Shu Uemura Sale: Wanting Make-up Brushes

Now through Friday, May 14: Use coupon code HAPPY for a site-wide 20% discount at Shu Uemura and also get free shipping with any purchase over $50! Maybe a late Mother's Day gift, early birthday present, stocking up on brushes... whatever the reason, we're happy to have a reason to get more Shu in our bathroom vanities and makeup drawers.

Sidenote - Anyone else think it's ironic/bittersweet that the company is celebrating the one-year opening of its online store and yet is slated to close all physical counters and stores in the US later this year? At least we can breathe a sigh of relief that we'll still have access to our favorite Shu products through some way. Also, operations will still be chugging along profitably in Asia and elsewhere internationally; Loreal has only decided to exit the US market.

We at Coastalpolitan luuurve Shu Uemura and aren't afraid to show our devotion to some favorite products, including its skincare line, world famous eyelash curler, makeup, etc. This time around, I've been wanting to try his makeup brushes and the 20% discount presents the perfect opportunity.

Having the right tools is key to the application of great makeup, and brushes are an essential part of that toolkit. Most of mine are from MAC, they're great and I have no complaints about their quality or variety, but would like to add some newbies to my collection. I've heard great reviews of Shu brushes - "so soft!", "picks up the perfect amount of powder!", "no shedding!" - and am looking forward to adding my own two cents. They're definitely not a bargain, but having the right brushes will amplify and bring out the best in your makeup products.

I'm mainly looking at Shu's face brushes collection since I need something to better apply liquids and powders with... and also because you can never have too many fluffy brushes (so what if I just like to twirl them around my cheek sometimes?)

• Natural goat hair foundation brush
•  I'd get this goat hair powder brush just for its pretty color
• Angled blush / powder brush would be ideal for carving out cheek contours
• Not a face brush, but of note - this is the most expensive brush I've ever seen: the Kolinsky brush 15. Yowza. At $270, this brush is not in consideration for purchase but interesting to learn that this exists. The price tag is attributed to the hair type - kolinsky mink hair, the softest and most expensive material for brushes. Reviews rave about it, now I'm itching to get to a counter to feel it for myself!

Do you have any recommendations (either brushes or otherwise) for Shu Uemura?

Scavenger Hunts for City Folk

The days are getting warmer and I’ve been struck with claustrophia, craving for outdoor open spaces, running around freely and soaking in the rays. This weekend, I’ll be participating in Urban Dare New York City andf am looking forward to sprinting around Manhattan in search of clues, photo ops, and tasks. As an avid fan of the Amazing Race, this is the closest that I could get to a large-scale scavenger hunt.

 What is it? A combination of clue-sleuthing, photo-hunting, and physical challenge-completing fun! Teams of 2 canvas their cities for solutions to clues and check in at various points, hoping to clock in at first place. Most participants finish in ~4 hours and cover 5-7 miles (all on foot or public transportation...not that cars would be at all helpful in NYC), although the winning teams usually come in under 2 hours. Cost is $90/team to sign up, and proceeds go toward benefitting breast cancer.

Starting in March and lasting through December, Urban Dare sets up camp in a different city every weekend, so check to see if it’s hosted in yours [see schedule here]! This could be a fun daytime activity, for groups or dates, and presents an opportunity to explore your city and discover new sights. 

Alternatives. I love scavenger hunts - they're tons of hand-on fun and are a great way to delve deeper into a city’s history and landscape. I've actually done two in NYC with a company called Watson Adventures, and enjoyed myself immensely each time. Similar to Urban Dare, Watson’s gives you a sheet of clues at the onset of the race, and you work your way around a neighborhood solving them until you return to the starting point. Watson Adventures operates on a smaller scale but offers clever, ingeniously set up clues leuading to nooks and crannies of various areas of NYC. I also like that they don't cover the entire island, but focuses on a few blocks at a time. Their hunts are centralized in neighborhoods and have themes like "Secrets of Central Park", "Sex and the City Village Hunt", and "Munch Around the East Village". Located in 6 major cities, Watson plans a few hunts each weekend, so check the calendar if you're interested!

 

Searching for one sticker amongst many in Meat Packing District

 

The BF was always behind me during the hunt - come on, it's a race!

Some random piglets we found oinking at some cute dresses

Slippy-Slide Soles (Say It Three Times Fast)

I've finally worn them! My Ferragamo Varina patent leather flats, that is. After waiting a full month (mostly out of fear of scuffing pretty shoes within three minutes of wear), I exchanged for the proper size - my feet, it seems, shrink a half size to a six in Ferragamos - and then waited another week while I deliberated on how to best protect my investment.

Since the exterior is patent leather, I wasn't worried about the shoe itself getting dirty or wearing down. One of the reasons why I chose patent was because it masks stains and marks better; the shoes being flats, I planned on wearing them often and didn't want to baby them. What made me hesitant to wear the Varinas right away were the slippery bottom soles. Made of leather, the soles seemed too nice to ruin and I cringed thinking of the gritty Manhattan asphalt scraping them up.

I decided to look into adding rubber soles to the bottom of the shoes. Actually, to back up for a minute, I considered the options I had. For other similarly slippery pairs, I'd stuck on self-adhesive grippy pads, but those didn't last long and eventually ground all the way down. I wanted a more permanent solution this time. I also thought about just wearing the shoes normally and letting natural scuffs increase their traction, and later getting them completely resoled. But this seemed like a never ending (and not to mention, pricey) alternative - I'd have to replace them repeatedly once the new sole wore down. To me, I'd rather preempt the issue by getting a rubber sole applied to the bottom.

I took the flats to a local shoe repair shop and was quoted $18 for the pair. Note that $18 was just for half of the shoe's length - a thin layer of rubber material is applied from the toes to about where the arch begins. It would be extra if I wanted to keep going and cover the full length. This is useful if you have Louboutins and don't want to cover the beautiful red bottom (because really, that's why you bought them in the first place). In this case, the Varinas came with a slightly lifted rubber heel already so I only needed to coat the front. The shoe peddler also told me they have red and beige colored soles; useful if ever I have light colored shoes and don't want black bottoms to contrast.

Finished result. This is the only picture I have that clearly shows the original sole - see how shiny and slippery it is?

The rubber soles are great. Now I wear the flats without anxiety of falling, and am satsified knowing that my shoes will last longer. Next time I purchase a pair of expensive shoes, these will be the first steps I take to protecting them.

Fashioning a Path for Asian Americans

Sunday evening, I attended a panel called Asian Americans in the Fashion Industry panel hosted by Columbia University. The event was part of Asian Pacific American Awareness Month, which I suspect is also why Wong Fu was there the previous weekend. SuChin Pak (MTV News Correspondent) played MC, and she was brilliant - funny, articulate and melodious, deftly facilitating the evening's conversation, making sure all panelists had a chance to voice their opinions, and really allowed the audience to get what they came for.

 

SuChin Pak glowed with her red lipstick and dress! 

[photo credit: Opening Ceremony]

The speakers included Carol Lim and Humberto Leon (founders and owners of NY boutique Opening Ceremony), Phillip Lim (designer), Joe Zee (Creative Director of Elle, I first saw him on Stylista), E.J. Samson (Online Editor of Teen Vogue), Tina Chai and Aya Kanai (both freelance stylists), Ujjwala Raut (first Indian Victoria's Secret model), Patrick Li (Creative Director of Li, Inc.) and Arabelle Sicardi (blogger, fashionpirate).

There are already reports regarding the night's spoken contents (here - by the organizer herself, here and here), but I wanted to share some of my own thoughts.
First, one of the early surprises came when I read the brochure and learned that 4 of the 10 panelists graduated from Berkeley! Suchin, Carol, Humberto and Patrick were all former Bears (and the first three were friends during their undergrad days). Knowing so many people who refused to leave the sunny nest of California (can't blame them), it's always interesting to me to find out that there are more Californians in New York than I thought. However, most cross-country migrants I know move to work in the finance or consulting industry; few are in fashion or other creative arts. It's revealing to know that not only is it doable, but also possible to be incredibly successful here.

Second, after SuChin posed the question of "What did you want to do as an 18-year old" to the panelists, it became clear that nobody had a detailed execution plan for arriving at the posts they are now, but they had the passion, even if they tried to stifle it at first. Joe Zee read all the fashion magazines cover to cover and tested himself on whether he could correctly identify the photographers, stylists, and designers before checking the credits. Tina Chai worked in law offices and tried other prudent career paths before finally admitting to herself that she needed to express herself more ceatively. Carol even went through years of banking, consulting, and merchandising before ultimately opening her own store. None of the speakers went to Parson, FIT, or other fashion-specific schools. Not even Phillip Lim, who actually has a degree from CSU Long Beach. The academic pedigree matters less; the focus is on enthusiasm and making sure you complete every task you're given with competence, diligence, and a great attitude.

 

[photo credit: Columbia Spectator]

Third, there is an amazingly broad spectrum of occupations in fashion. Typically, only the most visible ones come to mind - designer, model, buyer maybe. But there are so many ways to insert yourself into the industry if it is your chosen path. From stylists, merchandisers, editors, creative directors, bloggers and writers, legal counsel even. If fashion is where you want to work, you can find a spot to wedge yourself in.
And finally, Phillip Lim is an enthralling story teller! It could be the multiple interviews he's gone through after rocketing to the forefront of fashion and receiving awards left and right, but he can captivate his audience. After hearing of how he came to start 3.1 Phillip Lim and his well-crafted answers to difficult, philosophical questions about fashion's obligations to third-world countries, I appreciate his person so much more. I also am in love with his designs.

More 3.1 Phillip Lim...

At the end of the night, I was inspired and motivated by all the speakers, and could feel that the rest of the audience felt that way too. The panelists gave off a sense of attainability - "if they can do it, I can too!" - they were down to earth, encouraging, and made working in fashion or other creative industries seem closeby and achievable.

Who Says Girls Can't Be Techy?!

With the latest slew of fancy beauty tools, my vanity continues to look more and more technologically advanced with each passing day. It's true that we live in a very fast-paced and ever changing world and the beauty sector is nowhere behind! Technology grants us two crucial positives: convenience and efficiency. With all the time that must be spent on prepping and primping, us girls need all the help we can get, right? Two new toys I picked up this year are the Enzo Milano clipless curler and Emjoi Light Caress epilator and they have made a world of difference in my life. Effectively easing the art of attaining perfect, long-lasting waves and smooth underarms, they've become my top must-have items!

Life saver #1 is my beloved Emjoi epilator. My friend, Polly, was the first person I knew to whip out an epilator and to be honest, I was pretty scared when I initially saw it. The swirling buzz (and vision) of 36 sets of tweezer plates would totally scare off anyone, right?! Thoughts of intense pain entered my head, immediately. However, never being one to like the after-feel of shaving my underarms (who does?), I figured this was something I needed in my life. No pain, no gain. It actually doesn't hurt at all after getting used to the feeling. The unit comes with a massage head attachment that's meant to reduce the pain sensation, but I found this to be completely useless and hindering of actual hair removal. Bite your lip, girls, and this will be your savior. The hypoallergenic plates work quickly and leave my arms smooth, without the fear of nicks, bumps, or ingrowns. I love that it's rechargeable, easy to clean and maintain, and small enough to travel with. It's perfect for those days where you decide last minute that you need to wear a sleeveless top or dress and didn't plan ahead. I've tried using it on my legs as well, but am too impatient to wait through that much surface area. The Emjoi comes in a great selection of adorable colors (yellow, pink, purple, blue) and has saved me from my constantly busy life! This was a perfect investment and I don't think I can live without it ever again. Summer days, I'm totally ready for you! You can buy this at places like Target, but I'd recommend searching Google Shopping or Ebay for some better deals. I got mine off the official Emjoi Ebay store for around $60 (compared to $90ish).

I'm a little late to the party since clipless curlers have been all the rage for a while now, but I couldn't really justify spending more than $30 for a curling iron, let alone $100! I've failed at learning how to curl my hair with straighteners, so have pretty much stuck to the use of drugstore curling irons for the past 5 years. I can decently handle my 1 1/2 inch Revlon curler well enough to attain natural-looking curls, but the frustration of seeing an hour's worth of work fade after 2 hours is no bueno! As such, beautiful waves are saved for very special occasions. How unfair! Finally, after being obsessed with the many YouTube gurus and their beautifully curled locks, I decided to just try out this miracle tool. I bought the 50mm (1-inch) Enzo earlier this year and tried it out for the first time on my recent trip to Vegas. Miracle, it kind of is! The handling takes a few tries to get used to in terms of holding the barrel correctly and looping your hair with the opposite hand using a heat-resistant glove, but once I got the hang of it, the rest was quick and easy! I found that without the hassle of flipping your hair through a curling clip, my curls heated up faster and were more evenly set. Even better was that my hair was pretty long--almost halfway down my back--and the whole thing only took about 20 minutes! Even with a half-attempt at prepping with styling creme, the curls lasted through the majority of the night and photographed super nicely--much better than what I've been able to get from any curling iron I've owned. I'll probably do some more practicing on future nights out, but am definitely sold on this. No more preshistoric curlers for meeeee.

Pick up both items from Beautychoice, especially since the Enzo Milano is on sale for $59.95 (orig. $119.95). I love this site for its quick, free shipping and plentiful promos. Like the Clarisonic, these cost a bit more than I'd like to spend on beauty tools, but definitely worth the investment. With enough care, they'll last forever anyways and save me from my laziness!

Zara Spring Collection Goodies

I've always been a *huge* fan of Zara because of its sophisticated, yet girly style. The brand keeps things simple with a pretty neutral palette and classic pieces. The San Francisco Westfield location is one of my favorite Zara stores, but I'd have to say that the Washington, D.C. Metro Center Zara (1025 F St. NW) definitely gives SF a run for its money! After a day of roaming around the D.C. monuments, my friend, Kim, and I were surprised to find the store unassumingly nestled down the street from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Since it was getting chilly, we figured we could pick up some jackets and scarves to get us through the rest of the night... Instead, we stumbled upon a WHOLE bunch more, thanks to Zara's spring collection.

Although I wasn't really looking to buy that much, I managed to find some super adorable pieces that I've always wanted--a ruffled skirt and simple, crisp white dress! The clutch and tee were just bonus, random goodies. I've been looking for a pretty skirt to wear in the spring with either a long cardigan or blazer, depending on the occasion. I *love* the pretty silk print and can't wait to wear it. The tee was a random item I picked up to try with the skirt, but it ended up fitting well enough for me to buy it. I've seen a few girls wearing these shoulder-ruffle tees, but would've never thought I could pull it off. It's definitely different from anything I own, despite being so simple. The clutch is made of real leather and is perfectly tiny for nights out. I didn't take a picture of the inside, but it's very well constructed with a zippered pouch for coins, pockets for credit cards and IDs. Plus, it fits my iPhone and camera!

My favorite piece has to be the dress, however. The cut is slim and hits about an inch above my knee so that it's flirty enough on its own for daytime lunch dates, or conservative enough for summertime family outings. What's fun is that the ruffled neckline can be worn in the front or in the back. I tried pairing the dress with my gold J.Crew high-waisted belt for a more fitted look. Love that I could even substitute the belt with a bright colored satin ribbon for an even girlier look (the endless color combos are what's so great about white dresses!). The large eyelet texture also gives it a breezy, playful feel. Love, love, love the low-back since it will be perfect to pair with a large side-braid when my hair grows out again. I can't wait to wear this!! 

I also fell in love with this super cute dress while I was there, but they were out of XS. This is more of a fun dress and although I've been trying to dress more sophisticated, being in business casual for the majority of the week makes me appreciate pieces like this even more. Can't you see this being a great choice for a day in the park or at the beach? So many dresses, so many possibilities! I am loving all the blues and whites that the brand's decided to use for their collection and am excited to see more of what they have to offer. Another Zara trip is definitely in order in the coming weeks...

More Delia's...

Scaling the Walls - Brooklyn Boulders Rock Climbing Deal

Brooklyn Boulders, a rock climbing playground reminiscent of Berkeley Ironworks, is offering a deal via BuyWithMe, a collective discount buying website similar to Groupon and Scoop St. For $45, you get 5 visits, a Learn the Ropes introductory course, and equipment rental! Having gone quite a few times the past 6 months myself, I can tell you that is a STEAL. The first time I went to Brooklyn Boulders, I bought the Learn the Ropes package for $60, which included the class, 2 days admission and free gear rental. With the BuyWithMe deal, you get 3 additional days...and at 25% off!

New York's getting warmer, but for a more challenging activity than tanning at Central Park's Sheep's Meadow, rock climbing at Brooklyn Boulders is a great alternative. The owners converted what used to be a garage into a large indoor space with lots of climbing surface area and tons of other exercise options to boot. The industrial interior adds to the grittiness of the location and only motivates you to leave the prissiness at home and get your climb on.

In addition to toproping (your standard climbing experience with a harness and partner belaying you from below), Brooklyn Boulders also has areas for lead climbing, bouldering (climbing without any straps or protection), angled wall climbing, a tightrope to test your balance, rings, and a dedicated "no-feet" wall purely for strengthening the upper body. It's the untraditional gym you'll love to workout at.

The way Brooklyn Boulders sets up the route markers is easy to follow and straightforward (you pick a color corresponding to a difficulty level and climb all the way up) and they also change the wall layouts often so those who go regularly won't tire of the same routes. Rock climbing is a great group activity since you can relax and cheer on your friends in between climbs, and the multitude of other exercises is like a little playground, where you can dare your friends to attempt random stunts =P

My boyfriend and I have tried to go rock climbing semi-regularly, but I'm hesitant to fully commit to the sport and purchase my own equipment. That said, I do enjoy going every so often to switch up my exercise schedule; it's a fun change of pace to bikram yoga.

There aren't too many options to rock climb in New York City (Chelsea Piers does have a facility, but you definitely pay for the Manhattan location and there's also one much farther out in Westchester), but if you've been looking for a new activity to try, check out the deal and Brooklyn Boulders!

One of the coolest (and quite scary!) walls at BB - you can climb the Brooklyn Bridge!