Guest Post

What Does One Wear to a Traditional Korean Spa?

April 30th, 2011 by Karen 28 Comments

Written by Kate

You may not have been planning to visit South Korea this year, but you might want to after reading today’s guest post from Kate.

Seoul, Korea, Central Spa
photo: Seoul, South Korea

Being a flight attendant came with a certain degree of worldliness, whether imagined or real. I prided myself on having a strong sense of adventure that made me, in my own mind, a combination of Ernest Hemmingway lounging in a Cuban cafe and a valkyrie. That is, if Ernest Hemmingway wore heels and served coffee.

This overblown view of my own pioneering attitude did little to prepare me for the realities of a real Korean spa. I am the product of an American culture that is not exactly known for being comfortable with the human body in all its nude abundance. Or, for that matter, the bodies of total strangers. The American in me screams that I come from a land founded by Puritans. The Chinese in me remembers all those movies I have seen with my elderly grandmother where lovemaking consists of the woman laying her head on the man’s chest and sighing. Both are always fully clothed. As these two sides of me rebelled against the idea of being naked in front of a shower room full of other women, I decided to do as the Romans (and Koreans) do…

When another flight attendant suggested a visit to a local Korean spa (also called a jjimjilbang) on a Seoul layover, I eagerly agreed. After all, my only previous experience with a spa involved a gift certificate to the Mandalay Bay Spa in Las Vegas. I imagined the fragrant oils that would soon be mixed with French sea salt, the gentle murmurs of the masseuse as she rubbed the heavenly mixture over my modestly, and strategically, covered body. I would hear Enya playing in the background. After my salt scrub, the masseuse would leave me to emerge at my leisure from my cocoon of comfort. Chamomile tea would be offered to me, and I would accept it dressed in my fluffy white robe of Egyptian cotton. The lounge would be painted in tones of peach and taupe and my only companion would be a man-made waterfall engineered by a savvy interior designer.

While waiting in my hotel lobby for my flying partner, I was reassured by the concierge that the spa we had chosen was top notch (Central Spa) and she herself had had a scrub there the day before. As I set out with visions of pampering dancing in my head, I wondered why we were descending into the bowels of a busy bus station. Tucked in between the turnstiles and a noodle stand was a small, unassuming door. The other flight attendant had been here before and she entered without a backward glance in my direction. As I let the door close behind me, the sounds of the train station were muffled and then quiet.

The Korean woman working at the reception desk was small but looked like she could command a battalion as well as she could command a spa. She unceremoniously handed me a key and two facecloths and pointed at a door to her right. I scampered ahead, carrying my tiny towels and what turned out to be a locker key.

My bravado was wearing thin, especially because my coworker was nowhere in sight. As I turned a corner, I came face to face with my coworker’s breasts. I looked away, embarrassed and horrified at the same time. I only worked with this girl. Was it twisted that she was the only one, besides my husband and my doctor, who was going to see me naked? Could I play this off as not being the huge deal for me that it was? I had come too far to use the old stomachache excuse. Only my stubbornness kept me from running back to my hotel. That, and the fact that I had no idea which direction my hotel was in.

The lockers
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Makeup Magic at Home with the Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System

April 23rd, 2011 by Karen 15 Comments

Written by Sam

Welcome to Makeup 2.0. The future is now! Upgrade your makeup point of view with the subject of today’s guest post from Sam.

The Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System

How often do you glance at a magazine photo spread and enviously draw your fingers over the page? No one’s skin can be that perfect, you think, studying the model’s face. It’s like the pores have all been airbrushed away!

What is the Temptu?

Now you can have pro-caliber post-production skin, and you can get it from the comfort of your own home. Skin nirvana is just a Temptu away. With their AIRbrush Makeup System, you’ll be staring at yourself in the mirror, wondering if you’re seeing something real, or a cruel trick of light.

The Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System ($225) is available exclusively through Sephora or Temptu’s own website (I prefer to deal with the brand itself).

Dealing directly with the company

Using the company’s Shade Finder tool, you can upload a picture of yourself (don’t forget to smile!) and list your current brand of foundation, as well as the shade you use. Within a day or two, you’ll receive an email recommending the Temptu foundation, blush, and highlighter shades ($55 for two foundation AIRpods; $30 for each blush; $35 for highlighters) they believe you should try.

One reason I prefer to deal with Temptu directly is that I’ve never had much luck with Sephora’s shade matcher girls. I’m not sure whether to attribute it to the lighting in the stores (shows every blemish, rough spot and acne scar I have), or to something else, but whenever I try to match my foundation in Sephora, I end up walking out of the store with a shade that’s either too light or too dark.

Temptu’s online tool, however, picked the shades I would have chosen for myself, and their online color representations look spot-on.

With Temptu’s “Build-a-Bundle Starter Set,” rather than purchasing the system, the foundation duo, the blush, and the highlighter separately at MSRP, you can bundle your shades (hopefully the ones you were matched to) from three drop-down menus, and they’ll combine them for you to the tune of a $50 savings.

The packaging

Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System Packaging If you’re a packaging nerd like I am, I think you’ll be impressed. The system itself is housed in a magnetic closure box, and nestled in a fitted plastic container that rests over the other components: air-hose, power source, instructional DVD, and warranty. Glossy minimalism at its best.

The DVD wasn’t what I expected, and I think the printed instructions are much more useful overall. Airbrushing and applying makeup with a brush or sponge are totally different beasts, and the DVD isn’t much more than pretty cinematography. Sure, it’s well laid out, but the model has nearly perfect skin already. Fine for a fashion spread or a virtual look book, but for real people like us who want to learn how to conceal a blemish or dark under-eyes, I recommend reading the manual or looking up a YouTube video posted by a consumer instead.

The airbrush that comes with the Starter Set is the same one that comes with the Temptu air professional compressor, sans the battery pack. Instead, a rubber muffler is glued to the underside (thank goodness, as this thing produces a rather loud rumbling noise when turned on) of this model. If you had hoped to purchase a battery for it, quash them now. This version must be used near a power source. That said, the power cord is rather long.

The proprietary gun rests inside a stand above the machine, and its beautiful! That is, until you pick it up. The shiny, brushed-metal-esque plastic attracts fingerprints like mad. Not that that affects its performance in the slightest, but if you have issues with that type of thing, be prepared to keep a microfiber cloth nearby at all times.

Using the system

To begin using the system, take the rubber hose, and push one end into the hole underneath the PSI regulator (that knob with the white ring around it on one side), and the do the same with the other end and the gun. Next, take your first AIRpod (I assume you’ll be using the foundation one first), and remove the black cap on one end. Inside this cap is a little tool, held back by a piece of sticky tape. I needed a pair of tweezers to remove it, so be prepared. Take this tool, and poke it in and out of the red-rimmed hole on the now exposed end of the AIRpod (this is where the gun will connect to the product). Make sure to also remove the tape from the other end of the AIRpod as well (I learned this the hard way… So much product wasted!)

Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System Compressor

Now, here comes the tricky part. Hold down the small button on the side of the gun (this is extremely important), and slide the AIRpod in until you hear it click. You won’t know if it worked or not for another few seconds. ..

Push the button on top of the machine, and aim the gun at the back of your hand (you should be holding the gun like you would a large pencil or pen). You should feel a cool, gentle blast of air. With one finger, pull back the lever on the top of the gun itself. If it seems to kind of click instead of move smoothly, the AIRpod didn’t latch properly, and no product will come out. In this case, you’ll have to remove the AIRpod and reinsert it (I once had to do this four times to get it to work).

A gripe

And this is where one of my major gripes with the system comes in. It’s nearly impossible to get those little devils off! You’re meant to hold down that button on the side of the gun (make sure the machine is turned off for this) and simply slide the AIRpod right off. Nope. It’s a struggle. I often have to work it so hard that the hose pops off. I’ve tried wiggling it back and forth, pulling straight back, wrapping it in a towel and pulling… And if you have any sort of slippery material (lotion, etc.) on your hands, forget it. I think

Temptu AIRpods in Ivory, Pale Pink, and Champagne

Inside one of the Temptu AIRpods
Inside one of the AIRpods

I’ve honestly spent more time trying to remove these things (either to reinsert them to get them to latch, or to switch products) than actually applying what was in them! I get that they need a tight seal to work, but there definitely needs to be an easy-release tab or something.

Actually using the brush

The Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System Brush

Assuming, though, that the lever did move smoothly, you should see some product start to slowly build up on your hand. That’s good. Release the lever, and move it toward your face. The brush has a continuous airflow, so you’ll feel air being pushed from it even when you aren’t distributing product. Adjust the machine’s PSI regulator for whichever product you’re currently using (I prefer the middle to the high position for foundation; the middle to low setting for blush, highlighter, and concealing).
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The Beauty of Baking Soda

April 16th, 2011 by Karen 34 Comments

Written by Sam

Ladies and gentlemen, our next speaker asked if he could bring a pantry out on stage with him. Put your hands together for DIY beauty, and let’s give it up for Sam, as he shares the beauty of baking soda in today’s guest post.

The Beauty of Baking Soda

The girl before me finishes her story, and the applause of the crowd follows her off the stage. I take a breath, hold it. Release. The sound dies down, slowly. Someone just has to get that last clap. I let them do it, then walk up to the podium. I wish they had left some water or something up here.

“Hi, I’m Sam, and I’ve recently discovered the wonders of baking soda.”

They raise their eyes from their phones momentarily, then return to the glow of the screen. I get it. It’s been a long day of…well, the pamphlet called it a “Self-Improvement Seminar.” One kid in the front row rocks back and forth on his folding chair, the old metal creaking faintly. It’s distracting.

“You know,” I begin, “it started relatively tamely. I love to bake. Cookies, cakes, sachertortes… You name it. Anyway. Lots of recipes call for baking soda. It’s a leavening agent. Reacts with acids to release carbon dioxide. Simple stuff.

“But then one day, I spilled a bunch of it all over. My hands were covered in it, like, totally white.” It’s kinda funny how vividly I recall all of this stuff now. I really should have written a script or something, but winging it seemed appropriate in this venue. “So, just like anyone would, I went to the sink, pumped some soap out, and started to wash it off. But something happened. The stuff mixed with the soap, made a paste, ya know? Real bubbly. By the time I was done, my hands were soft. Like, soft soft. I couldn’t stop touching them. I’ve always had a thing for textures and the like. So I did it again.

“Maybe once a day to start, I’d grab a bit of the stuff out the pantry and just make a big bowl of paste with it and some soap, and just scrub. My hands felt so good. After a while, I thought, â€˜What if there’s more?’. But it didn’t come to me until a few days later in the shower. As I was massaging a bit of my regular drugstore exfoliator over my face, I stopped, and it was just like… yeah. I could totally use baking soda for this!”
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Be a Flying Beauty with These Airplane Beauty Tips

April 9th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

Written by Sam

Captain Sam says, “You are free to move (beautifully) about the cabin.” Don’t let air travel slow you down. Be an airborne beauty with the help of these tips from Sam.

Flying Beauty

Flying is perhaps the worst thing to ever happen to beauty. The dry, stale air. The awful, exposing fluorescent lights. The 12 hours of foundation meltdown. Obviously, planes weren’t meant for photoshoots.

So, how can you combat the common mishaps and mayhem the mile-high atmosphere can wreak? Before you flash your passport and board, let’s find out.

Please prepare for takeoff
Your biggest issue, even if you have oily skin, could be keeping your skin moisturized and supple throughout the flight. That dry cabin air seems to enjoy leeching all of the hydration out of everything (including your face).

The night before a flight, use a deep conditioning hair masque, and leave it on while you sleep for the extra benefit. That way, your locks will stay lush and lustrous throughout your trip, and your cuticles will remained sealed against any toxins that may be present in the cabin.

The morning (or whatever time it might be) before your departure, take a warm shower instead of a hot one (which can break down the lipid barrier on skin that keeps moisture in and toxins out), and try to keep it as brief as you can. Pat yourself dry instead of rubbing, and apply a nice, thick lotion all over within 60 seconds of stepping out of that steamy stall â€” while your skin is still all nice and porous â€” to lock that moisture in. If you have time, slap a moisturizing facial masque on for five minutes or so to give yourself an extra fortification against dehydration.

It's lip balm
Balms are your best friends on long plane rides. To start, because they don’t qualify as a liquid, you can freely get them past airport security without a hassle (making sure you don’t miss your takeoff!). And they’re also mighty multitaskers. Seriously. Oil-based balms (rose or carrot oil being two of the best) can fix nearly any beauty problem you’ll encounter on a plane.

Smear over lips to instantly repair and protect against cracking, peeling, and general dryness. Rub into cuticles to stop them from ripping and pulling (also add a nice shine to your nails, as well as protecting polish from scratching). Dab on the top of cheekbones to add a subtle sheen while pumping up the moisture. Smooth over eyebrows as a down-and-dirty alternative to brow gel. Hey, my brows certainly get wonky after eight hours in a musty aeroplane.
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Game, Set, Matte: The Pitfalls of Powder and Shine

April 2nd, 2011 by Karen 17 Comments

Written by Sam

Game, set, matte! Only shine when and where you want to with the help of today’s guest post from Sam.

Strike the Powder
Photo by sekushy

Some of the most inappropriately applied makeup products are the ones we use every day, like shine/shimmer products and setting powder. When used correctly, they can produce beautiful, subtle effects, but when used improperly things can go terribly, horribly, no-good, very badly wrong.

Let’s review some application techniques and tips to help you use shine/shimmer products and setting powders to perfection.

Beware of Shine

Shiny isn’t usually a word you want used in reference to your face. It brings to mind other less attractive words like greasy, oily, dirty — you get the picture. But no glow at all can make skin look flat, two-dimensional, dull, and expose things like large pores and dry patches (not a good look either).

What we want is a happy medium — a selective sheen — with a bit of “wetness” on the tops of our cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, on the chin, and on our cupid’s bow. Everywhere else should be more or less matte.

To pinpoint exactly where to apply, stand almost directly under an overhead light, and note where the light highlights the planes of your face. We’ll call these your highpoints.

When you have some time to prepare, try using a cream or liquid foundation, and then dust a powder lightly over every part of your face except for your highpoints. Blot these areas with a tissue instead. This way, the moisture in your foundation will produce a skin-like gleam only where you want it to, and where one would appear naturally.
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Get the Most from Your Hair Color

March 26th, 2011 by Karen 10 Comments

Written by Sam

Don’t settle for caramel when you wanted toffee brown. Get the hair color you wanted (and the color you deserve) with help from today’s guest post from Sam.

How to get the most from your hair color

Are you ready to turn that bottle blonde to a defiant brown? Or does that daring platinum call your name? When you and your hair are ready for a new shade, you’ll want your choice to last.

After a color change, it’s easy to get frustrated when once vibrant, glowing tones turn dull and fade, but with a few simple steps and perhaps changes to your routine, you can put off your next visit to your stylist for three weeks or more.

Watch out for these hair bears that can take your locks from VA-VA-VOOM! to boring in no time flat.

It’s repeated ad nauseum, but that’s because it’s true: the wrong shampoo and conditioner can wreak havoc on hair. Just like you wouldn’t give a moisturizer with mineral oil to someone with oily skin, you shouldn’t use sulfate-rich shampoos and conditioners on color-treated hair.

Sulphates are rather harsh surfactants (they’re one of the things that make shampoos lather) which strip product and oil from hair. And they can also do the same to color. Shampoos and conditioners formulated for color-treated hair have much lower levels of gentler sulphates (while many also contain natural cleansers to supplement this) that are better for daily use.

If you prefer not to use any heavy products on your hair at all, look for sulphate-free shampoos; they’ll preserve color even longer, but they may not be able to tackle product buildup (and don’t expect a foaming lather).

Styling products work by coating each strand of hair, and as many contain chemicals and oils, merely rinsing in water might not remove them. Products built up over time can leave your locks dull and limp. That’s where a clarifying shampoo comes in.

Normal clarifying shampoos are basically like dish soap. They contain extreme levels of sulphates and harsh stripping agents that can literally make color-treated hair ashen. Higher end companies and beauty supply stores, however, stock clarifying shampoos and treatments for more delicate hair. They rely on strong, natural extracts and oils (grapefruit being the most common) to gently dissolve buildup while nourishing the hair and smoothing the cuticle.

If you use shine products, keep in mind that silicones, while temporarily good for giving hair a mirror-like reflection and for smoothing frizz, can build up quickly over time, coating the cuticle, and making hair heavy, flat, and lusterless.

The sun is a fickle mistress, huh? It can burn our skin, yellow our nails, and now it can dull our hair, too? Well, yup. UV rays are extremely damaging to colored hair (especially to darker shades), leaching the life out of locks and making strands brittle and dry. But it’s easy to remedy with a leave-in treatment or spray containing UV-protection (basically, sunblock for your hair!). Many companies are now formulating UV-protecting shampoos and conditioners; however, if you spend much time outside, they shouldn’t be your hair’s only defense.

Heat styling and volumizing products both do some of the same things. They open the cuticle and make hair porous. Heat does it by making the hair cuticle expand; volumizing products do it by forcing open the cuticle and making strands appear thicker. Both of them allow color to escape.

Look for volumizing products manufactured for color-treated hair, which work by lightly coating the strands instead of expanding them.

Just by washing your hair in hot water, the cuticle can open enough for even mild sulphates in color-protecting shampoos to reach and strip away the molecules of color within the hair shaft. To stop it, rinse your hair in the coldest water you can tolerate (step out of the water stream and just dunk your hair under). Doing this with icy water will leave an incredible natural shine on hair as it seals in moisture and smooths the cuticle completely (and it tames frizz at the same time!).

Then, when blow-drying, aim the nozzle down the shaft to avoid damaging the cuticle, and blast hair with the cold setting once it’s bone-dry.
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8 More Tips to Look Your Best in Pictures

March 19th, 2011 by Karen 12 Comments

Written by Sam

Cameras can be cruel. Stop letting them kick you around, and get the pictures you deserve with these tips in today’s guest post from Sam.

How to look your best in pictures

When you see pictures of yourself, do you ever wonder, “Do I really look like that?” If you do, you’re not alone. Do you pick out every flaw, see every blemish, and wonder what caused that horrid ashen cast, or the shadow that makes you look like you have a second chin? Often, these are things that only we notice (because we’re our worst critics), but occasionally they can be real issues. Fortunately, many are easy to remedy if you know how to work with your surroundings when you find yourself in front of a lens. Stop ducking when someone pulls out a camera, and put your best face forward with the help of these tips.

1. Angling for success

Always try to get your photographer — whether they’re a pro with a fancy DSLR or a friend with a small point-and-shoot — to snap you from straight on, or above. Never below. If the camera strays downward and angles up toward your face, your jawline and any defined bone structure tend to disappear, adding a substantial amount of “imaginary weight” to your face. By tilting your chin slightly downward as you look into the camera, you’ll show your face from the most flattering angles. NOTE: If you have a very prominent brow ridge, however, this can cast a heavy shadow over your eyes.

2. The Torso Twist Diet

Regretting that last lemon-thyme shortbread cookie you ate right before someone slipped out their camera? Take 10 pounds off your waistline by turning your lower body away from the camera, and your upper body slightly back toward it.

3. Is that a ghost?!

Do you feel that you look extremely pale or washed out in photos? It could be your sunscreen and/or the lighting. Physical sunscreens (with the most common ones containing titanium dioxide) reflect light, and in areas with harsh ambient lighting, or in situations with a lot of flash photography, a camera is going to capture and magnify the glare. Opt for chemical sunscreens instead.

Or perhaps you’ve just happened into a brightly lit area (direct sunlight, an office building, etc.). They can wash out even the most glowing complexion. If you have some time to prepare beforehand, apply blush and/or bronzer one to two shades darker than you normally would, and opt for brighter lip or eye colors as opposed to neutrals.

4. Wiggle those ears

Can you wiggle your ears? If you can, you already know one of the best modeling tricks out there. Move your ears backwards and keep them there. You should feel a slight tightness in your face. Congratulations! You’ve just given yourself a virtual facelift.
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Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polishes: Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Nail Brand

March 18th, 2011 by Karen 24 Comments

Written by Robin

A few of us are meeting at the Rescue Beauty Lounge. Destination: your living room. Robin of Beautyburg has the scoop in today’s guest post.

Rescue Beauty Lounge (or RBL for short) owner and founder Ji Baek opened her first New York City nail salon in 1998 after being dissatisfied with the standards she felt she saw at other salons and spas. Today, RBL isn’t just a salon chain. It’s also a line of bath and body care products and, most notably, a unique brand of nail polish.

Before she opened her first salon, Ji wondered if she really wanted to be the clichÃ© of a Korean nail salon owner, but what Ji saw was an opportunity to elevate nail salons and set a new bar in professional nail care. “You have a great concept,” her husband said, “I’ll be by your side and help you. You can’t go through life with ‘what ifs’.”

Some of my favorite RBL polishes ($18 each)

Chinoise

Scrangie

Coral

Anne

As a self-admitted germophobe, Ji designed her spas to standards of hospital-grade cleanliness, and her philosophy takes overall nail health to heart.

When creating her nail polishes, Ji wanted to set herself apart from other brands by bringing the same philosophy and discipline she brought to her salon to her nail polishes as well. She boasts that several lab technicians almost quit trying to meet her standards, which were for a long-wearing polish made without the the use of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), formaldehyde, toluene or animal testing.
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