#ALOHANUYBEAUTY Post 2: The Able Ancient Art of the Lomi Lomi Massage at the Moana Lani Spa

#ALOHANUYBEAUTY Post 2: The Able Ancient Art of the Lomi Lomi Massage at the Moana Lani Spa

Waiting for my massage (neon toes by Erica Marton in NYC) at Moana Lani Spa, a Heavenly , Waikiki, Oahu

Post 2: The Able Ancient Art of the Lomi Lomi Massage at the Moana Lani Spa

I was so lucky to have been born and raised in Hawaii. But I never got to experience the awesome ancient art of Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage until present day. And at no less than one of my favorite, most picturesque hotels: The Moana Surfrider, a.k.a `First Lady of Waikiki, and a Westin Resort & Hotel, in Honolulu, Hawaii! If you are ever visiting my beautiful home island, go to their Veranda restaurant, sit beachside and have their Afternoon Tea. It's exquisite. Proper. But perfectly tropical at the same time. My first headshots were shot right there post-scones in the HD screensaver backdrop.

So let's talk about why I loved the great LOMI LOMI massage at the Moana Lani Spa. The phrase Lomi Lomi itself means "to rub, knead, press, squeeze, massage; to work in and out, as the claws of a contented cat." It is a serene, 90-minute, lighter pressure technique. The massage practitioners at the 17,000-ft beachfront spa have all trained with kumu (teachers) whose lineage is traced from “Kahuna Lomi Lomi” to learn the delicate combination of long strokes and rhythmic massage movements that make the total experience soothing -- and, more importantly, I found: healing.

Waiting for my Lomi Lomi in the peaceful waiting area

My particular bonding with the Moana Lani's Lomi Lomi treatment was twofold: first off, I was overtaken by the incredible tranquility of the view of the Pacific ocean in the spacious waiting room- it took me to a fantastic place of zen before I even hit the spa room. I was comfortably alone and could hear only the soft chatter of beach folk talking down below and ocean waves crashing. And of course the trade winds smelled heavenly, as I basked in pefect, salty, sunny warmth.

My bag of Alaea Salt, used to throw my worries into the Hawaiian Sea

Second, the Spa has a ritual with all its spa guests, where they give you a wood bowl with Alaea Hawaiian sea salt, known for its restorative abilities, before your treatment.  Each guest is invited to dump their worries into their individual salt bowl. At the end of the day,  the salt bowl, along with all the other guests' salts, are thrown into the ocean - and washed into sea.

I think this idea is beautiful in its philosophy and so representative of Hawaiian natural healing culture.

All troubles are washed away at the end of the day.
Hawaiian natural healing cutlure at work
at the Moana Lani Spa.

I had a severe stomachache that day from my chronic pancreatic issue (worsened by stress) - and I'd left my prescription pills at home, so I threw my tummy ache into the salt bowl and though the massage didn't help right away, in about one hour, I was happy to find that most of it had lifted! So Yay to lomi lomi for aiding in the circulation and the mind-body pain treatment process.

So if you have mom stresses, busy body stresses, and/or health concerns like me, try a Lomi Lomi massage for yourself. I highly recommend it. Circulation aids like a slower massage (e.g. Lomi Lomi) really helps relieve tension, aches, pains and overall health.

If you can't make it to the Moana Lani Spa anytime soon (though it's so worth making a trip to Oahu for!), then just carve out some time for a little self-care time. Take a hot bath with epsom salts, and gently wash your troubles away at home. Tomorrow's always a new day. A good soak never hurt ;-).

-- N.C.

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

#ALOHANUYBEAUTY Post 1: What's Your Favorite Feature? It's Time to Love it

My 5-year-old daughter feels a sense of accomplishment after hiking up Manoa Falls. The scenic 1.5 hour hike is a nice, light cardio workout perfect for young kids and parents to do together. A great activity for mind and body. The tropical, high density foliage and humidity creates a misty, natural sauna for the skin: so your pores can exercise too ;-).

#ALOHANUYBEAUTY Post 1: What's Your Favorite Feature? It's Time to Love it

Here starts one of several posts I've written w/ my daughter in tow while at home in Honolulu. I come here once a year to visit my parents, research new island beauty trends, do some makeup on island friends and say ALOHA to the island sun!

Natural Skin: Me with little to no makeup in my hometown of Honolulu

POST 1: What's Your Favorite Feature? It's Time to Love it

Throughout my life I've been insecure about many a phsyical feature on me. I wanted a pointier nose, curly hair, and BIG Western style eyelids (and not to worry, I'll dedicate a whole series on this and Asian beauty issues, for those of you who are wondering what I'm talking about). I wanted what was on the other side.

Now, after 38 years on this planet, and realizing how precious our natural given beauty is, I choose not to waste my time obsessing on any single feature. And what I do have, I maintain as best as I can. One of my goods is, skin. Today I'll share how to get that summery dewy glow. My mother gave me her nice, slightly tan skin, but there are ways to work an even dewier complexion. Here's how!

#AlohaNuyBeauty Dewy Skin How-To:

1) Wash your skin no more than 2x a day. If you have oily/combination skin, or are in a tropical/humid climate like Hawaii, use a soap-free cleanser like Avene's Mattifying Cleansing Foam ($20) in the morning; and be sure to wash off all make up all night with warm water. I like Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm ($9)  -- the muslin cloth it comes with assists in combination with the organic shea butter, rosehip and jojoba oils to remove dirt and oils from your face. Not to mention it smells rich and delicious.

For Morning: Try Avene's Mattifying Cleasning Foam

 

For Evening: Try Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm

2) When removing makeup, stroke your face in upwards motions. You don't want to assist gravity in the aging process! Pro makeup artist tip: When removing heavy makeup like waterproof mascara- you can always use baby oil. 

3) On a daily basis, I only wear tinted moisturizer or BB cream (try my new fave by Olay Fresh Effects) and bronzer. No foundation! Keep your daily makeup light and simple. Don't weight your face down if your face down unneccessarily if you don't have to w/ excess makeup! And don't forget your sun protection! ;-) Aging is assisted by the sun - so be preemptive: Wear at least 30 SPF every day!

One of the beaches I grew up next to - Kahala Beach. Beautiful, windy, breezy. Who wouldn't feel pretty in this environment? Stay tuned for more #AlohaNuyBeauty2013 stories to come!

--N.C.

*Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the companies I write and vlog about. My picks and decisions are always editorially and artistically-based and independent. 

My Favorite How-To Videos to Date

My YouTube Channel

I started making how-to beauty videos right after my daughter was born, in 2009, using a ladder as a tripod and a small first generation FlipCam. I used heavy dictionaries to support the camera further -- yup, it was that guerilla. And the videos were shot while my little one was either napping during the day or fast asleep at night. I just did my best!

I was lucky enough to start making more and more videos and got major help and teaching, quickly. And yes - I finally invested in a slightly nicer camera ;-)!

Everything, as the saying goes -- like, walking or talking for the first time doesn't come easy -- even your first great cat-eye in make-up, whether you're trained to do it or just doing it for yourself. Skills are tough. I'm always learning to be better in makeup artist or better on camera -- and I can always be a better mom. We're never perfect - nor should we be! Mistakes are for getting better and by embracing them, is how we live life gracefully and artfully.

Here are my favorite video moments from the last 4 years. And a little test for you. Can you tell in which one I was secretly holding my baby daughter in, because she had awoken from a nap?

No kidding! Haha!

--N.C.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the companies I write and vlog about. My picks and decisions are always editorially and artistically-based and independent. 

Where do we find the real Beauty?

When makeup was simple and consisted of just a few items, back in the day.

I had a Facebook conversation with my friend and colleague, makeup artist Nick Barose, the other day. Let's just say it was based on his pictorial post on women using Monistat cream as primer, hemorrhoid cream, etc. for facial remedies. Whatever the case, all of the back and forth chatter brought me back to watching my Korean grandmas when I was a child, using their limited beauty supplies and routines.

They were of a different time, generations away from us. And what they grew up using in Korea and Japan - was practically medieval -- compared to the oodles of LaMer, rows of Sephora products and strips malls lined with Sally Beauty we've come to know as American Beauty. But they were looking just as pretty in the mirror, right? Of course! No matter what the ingredient, or the nature of beauty ritual, beauty is beauty.

And in my mind these days, I firmly believe, simplicity is the way to go.

I've been covering beauty as a writer for almost a decade. I've been doing makeup and been obsessed with cosmetics for years and years (remember when a lipstick was just rouge, and it wasn't a light too or did 17 other things ;-)?). I've seen models and celebrities from varying walks of life caked in studio makeup so thick it looks as though they're clowns, and looking so beautiful in makeup that you wonder if it's been airbrushed. Makeup is clever, it's painting, it's amazing. But in the end it's just powder and paint.

My paternal grandmother had a routine I never saw change for the 25 years I knew her. She spent many of her years in Kyoto, and then Japan-occupied South Korea. She raised 9 children in poverty for most of her mothering years. Everyday she woke up and went to the restroom, to the mirror. She would first part her hair in the middle, a signature for Korean females. Then she would comb her straight graying hair with oil and tie it in a low simple ponytail. Not a single strand was allowed to come astray. Next, she took a few pieces of Korean thick sea salt, which lay on a single white ceramic dish, on her index finger and slowly brushed her teeth in the mirror. She would check herself slowly afterwards -- her face, her hair. Push down her slicked back hair. And she'd be ready.

My maternal grandmother fled from North Korea and raised five children in the South. She had been wealthy in the North but lost it all in the division. We were very close and I used to watch her getting ready with fantasy and awe. She sat at her Korean traditional lacquered vanity with dedication every morning. She would carefully comb and pull at her permed curls and hug them with her curved hands. Whether or not she was leaving her home, she would adjust her hair and add some hairspray to create a polished 50s set of nested locks, placed perfectly against her head. She would draw her eyebrows swiftly with a pencil, then add rouge. A simple red. It would happen very quickly as she'd been doing it for 40 years by the time I was seeing it. Then came a quick dusting of loose white powder, and swoosh she'd be done.

In the mirror was my grandmother, ready as ever. For the house -- for her rose bushes, and most importantly for herself.

Want a simple classic red rouge like my maternal grandmother wore? 
 Try Hourglass's Femme Rouge Velvet Creme Lipstick in ICON ($30):

It's highly pigmented and absolutely a classic. I would've given mine to my grandma
if she were still here. She would've loved it!

 
--N.C.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the companies I write and vlog about. My picks and decisions are always editorially and artistically-based and independent. 

How to Apply Smudgeproof Mascara - No Matter How Short or Long Your Lashes!

I was born with really sparse lashes. I used to despise this, but as you grow older you learn to appreciate that some things on your body you like, some you don't -- so you just appreciate the good things. I've never had to shave my legs or mustache (GOOD) so that meant the counterpoint was I had no lashes! `Yin and Yang' as we say in Asian culture.

But it doesn't mean I can't rock mascara, and make my lashes look a lot thicker. It really works, when done well. A lot of us suffer from thin or not-a-full-rack of lashes. But mascara can do a lot for you. Use a smudgeproof and/or thickening mascara, and one pro tip I'll give you, is to use a high quality waterproof eyeliner to individually coat each lash, if yours are as sparse as mine. Then brush them out after the application with a disposable mascara wand. You can buy these at any beauty supply store, like a Sally's.

Here's my how-to video I did for StyleUnited by P&G Beauty on how to effectively apply smudgeproof mascara, if you need help on technique. Or just a refresher course. Enjoy! Happy Mascara Wanding!

xo

--N.C.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the companies I write and vlog about. My picks and decisions are always editorially and artistically-based and independent.

Being Made Fun of By Your Friends Can Actually Be a Good Thing

I used to HATE being laughed at. And I'm saying that I couldn't discriminate between someone ridiculing me, and friends just poking fun at me out of pure love and and "celebrating" my quirks and mannerisms -- and my goodness do I have a lot of them. I walk into poles, crash into people in NYC all the time (irritating my boyfriend all time to no end) I'm the hugest clutz muffin, and well, I guess I in general seem to have no regard for physical objects around me. Not sure how it all happened.

Whatever the case, for most of my life I had a huge defense line around me. NO one could make fun of me. I got horribly offended and couldn't take a joke. I also tend to mispronounce things, get well-known phrases wrong and say them, well crookedly or in reverse. I really am born to be made fun of, but now I get it. Among friends, it's okay to poke healthy fun at each other, as long as it's well-meaning. I have no idea why it took me so long to realize this, as I'm 38 years old! I guess I was a very serious kid! Ask my mom :-)

And maybe my great friends, and what I've been through in life have helped me to understand that life's better with a belly fully of laughs (and maybe an accidental snort)!

And once I started laughing at myself, smiling more, interestingly enough, all my friends said I had a glow about me. My skin improved - acne vanished. NO KIDDING. So beauty wise, it's good to stay on the light side of things. So take some jokes. Make some jokes! I highly recommend it. It's a true beauty serum that's free and fun.

I swear, the inner shits & giggles can add years to your life. You'll be looking ten years younger without even trying. xoxo

--N.C.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the companies I write and vlog about. My picks and decisions are always editorially and artistically-based and independent.

Why I've Committed Myself to Makeup: The Way It Was

Chloe Sevigny in Dazed & Confused, March 2013 - Makeup by Nuy Cho

I started doing makeup when I was in junior high on all my friends, hosting slumber party makeover shoots (usually five girls at a time in an average evening) to my mother's chagrin at my parents' house. Makeup would always run like my life-blood through my career, through multiple countries, as I trained my hands through classical piano, jewelry, drawing, pottery, painting, and later entered the fashion world in NYC.

I was conducting my own photo shoots and testing colors, lines, and textures on the face and body wherever I was -- in moving vehicles, in public restrooms, in airless basements -- wherever someone asked me to do makeup, I did it, no matter what the circumstance. I always had new colors/products (which I went majorly broke for) in my bag, and I didn't care if I got in trouble at my jobs. And trust me, I did. At Issey Miyake, I personally got in trouble for looking too "disco" while working at the showroom. And I got busted for looking like I was slacking off at another b/c I was trying to practice  a look w/ new shades, and was not looking present with my other tasks (even though nothing else was going on). I prioritized makeup for my "client." even when it wasn't my primary job, because ultimately makeup has always been No.1. I collected makeup - did it on everybody I could. Paid or unpaid, I just wanted to paint the face. I loved the way the color absorbed and reacted with skin.

My work can be seen on Chloe Sevigny, Leelee Sobieski, Laura Kampman, Missy Rayder, Zuzanna Bijoch, to name a few and publications like Vogue China, Dazed & Confused, Pop, 032c as well as others.

-- N.C.