Flying Monkey dark denim stretchy skinny jeans.

Skinny jeans are a must in any fashionista’s wardrobe. Flying Monkey’s dark denim stretch skinny jeans are no exception. Why pay a fortune on other brands when these jeans are just as good if not better? These jeans are so stretchy, they’ll hug your curves and look amazing. Go ahead and pair them with that silky top of yours for a night at the club or with a men’s wear style button-up for a business casual look. These skinny jeans will definitely not disappoint.

The next chief justice? Judge Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye.

We were really hoping that President Obama would nominate an Asian American (former dean of Yale Law School Harold Koh? Boalt law professor Goodwin Liu?) when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stevens stepped down. It didn’t happen, obviously, and it looks like Elena Kagan is going to be confirmed. But all is not lost! We may just have an Asian American Supreme Court justice yet!

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger nominated 3rd District Court of Appeal Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye as the next chief justice of the California Supreme Court. Not only would the 50-year-old Filipina American be the first Asian American to lead the state’s high court, if confirmed, she would give the court a female majority for the first time in history.

“She is a living example of the American dream and when she is confirmed by the voters in November, Judge Cantil-Sakauye will become California’s first Filipina chief justice, adding to our high court’s already rich diversity,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

Cantil-Sakauye earned a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric at UC Davis in 1980 and a law degree from the UC Davis School of Law in 1984. It is reported that her Filipina mother was a farmworker and her Hawaii-born Filipino-Portuguese father worked in sugar cane and pineapple plantations before moving to Sacramento.

Another lucky Audrey reader shows off her giveaway win! This time, Sunkyung Park won Jellypop’s “Trendy” sandals in one of last month’s TGIFree Friday Giveaway.

Winner Sunkyung and her Jellypop "Trendy" sandals.

Of her sandals, Sunkyung says on her blog: “One of the first things I did when I got to LA was try on these cute Jellypop sandals that Audrey Magazine sent me (part of their TGIF every week!). My feet are kind of on the wide side and big for a Korean girl. A size 7.5 is almost unheard of amongst my size 6 friends, and when I tell them sometimes I can fit into 8s they shudder. Regardless, much to my delight these sandals fit perfectly! Thanks Jellypop and Audrey Magazine!”

Be a part of the Audrey community and win goodies!

Wanna be a part of the Audrey community? Just comment below and tell us why you’re an Audrey girl. You just may win some goodies … no waiting till Friday!

(Of course, we have another TGIFree Friday coming up in two more days … so check back soon!)

September is the second busiest month for weddings, second only to June. So for those of you planning a gorgeous fall wedding, you’re in luck. Korean American designer Yoo Lee of Saja is having a sale on her stunning bridal gowns we blogged about earlier this year, starting tomorrow!

Saja Bridal on sale!

She’s got plenty of bridesmaid dresses as well, so if you’re in the New York area, head over!

Saja bridal for brides and bridesmaids.

Femme Metale "Eva" real turquoise ring.

Nowadays, rings are a girl’s best friend. They are the simplest accessory to complement an outfit, but can also be the most beautiful. The Femme Metale “Eva” real turquoise ring is nothing short of gorgeous with its beaded bezel setting. Cast in sterling silver and featuring a rock so bold in color, you may opt to make this a permanent adornment on your hand.

Let’s face it. Facebook profile pictures matter almost as much, if not more, than first impressions on first dates. And skincare company Vaseline is banking on that with their new Facebook app and arguably racist marketing campaign, which is stirring up some major controversy.

Vaseline's ad campaign for their new skin whitening cream for men, featuring Bollywood star Shahid Kupur .

Vaseline’s Facebook application allow users to lighten the skin color of their profile pictures by five shades. The app targets Indian male consumers as a marketing tool to accompany the launch of the Vaseline brand’s new skin-lightening creams for men. The ad campaign has Bollywood star Shahid Kupur as its brand ambassador and features a picture of his face divided in half, highlighting the lighter and darker differences.

The ad campaign’s message is clear — that lighter skin, even for men, is better. In India, light skin has long been the gold standard for beauty. The standard doesn’t discriminate between men and women and applies to everyone. In a country where often the societal and cultural norm states that fairer skin will enhance one’s chances at success in life and even in finding love, it has become apparent that Indians are literally and physically getting white-washed.

In many South, Southeast and East Asian countries, the physical attribute of “whiteness” has become the beauty standard. Whether it is more Westernized facial features through double-eyelid folds or lighter skin achieved with whitening creams, Asians in their native countries are taking drastic and unnatural measures to achieve such desired outcomes. In the case of Vaseline’s skin-whitening cream ad campaign, its online marketing through the globally accessed social networking site Facebook.com is giving users from all over the world an insight into racism-embedded marketing efforts in India. What may seem culturally relevant and applicable in India today is being criticized as racist marketing according to online users from other parts of the world. Profile pictures are important and it’s understandable that everyone wants to put their best faces forward, but your face — five shades lighter — shouldn’t be the accepted beauty standard.

Lavere Anti-Aging Intensive Eye Cream.

This eye cream is great. Before I went to bed, I squeezed a small dollop of it onto my fingers and gently applied it to the area around my eyes. The cream was silky and light and didn’t feel as though it was weighing down my skin or clogging any pores. The scent, though subtle and hard to place, had a very calming effect. Nothing noxious, but noticeable.

Waking up the  next morning, I discovered that my skin was noticeably smoother and softer. My skin felt rejuvenated with moisture, and the area around my eyes was much  more relaxed.

Lavere’s Anti-Aging Intensive Eye Cream will put the glow back into your skin without weighing it down with an oily compound. Another cosmetic necessity to add to your makeup bag.

When the clock finally read 6 pm, I leapt out of my swivel chair and skipped through the door. I jumped into the elevator and ran to the beige Sienna van where my family was waiting to take me to the airport. Farewell to the old 9-6 and hello to adventure, excitement and travel!

As part of the 2010 Miss LA Chinatown court, we generally hold our princess duties around the Los Angeles Chinatown (duh) area. However, this special summer, four of us had the opportunity to travel to various cities in China and act as ambassadors for the Los Angeles Chinese Chamber of Commerce, where we soaked in the culture of the east to take home and share with our local community in the west.

Janice Jann, second from left, with the other members of the Miss LA Chinatown court and the LA Chinese Chamber of Commerce president at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing.

Over our two week-trip, we visited five areas around China — Beijing, DengFeng, Shanghai, Shantou and Hong Kong. We were treated to a multifaceted look at the face of China, going to countryside villages and large metropolises, admiring 1,000-year-old Longmen Grottoes in Luo Yang, and then glimpsing into the future of Shanghai at the World Expo. We tilled soil and practiced Shaolin martial arts. We dolled up and dined with government officials. We visited colleges and nightclubs. We ate. A lot. We suffered repercussions from eating a lot.

The Miss LA Chinatown court got an inside look into Chinese culture, including Shaolin moves.

Having tea with the Shaolin school director.

The entire time, a pending Audrey blog post was in the back of my mind. “What experiences should I share with Audrey readers about my trip to China that will be meaningful for them to read?”

I had expected this post to be one of those fish out of the water tales where I hilariously shared tales of asking to use the restroom and then being led to a side of the street or where I eat strange foods and then throw up afterward, but in actuality, my experience in Asia became one of coming home. It became one of where I found myself comforted to know the language of my ancestors and to learn their customs. It became one where I liked seeing faces like mine all over the billboards and magazine ads. It became one where I was proud to see how far my homeland had come and excited to see where there future will head.

Janice, far right, and the Miss LA Chinatown court in Shanghai, imitating what she calls a "common Chinese pose." From left: Carrie Gan, Nebula Gu, Jani Wang and Janice Jann.

The thing that is so refreshing about traveling is that you are living in the present. When I’m at home, I’m either constantly planning for the future, whether it be counting down to closing time at work or waiting for the weekends, or thinking to the past, whether it be reminiscing about the good ol’ days with high school friends or flicking through Facebook photos of my past travels (what? You know you do that too.) But when I’m at a particular city for only three days, I have no time to twiddle twaddle lamenting about my exes or worrying about what to do with the rest of my life. I’m too busy staring at sunsets, enjoying a conversation with a cute stranger, and living life at the moment.

Travel reminds us to do this: to live in the present. Think about your daily life. How often do you spend it worrying about what’s going to happen next or pining for the past? How often do you spend it just sitting there soaking in your surroundings and feeling life’s pulse?

I constantly wish for traveling to be a full-time gig, but I don’t think I would appreciate it as much if it were. So, I’ll take the few sacred weeks every year or so and hold it dear to my heart. Until the next adventure.

Making the most of the long transpacific flight.

In the historic and charming Garnier building of Olvera Street in Los Angeles, you can find the spirit of Chinese America. The Chinese American Museum (CAM) is currently showcasing Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection. A pioneering exhibition of cinema memorabilia collected during the 10-year research for Arthur Dong’s documentary, the exhibit is simply riveting and refreshing. From the filmmaker’s archive of more than 1,000 items, film posters, movie stills, scripts, press material and other artifacts dating from 1916 to present day, the exhibit showcases the historical depictions of the Chinese in 20th century Hollywood.

Escape the heat. Catch the exhibit now through Nov. 7.

The building in itself is an artifact. Sold to Chinese American merchants in the 1890s, the building was kept in the community for decades. Surviving archives of pioneer Chinese American filmmakers, rare production photos from The Curse of Quon Gwon (1916), as well as the first Oscar won by Chinese American, James Wong Howe (The Rose Tattoo) are on display. Films such as The Good Earth, The Vengeance of Fu Manchu, and (my favorite) Flower Drum Song ultimately bring the project to life. Moreover, the exhibit tells the story of how cinema exploited the Chinatown mystique.

If you find yourself twiddling your thumbs wondering what to do this weekend, hop on over to CAM. Tickets are inexpensive and you can visit the marketplace on Olvera Street after you’re done! This humble museum will surely make you appreciate the labors of love of our past and the progress of Asian Americans. And if you happen to get lost, just follow the hanging red lanterns!

Find out more at www.camla.org.

See you there!

DETAILS Chinese American Museum, 425 N. Los Angeles Street, 
Los Angeles, CA 90012, 
(213) 485-8567

Mighty Fine "SO Cute" top and tank.

I don’t care how old you are, Hello Kitty rules. It was fashionable when you were 5; it’s fashionable now. You can wear it as jewelry, on your bag, or as a shirt.

Like this “SO Cute” top and tank from Mighty Fine.

It comes as a 2-in-1 set, so you can either wear the pieces separately, together, or with something else. The racerback tank has black and colored hearts splattering the front and back with Hello Kitty’s cute face snuggled between them. You can pull over it a white crop top tee with Kitty chillin’ on your chest.

Cute, casual, fun.