Cash For Clunkers Success!

I swore to myself years ago, after splurging on my Honda S2000, that I would never, ever buy a brand new vehicle again. It simply does not make good financial sense. Purchasing a 3 to 5 year old new used vehicle is much, much smarter. But when Obama came out with the Cash For Clunkers program, suddenly, purchasing a brand new vehicle was no longer such a terrible idea.

Funny enough, it was my mother, who barely speaks English, who first heard about the program on the Chinese language news and then subsequently insisted on a daily basis that I take advantage of the incentive. I did indeed need a larger vehicle to haul all of my inventory and gear around for my trunk shows and fashion shows. Until now, I've been making do with my old 97 Jaguar XJ6 L. (It was a beautiful sedan which I bought used for a really good deal. I managed to score the L model with the longer wheel base which made it even more sleek looking and very comfortable in the back seat.) It was quite the challenge, but miraculously, I was able to make it work as long as I didn't have my kids with me and stripped the back seat of their car seats. But lately, many of the features of my Jaguar have been malfunctioning. The driver's side door wouldn't open unless I rolled down the window and reached over to open it from the outside (quite comical that I had to let myself out of my car that way considering that it's a "Jaguar"). The headliner has been sagging quite terribly and most recently, the steering column, which is supposed to automatically retract into the dash so that it's easier to get in and out of the vehicle, would retract and extend repeatedly nonstop after I shut down the engine, plus the alarm started to just go off spontaneously. In short, my beautiful XJ6 had turned into a CLUNKER!

Of course, my mother's ultimate goal was for me to trade-in the very last semblance of my youth - my S2000. I first fell in love with it at the Auto Show in SF in 1999. I admired it from the turn table at the show and watched how beautiful it looked under the fancy spotlights and then found myself at the Honda dealership shortly after it first became available in 2000. It was my one big splurge. Carrie Bradshaw splurges on Manolo Blahniks, I spluged on a sports car! It was the original, made-in-Japan model, before they toned down the engine and made it more pedestrian. I couldn't bring myself to let go of it, even after I had my second child, so I bought the used Jag to transport the family. Even though I haven't been able to drive the S2000 much lately, the rare opportunities where I found myself kid-free and having the privilege to drive my little red roadster were like sheer bliss! I would put the top down, have the wind in my hair, pass up all of the soccer moms in their SUVs and minivans and pretend to be 25 again! My mother on the other hand, saw my S2000 as a needless, frivolous waste and couldn't wait to have me get rid of it.

Spurred by my mother's insistence, I went online to search for the most economical 7 passenger vehicle that would qualify under the CARS program. As it turns out, the Toyota Highlander was the only vehicle that would qualify given my clunker (Jaguar) trade-in. I compared the fixed pricing for the Highlander on the Costco Auto Buying Program, AAA Auto program and in the end, found that the best price for this particular vehicle was offered by the American Express Auto Buying Program. The Amex program led me to Hayward Toyota which quoted the best price of all of the participating dealerships in the greater SF Bay Area. But I didn't stop there. The thorough researcher that I am, I decided to call all of the dealers in the area to see who had the Highlander with all of my features (or rather, lack of features as I didn't want to pay the premium for the built-in navigation or dvd/rear entertainment system and for whatever reason, most Highlanders in this area seem to have at least one or both of those features) in stock and then to find out if they would be willing to match the pricing that my Amex auto program offered. That's when I discovered that Hayward Toyota not only offered the best pricing, but also the best service.

Most of the so called auto sales "professionals" that I spoke with knew far less about the Highlanders than I did. Most of them were very nice but couldn't answer my basic questions and forgot to call me back when they said they would. I do understand that they were all swamped and overwhelmed with the demand generated by the cash for clunkers program. However, regardless of how busy Jeff Hershman from Hayward Toyota was, he always remembered to call me back and follow-up on every item. Jeff was fantastic! He was very thorough, very patient and took the time to answer all of my questions (and I had a lot of questions). He was very considerate and understood that buying a car is a big decision and not one that should be rushed into. He also tried his best to help make sure that all of the paperwork was finished as quickly as possible. After the purchase, Jeff continued to be very thorough and even called to follow up and make sure that I was enjoying my new Highlander.

Although my son (who had previously decided that he should inherit the S2000) and I are still in mourning over the loss of my roadster (and even my old XJ6) and will continue to mourn for some time to come, I am happy to say that my mother is very pleased to finally be rid of what's left of my youth and what she felt was a needless waste of space in our driveway. She is especially happy that I managed to come home with the new family-mobile just in time to chauffeur her and her four sisters, who just arrived for a 3 week visit from Taiwan, around town. Even though I can no longer deny that I too am in fact a "soccer mom" as I join their ranks in my snazzy new Highlander, I must admit that I am enjoying the nifty modern features of a brand new car, especially the integrated Bluetooth. ;-p

Alls well that ends well!

Makeup Tips: Mascara Trials, Errors and Successes

I must admit that I never thought I would ever be dispensing any advice on makeup! I often get asked by my friends about all things related to having kids – pregnancy, potty-training, discipline, diet… And of course I’m sought out often for style tips. But makeup?

Up until just a couple of months ago (just after the IN STYLE Palo Alto fashion show when my mother “suggested” that I learn to apply makeup the way the professionals did it that day – see my previous post) my entire makeup regimen consisted of face powder, lip gloss and sometimes lip liner. That was the extent of my knowledge on makeup.

Sure I experimented with a little too much black eyeliner (as was the trend back then) in my early 20’s. But not only was it soooooo NOT a good look for me, the older I got, the lazier I got when it came to playing with makeup. And of course having kids was the end of all makeup experimentation altogether… until my mother reminded me that I’m not improving with age! ;-)

Spurred by my mother’s “encouragement”, I rediscovered the fun that is Sephora! They really are fabulous! Pretty much everything is available for you to try and play with. They have a fantastic customer service policy (I’ll never buy makeup from Saks, Neiman’s or Macy’s again unless it’s absolutely not available at either Nordstrom or Sephora) and the best part is, they actually train their sales associates! Every time I walk into a Sephora, someone super friendly and super knowledgeable offers their assistance. And if I ask a question that stumps them, they’re always happy to find someone else for me who might have a more educated answer. For whatever reason, I decided that I wanted to start with my eyes. Doing up my eyes has always been a weakness of mine. I simply don’t know how. Plus I have a pair of small, very Asian eyes that even most makeup artists have a tough time with. I have absolutely no eyelashes… well, they’re there, kind of… they’re just super short and super sparse that you can’t see them at all without a magnifying glass. So I decided that a great entry point for my new found makeup discovery phase would be… drum roll please… mascara!

I had caught a portion of a segment on the TODAY Show on mascaras a while back where they were recommending a Japanese mascara called Fiberwig by Imju. It has these tiny little fibers mixed into the mascara (I’ve also heard them referred to or called “tubes”) that will actually adhere to your lashes and extend them. Supposedly, the more you apply, the longer your lashes look. Well I loved it! It really did make my lashes look longer and even did a decent job holding a curl. Although I discovered that the more I applied, the clumpier my lashes got and that it really did take quite a bit of skill and practice to actually, gently make the lashes get longer and longer. The best part was, absolutely no smudging – not even on my ridiculously oily eyelids and the area just under my bottom eyelashes. I remembered from my previous and very short-lived makeup experimentation phase in my early 20s that I was never able to find a mascara that did not smudge under my bottom eyelashes after a couple of hours and always ended the evening looking like a raccoon. Thrilled with my new smudge-proof mascara discovery, I applied it every chance I got (i.e. whenever I had a few extra minutes without my kids climbing all over me before we had to leave the house)… until one day, I found myself having one of those heart-felt, tear jerker conversations with a good friend. Suddenly, not only did I find myself with severe raccoon eyes, but I also had clumps of black fibers running down my face! Not a good thing! As much as I loved this mascara, I learned that I needed to find something waterproof – and Fiberwig is unfortunately so very, very not waterproof.

As luck would have it, I managed to catch another makeup segment on the TODAY Show. This time, they recommended the DiorShow mascara… which is available in waterproof! Back to Sephora I went, marched myself straight to their Dior section and bought myself the highly rated DiorShow mascara in the waterproof version. I LOVED it! It really did volumize even my skimpy lashes and it did a decent job lengthening as well. My favorite part was how it curled and kept the curl up all day and all night. It was amazing how it opened up my tiny, very Asian looking eyes. Then, a couple of hours later, the smudging began. I was walking around with raccoon eyes again!

Not to be discouraged, I marched myself back to Sephora again and again in search of the ultimate mascara that would curl, volumize and lengthen even the skimpiest of lashes, my lashes AND would not smudge on even the oiliest of skin types, my skin. It’s a tall order, I know, but I was determined to find the ultimate mascara! I consulted with a Sephora makeup professional each time, and each time, followed their recommendations and found myself trying: Chanel’s Inimitable mascara (great at separating lashes, not bad at lengthening and being smudge resistant but just didn’t volumize and curl quite as well as DiorShow Waterproof and is not waterproof), BADgal Lash Mascara by Benefit (wax based, not waterproof but definitely tear resistant, which is all I really need, but not as great at curling and not completely smudge proof), DiorShow Iconic Waterproof mascara (still smudges, although not quite as much, but doesn’t curl or volumize nearly as well as the original DiorShow Waterproof), Lash DNA by Smashbox which is not available in waterproof but is supposed to be smudge proof so I tried it anyway because I was fascinated with the spiral brush (not too bad at being smudge resistant but couldn’t really curl at all and of course, is not waterproof). Finally, MAKE UP FOR EVER came out with a waterproof version of their Smoky Lash mascara which had already been highly recommended to me by a Sephora makeup professional but I didn’t try it because it wasn’t waterproof at the time. I like it. It does a decent job volumizing and lengthening and is totally smudge proof and waterproof. In fact, it’s so waterproof that you definitely need to get yourself a good eye makeup remover to use with it. (I recommend Lancome’s Bi-Facil or, for those of you with kids and no time like me and need a quick, all-in-one solution, I highly recommend Clean & Clear’s new oil free “Makeup Dissolving Foaming Cleanser”. Not quite as quick and effective as Bi-Facil but not bad, especially for the $4.99ish price and easy, one-step all inclusive process.) However, it still did not curl as well as the DiorShow Waterproof and could not hold the curl for very long either. So what’s a girl to do? Exhausted with my mascara experimentation, I’m now using MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Smoky Lash Waterproof mascara on my lower lashes as it volumizes and is completely smudge proof and waterproof, and the original DiorShow Waterproof mascara on my top lashes as it really is second to none when it comes to the combination of being able to curl, volumize, lengthen and last for hours and hours and hours. On very special occasions, when I actually have extra time to get ready, I’ll also use Imju’s Fiberwig mascara on top of both the DiorShow Waterproof on my top lashes and the Smoky Lash Waterproof on my bottom lashes for extra length.

I can’t handle anymore mascara experimentation! I’m sure one day somebody will invent the truly perfect and ultimate mascara for us all. But for now at least, I am very happy to have finally found the perfect combination of mascaras for me.

Natalie Morales in Far East Living

Fresh off of my emotional high from dressing Julie Haener for the 3^rd year in a row, I was lucky enough to be invited to by Natalie Morales, TODAY Show Co-Host and National Correspondent for NBC, to come show her some samples! I got in touch with Natalie last May when I was trying to pitch the TODAY Show to have their anchors wear Far East Living items during the Olympics in China. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a single reply from their producers but I did manage build a nice relationship with Natalie Morales, who was pregnant at the time. I had sent her some pictures. She expressed that she loves the Asian/fusion look. And now I get to go meet her in person while visiting my girlfriend who is now pregnant with her second child!

Too bad my girlfriend Chris was not able to come too as I wasn’t able to get any shots of my fitting with Natalie. I did however manage to get a short, behind-the-scenes video of me waiting in the green room at the TODAY Show alongside Suze Orman and Michelle Borba!

Suze Orman, whom I’m a great admirer of to begin with, was very complimentary of my collection and said that she will plan on stopping by next time she’s on the West Coast. Natalie did end up picking up a few items including our classic Cashmere Mandarin Coat with handmade spiral accent Chinese frog closures, our Tweed Coat embellished with an ornate, oversized frog closure that was first braided using matching yarn and then applied by hand, and our very popular Silk Mandarin Jacket in a plum cherry blossom brocade featuring an exaggerated Mandarin collar and shoulderless sleeve styling dating back to the Ming Dynasty.

Natalie is seriously even more gorgeous in person than on TV and so incredibly nice! I’m just beside myself with excitement in knowing that she’ll be walking around Manhattan in Far East Living!

Behind-the-Scenes with KTVU FOX 2's Julie Haener

Today I was lucky enough to have my girlfriend Chris Sommers, who just so happens to be a super talented photographer, accompany me to my fitting with Julie Haener, the primetime news anchor on KTVU FOX 2. Julie is also the co-host for the annual Chinese New Year Parade Broadcast in San Francisco along with Ben Fong-Torres. This is our 3^rd year dressing Julie for the parade broadcast. Last year, she wore Far East Living’s Cashmere Belted Kimono Cape. The year before, she wore our Dragonfly Embroidered Trench. This year, we incorporated some of her suggestions and custom tailored a jacket which we’re now calling the “Julie” jacket, naming it after her. Check out the behind-the-scenes shots from the fitting in the green room at the Fox Studios in Oakland in our photo gallery at www.fareastliving.com/gallery.

What Is This Crap?

Today a very honest Chinese woman who was discovering Far East Living for the first time walked in and asked if we carried items from a particular Asian designer who, although I’ve never personally heard of, apparently is quite popular throughout Taiwan and China. She grew up in China, absolutely loves this designer, and expressed how much she wishes she can purchase this designer’s items here in the U.S. without having to take a long flight back home. She then proceeded to share how she would NEVER wear any of the types of items that we currently carry and how she wishes we would carry lines that are less traditional and more fusion in inspiration.

That comment baffled me as everything I do is a fusion of my eastern heritage and my western upbringing. Nevertheless, her comments intrigued me. I appreciated her candor and it was clear that she was not at all trying to be rude or offensive, she simply wanted to share her opinion and give us guidance on what she felt we should do if we wanted to win her business. She continued to express her displeasure in what she saw and stated that everything appears so ordinary, too traditionally Chinese, and completely lacks distinction. I didn’t bat an eyelash at any of her comments and remained very interested in hearing what she had to say (again, because it was clear that her intentions were not to be offensive, she was simply being candid) so she continued to, well…... basically rip me to shreds!

It wasn’t until she expressed that she wishes we would carry items made out of silk instead of polyester that I felt compelled to correct her. We in fact only use the finest silks. Our woolens are mostly cashmere and our embroidery is all done by hand with very fine silk thread. We do not currently have the ability to create and offer original prints but we do have some wonderful hand painted Qi Paos/Cheongsams (traditional Chinese dresses) and in addition to our custom tailoring service, we also offer a high level of customization especially with our hand embroidered and hand painted offerings. I certainly didn’t hold that comment against her either. After all, who among us can say that they’re a textile expert? I’m always appreciative of everyone’s unique, individual perspective and sense of style but I did feel the need to correct factual inaccuracies.

Surprised by my correction of her inaccurate assumption of the quality of the materials that were used, she asked, “How long have you been around?” “Almost four years,” I said. “That’s surprising!” she replied. To which I couldn’t help but to ask her if she plans on watching the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco next month as we’ll be dressing Julie Haener, the host and Emmy-Award-Winning news anchor, again for the 3^rd year in a row. She was again surprised by this fact so I couldn’t resist pointing out a few of our other notable clients. Finally, she asked, “Which lines DO you carry?” “We currently only carry our own original collection,” I replied. “Well who designs it?” she asked. When I confessed that I am the designer, she became both visibly and verbally apologetic and then proceeded to attempt to find items that she could pay a compliment to. Funny enough, I found the first half of our conversation, the part where she ripped me to shreds, much more enjoyable. Could it be that I’m just a very self-deprecating type of person that actually enjoys verbal punishment? Or, maybe it was because the compliments that she struggled to fish out were very disingenuous, although an earnest attempt to apologize for her candid comments earlier in our conversation. I however, very much appreciated her honesty and in the end, couldn’t stop laughing about it with my sales associate Patty.

I did look up the phenomenally talented designer that she was referring to at the beginning of our conversation which helped me to understand why, contrary to the reaction of most who see my collection, she felt that my work was too “traditionally Chinese”. Although the designer that she likes is Chinese, her work includes almost no Chinese or Asian influences at all. Though I too am now a huge fan of this designer, I don’t plan on changing my design direction anytime soon. After all, my business is based here in the U.S., not in China, and including hints of my Asian heritage in my work is what sets me apart from the thousands of talented designers here. Just because one person who grew up in China is tired of seeing Asian cultural influences, doesn't mean that the rest of the world doesn't desire to see and to learn more about the Asian culture that this one person is trying to get away from.

A Woman's Place Is At Home With Her Children?

On this blessed day during which we commemorate the birth of Christ, my mother decided to tell me that she feels my place is at home with my children and that I should close up my boutique, quit working and stay home caring for my kids. This is very significant as my mother has worked very hard her entire life and is the very last person that I would ever expect to dispense advice encouraging me not to earn money! She went into great detail on what a critical age my son is at and how important it is to have his mother right now and how I’ve been burdening the entire family with my absence. All of which I whole-heartedly agree with but there’s just one small piece of the puzzle that she seems to have forgotten, how are we going to pay all the bills? She responded that I should just ask their dad for greater financial contributions towards our living expenses. Funny………..! Apparently it never occurred to her that if the option was actually available to me, I would not be working at all during this period in my children’s lives.

Yes, Merry Christmas to you too Mom! ;-)

Far East Living's Fashion Show at Cal Asia's 14th Annual Asia Night 2008

My web developer’s girlfriend passed along this opportunity to produce a fashion show for Cal Asia’s 14^th Annual Asia Night at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. I got the call while attending fashion week in Los Angeles and was already feeling incredibly inspired by the awesome shows that I had been attending. It sounded like so much fun! However, by the time she contacted me about it, I only had 3 weeks left to prepare. ZOINKS! Fortunately, Cal Asia was able to help me recruit quite a few models and I was able to rework one of my previous shows. In the end, despite the complete lack of cooperation from the AV folks at the Ritz Carlton, the show turned out wonderfully! The volunteer models recruited by Cal Asia were all AMAZING, so incredibly nice, and the perfect compliment to the volunteer models that I had the privilege of being able to include in this show as well. The hairstylists and make-up artists from Seven Salon in Oakland were so much fun and incredibly talented. I hope to be able to work with all of these folks again very soon!