What's Your Custom Nail Color?

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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. 

Make Up Room: VS Fantasies Collection: A Shea Butter Dream of Moisture

My new product review column: The Make Up Room

Who doesn't love shea butter? It's getting cold on the mainland (that's what us local Hawaiian girls call the continental United States :-)), and moisturizing your skin is key to looking beautiful, young, and also anti-aging. As we mature, we lose more and more our ability to naturally provide our own moisture from the inside. We also lose pigment (think of you hair turning white, but that's a whole `nother issue we don't need to get into now). Anyhow, Victoria's Secret VS Fantasies just came out with a limited edition set of shea butter packed, heavenly scented lotions and a body mist that are sweetly packaged and just a sheer pleasure to massage onto your body.

They have generally all have a two of my favorite beauty ingredients: shea butter (for its sheer high intensity moisturization, anti-inflammatory properties -- and aloe vera, which is a soother, anti-irritant and reduces chafing), but the best part is that they absorb incredibly well and unlike other lotions that may make you ash a few hours later, these have lasting power. I particularly love the MOISTURE LUXE Body Creme, which also has Jojoba Butter, a non greasy skin protectant with tons of benefits! (4 oz./$14). As well as the MOISTURE LUXE Hand Cream, that also has replenishing Avocado Oil, which is packed with Vitamin E, for 24-hour moisture (5 oz./$14; 2.5 oz./$5).

The VS Fantasies Collection, available at Victoria's Secret stores or VictoriasSecret.com

 -N.C.

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

Ultimate Hawaiian Summer Tanning Tip

Monoi Tiare coconut oil in the Jasmine (tiare) scent

The tropics. Hot summers. It's warm out there. We're in the thick of July. You want your skin to be as glowing and tan as possible perhaps? I'm in Oahu, my hometown for a vacation right now and wanted to let you know in a little tanning secret. It's skin-safe, AND smells like heavenly paradise. What have you got to lose?

Coconut oils have always been used in island cultures to optimize tanning. It moisturizes the skin, and adds a glow to the skin, which reflects light, creating an optimum tanning base, as the light reflects all over your body. Even better, coconut oil smells delightful and subtle so it's like instant aromatherapy! And, coconut oil works like a mineral oil, but it's great for sensitive skin becasue it doesn't tend to cause any reactions in skin -- so it's great for people with sensitivities, dryness, and mild skin conditions.

Ultimate Tanning at work at Waimea Bay, Hawaii

The Ultimate Hawaiian Tan with Monoi Coconut Oil from Tahiti:

1) Apply sun protection first before you hit the beach or go into the sun, using a sun protection lotion of at least SPF 30 or higher. Let it set for a few minutes so it is absorbed.

2) Use Monoi Coco oil.  Monoi has several scents, like Jasmine or Vanilla or Frangipani -- Gardenia (tiare) is my favorite. Rub a generous amount all over your body. You can even put some in the ends of your hair as it is very nourishing for damaged hair -- it provides essential proteins.

3) Bonus Perfume-use Tip: I use the scented Monoi oils around my neck and upper arms on a daily basis just for a shoulder glow and a natural, subtle perfume. Try it!

4) Reapply as necessary, just as you would your sun protection.

Let me know what you think! xo

-N.C.

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

Two Spring Fragrance Picks for Day and Night

When it comes to perfume, I'm picky, and have a sensitive nose. I don't like anything overpowering and on a day-to-day basis, I don't wear anything regularly. But a pretty perfume is one of those things that's just nice to have, and have on sometimes. We're all ladies right? I mean who doesn't love a delicate, glistening bottle on their vanity filled with something intoxicating, designed specifically to give allure?

So here are my two Spring Scent Picks

FOR DAY:

I recently came upon a beautiful scent by Annick Goutal -- who makes gorgeous fragrances -- her Eau d'Hadrien ($85/eau de toilette). I realized at some point I was spritzing it after working long hours at the computer before picking my daughter up from school, when I needed a pick-me-up. And its notes of grapefruit, cypress, and ylang ylang were completely enlivening me from the inside.

It's subtle but fresh. A day scent that is light and perfectly balanced in its citrus components -- it manages to not be too sharp. Lovely.

My Afternoon Pick-Me-Up Scent Trick: Annick Goutal's Eau d'Hadrien

FOR NIGHT:

I've long sought a replacement for my true love scent, the long discontinued Helmut Lang fragrance that was unisex. However, recently I've turned to NARS Monoi Body Glow II Oil ($59) as my go-to night scent. I think it's become a new beauty habit because I'm getting a little bit of sheen on my skin, as well as a wafting of my Hawaiian roots with the Tahitian gardenia (LOVE!) and coconut (which are both macerated in the oil) all in one. The aroma brings me back home in the gentlest way!

I totally recommend it. Many tropical scents try to mimic the beach-like scents of Hawaii, but this one truly gets it right.

A true Hawaii Beach aroma experience -- NARS Monoi Body Glow II Oil

-- N.C.

NuyBeauty's Holiday Gift Picks

Beauty treats are the perfect, last-minute gift.

While the finishing touches are being applied to the expert how-to videos  of the Beauty Masters series (hint, hint!), I thought I'd share a last-minute holiday gift guide. Beauty treats are perfect as stocking-stuffers or presents for special teachers, mothers, childcare providers, and really anyone who appreciates pampering and grooming. Here are some of my favorites for receiving as well as giving:

Who wouldn't like aromatic holiday gifts nestled in pretty, glistening packages?

NuyBeauty's Holiday Gift Picks 1-2-3:

1) I love all things coriander, and Kiehl's Bath and Shower Liquid Body Cleanser "Coriander," ($16 for 8.4 oz.) is one of the most spa-sensational ways to get up in the morning. The scent is just the right balance of crisp and smooth.

2) I've always been a huge fan of Diptyque candles. Their aroma is never obtrusive, but soft and inviting. And they are quite nice to look at, with their understated and minimalist packaging. Try Diptyque Paris's Baies "Noire"/ Berries Candle ($80 for a 300 gram candle), which has a bouquet of roses and blackcurrant.

3) My daughter and I have been enjoying a lot of clementines of late, as they're in season and delicious right now! And so I've been a l'orange, which brings me to my final recommendation: Annick Goutal's Néroli Eau de Toilette ($115 for 3.4 oz.). This fragrance is all about the orange flower blossom and its elegant earthly essence.

-N.C.

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

Daddy’s Got to Look Good Too!

I’ve been wanting to do a piece for all the dads, because as much as we need to look good, so do they! Men can be just as concerned with their looks as women are. It’s only because they aren’t usually the ones to complain about the bags under their eyes or feeling fat in a pair of jeans that we are apt to overlook the fact that they do also care (sometimes a lot) about their appearance – as they should. So in honor of Father’s Day, here’s to the beauty of the men inhabiting our lives.

My daughter A absolutely adores her daddy. It’s because of him she has the rich, thick and curly eyelashes that will never need the crimp of a Shu Uemura lash curler, and a twinkle in her eye when she smiles. And it’s because of her that he learned how to gently de-tangle her curly hair in the bath with his fingers and conditioner. 

Grooming, when it’s between parent and child, is a bonding process. Personal grooming, be it shaving or combing your hair is a daily, yes, but, restorative process. It brings us back for a new day, signaling a start like a blank sheet of paper or freshly mowed grass. Whether Dad is a man’s man who only knows a bar of soap as a get-ready product, or a metrosexual who indulges in exotic facial serums, or whether he’s somewhere in between, here are a couple of selections to make the man in the mirror feel as special as he should.

Dashing Dad 1-2-3:

1)    Eye cream isn’t just for the ladies. According to my good friend and make-up artist Jason Hoffman, men should start considering daily usage of it as early as age 25. And don’t assume that Dad will shy away from the jar either – just get him one that’s designed specifically with him in mind, like the fragrance-free Anthony Logistics For Men’s Eye Cream ($28).

2)    I love the sophistication of the Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan ($120/50ml) scent. It is rich, resinous and full of amber -- fantastically complex, but subtle in its reach. My husband is a big fan of this one.

3)    Moisturizing after shaving is crucial, because the skin is essentially being exfoliated as the facial hair is being cut by the razor. (It's good to note here, as my friend Jason pointed out, that resultingly, exfoliation is not as necessary for those who shave regularly.) This Every Man Jack Modern Dad with Shave Cream Kit ($15) is appealing because of its uncomplicated, masculine look and offerings. It also comes with a face wash, face lotion, two lip balms, and a travel bag. These are paraben- and phthalate-free, making them a solid choice for daddies with sensitive faces.


-N.C.

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