cause it was awesome!

Here are some of our favorite parts of the night.

The Venue

Audrey’s makeover of the Petersen Automotive Museum was a complete success. The already gorgeous showroom was enhanced with lavender gobo light strewn across the walls. Our only gripe may be going all the way to first floor just to use the restroom but if you can’t make the trek, you didn’t really need to go anyway.

Star-studded Red Carpet

Lots of celebs popped up on the red carpet, including The Bold and the Beautiful’s Ashley Jones (pictured above), C.S. Lee (Dexter), Youtube makeup guru Michelle Phan, and Amy Hill. Non-celebs also made plenty use of the bright orange Audrey backdrop, posing like the inner-divas they are throughout the night.

Justin Chon

The Twilight star stole the show not once but TWICE when he took the stage hosting the celebrity runway portion of the show. First, he gave an endearing speech honoring and celebrating the Asian American woman and then he took off his shirt to reveal some bright red nipple tassels and short jean shorts. Talk about making a fashion statement!

Fashion

You must be 5’10″ and 100 lbs. to pull this Mik Imik dress off but we still think it’s super pretty.

The outfit on the left is SO HOT. The bowler hat, the red lace rights, the fluffy scarf. Jotting it down for our Christmas wish list. And the fur vest on the right is furr-ocious. Paws off to designer Jenny Han.

Pop Up Booths

We loved being able to check out what we saw on the runway right after at the designer pop up booths. That way, fashion like Jellypop shoes (above) can go straight from the runway to…your feet!

Goody Bags

Let’s face it, we’re Asian. We love free stuff. The packed Audrey’s Night Out goodybags reciprocated our feelings quite nicely.

Friends

Meeting new people while hanging out with old friends are the key benefits to Audrey’s Night Out. Whether mingling, networking or flirting, there were plenty of people from the 1000+ guest list to chat with.

Open Bar

Hey, we had a long, hard month working on this night, okay? Thanks Ketel One and Stella Artois for making it all that much better.

Photos courtesy of Karla Ticas. What were your favorite moment from the night?

Looking for something different to add to your jewelry collection? Well, you should probably get your hands on the Ija Designs “Skull” bracelet.

This bracelet has a very vintage feel with a touch of punk flare. A 14k gold plated skull offsets the brilliant, faceted gemstones. It’s a little out of the ordinary, but who wants to look ordinary fashion-wise? Get this bracelet and you’ll probably never want to take it off.

Glee’s second episode of the season is on tonight! And this being the Britney episode, we know it’s going to be a good one.

However, it was last week’s episode that was an unforgettable one to our writer, Camelia.
Here are her thoughts.

As an admitted gleek I had been waiting all summer for last week’s season two premiere of the Fox hit show Glee. As a Filipina American I was eagerly anticipating seeing 18-year-old singing sensation Charice belt her heart out for the world to hear. Charice’s appearance on Glee is a huge deal for the Filipino/Filipino American communities, but it is also a huge deal for the Asian/Asian American communities as a whole because she is continuing to put Asians/Asian Americans on the map in big ways.

The fact that Charice landed a role on an über popular primetime television show is a big deal to me, personally, because I grew up rarely seeing any Asian Americans on TV. However, when I did see an Asian American they were usually the bad guys beating people up with their karate moves; the nerdy guy or girl in the background; or the outcast foreigner with a thick accent and only speak broken English. What’s even more exciting to me is that on Glee Charice, a girl born and raised in the Philippines is playing the role of a Filipina girl born and raised in the Philippines who “totally” speaks English, as she told Rachel Berry.

As soon as Charice’s character Sunshine Corazon began singing her breathtaking version of “Listen” from Dreamgirls, tweets about Charice exploded on Twitter and people immediately updated their Facebook statuses to praise the young vocal prodigy. YouTube star AJ Rafael tweeted to the singer, “Charice, I love you. You make us singers proud. And most importantly you make us Filipinos proud.” Hundreds of Filipinos instantaneously retweeted Rafael’s message in support of their fellow Filipino.

The fact that individuals like Charice, Harry Shum, Jr., Jason Wu, AJ Rafael and Manny Pacquiao can become household names here in the U.S. shows the positive shift going on in our society right now. More and more people are recognizing the talents of Asian Americans and are no longer limiting them to just being intelligent and hard working. We’re slowly moving away from further perpetuating stereotypes about Asians such as being the “model minority” and it is FREAKING AWESOME. It’s awesome that young Asian Americans growing up right now can look up to musicians, dancers, fashion designers and athletes who may have similar backgrounds to theirs and look like them.

Glee airs on FOX Tuesdays at 9PM.

Thanks to Audrey reader Marietta Leung who sent us these lovely photos of herself and the Bryna Nicole bag she won in one of our recent Thank Goodness It’s Free Friday giveaways!

Audrey reader Marietta Leung and the Bryna Nicole "Tall Harlow" bag she won on our Thank Goodness It's Free Friday giveaway!

Here’s what Marietta says:

“I can’t express how much I love Bryna Nicole’s Tall Harlow bag. I’m a lover of neutral colors and the caramel color just makes it the perfect bag for the fall. The bag is made with a soft, velvety leather that makes it really nice to hold. I also like the multiple pockets located outside the bag, which are great for stashing small items like my keys, cell phone, and metrocards. “Tall Harlow” is simply chic and gorgeous. Thanks Bryna Nicole & Audrey Magazine!”

Wanna join the Audrey community? Send us a photo and tell us why you’re an Audrey girl. Also keep an eye out right here for our TGIFree Friday giveaways — we have one every Friday (and we even sneak one in the middle of the week every so often — just to keep you on your toes!)

- Marietta Leung

After months of preparation, the night finally came!

…and left.

Audrey’s Night Out was an indubitable success and we have been overwhelmed with all the love, laughter, fun, fashion and Ketel Ones shared throughout the evening and then after.

Full-on updates will be posted over the next couple of days but in the meantime, let me share with all of you who couldn’t make it (and those who did but still want to stare at pictures of themselves) some great places where you can catch snapshots of the night:

• Asia Pacific Arts, Hey Do You, Femme Photog and Wrecked Stellar talked fashion.
• Attic followed celeb fashion show host Justin Chon and ogled the hot models.
• Hot celeb model Lynn Chen ogled the food.
• Audrey Night Out’s superwoman producer, Chriselle, finally got some sleep.

Many more updates from our stellar media guests will come in over the next few days (they’re all still recovering from the unlimited Ketel One and Stellas from the night).

If you attended the show and have pictures and words to share, share them here!