This photo was taken a couple months before Lynn was crowned winner of the Miss Singapore Universe 2012 title, makeup and hair by yours truly. Lynn is a really sweet girl and I am very happy she got chosen as she is going to represent Singapore extremely well. We met at a fashion show, talked and she asked me if we’d have an opportunity to shoot, and so we did! Photo credit goes to Mark Bautista.
Hair
Celebrity Makeup By Norah – Juliet Simms (The Voice USA)
October was a pretty magic month, I tell you. I got a call to do makeup for American vocalist Juliet Simms (she was a finalist in the show The Voice), she was in town for a press conference and a concert to raise awareness for the Chengdu Pambassador Programme. My job was to get Juliet ready to officially meet the Singapore media, both hair and makeup, no pressure. Here is one of the pictures from the day, Juliet was lovely and she is a really good singer.
Events Coming Up in Singapore!
Apart from regular makeup duties, I wanted to annouce a few events coming up this October and November. This is your chance to meet, stalk, take a photo of me and come say hello – in most situations I am always happy to talk about makeup/ skincare or the latest bore that is Brad Pitt’s Chanel commercial (although I did Tweet about it and its spoof on SNL). Bad joke. OK so if you want to meet and mingle, here are your choices…
On October 25th from 7pm – 9pm, I will be doing a makeup workshop with the lovely Carla K stylist at Action Hair Salon located at Paragon Mall, 290 Orchard Road #05-08, Singapore. This is an accessories, hair and makeup hands-on workshop. I will be teaching how to do a day look, an office look and take this to an evening out on the town – there will also be door prizes from Maybelline. Ladies can sip champagne, cocktails and wine plus three amazing labels will be selling and showing the latest fashion. What’s not to like? Tickets are $89 and we are pretty much sold out but if you fancy coming, reply to this post NOW.
The ANZA Melbourne Cup is happening on Tuesday November 6th 2012 and I will be there doing touch ups with Vanity Trove Singapore as my sponsor. We will have a booth set up with a mini makeup cabinet using their one of a kind beauty troves plus there is a special promo for subscription during the event. Event tickets are for sale through ANZA and every year, the event has gotten bigger and better and yes, it sells out. In Australia the Melbourne race cup is a HUGE deal. Carla K will also be there doing fashion on the field so come dressed to impress! Event starts at 10:30AM at the Singapore Turf Club – it is ANZA’s biggest event of the year.
The Caring For Cambodia Project is having their 7th annual Caring Tea at the iconic Hotel Fort Canning. This year I am a sponsor of this charity and will be attending as a guest.
This is a very fancy buffet lunch so come hungry and ready to shop. Guests can bid on many exquisitely designed tableware settings or other valuable lucky draw and silent auction prizes. This is an opportunity to find unique holiday gifts. All proceeds from this event go to Cambodian school children. For more info on this charity, please go to this link.
Bella Box Event Highlights
It is hard to believe I finally attended a Bella Box event! It’s been well over a year since I subscribed and between all the work/ obligations I attend to, every chance for attendance to an event eluded me.
The Bella Box girls had a lovely T.G.I.F. early evening soiree at a trendy rooftop hotel in Tiong Bahru. The evening came with some nibbles and bubbly to showcase some amazing brands. Before I get to the beauty items I most liked, I thought it was super clever to have stations and live demos of every brand. Some I was familiar with and some were new, it was a makeup artist’s dream event including food, drink and different skincare/ makeup/ hair products.
The items which got my attention right away were Caudalie’s new range Vinosource. I tried the Vinosource S.O.S Thirst-Quenching Serum – what a treat. I asked for the ingredients info and my eyes lit when I saw Hyaluronic acid, Grape Water, Grape-seed Polyphenols – the ingredient in bold is a MUST if you want real results for your anti-aging skincare in a serum. This compound is present in our body but begins to dwindle as we get older. Using an Hyaluronic acid serum will help to restore moisture levels of the skin and absorb right away. Love this product.
Next was Bioderma Sensibio H20 Makeup Remover – another gem I had heard of from one of my French friends but had not tried on my own. This makeup remover requires no cleansing after so if you’d had a long night out and can’t get to a sink, Bioderma will take off all the debris without the need to rinse, waterproof and hard to remove lipstick, mascara, foundation, EVERYTHING. I liked that there were two formulas for sensitive, dry and oily skin so it is not a one size fits all makeup remover. In my goodie bag, I also found a Sensibio Eye Gel (Thank you! I will be testing this out in an upcoming long haul flight). Seeing several layers of different products being removed with one wipe using Bioderma was pretty cool! Bioderma is available at Guardian in Singapore.
Aveda needs no introduction, it is a favorite brand since a long time ago. I use the Chakra Body Spray as well as the Aveda’s Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener for my hair when I blow dry. The Aveda girls had me try a Blue Oil Therapy complete with a shoulder massage, the scent of mint was lovely and so calming. This was truly a wonderful mini spa experience, thanks Aveda.
Last but not least, Elizabeth Arden had a booth with makeup. Apart from the Elizabeth Arden skincare range, I had not tried any of the makeup line so this was of course, a new experience. The eyeshadows had some great autumn colors, they were buildable and pretty for a night out. I got to take home a single eyeshadow and the staff were accomodating and kind enough to show me all the colors.
My most favorite Friday night in a while! I should add Petronille was also there doing her demo, I did not sample anything as I’ve done an extensive series of reviews on her wonderful skincare range which I highly endorse. Well done Bella Box girls, thanks for all he goodies and this fun event.
Vanity Trove May Surprise
When I received my most recent box of beauty goodies, I was expecting the usual range of samples. Hello, I was in for a surprise, a really lovely one, indeed. The May edition of the Vanity Trove came with a nice selection of products, vouchers, the loveliest packaging ever AND two special gems I can’t wait to tell you about.
First a 100 ml bottle of Style Aromatherapy Moroccan Argan Hair Moisturizer – a leave-in product that can be used when you blow dry, use a curler or a straightening iron or on its own after a shampoo. Why Argan oil? This powerful ingredient has been used for centuries to strengthen and care for hair, skin and nails, it is rich in lineolic acid (Omega 6) , Omega 9, Vitamin E and Squalene. I used a tiny bit in my hand and applied it all over the ends as I blow-dried my hair, and the result was silky, beautiful styled locks with a heavenly scent to boot.
And for the most unique product ever, the Braphy lip gloss and plumper – comes with a LED light and side mirror. This lip gloss was shade #2, a pink extra shimmery shade, perfect for a night out in the town. When I was out on Sat night, everyone kept asking me where I got this super cool gloss. It is small enough to fit in a tiny purse and carry around with you.
And btw during the month of May for SGD $35, you can order your Mom a Spring Special Trove as a Mother’s Day gift!!! The Spring’s Special contains luxe limited edition trove with the finest beauty brands from France, and twice the value of the cost. This is an excellent and lovely present. For more info, go to Vanity Trove.
My Instagram Photos of the Weekend
This I-phone application is so cool (#Instragram), in a flash you can edit your I-phone images, upload them and show lovely colors with super elegant filters. Sounds crazy, I only just got an I-phone. **On Instagram find me as @norahlovesmakeup **
My Instagram snaps are from a test shoot with Ferdy Juf, a fantastic photographer from Indonesia. I also collaborated with an amazingly talented hairstylist/ MUA from Vietnam Nguyen Bui Kistler. The models are Elena and Natalia from Looque.
Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring 2012
It is Paris Fashion Week Spring 2012 at the moment. This Dior collection is so regal and 1950′s, I’d wear a few pieces for sure, this V dress with the peep toe shoes was one of my favourites, the makeup and hair were soft.
Photography by Imaxtree via Fashionising.com
(Forever) Live And Die ::OMD
If you watched any John Hughes films and were a teen in the 1980s-1990′s, then you probably remember this band called OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark), they are brilliant!! Music has totally evolved, I get that but there are no sounds or lyrics that quite compare to this today, Forever Live and Die.
Love their haircuts and the bon vivant air about them. Just so you get the idea, my prom song in 1991 was Forever Young by Alphaville, a major tune that in later years was brought back by Jay-Z.
And Speaking of Hair …
There has been lots written recently on the use of salt-free and sulfate-free shampoo. If you know my story, I do color, straightening (Brazilian Keratin), and live in a super humid country called Singapore. Needless to say, lots of frizz going around and blow outs don’t last very long around these shores, it is the pits. In order to keep a healthy routine, I’ve been washing my hair less, using more dry shampoo/ baking soda in between and switched over to a color-friendly sulfate-free shampoo by L’Oreal Ever Pure Moisture Shampoo For Color Treated Hair. (There was a fabulous Watsons SG offer on L’Oreal products so I stocked up). In April while in London town, I had this fabulous Brazilian hairstylist take care of my waves, at the time she also suggested to get a salt-free shampoo to prolong my Brazilian Keratin treatment. She was right.
The results in switching shampoos have been good so far. Did you know that common sulfates found in shampoos that include sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate cause more frizz and will further damage chemically treated hair? I didn’t. Using cold water to rinse, silicone-free conditioner and air drying as much as possible are all tips to ensure healthy tresses year-round. I found a great website for a list of silicone-free shampoos and conditioners. **Please note: this is geared for people with wavy/ curly hair, if your hair is fine, straight or of a different texture, ask a professional if silicone-free is ok for you. I am just giving this as a reference and based on the results I’ve had so far.
Good Hair Tip
I love me some Joey Maalouf! He is the resident gay husband, makeup artist, hair guy and budding stylist of Rachel Zoe. On a recent interview with Glamour online, he was asked for one hair tip which I would like to share with you.
How do you get your hair to look so fabulous?!
I shampoo and condition every other day with Volume by Fekkai. I then apply a dime size of magic move with a drop of Rodin hair oil and let air dry.
Don’t wash your hair everyday! Shampoo strips your hair of natural oils. There are weeks where I try to go the distance, three days or four without shampoo, you can get creative, use headbands, braids or simply let it be. If you have smelly, greasy hair, sprinkle some baking soda on your scalp, it will dry it out. Or if you are after the real deal, get some dry shampoo. I use Klorane, it is a fantastic product.
PS. Cover of Latina Magazine with Salma Hayek, known for her sexy hair.