MY FRIEND, THE STRIPPER

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STUFF

John Frieda Precision Foam Color

The last time I colored my own hair was in the late 80s, I think. I did such a poor job (understatement alert!) that the next morning at work my co-worker said it looked like I had a hole in the back of my head. But now that I'm on a budget, and especially now that the grays seem to reappear every month or so, DIY hair color is a necessity so I don't end up in the poorhouse. The step-by-step video looked so easy that I decided to take the plunge. Instant love! Applying the product was easy-peasy, the color is gorgeous, and there's no hole in the back of my head.
Redken Shine Flash 02 Glistening Mist
Once in a while I discover that I needed something even if I wasn't looking for it; this shine spray was a lovely surprise indeed. I received a sample size a while ago and absentmindedly stuck it in one of my bathroom drawers. Finally, I saw it one night and decided to give it a spritz before stepping out. AH-mazing! It goes on really lightly -- doesn't weigh down my hair at all -- and smells great. When this sample of mine runs out (which should be soon) I'm buying the biggest can it comes in.
Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy Shampoo
I ran out of shampoo and, on a strict budget these days, went off to my local drugstore in search of something new to try (note: I'm a Kerastase gal). I read ingredient labels and sniffed my way down the aisle; in the end I decided to give Organix hair products a go. It turns out there are 16 different lines, but my store carries less than half of them. I picked the Brazilian Keratin Therapy shampoo and conditioner because I liked the ingredients (organic cocoa nut oils, keratin proteins, avocado oil, and cocoa butter) and its delicious scent. All Organix hair products are sulfate-free, but this line is also devoid of sodium chloride and is formulated for wavy/curly tresses. Still a bit apprehensive, I kept my receipt just in case I didn't like it. Turns out I absolutely love it! It feels more luxurious than I imagined, smells heavenly, and made my hair shiny without any added weight. I've since thrown my receipt away.
Vanessa Dimoff Jewelry
Sometimes words completely fail me, and all I can do is to rely on pictures to tell a story. Among Dimoff's current collections my favorite is "Bark," which is textural and raw like its namesake. Her El Cenote cuff (topmost) is made of quartz and sterling silver. And I can't stop thinking of this Corteza yellow brass dual ring, below.
Lade Grey Jewelry

Lady Grey is Jill Martinelli and Sabine Le Guyader; I've been a fan of their sculptural, statement-making handmade pieces for some time. Like this ring here -- I'd wear this every day and spend time reflecting on it whilst daydreaming.

This line's dark aesthetic inspires me so much that I've taken to following their blog as well, to gather insight on the journey of their creative evolution. The pair describes Lady Grey as "sinister, mystical, curious." I'm on board, all in for the ride.
Erica Weiner Natural Unpolished Diamond Ring
Found this via Daily Candy today. This is crazy talk, I know, but I don't fancy "fine jewelry." I can walk by Bulgari, Tiffany, and their ilk and not feel tempted to stop in and browse around. But what I'm really nuts about are pieces that are a bit rough around the edges, feel organic, and/or are sculptural. Especially the ones that look like they were actually made by somebody. This one made me salivate, to the point that I'm looking like a crazy person right now. That's how much I love this. PS: If you want to propose to me and need a ring to do it, this is what you need to be looking at.
Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer
While I was in Manila earlier this year I completed a professional makeup artistry course using Make Up For Ever products exclusively. One of my favorite products was this line of primers, which comes in one transparent and six color correcting shades. All you need is a dime size of the product to apply all over the face. It glides on easily and feels light and nourishing while helping foundation stay put all day. After holding up in hot and humid tropical weather, I know it won't wither in this northern hemisphere summer.
MAC Fix+

I admit I was skeptical for a while: spend all that cash for scented WATER? But now I'm a believer. I always carry it in my kit -- I use it to set my makeup, moisten my face before applying moisturizer, dampen my sponge (if I'm not near a sink or another water source), and mix with eyeshadow to apply it wet. In a pinch I even use it to spritz my hair when I need to blast it with the hairdryer for a night out. And, yes, it smells absolutely lovely, too.
Moxsie.com
I normally don't give shout-outs to websites in this column -- but I'll make an exception now. I love browsing through Moxsie's many shops -- but better yet, I'm a fan of their customer service. I've purchased a few items, and have never been disappointed (knock on wood); for instance, Bensimon sneakers and one of my favorite casual jewelry lines right now, Potluck Paris. I've been eyeing Urbanears headphones and cruelty-free Deux Lux faux leather bags. Just for starters. After all, it seems like they're adding something fun and new every day.
Shiseido Perfect Rouge Sheer Lip Color in Natural Red
The dramatic red lip has been all the rage for the past few seasons, and especially for this Fall. There's only one problem: I don't do red. I mean, given my coloring I ought to wear it well, but I shy away from it. When I wear red lipstick, for instance, I look like Betty Boop; my face screams "Look at my lips!" I guess what I'm saying is that if you wear red, you've got to want the attention you'll inevitably get. Still, I've been wanting to break out of my neutral zone for a while, change it up, and go outside my comfort zone -- and so I've been looking for the perfect red I can wear. A beginner's red, so to speak. And I've found it -- this is a natural, sheer red that I think anyone can wear. I mean, if I can wear it, anyone can.
Clarins Instant Blush Magic Colour
I admit I've been skeptical about all those "self-adjusting color" makeup products out there; I've simply tried too many that turned out to be nothing more than mere marketing gimmicks. But this -- this I like. After I smooth on my tinted moisturizer or foundation, I lightly dab this lightweight pink gel on the apples of my cheeks. Within a few minutes I've got that dewy, rosy glow that hints of health and -- dare I say it? -- youth. I sure hope Clarins continues to keep this in their product line; it's going to be a staple in my kit.
NARS Orgasm Illuminator

Not another Orgasm product, I thought. I mean, really. But I tried it out, was instantly won over, and purchased a tube. I mix a bit of it with my tinted moisturizer or foundation and my skin instantly has a healthy glow, illuminated without sparkles or obvious shimmer. This product is flying out the door -- and not just because of its famous name alone.
Sonia Kashuk "Straight From Nature" Eye Brush Set

I love makeup brush- es; to me they're a worthwhile investment. I've spent the equivalent of a nice pair of shoes on a Shu Uemura brush and called it a day. But I also have Sonia Kashuk brushes that I happen to really like and use quite often. Now these -- I love. Same good quality brushes but with a real bamboo handle (according to the literature, the handle for each piece is cut directly from a bamboo stalk).Gorgeous! And for $19.99 for a three-piece set, practically a steal.
Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick
Developed by famous makeup artist Gucci Westman, this line of 20 colors really delivers what it claims! Moisturing but featherweight light, it also offers a burst of intense color with each swipe. I'm hooked.
Roberto di Castro Coral Necklace
"I can definitely see this on you," my friend Charmaine said after I declared how much I love this piece. I simply can't resist sculptural pieces, especially when they're also this delicate. Now if only my friend's vision turns into reality, I'll be extremely happy.
Fallon Christian Split Choker
This one made me smile; it so perfectly reflects my split sartorial personality. Most of me is drawn to the dark, stark side, but once in a while I need a huge burst of color to feel energized. This necklace is a true people-pleaser: in my case, it pleases both the persons that I am.
Rick Owens
If I could, I would live wearing Rick Owens every day. I've been a fan of his aesthetic for so many years now; part of me has wondered when I'd stop lusting over his wonderfully twisted, distressed, asymmetrical, architectural pieces. It hasn't happened yet, and can't imagine I will. I even find myself buying pieces made by all the copycats. He describes his own designs thusly: "It is sweet but kind of creepy. It's about giving everything I make a worn, softened feeling. It's about an elegance being tinged with a bit of the barbaric, the sloppiness of something dragging and the luxury of not caring." He's been called the "Minimalist Goth" -- which in a nutshell explains precisely why I love his clothes.
Mulberry "Antony" Messenger Bag
If there's an It bag out there, then I don't want it. I just don't see the point of buying something that's so ubiquitous and so expensive, that everyone can point to a few months later and say "Oh that's so Spring 2010!" I can appreciate a beautifully-designed and made bag but the truth is I find carrying one a bother. Which is why, I suppose, I end up reaching for a messenger bag when I do need to get about town with my essentials intact. This one I particularly like: it's not too big so that I can get mistaken for a postal carrier, but not so small that it's, well, useless. Plus it's designed so it lays flat against the body and makes it difficult for anyone to try to snatch it from me. Sigh, I've been living in the city for way too long...
Cover Girl Simply Ageless Corrector
Confession: I REALLY wanted to love the foundation. It just seemed like a genius idea, tailored to someone with my skin concerns -- but I hated it. It sat on my face like a mask and made my skin feel tight and dry. And so I returned it to the drugstore the next day. But this, this I like. I don't know what possessed me to buy it when I hated the star of the collection -- perhaps it was because Stacy mentioned my dark circles earlier that day. Anyway, next morning, after too-little sleep (as usual) I smoothed it on and voila! I noticed that my eyes looked brighter immediately. I patted on just a wee bit of concealer and dabbed a bit of brightening cream at the edges, and I looked like I had three hours more sleep. This one's a keeper.
Kaylee Tankus
Maybe it stems from my early love affair with Japanese designers in the 80s, but my fashion aesthetic has always leaned toward those with an architectural, modern point of view. The problem is that I normally can't afford the clothes I fall in love with -- or at least I couldn't. Lately I've been discovering up-and-coming designers and brands, usually from Northern Europe and East Asia, who are offering women like me with more options. Perhaps they are not truly affordable options like fast fashion from the likes of H&M or Zara, but at least I don't have to admire them from afar. The Korean brand Kaylee Tankus was founded in 2004 but was reenergized in 2008 with a brand-new designer, New York-trained Minjee Kim. Prices range from $100 to $600 and although still hard to find, especially here in California, I'm beginning to find more online stockists. Maybe I can start dressing the way I really want to look from now on.
Stitch's Jeans
Thanks to the plethora of fits and washes out there today, I have now become what I thought I'd never be: a jeans and tee kind of gal (well, sort of). There are so many brands out there in the market that I find two things happening to me in my eternal quest for the best-fitting jeans for myself. One: I can't keep up with trying everything available out there currently; and Two, sometimes I'd think that if it weren't for the label sewn on each pair I own, I wouldn't be able to tell one from another. One notable exception to No. 2 is this brand, however. It just sticks out among the tall stacks of jeans in my closet. I picked up this pair recently and it fit like a well-worn glove the moment I pulled it over my hips; not bad for a pair of skinny jeans. Quick triva: Stitch's denim is aged in redwood barrels at an old laundry facility, built in 1948, in Evansville WY and they use real brass buttons and fittings.
Bobbi Brown Chrome Palette
I had a few hours to pack for an overseas trip I took recently and had mere moments to get my makeup kit together. A couple days before I had purchased this palette on a weekend getaway and it was still sitting in my overnight bag, so I yanked it out and threw it in my suitcase. Best decision ever: It took me mere minutes to get my evening makeup done each time (although this contains perfectly appropriate shades for daytime wear also). And quite gorgeously, too. Easily the best Bobbi Brown palette I've ever purchased -- and I have quite a few of them in my collection.
DuWop Blushbooster
Once in a while I'll forget about something I have and rediscover it through sheer serendipity. I received this product via mail a while back, and never found out who the kind sender was. At the time I was testing out a stash of new blushes and bronzers and this somehow dug deeper into the bottom of my basket, forgotten. This week I found it after doing a bit of organizing and have been wearing it every day -- I simply love it! I'm starting to get that cold-weather pallor and this shimmery apricot (shade: Mango) really brightens up my face without looking shiny or sparkly. So to my anonymous donor: Thank you!
Diorshow Brow Styler
The truth is I probably wouldn't have purchased this if I hadn't gotten to try it first, thanks to a freebie I received in the mail. For a makeup fanatic I'm a bit of a skeptic, you see. I have brow powders and waxes, brow pencils, and even the dual-formula kinds you can easily pick up at drugstores these days. I thought what I had was as good as it got, but I admit I might have assumed too fast. Because now that I have this in hand, I don't think my brows can live without it. It really does "redefine, reshape, and fill" them in effortlessly. I don't have to worry about a stroke too high or wide, thanks to its high-precision tip. I think I might actually have to go and pay for another one, just to make I have this wherever I go.

I was hunting through one of the large brown pandan-leaf boxes stacked in the corner of the home office this afternoon and discovered a stash of old photographs lying around loosely inside. I found one that made me laugh merrily; it's of me with a group of college friends taken during an Asian American student conference many, many years ago.

In the picture was a somewhat goofy-looking guy in glasses mugging for the camera, he was way out in front taking up more space than any of us were. That was just the way he was, sweet to the core but always seeking attention. He grated on many nerves too often for his own good, but at least you couldn't ignore him if you tried.

Back then I think M fancied me as the sister he never had and although he often annoyed and irritated the heck out of me sometimes, I found myself slightly protective of him since I sensed all his posturing was just to conceal the extreme vulnerability he felt inside. I also knew that he'd be one of the first to rush out and defend me if anyone ever tried to attack me verbally or physically and his loyalty made me feel the same towards him. At the time I was seeing D, whom M and the other guys all viewed as a surrogate older brother so often we were like one family, albeit a dysfunctional one at times.

I left college a few units shy of graduation in order to work full-time (I came back and finally finished a few years later) and soon moved into my first apartment. I lost touch with the old gang and soon we all went our own separate ways -- D and myself included. It must have been a couple of years, or at least it felt like it, before I got a phone call from M, who was now trying to make his way out in the real world. He still lived with his parents, only a few minutes away from my studio, so he asked if he could stop by and say hello.

When I opened the door he still looked a bit like the kid I had left behind, but he was now more self-assured, a bit more grown up I suppose. We caught up, he told me what everyone else was up to, and then after some small talk he dropped a bomb which leveled me flat to the ground: he worked as a stripper during nights and weekends, mostly for bachelorette parties and the like.

I don't want to sound cruel, but I don't think anyone would have guessed that he stripped for a living, or at least he wouldn't have possibly been able to get me hot and bothered even if I were wildly inebriated (but to be completely fair I've never been turned on by a male stripper anyway). I disguised my surprise well enough so that he continued to tell me a few work-related stories, even if part of me wondered if any of them were true.

Then I don't know how it happened or how he maneuvered the conversation to get here, but he started to tell me how Cosmo women turned him on, and how he thought I was the ultimate Cosmo woman (which I heartily disagreed with, but that wasn't the point of our discussion as you'll soon see), and then I realized -- Oh Lord -- that he was hitting on me. This boy-turned-stripper (improbable as it seemed) was trying to get me to sleep with him!

I was horrified, absolutely mortified, and I think he realized it because soon enough he was scrambling to backtrack his words. Unable to, and possibly suspecting I was going to throw him out, he then said goodbye and was out the door. I never saw or heard from him again, although I'd like to think he eventually found a woman to love and who loves him in return, whether she'd ever read Cosmo or was more of a Good Housekeeping kind of gal. Preferably, she's be a bit of both.

And I certainly hope he stopped stripping. Not for anything else, but because I simply could never see him being very good at it, even if he had some great moves on the dance floor. Part of me that night wanted to scold him and smack his behind for being so foolish, for thinking he could dance me out of my skirt. But then I suspected -- in fact, I'm certain -- that he probably would have enjoyed it a bit too much.

Comments

Gosh darn, that was a tease of a post title. It is so not what I was hoping for. But that "smack the behind" ending kind of give me a glimmer of hope. :D

Posted by: John | April 06, 2007 at 05:45 PM

John - Where on earth (and I mean that in the most literal way possible) have you been? Glad to know I can still make you a bit happier, even if only at the end. :)

Posted by: Gigi | April 06, 2007 at 05:54 PM

this has nothing to do with male strippers but with nudity.
my soon-to-retire co worker, duane, once the the bragging rights for holding a cup of joe in each hand and a dozen donuts...in a nudist commune back in the 60s!

Posted by: DatuPanot | April 06, 2007 at 07:20 PM

Gigi you have the most interesting friends and the most interesting stories! Have a Happy Easter!

Posted by: Jovs | April 08, 2007 at 08:11 PM

DP - Okay, let me get this straight: a cuppa joe in each hand, right? And where did the donuts go?

Jovs - Interesting friends indeed -- if I didn't have them, my life would be so...blah. Of course every time they tell stories now, they look at me and ask, "You're not going to be writing about this now, are you?" I can't promise anything except that I won't use any of their names. :)

Posted by: Gigi | April 08, 2007 at 09:32 PM

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