When I get ready for a night of dancing at a club here in Chicago, I always have a hard time choosing what to carry my essentials in. I can’t use a purse because how can I get my groove on when I have to lug around a clunky bag? A wristlet is out of the question because it’s impossible to fit my credit cards, lip gloss, compact mirror and iPhone into that tiny thing.

Navoh Handbags "Columbus" clutch in teal.

The Navoh Handbags “Columbus” clutch in teal makes the perfect girls’ night out accessory because of its convenient size, attractive design and number of compartments. You’ll have no problem fitting all of your essentials in this gem! And while the faux leather material gives it that chic rock star look, it also has a very cute, lady-like flower lining.

The “Columbus” clutch also features an adorable button and rouched detail on the fold-over flap and comes with three different straps (wristlet straps, 9-inch drop chain shoulder strap and adjustable messenger strap) so you can work a new look every night you go out if you wanted.

World Cup madness is upon us, and Audrey intern Han Cho gives us a firsthand look at some of the most rabid of its fans — Korean Americans.

“There’s blood,” my friend Carolyn said to me.

I looked around me, and I had to agree.

We were at Wilshire Park Place Radio Korea for the Korea vs. Argentina FIFA World Cup game in the heart of K-Town with several hundred other Koreans. Every single one of us was wearing her colors proud: Korea reds and blues.

The rabid South Korea fans in Los Angeles' K-Town. Photo courtesy of IamKoream.com.

Although we were a continent and an ocean away from where the FIFA World Cup was actually taking place, a solid turnout of Koreans from Los Angeles and its surrounding counties had gathered together at 4 am to cheer the South Korean team on. And without a doubt, gatherings like this were taking place all over the world. My friend Carolyn was exactly right. This was blood. This was more than getting together with a bunch of friends and driving to L.A. late at night to grab a few beers while watching the game. It was about supporting your blood, your nation.

I don’t mean to get nationalistic or anything. And believe me, I am one of very few Korean Americans who is not a diehard Korean. National pride, school pride. It’s not my thing. If anything, I am more Californian than Korean. But that night, I got a taste of what it meant to be proud of your ethnicity

There were Koreans. I nearly had an aneurysm. They. Were. EVERYWHERE. In the streets, in the surrounding Denny’s, Starbucks, and Ralph’s. Some were driving, some were walking. On stage, in front of the stage, backstage. Most of them had already found a spot to sit before the huge flat screen TV projector thing to watch the dancers and singers entertain the crowd before the game started, to get the people going. And when the game did start, more and more people gathered, packed nearly on top of each other to encourage the players with words of encouragement

“DAE HAN MIN GOOK!!” my friends and I screamed and clapped with a bunch of dudes we had just met. Whether you were 6 and had no idea what was going on or you were an ajushi (middle-aged man) chilling on the outskirts smoking a stoge, or you were me, a newcomer to the idea of being an “-an” (in my case a Korean), we were united together as we cheered when great passes and blocks were made, or as we cheered even harder when things weren’t going as well.

When the final score was posted, we all glumly headed back to our cars as the sun broke over the buildings, and we squinted our way back to parking lots. We had rejoiced together, and now we were mourning together.

But no worries. We’d back. In five days. Cheering our team on, harder than ever.

– Han Cho

Film: Where Are You Taking Me?

Playing: Los Angeles Film Festival, Thursday, June 24th, 5:15pm (1000 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles 90015)

A still from "Where Are You Taking Me?"

Director Kimi Takesue knows what it’s like to be an outsider. Raised by her Asian American father and Caucasian mother, Takesue split her childhood between the disparate cultural worlds of Hawai’i and Massachusetts. Other hapas can probably relate to the issues of identity and cultural belonging that being bi-racial entails, but Takesue chose to embrace these things in her work — what she calls “that meeting point where people from very different worlds come together and struggle for some form of communication.” When commissioned by the Rotterdam International Film Festival to make a film on Africa, Takesue, who had never before set foot in the country, jumped right in.

I saw her movie at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and it was unlike anything else there. For one thing, this movie employs neither narration nor translation; the camera simply wanders through Uganda, capturing daily life. The scenes are all somewhat familiar, but never completely. There’s the wedding ceremony where soap bubbles float towards the alter; elsewhere, children sit in a dark room watching an old Bruce Lee flick, while an attendant does a live voice-over.

Director Kimi Takesue

“I intentionally wanted to construct the piece as an outsider,” Takesue explained, “so you’re constructing meaning through body language, through gesture.” While filming, her goal was to capture the little moments — or rather, to let them unfold in front of the camera. This is important, she says. “We’re inundated with images of Uganda that only relate to desperation and victimization. We only see images that relate to war and poverty and AIDs.” Her movie reminds us that it’s the little moments that show life’s beauty and vitality.

VAVA by Joy Han "Melanie" romper.

A couple of months ago I was out shopping with my 50-plus-year-old mother and she suggested I buy a romper telling me that it was “the newest trend.” Flash-forward to now, lo and behold, they are everywhere!

Joy Han’s designs for VAVA are meant to make women feel young, beautiful and confident. You will definitely feel young and beautiful and exude confidence with the “Melanie” romper. The top features a ruffle front neckline with very summer-ish colors. The shorts have a smocked elastic waist so you’ll be über comfortable while strolling along the beach or enjoying BBQ and lemonade on the patio.

Add another Asian face on the hit musical dramedy Glee for next season, premiering in the fall. This time, it’s YouTube teen sensation Charice Pempengco, the pint-sized cutie with the voice of a diva.

Charice's first single "Pyramid" off her debut album.

Charice's debut album.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the 18-year-old Filipina will be playing a foreign exchange student whose amazing voice threatens queen Glee bee Rachel (Lea Michele).

She just released her self-titled debut album last month, where it ranked eighth in the Billboard Top 200.

Check her out as a 15-year-old.

And then her appearance on Ellen, her U.S. debut.

I think Charice is a perfect addition to Glee. Her voice really is amazing. What do you think? Will you watch?

Photos courtesy of Charicemusic.com.

The word “cluttered” usually carries a negative connotation with it, but there’s nothing bad about the IZESX cluttered button multi chain bracelet. It features an assortment of buttons and jewels and is a design you don’t often see. It’s something different and that’s what makes it so appealing.

IZESX cluttered button multi chain bracelet.

This charming bracelet comes in gold and silver so you can choose which color more fits your style or you can get both! IZESX strives to bring trendy jewelry that won’t hurt the wallet.

IZESX cluttered button multi chain bracelet.

Don't miss out on our Summer issue, out now!

Get Audrey Magazine’s Summer 2010 issue, available now!

* Easy summer hair and skin
* Fashion gets graphic with slashes, cut-outs and scribbles
* Jeannie Mai of E! Style’s How Do I Look and Extra
* Shoe designer Jinny Kim
* Comedian Steve Byrne
* Hip-hop/electronic band Far East Movement
* The Asian American dance phenomenon, including Jabbawockeez, Kaba Modern, and Asako Hara
* Plus fashion, beauty, entertaining, travel and more!

If you’re a subscriber, keep an eye out in your mailbox. If you’re not a subscriber, we make it easy for you! Just get our Summer issue now at AudreyShops.

When you get a virtual tome on the benefits of a beauty product from the exclusive U.S. distributor, you know there’s got to be something of substance there.

That’s what happened when I emailed Lillian Wang of KosmeLink, the exclusive importer of Japan’s famous beauty line Marie Louise Cosmetics. Believe me, she believes in her product (a “gem” from Japan whose story has not yet been told in the U.S., she says), and her enthusiasm is infectious.

Marie Louise Moistraiser α-VC.

The Marie Louise Moistraiser α-VC is a personal favorite of Lillian’s. Why? “Toners in Asia are very different from toners in the U.S.,” she says. Toners in the U.S. are meant to be “astringent,” or a part of cleansing, but toners in Asia are actually the first step in moisturization, she says. That’s where this “toner” got it’s name — “Moistraiser.”

But it’s not just that. Marie Louise products are emulsified and utilize nanotechnology. Essentially, what that means is that the products undergo a process that applies extreme high pressure to emulsify oil and water together, allowing for both hydration (water) and moisturization (oil). Most products are either oil-based or water-based, not both. But you need both for healthy skin.

Marie Louise goes even one step further. They nano-emulsify, which means the high pressure creates nano-sized particles that are smaller than the space between skin cells. This allows for far better absorption into skin cells than other products which, though it may contain high quality ingredients, don’t have the technology to allow these ingredients to penetrate between these skin cells. And if it can’t penetrate your cells, you might as well not even put it on.

That’s impressive, admittedly. But what will it do for my skin? Well, it’s actually perfect for anyone in the summertime when heavy creams can be a bit much, but especially for people like me with oily T-zones that can’t handle heavy creams but need to hydrate (lack of water) and moisturize (lack of oil) their skin. (Even oily skin needs anti-aging help and dehydration can cause break outs.)

But an added bonus to the moisturizing, antioxidant and anti-aging benefits is something I didn’t expect — the Moistraiser contains alpha-arbutin, a mulberry extract, that works like hydroquinone to whiten dark spots on the skin. (I’m sold!)

I personally love the ever-so-slightly viscous yet not at all sticky feel of the Moistraiser. (That’s the emulsified nanotechnology I’m feeling — it’s penetrating power doesn’t leave a residue on the skin.) It’s so soothing, they even recommend using it to massage the face. For me, this is one product I would actually buy. And you know beauty products almost never go on sale, but you can get it now at a one-day only, guaranteed low price at AudreyShops.

"The Gates" premieres tonight on ABC.

Just ’cause it’s summer doesn’t mean there’s nothing to watch on TV. We told you about the shows with AA stars that premiered a few weeks ago, including the new Pretty Little Liars and the return of Drop Dead Diva, as well as all the reality show competitions like The Next Food Network Star, Top Chef and Work of Art: The Next Great Artist.

Well, tonight, a highly anticipated new series premieres, one that delves into the whole vampire craze we’re still mired in. The Gates follows the oh-so perfect lives of the residents of the exclusive suburban community The Gates. Now, if you’ve watched the trailers, you know that some of those perfect residents are actually vampires. And yes, I’m a Twilight fan, but that’s not the main reason I’ll be watching the show. There are two good reasons for anyone to watch this blood-fest: two Asian American actresses represent on The Gates tonight, premiering on ABC at 9 pm.

Rhona Mitra, who is of Indian-English-Irish descent, plays Claire Radcliff, the perfect Gates housewife and mother. She has a beautiful home, a handsome husband, and a daughter she loves dearly. But beneath the flawless exterior, Claire is struggling with a unique addiction — one that has the power to destroy her family and everything she holds dear if she fails to keep her urges in check. (Guess we know who one of the vampires are!)

Rhona Mitra plays perfect housewife -- or is she? -- Claire Radcliff in The Gates.

Another AA actress in the series is Janina Gavankar, who plays Deputy Leigh Turner. Always ready with a witty retort and a sharp observation, Leigh is an intimidating addition to The Gates police force. But there’s more to Leigh than the tough exterior, and when it comes to love, she’s got a bad streak going.

Janina Gavankar is cool and confident as Deputy Leigh Turner in The Gates.

Gavankar, who is of Indian and Dutch descent, is best known for her role as the promiscuous Papi in The L Word. Other television credits include Stargate Atlantis, Grey’s Anatomy, The Cleaner, Dollhouse, NCIS and Three Rivers. She’s a native of Joliet, Ill., and is an accomplished pianist, vocalist and orchestral percussionist. Once a member of the girl group Endera, she has had several of her songs licensed for various films and television series.

I’ll be watching The Gates, just because of Gavankar and Mitra. Well, that and morbid curiosity. Will you?

Photos courtesy of ABC.

Althea Harper native print leggings.

I didn’t quite understand the enthusiasm for leggings when they first started to gain popularity, but I have grown to like them very much and appreciate them. It’s no secret that the weather in my hometown of Chicago is unpredictable and it can go from being 40 degrees and snowing one day to being 70 degrees and sunny the next. Planning one’s outfits for the week can be a bit stressful in the Windy City.

Leggings are the perfect solution when you have a cute dress or mini-skirt on and you don’t want to sacrifice fashion for keeping your legs warm. The Althea Harper native print leggings are 100 percent cotton stretch fabric with a flat, elastic waistband and are sure to flatter any woman’s shape.

The bold print of these leggings make it super trendy and flirty; you’ll probably opt to wear them even if the weather is warm. What’s another great thing about these sexy leggings? You won’t just have to settle for one outfit with them because the various colors can go with just about anything in your wardrobe.