Greek skincare brand APIVITA will be hosting a public event to show support for Earth Hour 2013 by turning off the lights at their (Singapore) flagship store in Ion Orchard.

Earth Hour is an annual event organized by global charity WWF (World Wildlife Fund), encouraging households and businesses worldwide to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour in order to raise awareness of the Earth’s changing climate.

RSVP here.

FYI: These 100% natural ingredient candles can be used as a body moisturizer and lip balm as the base is made from soya and rapeseed and are full of essential oils.

I am coveting the lavender one... I heart lavender.

Bask in the glow.

The Dream Team were back at it again for Thoi Gian (Vietnam)
Phototgrapher: Brendan Zhang
Styling: Furqan Saini
Art Direction: Nazri Razak
Hair, makeup & nails: Andrea Claire
Model: Flavia Corrente

You may laugh at the recognition that I styled the hair on this shoot but you can't ignore hair just because a model is lying in a pool - although - yes, not a high stress hair shoot.

The nails are Deborah Lippmann Magnetic Wave in Physical Attraction available in Singapore at Luxola

We shot this last year and as I said - a little difficult to track down the PDF or hard copy of the magazine. Brendan sent me the images. Sharing is caring.
Without having the actual tears means I don't have my credits for what I used - BUT (don't cha love a big but?) I have some consistency of what I use in my work:

Skin

Dermalogica - EVERYONE in my chair gets this before we begin makeup.

Foundation

[say it with me] FACEatelier

Cheeks

NARS  The Multiple Stick in Lamu and layered with Copacabana for a highlight

Eyes

[I am 99.9% sure I had used] Tom Ford Beauty eyeshadow quad in Silvered Topaz

Lips

Urgh. Totally forget... Sorry Dudettes - I was playing more with OCC Lip Tars (available in Singapore at BellaBox) at this time so it may be a Givenchy Lipliner (LOVE them) with a Lip Tar...

Actually Sofia & Johan  / DIVA Models are both Swedish.
The blonde hair, bronzed skin, warmth of the sun made me think of Miami Vice (the TV show with Don Johnson, not the horrible movie) meets Scarface. I kept yelling out 'cocaine!'  - No, I don't do drugs. Yes, I think I'm funny.

Why models need to do yoga.

Products used on Sofia:

Dermalogica (skincare)
FACEatelier (foundation)
MAC Cosmetics (cheeks)
Tom Ford Beauty (eyes)
Benefit Cosmetics (eyes)
Ardell Eyelashes (2 pairs of wispies - one black on brown!)
NARS (lips)

Products used on Johan:

Dermalogica (skincare)
FACEatelier (foundation)
NARS (bronzer)
Laura Mercier (top secret - wink)

Hair products on both:

O&M Original Queenie

Marc Anthony Strictly Curl Lotion (I love this for round brush blowouts too - which I did on Johan.)

Team credits:

photography: Boon Chian

hair & makeup: Andrea Claire

styling: Xindi Siau

image source: me with my HTC ONE S

This is Melissa, Singaporean model/actress represented by Looque in a behind the scenes photo that I just had to share - I mean - look at that lip colour! I'll get there...

On Melissa's already flawless skin:

Skin: Prepped with Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream and IPSA On the Peak Eye Aesthetics - an amazing eye cream (why am I sharing this with the models - note to self: covet)

Foundation:  A combination of Dermalogica's Covertint in Medium with FACEatelier Ultra Foundation #1

Cheeks: Again with a combo, in order of application: MAC Cosmetics Posey Cheekblend Blush , Bobbi Bown Shimmer Brick Bronze in the hollows and Jemma Kidd All Over Dewy Glow in Iced Gold as a highlighter.

Eyes:
based with black|Up Cosmetics Intense Radiance Eye Shadow in ME04 from lid to brow bone and Mono Eye Shadow in MP04 at the top & bottom lash line
Tom Ford Onyx Eye Defining Pencil in the waterline
NARS Hollywoodland soft touch shadow pencil on the inner corner
Revlon Photoready 3D Volume mascara in Blackest Black

Le BIG finish:

Lips: GOSH lipliner in Pink Peony with Tom Ford Flamingo lipstick

The past couple of days I've been shooting with globe-trotting photographer David Dobson - his work is gorgeous AND he's a nice guy. See, fashion isn't just full of bitches... I kid.

Speaking of... 

Here's another behind the scenes I took from our shoot with members of [the] Collective - left to right: Angelique Nicolette Teo, Linda Black and Mohini Sule.

I know - I work with really ugly people. sigh

image source

Zoie ended up with swimmer's mint blonde - sigh - unwanted green hair. The horror. My child. The daughter of a veteran hairstylist.

I did many of the precautionary typical:

• shampoo hair after each swim & always combing through the conditioner
• prior to swimming apply a thin layer of cheap conditioner to act as a barrier to ward off chlorine build up
• rinse prior to swimming with bottled water
• Zoie takes fish oil daily which helps focus, learning and hair health - fighting the brittle breakdown caused by chlorine.

Chlorine build up on the hair is nasty and living in a tropical climate with swimming practically everyday was bound to take it's toll no matter what precautions we took. Poor Zoie's hair has gone so brittle. The green I managed to cancel out with Aveda's Madder Root Shampoo (green is canceled out with red) but if you are a swimmer whether blonde hair or not, chlorine build up wrecks havoc on hair and the green cast is just one symptom of many.

Girl panic.

Time to get some input from other hair experts. I went to the lovely people at Original & Mineral because I love their  hair philosophy on products and hair colour so I figured they would have some great advice. They did.

Time to Chlorine Detox

Step 1 use O&M Detox Shampoo which is their deep cleansing shampoo that removes mineral deposits and product build up of all sorts off the hair - shampoo the hair with it 2 or 3 times perhaps leaving the Detox on for 5 minutes on the third round.
This will remove the copper mineral deposits that chlorine leaves on the hair.

*Once you have established removing the deposits, then use Detox Shampoo as  
the Step 1 always for those who swim regularly.

*Looking under a microscope at chlorine build up shows the copper from 
chlorine clinging onto the hair like little barb prickles of 
copper onto the cuticle and messes up the electro charge and 
cuticle surface. You need more than a simple wash to get it out. 
 

Step 2 Using the Shampoo of choice for your condition of hair - Hydrate and Conquer is O&M's most nourishing.
One shampoo with Hydrate and Conquer is sufficient.

Step 3 Seven Day Miracle conditioner and treatment - use always.
 
Maintenance products: 
 
After towel drying spray O&M No Knott Leave in conditioner 
and then seal the hair with O&M Frizzy Logic Serum which contains 
organic argan oil and cold pressed Australian macadamia nut oil. 
Frizzy Logic is Lush it will make the hair shiny and silky.

I have heard that there is a vodka/water trick but dousing my 4 year old
with vodka seems all kinds of wrong. 

I also read about Swim Spray developed by Dr. Chadeayne who has a PhD in chemistry. The ingredients are vitamin C and water. I have not tried this but the testimonials are great. 

 
Another preventative tip shared with me via the O&M peeps down-under (those hair wizards are from Oz): Use cold pressed coconut oil as a swimmer's hair barrier protecting the hair against chlorine! Apply prior to swimming and tie the hair up in a braid or ponytail. Brilliant!

Of course swimmer's caps help protect the hair as well.

Find O&M in Singapore.

Find O&M other places in the world.

It's a little ridiculous actually. I am, hands-down, the worst packer in the history of travel.

This was essentially my Paris uniform for the past 5 days. I brought other clothes but it was just too damn cold to venture out in them. My saviours were my Holt Renfrew toque and my (now practically vintage) Pink Tartan down vest. 

We stayed in the walking-shoes-only, hilly area called Montmartre - every time I am here I want to watch La Vie en Rose and listen to Edith Piaf. 

This is my friend Sital and I in the two person only elevator at our hotel: Hotel Boronali. We laughed every time we got into that lift. When I had arrived I thought it was a dumbwaiter. Hotel Boronali is in a great location close to the metro and easy to get a taxi. It is a very bare bones , no frills boutique hotel with friendly staff. There is no restaurant on the premises but in the morning you can have coffee and a simple breakfast in the lobby. Rated as a 3 star, it's clean and friendly - don't expect any more than that.

Around the corner from the hotel is an amazing Italian / pizza place: Sal e Pepe. We ate there twice.
And a lovely place nearby for breakfast called Cafe Francoeur.

Yes, bottom right is a bread penis - I spotted the dick in the Marais district. 
As the basket top left suggests, bread in Paris is aplenty - not sure how Paris women are known for being thin. 
The macaroons are an interesting phenomenon - I for one find them pretty to Instagram but am not a huge fan. These chocolate & fois gras ones almost tempted me... I may have to go back just to say that I tried them.
Bottom right, me revisiting the same crepe guy that my sister and I were at last May.

Every holiday I take I visit grocery stores (I like to see what the locals have- I am weird that way) and of course the makeup stores. Last year I discovered black|Up Cosmetics, a hyper-pigmented line for all ethnicities and women of colour - and women who love colour! They will ship internationally so definitely check them out. I'll do a separate post later just on them listing some of my faves.

Of course I paid a visit to Tom Ford Beauty at Galeries Layfayette and I am so glad I did. The guy behind the counter walked us through the collection and when we told him that Sital and I were both makeup artists he made pro-suggestions to what he thinks are great additions to any pro kit. He was so great that in the end we took a recommendation from him for lunch -Chez Pierrot in the 2nd (black|Up Cosmetics flagship store is across the street)

The food and service at Chez Pierrot was absolutely amazing. Our coffees were served with these adorable chocolate granache tasters - my only regret was not topping up service charge included with a little extra tip. Gratuities in Paris are generally included on your bill but like any service industry anywhere, above and beyond should get a little extra. Sorry Pierrot!

 
 
From top left: a romantic cake topper I saw in a chef supply store that had me instantly think of my HB and I in the future. He will have more hair though.
Me sporting my new Dolce & Gabbanas that I have been coveting since the FW 2012/13 campaign. 
A little window dressing at Lanvin that made me think of Target... Think about it, you'll get there.
And finally the Blonde Afro Ambition tour at the Galeries Lafayette.

My second trip to Paris and I still haven't gone up the Eiffel Tour. I have zero patience for lineups. It's a tower with a view I am guessing.

My excuse to come to Paris - not that one needs an excuse to come to Paris... My friend Sarah Slean was performing at Le Zebre de Belleville.

*this was written on my iPad so skip over any major mistakes and check back. When I am at home I will add hyper links so you can click until your hearts content with all the info.  Done!

*PS - a little shout out to Air France whom I flew with for the first time. Their staff were amazing in the air and in the Twitterverse - AAA customer service. I definitely will fly with them again BUT... a big but... the exit row I paid a little extra for for comfort and legroom. OMG - THE WORST seats. Have you flown a budget airline before? You know when the seats are a thin foam cushion on metal rods? Yes. That was 13.5 hours to Paris and 12 back to Singapore. I was miserable to say the least - so was my ass and lower back. I am curious if the norm in economy class on Air France are these budget airline seats or is it just the luck of the exit rows. Anyone?

On the way to Paris there were empty exit row seats that were constantly a revolving seat for many businessmen. I kept waking up to some new guy beside me doing work. I complained - why should I pay extra when clearly these guys were moving from other seats on the plane. Air France reimbursement via a Twitter convo. How fab is that?!

I tried to buy a lounge pass in CDG on the way home to Singapore. I had checked in 5 hours before the flight (don't ask). The one guy at the desk said he needed to ask his supervisor who came over - looked me up and down and said no. She added that the lounge was full. Apparently the colour of my money wasn't the right shade. I do fly business often - I can't say I remember any lounge being that full. I do love and appreciate the airlines that allow for buying lounge passes.

On the flight home - sighing and resetting my pillow and down vest I brought to hopefully make a comfortable seat - I get slammed with a massive cold mid-flight. One flight attendant did notice and offered me some Tylenol and nasal spray - bonus points for that.

If you are looking to book to Paris, the Air France economy class exit row I would give 2 out of 5 stars just because the seatbelt worked - add maybe another .5 for the customer service so 2.5.

I flew an exit row with Singapore Airlines last May to Paris -now THAT was worth rebooking.

images of Beno and I by Zurina Bryant. This is JUST post cut with Issac sans makeup. (Love my hair!)

Beno Lim, Singapore's senior artist with the MAC Cosmetics global team, whom I have collaborated with for Vulture magazine took the time to doll me up for my InSing Vanity Project. Beno flooded me with so many fab tips for readers that just like Issac /Toni &Guy, I had to edit him - happens to the best of us - here are his great tips along with MAC's latest collection Après Chic that Beno walked me through.

Jumping in brows first:

Beno Tip (BT): Eye brows are key so take the time to do a quick tidy and grooming.

Andrea claire’s 2 cents (ac) - Ladies: this does NOT mean take your tweezers out daily. You know who you are... little sperms are not an attractive brow shape

BT: For those with stubborn hard to curl lashes, curl lashes first after a very thin coat of mascara as it helps to hold the curl. Continue with the rest of your makeup.

I had to use this image somewhere. Thanks Zurina! lol

ac - I love this tip for the humid climate of Singapore where my lashes flatten out from the moisture in the air. I still find this method clumps the lashes together a little so take care when curling after your mascara and make sure the mascara is combed and dry before curling to minimize lashes sticking together.

BT- Using the 195 brush apply your concealer using minimal product then blend out with your finger to warm up product for better blendability.

ac: I have to reiterate that minimal concealer is required. When you apply too much you get the opposite of panda eyes. I think the biggest issue is women compare their final makeup with retouched and perfectly lit models – allow a little human to shine through vs trying to have alien-like appeal. We don’t all walk around with a bounce card and a wind machine. *cough - JLo*

Dear Beno, I say this out of love. I need to introduce you to Shadow Shields. xo Andrea Claire.

"Our new Après Chic collection is very effortless, every woman can wear it - the colours are natural and not very intimidating." Beno

BT - Mineralize shadows are buildable for a gradual change, can be used wet or dry (use Fix+) great for day to night. Hold your brush at the end of the handle for a flawless blending so you won't get hard lines - you aren't handwriting.

ac - Ditto! I've given this tip often too - I don't think I've heard another makeup artist give it before... great tip (if I do say so myself)!

BT: Blend liner downwards with 266 brush to avoid gaps and skin spaces without colour

ac - or for a liner look that isn't smudged do a tight line by applying liner with a flat liner brush going up under the lashes pressing firmly.

BT: apply mascara thicker at the roots by dabbing and pressing wand at the lashes to make them appear thicker and longer

ac - yes, and also: by applying your mascara too heavy handed at the tips will cause them to flatten and look heavy.

BT: use MAC Fast Response Eye Cream as a makeup eraser vs correcting with liquid eye makeup oils which will breakdown your makeup

Veluxe Brow Liner $19.50 USD at M·A·C

BT: Always work the brow so the pencil doesn't look too drawn with short, feathery strokes.

ac - duh! Just kidding - but yes – I don’t know a makeup artist who uses long, heavy strokes and neither should you.

Porcelain Pink Mineralize Skinfinish $29.00 USD at M·A·C

BT: Buff Skinfinish for best results. On me Beno used Porcelain Pink (an amber glow blush) applied with the 187 brush

BT: Dip your lip pencil into MAC's lip conditioner for a smoother lip line application without the tugging and the bonus of hydrating the lips

ac - this is a full on new one for me. Kudos Beno!! You can teach an old dawg new tricks. ;) [I would however like to roadtest this one more to see if this trick makes the lippy bleed]

photography: Alvin Tang hair & makeup: Andrea Claire

Always fade in your lip liner so you don’t end up with the ring around the lip… unless it’s intentional like I did here for an editorial with Alexis magazine.

"Makeup is always a fun process so you don't have to take it too seriously. Unlike new hair that may need to grow - a new makeup look can be toned down" Beno wasn’t suggesting he didn’t like my haircut – he was generalizing.

ac- The cool thing with hair is that it grows... unless you were my sister's Barbies. [Sorry Samantha - I was 5 - time to move on...]

Beno’s makeup must dos

1. Keep your foundation lightweight

2. Everyone should curl lashes for a fresh look and toss mascara 2-3 months

3. Moisturize lips prior to start of makeup so when you get to your lips they are soft and luscious ready for lip colour.

ac - proper skincare and sunscreen should always be a part of your daily makeup.

Want to try on a new look? Come into any MAC store with a bare face. Appointment required.

I super love this: "Before you buy a new look try on your face"

A little behind the scenes. That's Zurina to the right sneaking out from her usual spot behind the lens.

Years ago... rephrase... MANY years ago, when I was 14 (I am now *gulp* 41) my grandmother took me to have my colours done. It was the 80s and that was the thing to do then. I remember driving over to some woman's house in the outskirts of Chicago, my grandmother proudly explaining what we are up to. Kind of like the time my mother told me on the way to a Robert Palmer concert that we were seeing Robert Palmer - at the time I pretended I knew who he was... Oh right... the guy in the Duran Duran Power Station video! (After that night I knew who Robert Palmer was - damn sexy for an old guy.)

Actually - looking back I think my grandmother took me  for my colour session because all I really wore then was a lot of black, and... while I was vacationing at my grandparents' house in the suburbs of Chicago, I shaved the sides of my head in the middle of the night - not in a punk-rock way - more in a New Wave / Cyndi Lauper way... She noticed over our morning ritual of Eggos.

Poor Grandma Jean.

One of the colours I was told to avoid in my 'colours session' was black... sigh... I have seen way too MANY beauty blog posts that tell redheads to steer clear of black eyeliner and mascara. This advice makes me cringe.

Moving forward: YES!  Pippi - you can wear black!

photography by Aaron Wong

Here I am in my new profile shot wearing - the horror! - a black top! (by Singaporean designer Sabrina Goh.)

(Red) Devil in a blue (Calvin Klein) dress, photography Aaron Wong (check out his underwater portfolio! AMAZING!)

A colour not only in my colours but a colour I wore on TV once and was told by 'the network' to wear as often as I could - I think Emma Stone received the same request. Obviously more powerful than black but that doesn't mean ditch all your black dresses!

Guess what's on my eyes... BLACK. Of course it's an eyeshadow mash up of other colours and well, yes - I would say that as a redhead wearing only black liner is a little harsh - that doesn't mean avoid it.

My makeup in order of appearance

For both photos:

Luview Whitening Capsule BB Cream under my eyes

FACE atelier Ultra Foundation #2

Soap & GloryTM; Solar PowderTM Bronzo £11.00 at Boots

MAC Cosmetics mineralize blush in Warm Soul

Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base  $24.00 USD at NARS Cosmetics

Eyes in the top photo:

I used Guava on my lid and Cafe Au Lait at my lash line and crease. Simple.

MAC 'In Extreme Dimension Lash' Mascara (Premiering at Nordstrom) $20.00 USD at Nordstrom - BLACK!

On my brows - Veluxe Brow Liner in Strawberry Blonde  $19.50 USD at M·A·C

Sugarbomb Ultra Plush Shimmering Pinky Nude Lip Gloss  $16.00 USD at Benefit

Eyes on the second pic

Whenever you are doing a shoot think of it as a day to night - you start off simple and build on your base makeup - my base never changed.
I added:

From the Laura Mercier palette  I used Coffee Ground (Matte) on my lash line - upper and lower. Buy it as a single eyeshadow for $22.00 USD by at SpaceNK

I then smudged on top of the Coffee Ground Tom Ford Beauty Noir Absolute For Eyes  $35.00 USD at Saks Fifth Avenue - BLACK on a redhead! ;)

For my inner corners I used NARS 'Soft Touch' Shadow Pencil in Hollywoodland $24.00 USD at Nordstrom

I filled in my entire lip with FACE atelier's Lip Pencil in Sand and then applied NARS Lip Lacquer- Chelsea Girls   $24.00 USD at Barneys New York

**You will notice I have no mention of concealer nor powder... that's because I never used them. The Luview works so well brightening up under the eyes that I didn't need it and powder is so over-used making you look old - rarely do I use it on anyone.

I LOVE blue eyeshadow on us redheads but avoid a blue dress and blue eyeshadow unless you're a soccer mom - they love to be all matchy matchy that way. Try NARS Shimmer Eyeshadow in Tropic  $24.00 USD at Barneys New York

Bronze shadows rock on us too especially if you have red hair and blue eyes. Try Eye Color Glimmer - Hypnotic  $23.00 USD by Paula Dorf at DERMSTORE

High Impact purples with redhair and green eyes are killer. Try L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow, Endless Sea  $7.95 USD at drugstore.com

More to come! I owe it to the fellow Gingers of the world to set the record straight on makeup.