Jimmy Fallon Rocks the Emmys

I don't normally buy into the whole awards show hoopla - mainly because I get annoyed at the newscasters and prime time hosts asking celebrities inane questions on the red carpet. (You got George Clooney's agent to stop by your microphone and all you wanted to know was whether he wore a similar looking suit to the LAST Emmys? Congratulations, you're the world's biggest idiot).

But this year I had no choice. NBC lured me in by getting one of my all time favorite comedians to host it. That's right, y'all - I don't care how many clips you send me of Jimmy Fallon 'breaking character' on SNL, I won't budge because 1) his breaking character actually makes the skit doubly hilarious 2) he's the sweetest most down-to-earth comedian out there. What? He's not a good interviewer on Late Night, you say? Well that's cuz homeboy gets stage fright - something surprisingly quite common among celebrities and various other people in performance-related fields. He's gotten a lot better - yes, I'm Team Jimmy (and Coco) all the way. Any more jabs and we're gonna have to take this outside, yo's.

I mean, would you honestly want to hold a real conversation with someone like Will Ferrell? The dude is a comic genius, but he'd probably interrupt you and start deadpanning by trying to be some oddball character, and just be weird and awkward like a LOT of comedians are in real life. But not Jimmy - part of his charm is his undeniably approachable nature and 'regular dude'-ness.

Oh and his legendary musical impressions - no one can do them like Jimmy can (check out his album The Bathroom Wall for some spot-on Dave Matthews and The 4 Non Blondes impressions). And last night, he did not disappoint: his amazing Elton John-Boyz-II-Men-Billy-Joe-Armstrong medley saying farewell to the epic trio of ended shows (Lost, 24, and Law and Order) was classic Jimmy - infectiously funny, hilariously accurate (complete with the characteristic Billy Joe head jerk), and undeniably celebratory. Jimmy's imitations are never malicious - just pure admiration in theatrical, comedic form.

And yes, this is a makeup blog so I will say that my favorite look was Keri Russell - a gorgeous muted fuchsia cut quite modernly at the ankle. Her au naturale Boheme look was amazing - clean, and not in competition with the rest of her outfit.



Modern Family did beat 30 Rock's streak though - hmm, I'm gonna have to see what the big fuss is about with this one.

Alleged Suspect Now in Custody in Dry Undereye Case

After an unassuming swipe of Target's eye makeup remover on the back of my hand to remove eyeliner-test-smudgies the other day, I glanced down 20 minutes later and gasped in horror (and if you've ever heard me gasp, you know exactly how serious I'm being right now): Chalky, leathery dryness on the exact spot where I unwittingly rubbed off the makeup. Literally pure white ash-ified flakes on an otherwise tan (not yellow - seriously, have you ever seen a YELLOW-skinned Asian? I mean c'mon...) hand.

And to think that I was massaging this lethal dose of God knows what little else besides pure rubbing alcohol - and no joke, maybe even some kind of undiluted acid - into my poor, already-dried-out peepers. Recession or not, I have always been loyal to Target's low prices and luxury designer partnerships but I have to say that this is just appalling.

Shame on you, Target makeup clinicians! Well, what's a makeup artist if s/he isn't the one who takes one for the team, right? Steer clear of this one ladies and keep those under-eyes pampered! I personally rely on the Holy Trinity of eye makeup removers (depending on where I'm at geographically and financially): Neutrogena's Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, Clinique's Take the Day Off and, when my eyes need some major TLC, Lancome's Bifacil - a super gentle formula that seriously takes EVERYTHING off. I've recently also tried Almay's pre-moistened eye makeup remover pads and those work quite well with no irritation or drying. It's convenient if you don't like bothering with cotton balls/pads (those white fuzzies that get caught in your lashes are no fun).

Which eye makeup remover do you swear by?

Back in Business...Cards to Replace the Post-its

Yes, you read that right. Back in the day, when all I had was one bottle of foundation (you'd be surprised at how far a neutral shade can go) and a janky blowdrier for cooling the Shelaq off bridesmaids' eyelids, I used to scribble my email address on post-its. Okay, well since the gloves are off, what the hey, right? Post-its, the back of old receipts, the back of other makeup artists' business cards (in retrospect, I can see how that one might have backfired)...heck sometimes I would sometimes jet without leaving anything in my wake save dirty used Q-tips. Weddings are I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y. City hall, anyone? That Carrie Bradshaw is one smart cookie I gotta say.

It's a rough gig when your credit is crap in this country (I recently learned that CHECKING your credit score actually lowers it...WTF?!) and your 1st generation Korean-American parents give you the cold shoulder - i.e. no financial love - for consciously deciding to forgo medical school (2nd generation Asian-Ams who chose to stay sane unite!). Well, you don't get emotional support either but that doesn't change no matter how high your GPA is (I don't need to insert a disclaimer here that I love my parents dearly, now do I?)

Oh the joys of starting your own business. Your day job can often suck the very life out of you because you're literally trying to make ends meet whilst the moonlight wanes on your second career. Hence the shamefully belated update.

Luckily, with the faithful support of talented friends (most of whom are artists in their own right...some with so much indie cred you probably won't even be able to google them yet...ha! Take that Big Brother-net), you find that Gloria Gaynor was right: You will survive (yeah I thought it was Aretha Franklin too).

Check these babies out!





Once my amazing artist friend unveils her designs in all their glory, you can smugly say that you read it here first. :) Until then, check out the newly-updated Galleries link with some fun new makeover pics - my lovely friend Janalyn! Enjoy!