The Grandmothers: Love & Beauty

My mother's mother, and my older uncle, circa 1955

My father's mother, and me, circa 1976

I've been wanting to do this for quite some time, i.e., to put photos up of my grand-maternal lineage. Why you ask? Well, not only because I have this urge to share their serene faces with you, but because they both, in their own way taught me something so old-fashioned, yet important: As a woman, take the time to look and be the best that you can be.

Both my Korean grandmothers (both raised during the Japanese occupation of Korea) have now since passed, but of the very few photos I have framed in my home, their visages are there, ever-present. When I look at my maternal grandmother, I remember how much she loved the color violet, and what care she took of her roses. She was the urban monarch of the two. She never left her home with a hair out of place or without her rouge painted with pencil precision. She taught me how a pretty lady sits with her knees slightly pitched to the side, and gestures her hands (always delicate movements), but was also a voracious reader, who confided in me once that if she could live again she would set out to be a detective/crime novelist.

My paternal grandmother wasn't as into the powder and lipstick, as she was more the pastoral regent. But, what I do remember is the care she put into her hair. When I was very young, she had it very long, tucked into a bun, and parted down the middle -- an age-old Korean style. Then at some point after she lost her husband, my grandfather, she had it chopped into an adorable bob, one that only works that well on a 4'10" grandma. That rock-steady part, never missed a beat or drifted from its path, even after she hit age 90. She groomed it with a simple comb, and water. This is a woman that years after her family introduced her to the modern convenience of toothpaste, used the extreme country method of dental cleansing: coarse salt.

I watched them, learned from them, and loved them dearly. And they LOVEd me, carried me on their backs, wiped my tears away, and gave me the confidence to be me. And I still feel it, everyday.


-N.C.

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

Fall Giveaway: The Get Gorgeous Gift Bag

Gift Bag Contents (clockwise):
Philosophy Deep Sea Ultra-Fine Hydrating Mist
Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Vesuvio
Hello Kitty Nail Files, set of four
Maybelline Lash Stiletto in Very Black 951
Tokidoki Cromatico Eye Shadow in Nancy Rocks (bright purple)
e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black 7303

It's getting breezy out, and there's that certain fall, apple-crispness in the air. I've just bought my daughter her winter boots (waterproof and black, a no-brainer for matching), and I couldn't help but get her two fall jackets, also black: one in corduroy, and the other a soft, motorcycle jacket from Old Navy. Soon, it'll be time to bust out the cozy cashmere sweaters!

Given all the changes going on in my family's life with our move, I thought I'd do a fall giveaway, because why not? `Tis the season for some fresh color! And, just to make it extra special, one item I picked for the gift bag spread is the beautiful, just-launched, matte red lipstick by Nars -- in Vesuvio.

So hurry up and get gorgeous! All you've got to do is comment on this post to enter the contest.

UPDATE: Mi-Eun is our lovely winner. Thanks for commenting!

-N.C.

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

Moving, Moving, Moving!

My daughter tests out some of the doors at our new digs.

I apologize for not having posted in awhile. I knew I was going to have to move, but it then came up so quickly. The unpacking, reorganizing, cleaning, etc., that all come with the territory, have all been extra challenging with a two-year-old. But I'm almost there with the new apartment, and it's wonderful that my daughter will now have her own bedroom. That's very exciting for me, since I never got the opportunity to decorate an entire room for her before she was born. So yes, it's been stressful as moves inevitably are, but this also represents a great transition filled with fun, and a whole new landscape to color coordinate and design. A perfect fall project!

I promise I'll be back soon with my beauty head intact, once my house has been restored to a home-state. Until then, you can always listen in and/or join in on the NuyBeauty.com discussions on everything from stain removal tips to your favorite perfumes on my Facebook Page!


-N.C.

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

Make-Up at My House

Every morning after my requisite coffee, I put make-up on. Sometimes a dab, sometimes more, but the average session takes between three to five minutes. Brushing my teeth and washing my face helps wake me up, but my morning make-up goes the distance by elevating me from blah and not composed, to bright and put together. I like the preening time in front of the mirror, no matter how brief. It's my little, one-on-one get-ready-today show.

But I do quite regularly have a very special guest on Morning Make-Up: my two-year-old daughter. She's usually too caught up in her own activities, walking back and forth while I stand at the vanity doing my thing. On occasion though, she stops by to see what's happening, and wants in on the affair. And this is how we do it.

Have a look!

Note: No make-up is actually ever applied to my daughter. I pretend by "fake-applying" with covered pencils or, e.g., by using sound effects to have her believe I'm brushing blush, when I really have it about an inch away from her cheeks.

Morning Make-Up 1-2-3:

1) I start with foundation or tinted moisturizer with SPF.
2) I work my way down the face, starting with the eyes. I fill my eyebrows in first, then apply mascara.
3) I then add blush to my cheeks and finish with lip color.

-N.C.

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

Teal Toes for Thai Food

As the summer draws to a close I feel everything quickening. I will also be moving soon, and packing boxes and throwing out needless things will shortly be taking over my life. My mind is swirling with thoughts, plans, and all the upcoming to-dos for the next, busy months ahead. Why is it that once September hits, it feels as if the rest of the year rushes to a close like the surge of a speeding car?

I am really taking in these last few days of August. My daughter celebrates her second birthday, and I want my summer to wind down slowly. So in preparation for the upcoming seasonal-, as well as, address-change, I thought it was good cause or pause, for a thoughtful moment in the form of a picture: "Teal Toes for Thai Food."

My daughter asked for teal nail polish (Piggy Paint Polish in Ice Cream Dream), and she wore them happily to the opening of a new Thai restaurant in our neighborhood last week. I love the contrast with her metallic gold sandals.

-N.C.

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

Healthy, Long Hair 101

For whatever reason, my hair was never long as a child. It never went past shoulder-length. I asked my mother once why this was so, and she insists that I was the one who always wanted it cut. I remember being suspicious of this response at the time. However, being a mother myself now, I realize that longer hair on a child can be harder to maintain. There are more tangles to be dealt with, more hair to wash and primp. Shorter hair is plain simpler.

Me, at age 3 perhaps, with my perennially shoulder-length hair.

Long-hair-story short, after countless hairstyles (some being entirely regrettable of course), I’ve settled on lengthier locks as a more permanent adult, look in the last few years.  And keeping the hair healthy is easy. Just make sure to get a haircut every three to six months to keep your shape and ends in good standing, and then follow my 1-2-3 in this quick two-minute video, and you’ll be on your way!

Healthy, Long Hair Tool Kit 1-2-3:

1) Conditioning: Pantene Pro-V Restore Beautiful Lengths Breakage Defense Conditioner ($6).
2) Detangling with a wide-toothed comb: Mebco Tortoise Shower Detangler ($2).
3) Dry-brushing: Frederic Fekkai Classic Brush ($95). Wet-brushing: Denman Paddle Brush ($12).


-N.C.

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

Twinkle Toes for Mama

Every six months or so, I go all out with the nails, and add something a bit 3-D. It feels good to jazz up the Mommy beauty! Sunday, I went with Priti NYC's Polish in Oleaster (a grey-blue), $13, in a reverse French pedicure with pink crystals. Priti NYC polishes are non-toxic and organic, so they're an option to consider for those with painted fingernails worried about chipped lacquer getting into their babies food or mouths. 

Normally, I would opt for clear crystals, but they were all out at Sakura Nail and Spa, so a twinkly pink line on the moon it was.

Try it out!

-N.C.

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