Make Up Tip #5: Fill in the Brows

Smashbox Brow Brush from sephora.com
Originally uploaded by Noelle Wong.

This is an important step that many women miss. Many tend to think that they can pluck their brows, colour their eyes, lips and cheeks, and off they go, they are finished - wrong! Without properly groomed and coloured eyebrows, the face looks as if something is missing.

Many don't know that they can have a lot of fun creating different brow shapes just by using a brush and eyeshadow powder. If you want an arch yet do not have a natural one, you may blot one on! If your brows are too short, elongate them by drawing them in. If your brows are too thin, you may thicken it by blotting in extra "hairs", which are of course, the powder. If you have heavy make up on, darken the brows more. If you have light make up on, just use a little. It takes practice, but well worth the effort. Afterall, the brows frame the face.

First, choose an eyeshadow colour that is close to the colour of your hair. If your hair is very dark, choose dark brown. If your hair is blond, choose taupe. If your hair is red, choose reddish brown. If your hair is white, or gray, choose a dark gray. If your hair is black, you may choose a bitter chocolate brown or black. I'd use caution if black is used - it can look harsh if not applied well.

Second, use a proper eyebrow brush. This means no toothbrush or mascara wands, even though plenty of fashion magazines have advised that. Why? Because they don't work. An eyebrow brush may be made of real hair, or taklon, and should be very small at the tip. It is usually cut at an angle as well, for easy application.

Third, use the eyebrow brush to brush the eyebrows. Then dip the brush in the shadow, flick off the extra powders, and test it on your hand. If the colour is dark enough, begin to apply on the brows beginning from the inside (close to the nose), then work towards the outer end. Do NOT draw on the brow, but slowly blot the colour on the brow. If you brush it on, the effect will be harsh. Imagine planting a few hairs at a time on your brows in areas that are sparse - this is what you are doing. Blot the colours on bit by bit.

Towards the outer end of the eyebrows, stop the blotting, but lightly and sharply draw the ends, so that the ends are pointed, not blunt.

I must stress that the brows must be plucked once every few days to keep the stray hair away. They may need to be trimmed, if they are too long.

Stay tuned for Make Up Tip #6: Eyeshadow application!

They are Too Cool for Me

Toronto's Queen Street West has a unique culture. It is a place full of creative people, people who are not part of the culture of the masses. It is cool, hip and trendy, supposedly.

Why supposedly?

Even though the culture of Queen Street is very different from the rest of the city, the "coolness" of it is rather tasteless. Some examples -

1. Fresh (the vegetarian restaurant): people raved about it. 2 friends of mine brought me there in 2 different times. Yet each time the food was unimpressive. The sauces were glue-like in consistency (eew!), their veggie burger pattie dry and crumbly, and their tofu tasted strange (a bit sour - as if it's bad. I'm Asian, so I know what tofu tastes like in almost all kinds of dishes. Heck, maybe the tofu was bad that day). Their cookies choked me because of the dryness. The prices were ridiculous for the quality of food served. The place was cool though, and the staff good looking.

2. Preloved: I previously wrote an entry about Preloved's line of clothing. I purchased a piece from Holt Renfrew. As I searched their website, I was overjoyed to see that they have their own store on Queen. So off I went this weekend to the store, just to be disappointed with the entire collection and their staff. The sales girls were pretty and hip, yet whatever I tried on they would compliment me, which would have been OK, but the clothes looked bad on me! The cuts didn't fit my bodytype. However, they were all very nice and were never pushy. The selection of clothes was disappointing. It's typical Queen Street style - mismatched fabrics that looked worn out. The prices are reasonable. Their best selection is at Holt Renfrew, where the buyer probably took a lot of time choosing the best pieces for the store.

3. Last weekend I was famished. I entered a restaurant that looked "creative", in that it used different, almost uncoordinated pieces of furniture for tables and chairs. The diners looked bookishly cool (NOT nerd like). Some of them were reading. Some were chatting. Some just sat and relaxed. The only table left was a make shift table with a heater as support with a piece of glass on top. Two old airchairs were placed as seats. I sat down, and after 10 seconds I decided this was not the place to eat. Too uncomfortable. I'm not cool enough to be uncomfortable. So I left and went to the nice restaurant beside them and enjoyed an eggs benedict lunch there.

In summary, Queen Street is cool without substance.

Since this is an image blog, what does the above has to do with image?

Queen Street has the image of people who are too into cultivated looks and attitudes (in this case, cool, hip and trendy) without taking into account the inner quality beneath the surface.

For an image to be successful, the outer image transformation must be integrated with the inner image. No matter how chic and wonderful the outer image is, if the inner image isn't cultivated to reflect all that beauty, the life won't change much. The outer image becomes an empty shell.

As an image consultant, I help people with their outer image transformation, with clothing and grooming, and communication skills. But the inner transformation depends solely on the person. People will at first respond to you positively when you look great. But they will also sooner or later detect who you are inside. Who says image transformation is easy? It's a lot of hard work.

Meanwhile, I will not go to Queen Street for a long time.

Shopping in Hell

Recently I had second thoughts about shopping for clients. When I shop at malls, all I saw were seas of people with screaming kids. Rude shoppers, rude workers and rude drivers. Shopping in weekends agitated me. I went to Sporting Life quite a few times, and if I had go one more time I'd kill myself. Shopping these weeks with frantic Christmas shoppers and Christmas songs blasting through the malls made me hate the holidays. I thought maybe I didn't want to go through this anymore. Shopping in malls felt like shopping in hell.

However, today, I remember why I am an Image Consultant.

I booked an early shopping trip with a client. Shopping this early with only a handful of people around keeps the mood pleasant. I found everything for this client in just 4 stores in 2 hours. As I looked at the client trying on the new clothes, I remembered my mission: to see and reveal beauty in people. I was so happy when I saw how wonderful the client looked in the new outfits. I felt excited at the new possibilities for him.

Seeing beauty in people makes shopping enjoyable.

(just no more Christmas carols, please!)

New Year's Resolution

It's that time of the year again. I wonder if New Year's resolution work for anyone.

For me, I've never bothered. It seemed to be a silly idea to make changes in my life on that day. If I want to change, I'd do it now. Why wait?

A common list of New Year's resolution that people should just plunge in and do, rather than wait -

1. weight loss
2. better diet
3. exercise
4. find a new job
5. find a boyfriend/girlfriend
6. change your wardrobe
7. pamper yourself more
8. get out of debt
9. save some money
10. whatever else...

What is the point of waiting? You'll never know how long you'll live! Make the changes now, even if you have to do so in baby steps; don't wait.

Make Up Tip #4: Foundation - key to flawless complexion

After applying concealer to the face, put on foundation. There are plenty of choices for foundation in the market, including: liquid, powder and stick. The rule is, the finer the foundation is, the better. However, very fine foundation does have a drawback: the talc (usually foundations are made of talc), are terrible for the health of your body. They are hard to wash away too. 3 years ago I bought a foundation stick made of fine talc. After using it for a week, I noticed my face was getting smoother - it was great! But now I realized the reason for the extra smoothness was because the talc powders got into my skin pores, and I couldn't wash all of it off even with the best cleanser I know at the time. In case if you didn't read my previous entry about talc powder - talc may cause uterine cancer and other bodily hazards. I know the foundation is just applied on the face, but imagine - if it cannot washed off from the face completely, that means it cannot washed off the hands completely. And people clean their bodies with their hands!!

Some basic knowledge: for oily complexions, choose water based foundation. For dry complexions, use oil based foundations.

Colour: choose one that matches your skin directly. Do not try on your wrist or hands when you shop for one. Apply directly on your face - preferably lower part of the face near the jaw. If it disappears, it's the one!

Application: dot foundation on your forehead, cheek, and nose. Use the 3rd and 4th finger (from the thumb) of each hand and blend the foundation on your face. Don't forget the hairline, around the nose, the chin, and last but not least, the eyelids.

Now stand back and look. If your face look flawless, you've done a great job! Make sure no part of the face is left out. Then, place a tissue on your palms, and press your face lightly against it for one time. This will get rid of any excess foundation from the face.

The next step is to dust face powder to "set" the foundation, meaning to lock the make up on your face so that it won't come off easily, and it serves as a nice base for you to put eye shadows, blush and lipstick on. Powders come in two forms: loose or compact. Loose powder is easier to put on, but not convenient to carry around for touch ups. I highy recommend buying a loose powder though.

Use a face powder puff to apply powder, or a large powder brush. If you use a puff, put powder on it, and press against face - don't wipe! Begin with the forehead, then press the cheeks, nose, eyelids and chin. If you wipe with it, make up will come off. If you use a brush, just lightly brush it on with large strokes.

Stay tuned for make up tip #5!

PS: being a natural make up promoter, I recommend The Organic Make Up Company's foundations and powders. I personally use make up from this company. Available at http:www.organicmakeup.ca

Company Party: Tips to Party Image Management

It's near Christmas, and many companies throw parties for their employees. This is a critical time of image management, even though most think it's time to let loose and party. Here are some tips:

1. Don't drink until you puke - this seems obvious, but in almost every party someone always gets intoxicated to the point where the person embarrasses him/herself. Funny behaviour such as swearing, loud talking, taking off clothes, puking...they happen because of drinking. If you limit your intake, you'll limit embarrassing behaviour and your chance of getting fired. Limit yourself to a couple of beers, or a glass of wine. Many companies give out taxi chips - use them and go home safely if you're tipsy.

2. Wear appropriate attire - many women like to wear plunging necklines and other sexy pieces in company parties, just because it's party time. Don't forget, it's "company" party time, not any wild party time. Wear clothing that's more tamed. Play up the colours, not cleavages. Classy and elegance are always in. This way you will not be the talk of the company afterwards.

3. Gift exchange - someone has told me he always gets shafted whenever there's a gift exchange. He takes the effort to buy a $10 gift, but usually others are not as thoughtful. You don't have to spend the limit that is suggested, but do get an item that you know people will general like and use. A box of chocolate/cookies/mixed nuts is always good. Same with a plant. Please don't dig out trash from your home and repackage it into a gift. Stay away from dollar store items, because they are very obviously "dollar store" like.

4. Potluck time - a person working part time at a well known company told me that the salaried full time staff "competed" to bring the cheapest items - such as forks, knives, and napkins, and left all the expensive items such as appetizers and main courses for the lower paid part time people to sign up for. Please, think about those who are earning less in your company, and pick the potluck items according to your means. Otherwise you'll just show your worst self - cheap!

5. Arrive on time and leave on time - too many people think it's good to be "fashionably late" for parties. Well, there is nothing fashionable about it. Sometimes people politely wait for these latecomers. This is a company party, not a club. Show up on time, because people do not like to linger all night long. And do leave the party at a decent time - think about those employees who have to stay in to close up the place. Be courteous to them.

Have a great time!

Product Review: Benefit's She-Lac

uploaded from benefitscosmetics.com
Originally uploaded by Noelle Wong.

I use powder eyeliner, and it smudges easily. I refuse to use pencil liners because it pulls on the delicate skin around the eyes. Plus, with a brush and powder, I have more control of the kind of line I want to draw: precise and thin, or smokey.

The disadvantage is that the line smudges after 1 hour (for others it may smudge sooner or later, depending on their skin type). Even though someone sold me an "eyeliner sealant" which I used to "coat" the line, it still smudges. Then a friend came along and introduced me to She-Lac. She said nothing worked for her except for this product. It works with brow colour and lip colour too! The only thing is, I'm pro natural cosmetics, and the ingredients in this bottle don't impress me. However, since I use an organic powder and face cream, I hope my body will not absorb too much She-Lac. So I bought a bottle of it from sephora. It's pricey, $40.00 including taxes.

I tried it on yesterday. I drew my eyeliner, then covered it with a smidgen of She-Lac with one of the 4 brushes that came with the package. It worked like a charm - no smudge! I had my eyeliner on for at least 5 hours.

Trouble came when I tried wiping my eyeliner off at the end of the day. It was harder to get rid of than powder alone. I had one bit of colour that almost wouldn't go away even when I wiped it a few times with a make up remover as well as soap.

Verdict? If no smudge is your goal, this is the perfect product. However, make sure you have the patience to get the the colours and the residue of this product off - afterall, She-Lac is strong and it takes longer than usual to wipe everything off!

Shoppers, have some manners, please!

When I'm shopping, I'm always shocked by how selfish people are. Here are a few incidents that happened today and a few weeks ago:

* at William Sonoma in Yorkdale, there were samplings at parts of the store today, including their yummy ginger bread cake, spiced tea and hot chocolate with peppermint. I approached the cake counter and asked what the cake was. After the server answered me, an old lady jumped out and took the next piece served. Another old lady jumped out from nowhere and did the same. After that, another one jumped out and did the same. 3 times later, the server finally took the hint and give me a slice. I'm beginning to wonder who was more rude - the old ladies who didn't bother to line up (maybe it's the seniors' first mentality), or the server who thinks serving 3 people before me was the best thing to do. Some of these old ladies took 2, 3 and even 4 slices. Talk about greed.

* at T&T Supermarket, there was food sampling all over the store in the weekend. I had no problem waiting in line and then getting food when it was my turn. The problem was some people behind me couldn't wait to get their food, and stick their arms within the loop of my arm to get it! As I stood there, limbs were popping out right, left and centre, all grabbing slices of something from the counter. I felt like I had a few arms that didn't belong to me.

* at Pusateri's at Lawrence and Avenue Road, people don't care about hitting others. They expect others to move for them, especially if they have carts. They think carts have the right to move through without stopping or yielding for others.

What can we expect from this selfish world? Competition and bitterness. Good manners enable a person to cultivate a compassionate heart, and think of others. Good manners train a person to be more caring.

Almost everyone needs an etiquette lesson in dealing with day to day life. It'll make shopping a more pleasurable experience.

Makeover in 2 Minutes

This article is posted also on www.in-image.com, and ezinearticles.com.

Title: Makeover in 2 Minutes

Make up does wonder to the overall image. It makes the face polished and pretty looking. I have met one too many women who told me they have no time for make up application. These women are definitely at a disadvantage in the job market, because women who put make up on, makes about 35% more than those who don’t.

A perfect make up application has many steps. However, some days, women have to wake up and run out for work, with no time for breakfast or a long make up routine. If you are a busy woman with no time in the morning, follow this quick make up routine that will guarantee you looking simple and fresh.

These are the tools and make up you must have on hand – face powder, big powder brush, lipstick, eyelash curler, mascara and concealer.

Be sure the concealer is a shade lighter than your face. By the time it covers the dark blemish, the colour of the coverage will be very close to your natural skin tone. The face powder colour is to match your own face colour. Use a lipstick that is a shade or two darker than your lips – for radiance. As for mascara – if you are a brunette, you may choose very dark brown to black. However, if you are blond or very fair, use taupe or medium brown instead for more harmony.

Here are the steps for a 2 minute make up application:

1. Wash, tone and moisturize your face, apply sunscreen, then put some lipbalm on the lips.

2. Dab on concealer using your finger tip – preferably your ring finger. Dab it on on any blemishes you have, as well as on your undereye circles. Blend well.

3. Dust on face powder with a big fluffy powder brush.

4. Put on lipstick.

5. Curl your eyelashes, sweep on mascara.

Voila - simple and fresh. Now you are ready to rush out!

Written by Noelle Wong

Telemarketing and Image

I wish the telemarketers will leave me alone.

Today I received a call from a company who asked to speak to the person who designed my website. I said I'd take a message for the person. Then she used another tactic, saying whether she could speak to a person who hired the web designer. I said I can take a message for the person. She said: are you the one who hired the company then? I repeated: may I take a message?

The conversation went on like this for a while, with her trying to talk to someone who is responsible, and with me answering her using the same phrase: may I take a message? I said this so that I can avoid those who cold call my company. I don't like wasting time listening to their pitch.

I guess the person got frustrated, because she exclaimed: this doesn't make sense! I retaliated: this doesn't make sense to me either! She asked: why not? I said: because you wouldn't let me take the message!

She got even more frustrated, and said: it's OK. Don't even worry about it. Then hung up.

She should have done more work before calling me. She could have looked at the website, and see that I am the only person listed as the contact. She could have asked for my name, rather than asking for "the person who hired...", etc.

The telemarketer must have received terrible or no training from the hiring company. Because of the "telemarketing" image I had of her since the first phrase she uttered, she didn't even have a chance on pitching me!

Telephone etiquette is the first step to image management for telemarketers.

Make Up Tip #3: Secret to a Young Looking Face

uploaded from www.organicmakeup.ca
Originally uploaded by Noelle Wong.

This is an important tool for those who look tired, not just for those who have blemishes. Applying concealer to the right spots will liven your face.

First, choose the right concealer for your skin colour. A shade lighter than the normal skin colour is good. A concealer has a thicker texture than a liquid foundation. You may use your finger to dab on the concealer, or a concealer brush to "paint" it on. My personal recommendation is concealer from the Organic Make Up Company, since it is true to it's name, organic. Know that whatever you put on your face, it WILL go into your body and perhaps affect the internal organs. Be careful of the kinds of chemicals you allow in the body.

Second, use either your ring finger (4th from thumb) or a concealer brush to dab concealer onto your dark eye circles. Just pat it on, or lightly brush it on. Be sure the concealer is not thick and pasty though. Do this lightly and evenly. Also pat on concealer all around the eyes, aside from the lids. This is the big secret to looking young.

A note about concealer brush - they are not made of natural hair, as it is too soft for concealer application. Taklon concealer brushes are great. The brush should be small, maybe less than 1cm x 0.5cm.

If the area of the under eye circles are puffy, you are best to leave it be, since applying a concealer on puffy skin will highlight its puffiness. I hear that applying ice or cold tea bags on the area helps, especially if you are prone to puffy eyes in the morning. Some also say it's from allergies (food or air). There are those who are affected by water retention. If that's the case, record your food intake daily to see what foods may cause the puffiness around the eyes. Eliminate them if necessary. Alcohol is one culprit. Salt is another. But each body is different, and you will have to narrow down the culprits on your own.

Third, apply concealer on any blemishes on the face. Again, lightly dab them. Some people may be concerned about infecting a blemish, such as a pimple. I have never had aggravated pimples on my own face with make up. However, if you are sensitive, you may want to go easy on infected spots. Look at your forehead, your cheeks, nose and chin - apply to spots that are off in colour from your skin.

Next, take a step back. You will notice that the face is liven up just by applying a few strokes of concealer! What a difference a concealer makes - the difference between a tired face and a fresh face. What would you choose?

I realize that being beautiful takes work. There's work on food intake, narrowing down what's good for your body and what's not, and how these foods affect your face. Then there's the inner personality work because that shines through, whether you know it or not. Then there is the outer image transformation. All for making a good impression to build rapport with others. The thing is, we DO judge others by how they look, and they do the same to us. This is how it works, and that's why we put some effort in it. Just don't get obsessed - I used to know a girl who wouldn't go out when she had a pimple. That is extreme. Life is more than just our appearanace. We are born with our bodies, and it's up to us to treat it well and make it look great, so that we can live happily.

Feeling better

Cold F/X really works! In fact, it works on early on the second half of the first day that I was sick. My body felt lighter and I was energized. I highly recommend this.

The company website is www.coldfx.com

Etiquette for the sick: stop working!

cold f/x
Originally uploaded by Noelle Wong.

I woke up feeling terrible...limbs as heavy as lead, the body colder than usual, and the throat feels dry and sore. So I cancelled a client appointment today.

In the past, I worked in companies where people went to work sick. They wouldn't heal until a week or two later. If they had stayed at home, it may take them one or two days.

This is especially prevalent in some cultures, in which people would accuse themselves of being lazy if they stayed at home with a "little sickness". Maybe that's why SARS has spread so quickly in Asia.

For a company, isn't it better to have a staff stay home for a day or two, rather than passing germs to the other staff, making the whole company sick?

Unfortunately my parents believed in the same thing when I was young. Unless I had a fever or a stomach flu, I was sent to school, even if I had a bad flu. Apparently, many parents had the same belief. Hence, in my elementary school years, I've seen kids with mumps and chicken pox. Also kids throwing up in school. All because the parents sent them to school, thinking these are just a "little sickness".

So today I will be resting at home, taking Cold F/X. This is a herbal pill made of ginseng extract. People who took this swore that it worked wonders! It's available at Loblaws and health food stores.

Bad Manners: Image Buster!

I just got off the telephone with a cake company, fuming with anger, and swearing never to buy from them.

Someone recommended this bakery to me because of the reasonable pricing and good quality of its products. With excitement, I picked up the phone, called them and asked whether they will open on December 26th - my grandmother's birthday is on that day, and I want to get a great birthday cake for her.

The first question the reception asked, was: who are you?

I thought it was a strange question. So I repeated my question: do you open on that day?

She said: no, that's a Sunday. And who are you? Where are you calling from?

I ignored her question, and said: will you be opened on the Friday prior to that Sunday?

She said: yes. Where are you calling from?

I said: um, I'm calling from home!

She said: we strictly wholesale only.

I said: that's strange - someone I know always gets cakes from you, and it's not wholesale!

She said: who is that? What's the person's name? Is it the drycleaning lady?

I said no, she proceeded asking for the name. I refused to give her the name of the person who recommended me to this place, since I know she'd be ordering from them again. We hung up after that.

A company's image not only depends on the logo and how it executes its marketing plan. But also how staff deals with customers, down to telephone etiquette.

The receptionist's phone etiquette was terrible. Instead of saying: may I know what company is this, she said: who is this? This is very rude, for a company who provides cakes to the Second Cup. (it looks like they need some image and customer service training!)

The receptionist single-handedly busted her company's image. I will not recommend this place to anyone, wholesale OR retail!!