Nail Tips for the New Year!
Posted: January 19, 2012 Filed under: Fashion, Nails 1 Comment »Yes, I know I’m doing that thing where I’m MIA for a long time again. But to make it up to everyone, here is a post I wrote a while back on some tips I follow for nailcare. Happy new year!
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Nail Polish Tips by Aileen
These are tips that I have gathered throughout the years from being a huge nail buff (haha, get it??). These are all rules and actions that I myself strictly follow for healthy, beautiful, just-out-of-the-salon-looking hands. Today, I’m going to share what I’ve learned. Give ‘em a try!
- REMOVING NAIL POLISH — Instead of rubbing polish off with cotton balls, use a cotton pad. Cut up the cotton pad into little squares and saturate with nail polish. Place over each nail and press down. Wait a minute. The pad should eventually stick to your nail, and you can do other things while you wait (check email, text on phone, etc). After a minute, press down hard to remove polish in one glide. Your nail should be completely clear! Saves time, energy, and leaves the nail infinitely cleaner!
- SEAL THE MANICURE – At the end of your manicure, swipe your top coat across the edge of the nail to “seal in” the nail polish. This prevents your nail from chipping at the edges.
- ALWAYS USE – ALWAYS use a base coat and (when applicable) top coat. The base coat protects your nail and prevents stains on your natural nail (especially from darker polish). The top coat seals your polish and provides a protective layer to keep your manicure looking better for longer (unless you are wearing matte nail polish, then obviously don’t use a glossy topcoat!)
- DRYING NAILS – When doing your own nails (or going to a salon), ALWAYS make sure you have ample time. It takes at least ten minutes for most nail polish to dry FULLY. Even though your polish may feel dry to the touch, you can tell if it is truly dry by lightly tapping one nail against the other. ONLY try this test when you are fairly certain they are dry (so they don’t stick together completely and ruin your manicure). If they are truly dry, your nails should tap against each other smoothly and feel hard. If not, they will stick slightly and feel wet.
- DON’T CUT YOUR CUTICLES – For the most professional looking home manicure, pay special attention to moisturizing your hands afterwards and fixing your cuticles before applying nail polish! I can NOT stress this one enough. Smooth hands with clean cuticles really make a huuuge difference. Instead of cutting your cuticle (they will grow back thicker), PUSH your cuticle back and use cuticle oil. If you do this enough, your cuticles will diminish on their own. I have been doing this for years (never cutting cuticle, always pushing) and my cuticles are barely there now.
- FILE NAILS, NOT CLIP – If you have the time, always try to file your nails instead of cutting them (with a nail clipper). Nail clippers place stress on your entire nail (when you clamp down to cut) and can break the nail and weakens it, especially the tip where the nail will be left jagged and thus will be more likely to peel and splinter. Filing will ensure a cleaner line (no breakage) and will leave the tip of your nail healthy.
- CLEAN YOUR NAILS — Wash your hands with soap and water if you’ve just used nail polish remover. Make sure there is no nail polish remover or moisturizer on your nails before applying your base coat and polish. A clean, dry nail provides for a smoother, longer-lasting manicure.
- MIX TEXTURES — Remember, nail art is ART! It’s not just color that matters, but texture is important too. Try mixing matte colors with glossy colors, thick glitter polishes, thin glitter polishes, and shatter polish, etc for amazing textures! A smooth nail is overrated!
japanese 3d nail art, uv gel, london 2010
japanese 3d nail art, calgel, new york city 2011
opi shatter and opi alpine snow (matte white)
newspaper nails, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet
The First 48 and our Criminal Justice System
Posted: November 3, 2011 Filed under: Racism, Uncategorized Leave a comment »Being out of school has been a weird time for me. Before I could let out my frustrations with our world and this society through student activism–but now all I can do is tweet about it. Sometimes, as I sit in my warm cocoon of Northern Virginia suburbia, I feel so distanced from it all that i almost forget. Can you imagine? All those ECAASU workshops I organized, all those books on institutionalized racism I read, all of those lectures and panels on the prison industrial complex i’ve attended…how could I block it all out like this?
Today in an uncharacteristic move, I switched on the TV while eating lunch. I flipped through the channels and finally settled on Criminal Minds (I’m a sucker for psychological crime shows). Half an hour later, Criminal Minds was over and “The First 48″ came on. Apparently, it was a “real life” account of the first 48 hours following a homicide (the most crucial window to catch a murderer) as conducted by the police. The episode that followed was called “Shell Shocked/Cradle To The Grave.”
I had never seen the show before, so left the TV on. Unsurprisingly, the two cases featured were from urban areas around the United States (Memphis and Miami). Both centered around homicides involving impoverished black youth. Both contained references to drugs/narcotic dealings.
One of the cases (“Shell Shocked”) struck me in particular. It involved three young African American males. Robert was involved with an altercation with his childhood friend, Buck. And apparently, Buck’s cousin Raphael shot Robert in the commotion. The altercation had started over an argument over the price of a little bag of marijuana. Robert threatened to kill Buck and Raphael, and Raphael, shell shocked (he had been shot in the leg just a month earlier), panicked and pulled the trigger on Robert, unintentionally killing him.
I watched as the officers questioned a tearful Raphael, who was handsome, clearly regretful, and only nineteen. He admitted his guilt and explained that he was shell shocked from being shot earlier, so he had panicked when Robert angrily threatened to kill him and his cousin. In his ragged T-shirt, Raphael began to softly cry, all the while insisting that he and Robert had been long time friends, and that it had never been his intention to kill him.
My heart cried for him. Raphael was a boy. He was 19. He fought over a three dollar difference for a tiny bag of marijuana because three dollars meant that much. Because selling drugs was the way he lived. Maybe it was all he knew. He was born into a world, a society, a system that set him up for failure. In his hole-punctured t-shirt, he broke down because he was scared–he didn’t want to get shot, he had gotten shot once–so he pulled the trigger out of fright at Robert’s (most likely empty) threat.
But he received 20 years in prison. In twenty years he would be forty. And then what? The kid needed help. He needed psychological, emotional, mental help. Could we take the money in his court fees and prison fees and put it into finding him a therapist or counselor? Put him on a different track of life? Maybe education?
There are too many examples of similar cases, where underprivileged youth who may have so much to give, are trapped in a never-ending cycle of petty criminality and prison. Here in this black hole, their lives become ruined and their futures sucked from them. Then it’s just rinse and repeat.
I turned off the show after the announcer victoriously announced the 20 year prison sentence. So the police caught the “bad guy?”
Well, it wasn’t satisfying at all.
Tokyo Girls Collection A/W 2011
Posted: October 3, 2011 Filed under: Fashion Leave a comment »You all know I love fashion. And with that, not only do I love American and European designers, but I also love love the powerhouse of fashion that comes out of Japan. Behold, the semi annual Tokyo Girls Collection!
It’s a runway show, but not the kind as we know here in the United States. It’s not just a raised runway with rows and rows of stiff-backed chairs. It’s not reserved for only the most exclusive celebrities and fashion editors. And it’s clothing is definitely not what we imagine as “runway” material–untouchably expensive and shockingly unwearable.
NOPENOPENOPE. TGC is called a “festival” because that’s for sure what it is. Like a concert and runway show combined, TGC has light effects, a huge extended stage/runway, model-audience interaction (waving and smiling?? cute!), entertainers (previous performers include koda kumi and mflo!), and of course, completely ready to wear, but still awesomely creative clothing!
The TGC Autumn/Winter show recently took place in September, with brands such as aquagirl ON THE STREET, BEAMS, CECIL McBEE (one of my favorites), Lovedrose&Co., MURUA, onespo, and VENCE EXCHANGE among numerous others.
I quite like the MURUA show:
Ultra-famous Japanese model/singer Lena Fujii opens with a drapey purple tunic and adorable bow-tie magenta shoes. Similarly-super-famous model/actress Kiko Mizuhara closes with black and blue ensemble plus flowy printed tail. Not sure about this outfit, but i liked almost everything in-between. When it comes to Japanese fashion, I am trying to cultivate a taste for more mature designers such as MURUA instead of squealing over cutesy gyaru looks such as Liz Lisa.
(the darker MURUA ft A/W 2011…love the collars)
VS……
(LIZ LISA!! all from S/S 2011)
So Bohemian-Victorian-princess-countryside-cute!!!
Ah, I can’t help it. It’s so pretty, and the show is such a joy to watch. Everything is just so interesting. I EFFING LOVE TSUBASA MASUKAWA EVERYTHING SHE TOUCHES TURNS TO GOLD. LIKE SERIOUSLY.
Can I just trade places with her? Not only is Liz Lisa her clothing line, but the BESTEST line of lashes in the world (Dollywink) is also hers, not to mention BAMBI contact lenses and makeup brand Candydoll. Tsubasa embodies all that is adorable and fashionable in this world and I want to be her. Too bad Liz Lisa wasn’t in TGC A/W this year )=
(tsubasa…all that and she’s not even 30!)
But let’s just gawk over the collection last year:
UM AMAZING MUCH???? I know I am not really the frilly lacey floral type but the stereotypical, society-gendered little girl inside of me just wants to scream when I see all the flowers and ribbons and teddy bears. AHHHHHHHHHH. I want.
It just unfortunate there’s no easy way to obtain Japanese designers in the US. Gotta get it from a middleman/third party like http://global.rakuten.com/en/ or pop up stores. In my impatience, I ordered a big bear fur coat from WC as well as a long two-tone wig from Prisila. Will update with pictures once I receive! It may be a while though since I’m going through third party. We’ll seeeee.
Meanwhile, enjoy the transitioning weather! It’s a little cold (where did autumn go??) but I’m still so excited to layer and wear pretty fall/winter clothing again! n______n
Right so this is pretty belated but last…
Posted: August 20, 2011 Filed under: Hair 2 Comments »Right, so this is pretty belated, but last month I cut my hair!
I had decided very last minute to cut all my hair off. The shaved side was growing out and I had dyed it blonde so the growing out process would look better.
i was getting tired of dying and redying/bleaching it when the roots grew out though..and increasingly over time it would get oranger and oranger….so i decided to fix the problem (and my damaged long hair) by just chopping it all off. I googled “best asian salon in dc area” and ozuki came up. i immediately called and made an appointment for the next available time .
the day rolls around and Annie and i went to ozuki salon in georgetown to get our ‘dos. she got layers and i got an ai takahashi inspired cut! my stylist, keiko, did a wonderful job =D
My new hair is longer in the back and shorter in the front, with lots and lots of layers and thick straight bangs. i usually put wax in it but lately i’ve been lazy, so it just lies flat except for the back where it does weird standing up things (cause my hair is naturally wavy).
pictures!
this was immediately after
and then a couple days later
and then fairly recently…..(at shirleys bday dinner at congee village)
and then even more recently…..
Sometimes i feel like with my short hair its harder to feel sexy. I can’t hide behind it, toss it, have it flowing in the wind, or whatever else action we take for granted when we have long hair. i miss my long hair a lot, and it will take years for it to grow back as long as it was x___x i also can’t wear some of the same things i used to be able to wear; some dresses or outfits just look bad with my hair. it’s weird, but trust me, it really does look awkward!
oh well, there’s also a lot more i can do with my short hair & i can style it up lots of different ways! im glad i did it…there’s no turning back anyway 
Just Some Music
Posted: July 26, 2011 Filed under: Music Leave a comment »Because we suck at updating.
(last one because i just watched Wicked the musical again the other day at the kennedy center. sooo gooooooood.)
i got my bachelors degree wooo written in…
Posted: June 30, 2011 Filed under: Art, Celebrities, Event, Events, Fashion, Personal, Racism, Travel, Uncategorized 1 Comment »i got my bachelors degree….wooo…
(written in may but i never posted…sorry!)
great, 16 years of nonstop school and here i am. it’s so crazy, but i’m happy. i think i’m ready for this…ready to be on my own and ready to NOT WRITE PAPERS.
no, but seriously, this past month has been crazy. graduation on may 22…and before that there was the laurel parade, our school tradition. i looked everywhere for a really unique white dress (we were all supposed to wear white) because EVERYONE will be wearing one of those knee-length white sleeveless dresses and…i never found one good enough.
then, one day i was walking through union square and on a complete whim found this AMAZING white trina turk jumpsuit. fate! so good to me ;D i was DEFINITELY the ONLY one in a jumpsuit hahaha. everyone went crazy over the outfit, and strangers even came up to me to ask where i had gotten it from!
good buy =D now my parents have left for asia (including bali and hong kong) and my mom stole the jumpsuit T__T (“i want to wear this on the beach in bali!!”) but whatever….im home alone now! (with my brother)
anyway, back to graduation. the actual ceremony was horrendously boring, as graduations usually are. i was 30 minutes late to the ceremony and ran into my spot just as soon as everyone was lining into the amphitheater. oops.
after graduation and goodbyes i went to nyc for a couple days. then home, and then i went back to nyc for my bday weekend! more on that in a few days…i’m such a slacker with updating these days. instead, i leave you with a song and a review!
REVIEW/RECAP:
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Okay, so it’s not really a review…more like a recap on my visit. I went first on a Monday or something in the afternoon. The line was over 45 minutes long and wrapped around the entire level of the museum! I didn’t have the patience, so opted instead to visit the musical instrument exhibit and other painting galleries. The next day I arrived a bit earlier, around 2pm, and the line was still long, but definitely not as long as it was the day before when we got there at 3/4pm. We only waited for about 25 minutes, and it was well worth the wait! I spent maybe an hour inside as there was just SO MUCH STUFF! Mcqueen dresses, yes, but also lots of shoes, hats, accessories, and media exhibitions too! I loooved the Kate Moss hologram at the end–i watched it maybe 5 times until Silvena pulled us away! It’s SO worth the visit and wait; I loved the whole thing (except for the weird Africa/Asian exhibitions that were a bit racist/orientalist in their depictions…).
I bought a tiny McQueen armadillo shoe from the gift shop at the end. Overpriced, but so cute. Everyone should go visit, especially since the exhibit is only running until July 31st. No photos, but i sneaked a couple.
http://lockerz.com/s/104729517
go go go!
Our friends Brian Hanh Sonny and Robin made…
Posted: June 30, 2011 Filed under: Music, Uncategorized Leave a comment »Our friends, Brian, Hanh, Sonny, and Robin made a 2NE1 music video for a contest. It’s super good–please vote for them!
voting url: http://www.facebook.com/2NE1?sk=app_133414820066011
(they are number 40!)
I have so much privilege BUT WHY AM I…
Posted: May 7, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments »I have so much privilege. BUT WHY AM I SO ANGRY??? Lately I’ve been a wreck of non-stop hatred. Hatred for others. Hatred for myself. Hatred for society. Okay, well maybe hatred is too strong a word…let’s just keep it at angry.
This past Sunday our 2011 class board threw a “senior ball” themed “A Thousand and One Nights” (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=219410088072721). Seriously, out of all the freaking themes in the entire world they could have picked from, they picked ARABIAN NIGHTS??? WHY?!?? What does this have to do with us graduating? Surely it can’t be the content of the story (which is alarming at least), so I can’t help but think…appropriation.
I went and was so upset I ended up making a scene and then leaving. I resent the fact that we were all seniors, and that it was my ball too, but I had to leave. i resent that I was the one hurt while these white girls were dancing all night drunk under the harem-esque drape decorations. I resent the fact that I tried to tell them it was orientalist, but nobody understood. And nobody cared.
Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of Malcom X, sinking deeper into a black depth of solitary bitterness. The idea of a race war brings a bemused smile to my face and I’m starting to identify as separatist. I scowl when people call me “radical” and I boil when people boldly use the word “America” interchangeably with “The US.” The books I’m reading for my class on the prison industrial complex have fused to stab me with a giant sword of white patriarchy and so to protect myself I’ve began to counter every haphazard glance from a white male with a slash of my iron tongue: “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT”
Okay, seriously, I dont know what’s wrong with me. People never guess just by looking at me that I’m so vindictive and LOUD. These days I’ve been yelling at whomever I please, especially if I think they’re a racist pig. I really need to stop and reevaluate my strategy…in activism and in life x___x;; I think even my therapist thinks I’m crazy.
I used to be so happy and sweet and loving. WHAT HAPPENED???
Anyway, some pictures of life.
himegyaru style for asa’s japan earthquake relief fundraiser fashion show! i won second place YAY kunku for letting me borrow the dress. and the cardigan. and the bag. hahah i have nothing floral or frilly for himegyaru style x___x;; but i finally got to go all out on the makeup! it took me like an hour haha…tadaaa! tons of lashes!
senior ball pre-fiasco hahah
then this tuesday was the last day of classes! as per tradition, seniors had strawberries and champagne =D
okay i’m sitting here with priscilla and kunku trying to work on finals but all i’ve done is write a TMI blog entry about how angry and scary i am and post lots of pictures of myself. im going now. but check back again soon for another update!! i have to talk about my surprise birthday party (i have the best friends!!) and post even more pictures about my NEW HAIRRR!! HAHA ;D
okay GOOD LUCK ON FINALS EVERYONE!! ill be back soon~
This is so powerful
Posted: April 10, 2011 Filed under: Personal, Racism, Uncategorized Leave a comment »watch it. remember it. act on it.
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my promises:
1. i will try to not buy outsourced goods. this will be difficult, but i will remember to check tags, look for fairtrade logos, and shop at thrift stores.
2. i will not succumb to capitalist selfishness when i enter the workforce. whatever i choose to do, i will remember the importance of social justice.
3. i will continue to fight (whether it be about sex, race, labor, etc), and do what i can to educate others and myself.
4. i will never give up. and i will never forget.
