Korean Women Seriously Have The Nicest Brows

Over the weekend I happened to watch the Korean Drama "Smile, Donghae", and other than the complex dramatic plot, my eyes were transfixed on Park Jung Ah's gorgeous eyebrows.



For myself, growing up with close to no brows, aka the "Alien look", I've resigned to the fact that I will never have lush, full brows that many of my other asian friends have.

I've tried tons of brow pencils, brow gels, brow powders, and yes, they have worked for me. (This isn't a sob story.)

Recently my friend Sally asked on my facebook page if I had any new updates on my favourite makeup things. So I was trying to describe this eyebrow pencil from Japan that I've been using, and I finally found out what brand it was.


It's called B & C Browlash EX Waterstrong W Eyebrow .. what a mouthful. So to make it easier for you to find, here's the pic of it in the package (I was at meidi-ya yesterday, they sell it there and also at watsons, and Sasa)


It retails at SG$19.90, and comes in two colours, Natural Brown (left) and Grey Brown (right).
I have both! The natural brown is alot lighter and great for those who have brownish hair. The grey brown is darker and suited for those with black hair, when a light brow might look funny.

The pen has two sides to it, one's a crayon twist-up pencil, which requires no sharpening. It's soft and water-resistant (they claim waterproof, and it lasts through sports but not if you rub it it when wiping your face.. yes! i've tried it during my workout). The other end looks like a liquid liner, it's a sheer ink that that gives you the defined "tail" of the brow.

If you live outside asia, Sasa is selling it online and with free worldwise shipping! Unfortunetly it is currently out of stock .. oops!


Till then, keep watching those korean babes and even though they may have a ton of plastic, their brows look truly real!!


Song Hye- Kyo.. what I would do to have your hair & brows.....

Up Close: The Wedding Stylist

Happy 2012 everyone!! I had a fun Christmas and New Year, and I'm really looking forward to Chinese New Year when my family has chicken rice for reunion dinner! (we're Hainanese :D)

This year, I'm bringing a new feature to this blog, to give you insights for your wedding day. This "Up Close" section will bring you interviews, secrets, and tips on organising your big day while looking your polished best, straight from the professionals in the business!

To start us off, I scored an interview with Caroline Tan- Reed, wedding planner and founder of The Wedding Stylist. Also included are photographs of a wedding she had planned, taking us through from conceptualisation to the actual day.

Caroline Tan- Reed: Founder of The Wedding Stylist

What inspired you to become a wedding planner?

2007, I had a very good friend who asked me to help her with her wedding, and that sparked a passion for it. I got into it full time in 2008.

I did a Wedding Planning Diploma with a school in the UK, which helped me in terms of planning a wedding, such as managing the budget, timeline, and prioritising.
It was more detailed than what I did with friends.



Why the name "The Wedding Stylist"?

I did a focus group with some friends, and we were contemplating on 3 names, "The Wedding Designer", but it sounded too much like a fashion designer. The other was "Unveil Weddings", but they thought it was too boring. The Wedding Stylist was a little bit more American, I wanted to bring a western touch to Singapore weddings.

About 80 % of my couples have studied abroad, or are of mixed heritage, or live abroad, or their other halves are not Singaporean.


What are some of the misconceptions of the job?

The most common misconception is that it is a glamorous job, and it is not a glamorous job at all.

On the wedding day, while the bride usually wakes up about 4 or 5am, I wake up at 3am to prepare everything, and am the last to leave.
I also have to throw out the trash - definitely not glamorous.

Some demanding brides also expected me to book their honeymoon.
One of my brides insisted that I book tickets and plan the route through UK for her pre-wedding shoot and travels.



So what exactly is the jobscope?

I am there to only help her manage her wedding.
Part of our jobscope is also to come up with the concept and theme, to present different options for decorations, give them advice on things like dresses, food, and schedules.

Storyboard: The Wedding Stylist

We usually do up a storyboard, taking into consideration their personality and what they like. It has a floorplan, pictures and colour palattes of our recommendations.
(Other than that, I'm not there to organise their honeymoon.)



What's a typical month/week/day leading up to the wedding?

Month: Final details like flowers, alterations of dresses, suits, wedding stationery, design and fonts of the menus, type of music to be played, itenary for the day, car decor & flowers.

Week: Last minute scrambling for changes, forgotten details, picking up bits and pieces.

Day: Surprisingly, it is very smooth because you already know what you have to do, and it's a long day so you're so busy that you don't have time to think of anything else.


Time line: The Wedding Stylist


But also because you're there?

I hope so, haha.


How does a bride decide if she needs to have a wedding planner or not?

Usually if the bride is very busy, she will need a planner.
The other reason is that they need some inspiration, because they might not have the resources or knowledge to look for ideas, so they come to us to help them design the wedding and recommend our contact list, like you as the makeup artist for example. (Thanks Caroline!)



Have you had weddings where the couple brings you in to salvage their plans?

I had to plan a wedding in 1.5 months, they had only booked the venue and got the gown and the suit. We had to get everything in place - the food, flowers, band, itenery, Justice of Peace (JP). They didn't even register at the Registry of Marriages (ROM) yet.

(Usually the ROM booking opens up 3 months before your wedding, and you need to have your JP who has agreed to marry you, and there's an online form where you sign and pay. )


Where do you get your inspiration from?

Blogs, wedding magazines, friends, people I work with, like photographers. We discuss what weddings we've been to, and bounce ideas off each other.


How about when you got married ?

Mine was a very simple ceremony with only 100 people, a church wedding and a small dinner. I wanted something intimate and cosy.
In the morning we had a colour theme of yellow and pale coral, and we used orchids to incorporate some Singapore touches.
The evening was a small dinner at the Raffles.


Would you change anything if you went back to that?

No, as a wedding planner you lives your own dreams through so many weddings, so when it comes to your own, you know what's really important is the company and that you enjoy yourself and that everyone is there to share it with you.



What's the strangest thing at a wedding you had planned?

It's not weird in a bad way, we had a wedding in Chijmes and we brought in some ah kwas (transexuals) to perform, so that was quite a shocker, but the couple wanted something outrageous and fun.



Are Singapore brides and weddings too mellow or regular?
I think because we come from a culture that teaches us to respect and listen to our elders, a lot of the brides cannot have a wedding that they truly want, but what their parents want. That's really sad because it is their day after all and it is going to happen once in their lifetime.
That's one bit I feel quite sad about, because I know alot of it is planned by their parents, and they're doing it for the parents.

Other than that I've had some brides who are quite chill, and they just do what they want to do. These brides turn out to be the more fun and happy brides, because they give you alot of imput and they are so involved in the wedding.

Which was your most memorable wedding?

There was a couple who hired me 2 months before the wedding, and the bride had lots of ideas but they just didnt know how to execute it.
They wanted a garden theme for the church and reception.
Since she was on a budget, we went to Ikea and bought small vases, and did the flowers ourselves. It was very DIY and we used ribbon strips on the table and paper dollies to make it more garden feel for her. It was fun.
She had a dessert buffet and she made her own doggy bags where she stamped each of them individually.

There was a vintage typewriter so that people could write their messages to them on it.

Photo: The Wedding Stylist

Some things were difficult to find in Singapore, like a clay ring pillow where their vows were written on it, which was very cute.


It was very fun working with her because she was very inspirational.



Show us how your ideas became reality!


The Storyboard



The Venue : CHIJMES






Details:





The Entrance:





Photography: Aloysius, 39 East Photography
http://www.39eastimages.com/



The professionals are in: Caroline's Little White Book


Non-hotel ballroom wedding location:

The Marmalade Pantry at The Stables
http://www.themarmaladepantry.com.sg/
55 Fairways Drive, Singapore 286846
+65 64679328




Burkill Hall at Singapore Botanic Gardens
http://www.sbg.org.sg/visitorinfo/venueforrent.asp
+65 6471 7374
photo: 39 East Photography











Clifford Restaurant at The Fullerton Bay Hotel
http://www.fullertonbayhotel.com/dining-en.html
"With full height glass windows, you don't even need a lot of decorations"
Photo: Fullerton Bay Hotel



Food & Catering:

Asian: Tung Lok
http://www.tunglok.com/

Western: Marmalade
http://www.themarmaladepantry.com.sg/
"They've got great food and impeccable service"


Wedding Gown Designers (all by appointment only):

Louis from Amor Meus Design Studio
23 Purvis Street, #02-01 Talib Centre
Singapore 188613
+65 6336 6930
amormeus@singnet.com.sg


The Prelude Bridal
http://www.theprelude.com.sg/
21A Duxton Hill Singapore 089604
+65 6221 4982
"The Prelude brings in very sleek and modern dresses from the UK and US"

photo: The Prelude Bridal













Love, Yu
http://www.weloveyu.com/about/
8 Mohamed Sultan Road #03-01 Singapore 238958
+65 6235 7781
yu@weloveyu.com




















"Ee-Lyn is so accomodating. Her off-the-rack is a very different style from what people usually go for, but she has designed complicated things very similar to Vera Wang"
Photo: Love, Yu















Wedding Stationary & Cards:

Caroline's team of graphic designers and printers will whip up beautiful bespoke invitation cards if you have something in mind, but if not, pay a visit to
Craft Inc
http://craftincdesign.com/
402 Orchard Road, Delfi Orchard #02-16
+65 6734 1811




To have your wedding planned by Caroline, click here or read more about her work at http://www.the-wedding-stylist.com/
She also has a really pretty blog with ideas and photos

Merry Christmas Folks!!!

Oh, it's the time of the year again!!

I usually get the blues during the holiday season for some reason, but this year I'm trying to reflect on all the fantastic stuff that has happened (YES OMG it's been a whole year already? feels like yesterday), and I am so grateful for all the wonderful things I have received.

Friendships, great crews that I work with, lovely clients, a super family, a roof over my head and chocolate cake in my tummy.

And of course lots of fab blessings from the different cosmetic,skincare & haircare brands in Singapore, including MAC Cosmetics, Lancome, Palmer's Cocoa Butter, American Crew, & Sephora Singapore.
Thank you all, so very very much for supporting me.

And in the Christmas spirit, I'm doing my first giveaway on my facebook page, where I'll send one lucky lady a beautiful Sephora Green Eyes Palatte.
It doesn't matter what colour eyes you have, I believe makeup is universal and colours only express what you want them to! Don't be tied down by "rules" ;)



All you have to do to win this, is to post a comment on the giveaway thread on my page, and share how great your year has been.
Contest ends 26 Dec 2011.


Good luck, Merry Christmas, HAVE A FANTABULOUS HOLIDAY SEASON!

Love, Jo

Her World Brides : Bridal Makeup & Hairstyle inspirations!

It's almost coming to the close of 2011, and this time it's turning out to truly be the wedding season of the year!

If you haven't decided on what style of makeup and hair you're going to have on that day, maybe you'll like some inspiration from these pages of Her World Brides

Makeup & Hairstyling by yours truly :) for Her World Brides September Issue
Assisted by Norah Salazar
Styled by Janice Seah


The model was blessed with full brows, which I paired with a full matte red lip, nude eyeshadow (The Naked Palatte!) , Creamy Eyeliner (24/7 in Zero & Perversion) falsies and lots of mascara. In case you think I'm off my rockers talking dirty, that's cos I'm using Urban Decay for this shoot! Loving their products!!

I curled her hair into tight ringlets and swept it all back into a full, low bun. No backcombing and teasing needed!





And from an earlier issue, the June 2011 Issue of Her World Brides...

Makeup by Joanna Koh
Hair by Sunny Kor

For this shoot I was partial to bareMinerals makeup, which is pretty much taking up more and more space in my kit and drawer. And that's cos I keep going to Sephora to stock up!

If you want a little glow in your skin, try the bareMinerals Original mineral foundation, and if you have oily skin (which so many of us do in this climate!), choose the Matte version.

Their eyeshadows go on beautifully and they have a great range of colours too.


Read on for the looks..


A glowy finish to the skin, with rose lips and a touch of shimmer to the eyelids, so pretty for everyone.

This is how you do a bold lip without having to choose red. A bright pink works, but keep your blusher natural. I've used a peachy blusher and paired it with silvery eyes.
Some might argue against that, citing the warm & cool makeup theories , but hey! We're in 2011, not 1989, so I don't buy that anymore!





A really beautiful bronzed eye and lip makeup look. Wear this to your sunset destination wedding with your tanned skin (remember the SPF while you're on the beach!)



I'll be more than happy to help you achieve these looks for your wedding day! Drop me an email if you would like to enquire more :) jo@joannakoh.com

Interview with MAXX Brides & a little tip for brides!

Maxx Brides Magazine (Indonesia) featured me in an interview under a section called "The Inspiration". WOW.. I do hope I can live up to that!

Click on the photo below to read the interview.




Today I was reading an interview in US Edition of ELLE, and it was with Dr Brandt. I am a big fan of his Pores No More range!!
But anyways, there was a question posed to him 'What are your anti-aging lifestyle recommendations besides "wear sunscreen and don't smoke"?'
His reply? Do something to reduce stress, because stress increases free radicals, and there's evidence that it disrupts the replication of your DNA and shortens your chromosomes, leading to premature aging.


In my interview above, I was asked what tips do I give my bride-to-be clients. And I said, STOP STRESSING!

Coincedence? We're thinking along the same lines!
It's true, I've met brides before their wedding day, from a year before, to a few months to weeks to days.. the stress takes a toll on their skin and health, and it shows. No makeup can fully bring back the brightness into the skin. We can fake it, but you will feel it.

So if you're a bride-to-be and reading this now, take a breather, go out for a walk and fresh air, and maybe ask your little brother to lick the stamps for the wedding invitations ;P

Maxx Brides Indonesia

From a shoot in february, and finally to print!
Well, ok I don't have the actual printed magazine, but here is the fashion spread :)












Shot at the beautiful Intercontinental Singapore

Makeup & Hairstyling by Joanna Koh using Sephora & d:fi

For more, you can check out the Maxx Brides website here

A peek into my makeup drawer and the contents of my makeup bag ;)

So... many people ask me what products I would recommend, or use.

Well, here's my open secret (drawer) !
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What a mess right.. I've obviously got too much makeup for this one face of mine. I don't use everything everyday. So I think it's better to show you what are the staples in my personal makeup pouch.


I believe makeup needs to be tailored to suit each person's lifestyle and personality. I don't like to wear too much makeup simply because I'm running around all day for work and honestly, after doing makeup for people day after day after day, I hardly have the energy or patience to do a full face of makeup for myself (especially not in the morning when I've not had my tea!)
Also, I spend 3 days a week working out in the sun and more often than not, I find myself wiping my face with my hand or towel. Smudged eyeshadow and runny mascara is NOT a pretty sight..! Plus the boys I train with can't be bothered if I'm wearing a full face of makeup during training or not (correct me if you're reading this and I'm wrong :P)


So, what do I really, really, favour?

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From top left to right:

1. (Silver Pen) Lancome Miracle Teint Concealer .. it's peachy-pink based so it corrects dark eye circles and the formula is really light-weight and comfortable to wear

2. (Black Pen) M.A.C. Superslick Liquid Eye Liner in On The Hunt .. I don't wear this daily but I love how it doesn't budge. At All. Nothing worse on the face than walking into the bathroom and discovering I've got a funny ring around the bottom of my eyes. This one guarantees I won't be getting a shock anytime soon.

3. Urban Decay After Glow Glide On Cheek Tint in Bang. This product was released in spring this year and I keep 3 colours in my drawer and a few more in my professional case. It's creamy, glides on smoothly and it's really sheer, although it looks intense in the compact.

4. Nars Blusher in Orgasm. Classic product! If you must buy only one blusher, this is the ONE. Brightens your entire complexion, with a very light wash of shimmer

5. Kate Kanebo Waterproof Eyebrow Gel. The only drugstore brand in my makeup bag. At about $16, it's not dirtcheap but I haven't come across any other brands that do waterproof eyebrow gels. It's kinda like eyebrow wax, but it doesnt feel sticky and the colours are really natural. I wear this almost everyday cos I have almost no brows! One day I will try it when I go swimming.

6. Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes Waterproof Mascara. I admit.. I wear this for sports. And it's never failed me. I could be crying while swimming and it wouldn't move. Best of all it washes out with my makeup cleanser without me tugging at my eyelashes
Click on the link to check out the shape of the mascara brush!!

7. bareMinerals Original in Medium Beige. Tons of compliments about my skin while I'm wearing this foundation. I use it with the Prime Time foundation primer and buff it in with the bareMinerals foundation buffing brush.

8. M.A.C. Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium Plus. Before bareMinerals came to Singapore, I couldn't find any face powder to compete with this one. Why does it still remain although I have the other mineral face powders? Because it's PRESSED! nice and compact.

9 & 10. Bobbi Brown Eyeshadows. These are in Copper Cocoa (Single), Chino and Beige Linen (Double). I have tons of these in other colours. Mostly I choose nude, earthy and brown colours for eyeshadows. I wouldn't say I'm afraid of colour, but it's just much more classic to stick with the neutrals.


And there, the secret is out :) Now to get on with my packing! I'm moving out :D