Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Best Smart Phone Apps for a Glamorous New Year's Selfie


Tired of struggling to add 10+ filters and way too much lighting to your ill-taken selfie before posting it with a half shrug? Well, here are a few awesome android/iPhone apps to make the selfie experience a one-take post.

Now, I'm not saying that we have to share a totally foreign version of ourselves unrecognizable to our friends -- but many of us can't afford a $100,000 Hollywood photo shoot and just want to feel good for a moment, so there's no harm in putting your best face forward. Why not remove a few pimples, blemish, and make your teeth whiter in a swipe? I say go for it.

Happy New Year. Look and be the beautiful person you are, even if it's for a silly selfie and embracing the social media moment. Happy Posing!

1. WonderCam: I've been having great fun with app because it gives you the choice to take your pic with the "wonder" filters built in to blast all your blemishes away. Amazing! (Free for iPhone)


2. Beauty Booth Pro: If you don't need the whole face blast effect, this app lets you just fix blemishes and play up your eyelashes (very popular in Asian beauty culture where we so often lack thick lashes!). You can even add cute stickers. ($1.99 for Android and iPhone)



3. Facetune: Need instantly whiter teeth? Want to remove a stray hair? Facetune is like a light photoshop for your phone and very easy to use. ($3.99 for Android and iPhone)


-N.C.

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

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Soft Coral Lips: Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl

Barbra Streisand in her opening scene of Funny Girl (1968). Her first line: "Hello Gorgeous!"
My daughter and I watched Funny Girl the other evening and we adored all the fashion. But I was personally struck by Barbra's amazing soft, coral lips in her opening scene. What a great lip color that's thoroughly timeless and subtle yet striking. Try this shade from my new favorite range of the Korean Amore Pacific Brand by IOPE, no. 14  Angel Orange ($25). 

If you haven't seen the movie, it streams as part of Amazon Prime's subscription, or rent it if you can! It's funny, great for kids who like humor and fashion and a good, old classic.

-- N.C.

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

Monday, December 1, 2014

Getting ready for Winter Skin: Happy Skin!

Snowy Days, Happy Skin and Warmth

Originally posted Wednesday, February 2, 2011 

Hi! I know it's been awhile since I've written in, but life's been throwing me a bunch of curve balls and I have a few changes in the works here at NuyBeauty ;-). Meanwhile, here's a #repost of how to treat #dryskin and keep your precious #kiddos and yourselves (#mommies #takecare!) #healthy and #warm. Enjoy and by the by, my newest rediscovery from my past for moisturizing: COCONUT OIL! What a wonderful, #natural emollient! Try it out and tell me what you think. It works head to toe!

xoxo - Nuy
My daughter, some of our dear friends, and I built a snowman after a big snow fall.
I felt that perhaps he needed a little color amidst all the white.
It has been snowy day after snowy day here in New York City. Every week we seem to get a new, crazier blizzard or storm, and the salt stains on my favorite pair of weather-proof boots rise up like the layers you see in a canyon.

BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Both my daughter's skin and mine have been drier than ever as the heater's have been cranked up to their hottest temperatures to keep us warm. For this I've been moisturizing us, sometimes twice daily, with Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion ($8.00 for 18 oz.), and I've also recently introduced a new humidifier into the home, the Walgreen's Warm Steam Vaporizer ($16). It's got a fantastic price, and is great for those like me who suffer from sinus issues. For soothing those really rough, super dry and itchy patches of skin, I still depend on Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream ($14.00 for 16 oz.), for both of us.

And, to digress slightly, when I can, I've been making the occasional stew to warm up my family's tummies from the inside. The newest dish I introduced into the dinner rotation was a rendition of Chicken Adobo, after being inspired by a New York Times article. And, I've been roasting lots of veggies (loving brussel sprouts). The way the high heat softens and sweetens everything that gets cooked, I barely have to coax my daughter to eat her daily greens!

After all, happy skin isn't just about adequate hydration. It's about healthy, wholesome eating too.

-N.C.

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

Monday, June 30, 2014

Taking Some Time Off: Happy Summer!

-- N.C.

Friday, June 20, 2014

What's Your Custom Nail Color?

'
Yellow Hibiscus in my Honolulu Garden; the golden leaves representing the color I'd want to bottle for Julep!

What Is Your Custom Nail Color? 

Is there a color you always gravitate toward at the nail salon? A color you always pick at the store no matter how much you try to change it up? We all have our favorite, quintessential nail colors. It's an extension of one's personality, and such an easy way to express color in a small but significant way. Recently, Julep Nail Polish asked me to imagine my signature nail color and I was excited to share what my Hawaiian flower inspired hue would be. Thanks Julep!

Growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii, I saw sunny and yellow Hibiscus and Plumeria flowers everyday. They were scattered around my parents' home -- either growing on their individual bushes or trees (respectively), or had fallen to the grass. Breathing in the aromatic scent of these flowers was part of my daily morning ritual. And to this day, when I summer in Honolulu, I have pure aromatherapy when my mother asks me to rake the fallen white and golden Plumerias.

White Plumerias with golden centers

I was always drawn to the yellow variety of these flowers (as they come in various shades) -- it reminded me of the Hawaiian sun and made me happy. Pure and simple. Golden flowers are all over the island of Oahu, and they tend to have rich scents. Perhaps the blossom with the most amazing scent, in my opinion is the Pua Kenikeni flower. The leis made with this small blossom can penetrate an entire room and is so sweet, soft and fragrant that it'll literally make you swoon.


And again, the flowers are such a soft, bright yellow! And so the equation of course becomes that my signature nail color, the hue I wear the most often with love and aloha is a bright, strong yellow; a golden yellow with no shimmer. And if I could name it, I'd name it simply Nui, the (Hawaiian spelling of my name); which means intense, very, a lot, a star. Paradise gold in a bottle.

Me, summering at home in Honolulu on my parent's home roof. Absolute Paradise!

Holding a Golden Hibiscus with my Hawaiian Style Nails (PRO TIP: try mini Hibiscus painted on the 4th nails for a tropical twist on design manicures for the summer!)

--N.C.

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

Monday, June 2, 2014

The Writings of a Book: My Memoir

Me, Age 3
Me, Age 4
I've been toying with writing a memoir for years -- since my days at InStyle. So that makes it about a decade I have been digesting words, stories and building a platform through this blog to finally start the big story.

This isn't your ordinary memoir about why my life turned out the way it did, and who did what to influence my life. This is a story about how I learned my life through my blog posts, about learning who my father is and was (a person of some mystery to me while growing up), and how I came to understand that as much as I love beauty and makeup -- my primary goal is to provide health and wellness information as I suffer from chronic medical conditions that effect my ability to mother, interrupt my daily life and have made me the strong survivor I am today.

So this is where I turn the corner in NuyBeauty.com and go from providing easy beauty service for busy women and mothers, to sharing my life as beauty expert who for the first time in my life is finally embracing the disabilities of my illnesses as POSitivies and to share the experience within my writing as I look back a little further and reflect on how today came to be such a beautiful day.

I'll share passages of my book as I blog and keep you posted. And don't worry, the beauty tips, makeup up know-how, parenting venting and sharing will always be there! Maybe even a recipe ;-).

Now, wish me luck...

First Share:

My father traveled a lot from when I was first born. He was gone on average two weeks out of every month. The story goes that I always had tummy aches and got belly sick when he left for his exotic abroad work trips. I missed him dearly.  But my family also had no idea also, that years later I would be diagnosed with a very rare liver disease contributing to this medical situation.

The concept of Dad is so important to the little ones, no matter how small. I admired and adored my father, even though I had a very limited understanding of what he did until my early teens (he is a demographer, social scientist, economist and political scientist). 

When I was old enough to be able to stand up in the car behind him as he was driving us somewhere in Honolulu, Hawaii where I grew up -- this before child car safety rules became much more heavy handed -- I would hold tightly to any part of what was available to me to reach that I could. His jacket shoulder sleeve, his shirt sleeve; I'd stand very officially behind him on the middle bump of the back seat foot bottoms and be proud that little me was attached in my own strong and balanced way in our 1970s roaring Dodge Dart. 'Daddy is close to me now,' I remember thinking, no matter how rocky this ride.

--N.C.




Monday, May 12, 2014

MAKE Kid-Friendly NATURAL LIP BALMS & ALLERGY-FREE SOAPS with Me in INWOOD, NY!

My daughter and her bestie Hana-chan measuring beeswax and coconut oil for the lip balm making.

Yup, I've decided to take my beauty craft knowledge and pass it along to DIY "let's make fun stuff" hungry kids.  SO, tada... I introduce the Official NuyBeauty Kid Beauty Craft Spring/Sumner Workshops SCHEDULE! (and PS, my apartment used to be called Sesame Street b/c I would always invite oodles of kids to play with my daughter and have face-painting, crafting, baking, etc. going on :-)
Decorating the lip balm containers with jewel stickers.

Completed Lip Balms, made by an older set of children (not so blingy and full of tapefitti ;-))
--N.C.

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

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Cutest Smile Contest: Win a Colgate Optic White Toothbrush w/ Built-in Whitening Pen

Post a picture of your child's best smile and be entered to win a Colgate Optic White Toothbrush w/ Built-in Whitening Pen.
Happy Spring!

To celebrate the beauty of our kids' amazing smiles and teeth, I'd love to see you share your child's smile! Please post pictures of your children laughing, showing off their toothy or toothless ;-) smiles on my Facebook page. And the family of the cutest smile wins a Colgate Optic White Toothbrush, which has a Built In Whitening Pen, which gives you whiter teeth in just two days ($15 value). I'm sure we'd all love to see everyone's kids, right?

Also, scroll down further for three useful tips on kiddie clean teeth care!
The Colgate® Optic White® (@opticwhite on Twitter) toothbrush is specially designed with polishing bristles and stain removers to help remove surface stains.

Healthy Kid Teeth Care Tips for Parents: 

Maintaining clean teeth for the little ones and helping them to develop healthy attitudes toward keeping their pearly whites cavity-free is just another one of our many parental duties. But luckily we've got all kinds of character toothbrushes (Barbie in my house), deliciously flavored toothpastes and clever kiddie floss picks to help us help our munchkins smile bright. A few things I've learned along the way from experts and friends to keep kiddo teeth cavity free:

1) Stay away from gummy vitamins as the sugars in them stick to vulnerable baby teeth and make it easy for cavities to form. My daughter started to develop a tiny bit of decay on one of her molars before her dentist asked if we were using gummy vitamins, which we then switched immediately to chewable ones, in which the sugars melt away in the mouth instead of sticking to the teeth.

2) When your children eat chewy candies or fruits (e.g. dried fruits, Starbursts, etc.) have them floss right away. Kids floss picks are very easy for adults to use and children like that they're flavored.

3) Kids need help from their parents until the age of nine brushing of their teeth as they don't have the motor skills until they are older to brush accurately around all sides of their beautiful whites. And of course, try to have your kids brush their teeth twice a day.

--N.C.

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


Thursday, March 27, 2014

DIY Pro Brow Shaping Tutorial w/ Soul Lee, NYC Brow Guru

Tending to your brows is probably the easiest, most budget friendly, uplifting (no pun intended) way to take ten years off your face. This video tutorial I did with wonderful colleague Soul Lee, one of NYC's leading brow and lash specialists, is still one of my favorites. It is an in-depth tutorial on getting photo-shoot ready-, your very best-, BROWS ever. In this video Soul gently teaches and reveals her best-kept secrets, all for you to look better: What a gift!


Let me know your thoughts, and if you do end up looking ten years younger, please do share! I always feel a thousand times better when she helps me out!

To book an appointment with Soul Lee who is at the Kiehl's Spa in NYC call 888-SPA-1851 or visit kiehls.com

xoxo.


--N.C.

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

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Clinique's Story Changers: A Video on Improving Skin

Happy to be a part, here I am doing makeup with Clinique foundation for the Story Changers Video


A few months ago I was asked to be a part of an amazing campaign with Clinique (a brand I've loved since childhood) as they were getting ready to launch a new acne product. It was in conjunction with Case, an incredible film production team, and so I was lucky enough to be filmed in my home city of NYC doing what I love -- talking about my history with beauty, makeup, and most importantly my struggles with acne.

As a Korean-American, I was taught to treat skin almost like a family member -- with utmost respect, love and nourishment, as you would an individual. So with acne, the best solution of it started with well, a talk with Mom! See how I changed my acne story in my video with Clinique, and how you can ultimately change your skin story too.

 

                                  Clinique Story Changer: Nuy Cho, Beauty Blogger 

 To see the rest of the amazing Clinique Story Changers and their videos, click here!
Smile :-)
NOTE: If you have any specific comments/questions about the Clinique Acne solutions mentioned in the Story Changers video, there is a Live Chat available where you can talk to a Clinique Consultant directly about a regimen that is right for you. Just click on the blue link to be connected to the expert, and you won't have to go all the way to a counter to get your answers.

BEHIND THE SCENES SHOTS:

In Reverse: I'm getting my makeup done for once, yay -- by the awesome Camille Thompson, xo!
How fun to get a Go Pro attached to me while I bike around my home nabe of Inwood, NYC! Thanks to CASE - you guys rock! (Instagram #repost @midgemadge)

--N.C.

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


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Exclusive #Giveaway for my special #Inwood and #WashHi #Mothers

Zoya Naturel Collection Sampler contains 6 full-sized (0.5oz) bottles
Exclusive #giveaway for my special #Inwood and #WashHi #mothers (my #awesome #Mom neighbors!) 

This Zoya Nail Polish and Treatments new #spring collection ($54) can be yours! Because I LOVE MOMS, just show me back your love and #follow me on any of my platforms: right here on bloggerm, on Facebook:  on Twitter and/or Instagram

Winner will be announced next Monday! The #beautiful #nude nail polishes are #kid friendly !!!!

-- N.C.


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

 

Friday, March 7, 2014

Healthy, Fun Eats: Homemade Handrolls Recipe


Lil Miss A-chan proudly holding up her Temaki (Japanese for Handroll), filled with very healthy sliced cucumbers, carrots and pan-fried Tilapia fillet.
I love food, and eating healthy to keep fit. I grew up in an Asian family in Honolulu, so we ate tons of fish and rice growing up. The daily challenge of feeding my daughter healthy food everyday is one I know is a universal one, particularly for those on a budget like me ;-). Today I'd like to share one of my $10 dinner recipes that's healthful, kid-approved, and pretty yummy. It's one I grew up with back in Oahu, but very easy to apply anywhere you are in the world.

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS:

You'll need

1) ROASTED SEAWEED for wrapping, which is available at most supermarkets in the Asian food section, Costco, or you can find it online. Seaweed should be cut into 4" by 2-3" rectangles. Scissors are the best tool for this.

The Beauty Benefits of eating seaweed are outstanding: it's a great source of zinc and antioxidants helping to strengthen the immune system. It is considered to have anti-aging properties; its rich iodine content helps maintain healthy thyroid function and can assist with weight loss (thumbs up!); it helps boost energy levels due to its vitamin B and iron content; AND seaweed's bounty of vitamins, minerals and amino acids makes it an amazing food for improving the health, as well as the strength of hair, skin and nails. I mean, WOW, right?

Roasted Seaweed: Delicous on its own, and the essential wrapper for Handrolls
2) TILAPIA or any thin white fish fillet. Beauty Benefits of Tilapia: Tilapia has B12 (which gives skin its healthy coloring), selenium (an antioxidant) and phosphorous (helps with cell repair) and I bought 2 pounds of it for $5, which is a good deal, in my opinion.

BUDGET TIP: I optionally chose to beef up my tilapia portions by battering them in a Korean pre-prepared batter called "Jun" and/or Korean Pancake Mix. It is essentially a lightly seasoned egg and flour base that you can easily mix with just water to coat meat or veggies in, then pan-fry them in. It helps to add some bulk to your meat if you need to stretch out your portions, and you want to save some money $. This batter can be purchased at Korean Supermarkets for a couple dollars a bag.

Korean Pancake Mix: "JUN" - use to easily add bulk to your meats and veggies.
3) STEAMED WHITE RICE. I like Nishiki brand; and I would suggest cooking at least 2 cups of it for a family of 3-4.

4) Sliced raw, pickled or steamed VEGGIES of your choosing to put inside the handrolls, e.g. cucumbers, carrots, avocado.

5) SOYSAUCE and wasabi and/or any other sauce or garnish to taste.

DIRECTIONS:

1) After slicing the veggies in long, thin strips so they will be easy to roll up in the hand-rolled sushi. You can also slice Japanese style pickles (easily purchsed at any Asian style supermarket).

2) Put your rice  to cook and start on the tilapia.

3) I like tilapia because it's easy to cook and easy for kids to eat -- soft, not so fishy and delicious. And of course, budget friendly. The battering, just involves lightly coating the filets in the "jun" mix and then putting them aside.

The battering, just involves lightly coating the filets in the "jun" mix and then putting them aside.
4) Put a touch of olive oil on a large non-stick skillet on med-high heat. The fish should pan-fry for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. The meat should fork easily when done.

After that the fish was just pan-fried for about 5 minutes on each side on med-high heat with a touch of olive oil on a non-stick pan until golden brown.
6) After cooling the filets off after removing them from the pan, set all the handroll/temaki ingredients, family style on the dining table, with an abundance of seaweed for lots of fun wrapping. Each family member can get a plate and serve what they want to put in their roll.

And let the wrapping feast begin!

A handroll - so delicous, healthful and fun to make.
Enjoy and let me know how your temaki festival goes!

--N.C.

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




Friday, February 28, 2014

Pro Blemish Concealing for Acne - A Makeup Tutorial

All of us at one time or another need concealer. It's just one of those things; nobody's got perfect skin. Hope I'm not breaking any news here, ;-). Thus comes my video tutorial on how to cover up that age-old, annoying irritation: acne! Because we all seem to get it, no matter how old we are.

Acne concealing is about expert blending, and the trickiest spots are sometimes those that are just healing (yes, the moist, scabby ones). The same principles of acne concealing can be used to cover up other types of troublesome face scars and irritations. Just remember that color-matching is of utmost importance, as well as blending the concealer in well, with the rest of your skin. Keep those two points in mind throughout, and you're good to go.

I used a male model, a professional athlete, in this video to demonstrate that people of all types use cover-up, not just women. Blemishes on our face are difficult, period, no matter what, when facing the public eye. So it's okay! Rest easy, and here's five minutes on how to conceal like a pro:


Hope you liked it. Let me know your thoughts!

--N.C.

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

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Outsmarting Dry Skin

Reposted from 2/10/10 


Itchy, dry skin on our kiddos is hard to watch for parents
Any item entering my house, no matter how small, requires the most careful consideration regarding design, tactility, and function. Seems anal, but this is how I've always operated. When I was 8 years old and had to pick a dress to perform piano in with the Honolulu Symphony, nothing off-the rack would do so I picked a pattern and worked with a seamstress. No kidding -- my poor Mother. Before I had a kid though, no one ever fought me on my choices. I was head of Chez Nuy. That said, for my daughter's first pair of mittens, I searched high and low for the best pair to combat the cold air, and the dry skin it was inflaming on her hands. When they arrived at our door, I put the selection on her and to my dismay, she freaked out. She hated the mittens -- everything about them. Our, my mitten meet-and-greet had gone awfully awry: my fashion remedy for her chapped hands was a no-go.

My daughter, A-chan, facing the winter :-).
When we're out and about, I try to keep my daughter, A-chan's hands tucked into her oversized, Polo jacket. But when she's snacking, playing Ring Around the Rosy, or negotiating the jungle gym, her little mitts are inevitably exposed to the chilly NYC air, and the area below her knuckles suffers. Like her hair, A-chan's skin is dry, and the winters are typically challenging -- what with the overheated, moisture-less apartments and the icy, outside air. And maybe it's sympathy-symptoms, but my own hands, on and around the knuckles have also been raw and chapped, similar to hers. There are days when the pinkness of my knuckles are akin to the prettiest spring blush, but blush doesn't, and shouldn't burn! 

My daughter's intense dry skin can act out, particularly in arid conditions, expressing itself as mild atopic dermatitis, per her pediatrician. Her case is far from severe, but when it's intense it has caused tiny bumps to rise on her body (concentrated on her stomach, her bum -- areas where clothing is most often rubbing against her skin), and caused discomfort to the point where she'll itch the problem areas until chafing occurs. 

It's important to remember a few basics when dealing with mild baby eczema / atopic dermatitis: Use a humidifier (here's Hello Kitty one, $39), apply moisturizer daily and liberally, don't wash the skin too often with drying soaps (use pH balanced soaps like Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser ($6), which is safe for babies), and alternate washes with soap by just cleansing your child with water.  

I was feeling victorious because I had recently gotten both pairs of hands at Chez Nuy in tip top shape -- mostly due to the religious application of lotion (here's a luxurious one I love for Mom by Rescue Beauty, $42) and lots of Vaseline before bedtime. Then today, while we were out in the tundra of the city's early February blizzard making snowmen, a friend of mine offered A-chan a pair of white toddler gloves akin to Minnie Mouse's or an old-fashioned waiter's. Gasp! Something I never would've picked.

But my daughter kept them on, flashing me a satisfied smile as she gathered some snow, fully-gloved: Yes, mama, I like these!


Dry Skin 1-2-3:

1) Vaseline ($5): This inexpensive classic that I use daily for A-chan, is a fantastic heal-all and works well for both baby and mom. Put it on the raw areas (works great for diaper rashes and chapped lips too) when you and/or your kid goes to bed. You'll see a difference overnight.

2) Mustela Dermo-Pediatrics Stelatopia Moisturizing Cream ($19): After trying many, this was the only lotion that made A-chan's tiny, dry skin bumps go away. 

3) Aveeno Baby Soothing Bath Treatment ($5): You can use this a few times a week to soothe dry, itchy skin (and it also works for diaper rash). Just make sure to have your child soak for at least ten to fifteen minutes in the treatment.

UPDATE (March 21, 2010):
Try Vanicream. A-chan and I have been having fantastic results with it in the last few weeks. It is possibly the most irritant-free moisturizer I have found so far, and highly absorbent.


-- N.C.


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

Friday, January 17, 2014

When A Family Loses a Dog: Honoring a Beautiful Life

#Dogs bring us #love, companionship, and build unbreakable bonds of symbiotic emotional nurturing and caring that come without human judgment. King Arthur, our family dog watching over my daughter when she was just a wee one in 2008.

I've been dreading writing this story - probably since the day I fell in love with my (heart, sinking, now, ugh) late, family dog, King Arthur. But I do it now, because it's time I finally honor his admirable, amazing and beautiful life: King Arthur Cho - 2001-2013.

Our dog came to us in an untraditional way. I was working at InStyle magazine and didn't have any thoughts of adopting a canine at the time back in 2005. But one evening I came home from work and there was this giant rottie shepherd mutt, trotting around with this goofy look on this face knocking over all my things because he was just, well, extremely large. Oh, and he smelled really bad. My then husband had taken the pup in for some neighborly dogsitting and depsite the fact that I was mildy annoyed at not being previously informed of the visit, I, a huge dog lover, quickly bathed the big guy and well, within minutes, let's just say, fell in love.

Meant to Be - haha!: Me and King Arthur Cho in one of our Holiday Cards, 2005
The story goes that said owner of King Arthur the dog, after three weeks away, never really came back, and thank goodness because I developed a deep bond with the dog. It was as they say, meant to be. "KA" as he began to be known was famously my first baby, and incredibly spoiled by me: I created quite um "fancy" holiday cards with just the two of us, sending them to fellow editors and colleagues (I kind of cringe, at this today, lol). KA had Halloween costumes, and new toys everyday, and ahem, KA wore a black bowtie when I got married. Furthermore, the King certainly had only the most sophisticated of bath and body treatments. I know, ridiculous.

But perhaps what I will remember King Arthur the most for is how he nursed me. I was born with a progressive medical condition that has caused me severe pain throughout my life. There was once a period where I was bedridden for a week and he never left my side - not even to drink water. I will never forget that. It was incredible as I was never allowed to feel alone by my dog, as he patiently waited for me to get better.

And so when I miss my crazy, goofy dog, who had such a love and loyalty, as all family dogs do, I think of how he was there for me in the toughest of times. And this is my story of course, but every family member who King Arthur spent time with, has a unique story of their own, of how he touched their lives. Because that's what family dogs do. They bring us love, companionship, and build unbreakable bonds of symbiotic emotional nurturing and caring that come without human judgment. Now the beauty in that is boundless.

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