What are you Thankful For? My Thanksgiving LOL Confessional

What I Want and Why Life Is Good - my pre-pre-pre bucket list from my 20s - found yesterday while digging through old photos for work. To me, hilarious!

Truly, I'm thankful for what I have in my life. I love my daughter. I'm happy that I survived, or am surviving my divorce -- because my goodness, it's been a couple year process. Yes, meaning in short, just becoming amicable with the ex, getting a good schedule of co-parenting, took a LOT of work. But we're getting there YAY! And I have a new guy in my life, who's been awesome about the whole thing. I used to want Chanel bags, mink shrugs and shiny things from Harry Winston (well, maybe I still think about them from time to time ;-)), but that's ok!

But I now know the importance of having well-working families and relationships - even if they are non-traditional. I had to get over the non-traditional part through the divorce -- even me, whose been called the `soul sister rebel child' by my brother Ray, because I nonetheless was raised in a conservative household. But as long as you have a solid chain of loved ones, family and friends around you -- this is your family, your community, whether it's modern, traditional, alternative, whatever you want to call it. It's yours, so it doesn't matter. Yes, relationships are hard, but with TLC -- we work to make them better and make them last and work for us.

So happy thanksgiving!

Me and Daddy in Kyoto, 1981.

And if you happen to read in detail my funny little pre-bucket list up there (I've blacked out the too private to share bullet points).  I've crossed out as irrelevant or `N/A' over time, and the funniest one to me is "A man I can bring a man home w/out fear of disownment). Just a little explanation on that: I'm Korean-American with a fiercely traditional father who is Confucian; My ex-husband was Haitian-American/Black. Let's just say this did not go over well with my dad and his obsession with the maintenance of the Cho bloodline. He disowned me over four times - for wanting to be with my ex, and for later wanting to leave him. Basically, I couldn't win either way. But, great news. Daddy and are at peace now. Everything passes. Trust me ;-).


Beauty Tip in all of this? Feel loved. Be loved. Let yourself be loved, because you are loved. 
And that is where your beauty starts. Beauty = love.

--N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.

Friday Winter Beauty Tip: Wash Off Tanning

Me, this morning after mixing St. Tropez's One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion with Nars Laguna Body Illuminator, and Accent Moisturizing Body Lotion to create a hydrating and natural bronzing effect.

Winter is cold, rainy, and there's definitely not enough healthy, yummy sunlight. One of the things I hate the most is losing my tan. I'm sure you can all relate. An easy way to lift your spirits on a particularly crappy day (it's very wet today in NYC) is to give yourself a nice wash-off tan rub. It creates an instant summery glow, and the way I do it, with a few pumps of moisturizer, also nourishes your dry winter skin. Here's how:

St. Tropez's One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion with Nars Laguna Body Illuminator, and Accent Moisturizing Body Lotion

3 Steps to a Safe Instant Winter Tan:

1) Take a dime sized amount of St. Tropez's One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion ($18) (more depending on how tan you want to be) and mix this with an equal amount of Nars Laguna Body Illuminator ($45) : a ratio of 1:1.  Then add a few pumps of my new favorite body moisturizer by Accent ($16) (it's got fruit extracts from figs, pineapple and kiwi, which makes my Hawaiian born side perk up, and is paraben- and fragrance-free).

2) Mix all three together well between your palms. Then rub well into the parts of your body you want tan -- you don't want streaks. The mix may stain your hands so wash them right after with soap and water.

3) The Nars Illuminator will give you a tiny bit of shimmer, which will add to the overall glowing effect -- which will beget you complements if you happen to take off your cardigan and show a bit of arm ;-). Instant confidence and happiness builder! And at the end of the day, just wash everything off with the shower.

--N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.

Glitz up Your Holiday Nails w/ the Zenith Collection by Zoya

The Winter/Holiday 2013 Zenith collection by Zoya Nail Polish.

I like shopping for the holidays, way before the crowds hit. Like I bought the little USB mini lights tree at Target for $5.99 (in the photo) early this morning right after I dropped off my daughter at kindie. It brightens up all the beauty products I work with.

Today's 'display' - haha - is Zoya's Zenith Nail collection. Perfect for the holidays with its glistening effect, but I particularly like the set because it's colors remind me of a winter's sunset -- there are dark blues, navies and silvers. It's feminine and distinctly bold and vivid at the same time. The darker shades will look amazing with your winter whites and the lighter shades with your pretty, sultry, dark suits or party dresses.

And, why I love Zoya? It's great for kids because it was the first company to remove toxic ingredients such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and DBP (dibutyl phthalate) from its formulations.

Have fun and paint up those nails!

xo.

--N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.

Monday Pic Post: A Peek at a Beauty Blogger's Desk

Part of my desk in my office: Family pics, sparkly nail polish (Zoya), and various beauty products for review, testing that are always in front of me. One makeup kit in black to the right. Cinegel color photo gels in middle to use for photos or to test colors for makeup on skin. My Canon T2I camera, which I use to shoot beauty stills and videos.

Everyday I sit at my desk and think beauty and what makes life and all of us beautiful. Here's a peek at my desk and a few of the things a Mom beauty blogger like me has to keep me happy, inspired, and plugged into the beauty industry on all levels.

Have a great week!

xo

-- N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 6: Can you guess the Free Swag Today? ;-)

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 6: CHALLENGE

Ever wonder what it's like to have a beauty office? And to share part of it with a professional skater?
Well, here's a small peak at my small office in uptown NYC. It's nothing fancy, but at the same token quite fun to work in and shoot pictures and videos in. Also my daughter and I enjoy creative play in here - painting faces and little dance parties.

On the reverse side, working with a lot of beauty and makeup products is dealing with a constant mess. Imagine having double the amount of toys to clean up -- the messy, glittery, crafty kind. Makeup is very not tidy and like food and paint, it spills. A once pretty bottle becomes full of brown yucky fingerprints, and though you'd like to throw away, if it's a miracle working product on photo shoots, you just can't dump it. Like that rag doll your kid LOVES but my gosh it's just GROSS, right?

I work a lot, like all of us moms do. My challenge is trying to constantly keep up with my beauty mess. There is an influx of products that come in -- that I need to work with and review -- keeping them from overflowing is similar to keeping up with my daughter's toys. I get stressed. I go to the Muji store (ADORE! and I highly recommend), the Container Store. Ikea. I do Spring/Fall/Summer/Weekend cleanups. It's a battle!

And then there's the me, that lets my darling boyfriend, Danny keep some of his skate equipment here. A ConEd worker recently joked with me, "Do you also run a Skate Shop?" I laughed. I find that the skateboard designs / streetwear and its philosophy add a nice grounded contrast to all the "pretty" and appearance heavy direction beauty can take -- as I am all about starting with inner beauty at the core ;-).

Ah, life's a wave of messes, yes? We just try to keep up the best we can.

NuyBeauty Daily Giveway 6: CHALLENGE

Watch the video and pick out the special something from the PSEUDO SKATE SHOP (hint, it's a piece of streetwear) that I'm giving away today from Danny's collection:

Good Luck! Write your comment here or on Instagram and Follow Me! @nuybeauty

Winner is @johnwharff - contact me at nuy@nuybeauty.com to redeem your goodies :-)

-- N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 5: Nude Lips, Whipped Creme Foundation, Pixie Dust Nails

Nude Boots No.7 Precision Lip Pencil, CoverGirl Whipped Creme Foundation and Base in One, in 305, Zoya Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Sunshine Giveaway

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 5:

Tuesday Touch of Pretty: a Clean Face by CoverGirl, a fashion forward nude lip pencil by Boots No.7, and a hot nail color by Zoya in their awesome Pixie Dust texture.

All yours if you win!

Rules: Just comment below on this post and confirm you've followed me on either Instagram or Twitter. Whichever platform you prefer. My handle is @nuybeauty and either can be followed easily on the right sidebars on your screen. You get EXTRA CREDIT if you follow me on both! 

If you're already following me - then just post a comment below and you'll be entered to win.

Good luck!

Winner is @urbanrhetoric - contact me at nuy@nuybeauty.com to redeem your goodies :-)

-- N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 4: Boots Sensitive Eye Cream Giveaway

Boots Expert Sensitive Eye Cream

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 4:

Happy Veteran's Day! And the freebies in beauty continue...everyday as long as I have things to give ;) so check back everyday!

Today we have one of my favorite eye creams for makeup photo shoots -- Boots Expert Sensitive Eye cream. It's greatest when you're eyes have just had it after inches of makeup, or when you've just had a long day at the office or with the kids.

All yours if you win!

Rules: Just comment below on this post and confirm you've followed me on either Instagram or Twitter. Whichever platform you prefer. My handle is @nuybeauty and either can be followed easily on the right sidebars on your screen. You get EXTRA CREDIT if you follow me on both! 

If you're already following me - then just post a comment below and you'll be entered to win.

Good luck!

Winner is @iyeung - contact me at nuy@nuybeauty.com to redeem your goodies :-)

-- N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 3: Freeman Beauty Eclos Cleanser & Glitter Nail Decor

Today's Swag: Freeman Eclos Skin Prep Cleanser ($15)

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 3: 

Today's treat is a paraben- sulfate- synthetic fragrance- synthetic dye- and mineral oil and petroleum oil- free skin prep cleanser to be used day night to clean off your makeup w/ out clogging your pores. It has chamomile and cucumber to soothe and hydrate. The fun thing about this cleanser is it is made with Apple stem cells - who knew that there was a rare Swiss apple that had been extracted of it cells - haha! -- basically the Freeman Beauty reports that these cells help to reduce wrinkles and improve skin texture.

One can always use a new cleanser in their medicine cabinet, right? ;-). I've tried the other Eclos products and have enjoyed their textures very much. Try it out!

***And a little extra treat - nail glitter, nail hearts for your DIY nail decor and art. FUN FUN FUN!

Rules: Just comment below on this post and confirm you've followed me on either Instagram or Twitter. Whichever platform you prefer. My handle is @nuybeauty and either can be followed easily on the right sidebars on your screen. You get EXTRA CREDIT if you follow me on both! 

If you're already following me - then just post a comment below and you'll be entered to win.

Good luck!

Winner is Aaron Reck - contact me at nuy@nuybeauty.com to redeem your swag! :-)

-- N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 2: 4 GIRLS, Zoya Ballet Babe Ltd Edition Nail Polish + 4 BOYS, Men's Skate / Surf T's

Limited Edition Zoya Nail Polishes from the Zang Toi Spring/Summer NY Fashion Show 2014 - a pretty set of pastel pink, baby blue and black, called Ballet Babe

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 2:

Yes! Another fun bunch of treats to give to my fans. Today for boys and girls!

I've got one set of limited edition Zoya Nail Polishes from the Zang Toi Spring/Summer NY Fashion Show 2014 - a pretty set of pastel pink, baby blue and black, called Ballet Babe. And for the boys: two awesome skater/surf t's - a Quintin one and a RAW one.

Two awesome skater/surf t's - a Quintin one and a RAW one.

Rules: Just comment below on this post and confirm you've followed me on either Instagram or Twitter. Whichever platform you prefer. My handle is @nuybeauty and either can be followed easily on the right sidebars on your screen. You get EXTRA CREDIT if you follow me on both! 

If you're already following me - then just post a comment below and you'll be entered to win.

Good luck!

Winner is Jennifer Dysart- Contact me at nuy@nuybeauty.com to get your goodies :-)!

-- N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 1: Scunci Headband & Envyderm Eyelash Enhancing Serum Beauty

Scunci Headband & Envyderm Eyelash Enhancing Serum (Retail Value: $70) Beauty Giveaway

NuyBeauty Daily Giveaway No. 1:

Time for the holiday giveaways! I love giving beauty treats away and before the stress of your holiday shopping starts, I'm going to start giving away fun goodies as much as I can. Hope you can get your hands on some!

Today I've got some Scunci (love their hair accessories for Mom and kiddo) Trendy Tresses headbands, as well as a night-time Eyelash Enhancement and Conditioning serum by Envyderm (w/ vitamins, peptides and minerals, Retailing for $70). Its a Locks and Lash party ;-).

Rules: Just comment below on this post and confirm you've followed me on either Instagram or Twitter. Whichever platform you prefer. My handle is @nuybeauty and either can be followed easily on the right sidebars on your screen. You get EXTRA CREDIT if you follow me on both! 

If you're already following me - then just post a comment below and you'll be entered to win.

Good luck!

Winner is Wendy Thompson! Contact me at nuy@nuybeauty.com to get your goodies! ;-)

-- N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.