Photo via CNNGo.com

Leave it to Korean cosmetic companies to be the pulse on beauty trends in Asia. The latest phenomenon: snail cream. Although this news isn’t earth-shattering—Europeans have used snail mucus in their products for years—snail cream has become ever popular in Korea and there’s a big reason why: the secret is in the slime. Korean cosmetic companies claim that snail guts contain skincare benefits, keeping skin youthful, soft, glowing, and dewy. News first spread about the benefits of snail slime in 2006 when Chilean farmers who were handling snails for the French food market touted how smooth and soft their hands were after working with snails. Since then, beauty products and face creams that contain snail extract have been selling quickly. Some Korean BB creams now also contain snail extract. Like any fad beauty product, there’s solid scientific assurance that snail cream is a heaven-sent secret to beautiful, youthful skin, but many people who have tried it find that it has helped improve the texture and appearance of their skin. What are your thoughts on snail cream? Have you tried any?

Bossa Nova earrings, taken by Malia Griggs

I have collected a lot of jewelry over the years—mostly from antique stores, friends and family. Some of it is pretty tacky (because who really needs a sparkly, silver flip-flop charm dangling from her neck?? Thanks, middle school), and lately, I have just wanted to donate most of it and start anew. I want a chance to figure out what my style is.

Enter JewelMint, a new jewelry line that is the brainchild of actress Kate Bosworth and her stylist Cher Coulter. Here’s how the process works: Visit JewelMint.com and take a Style Quiz, which asks you to describe your personal style and to pick celeb styles you like best. Then, like a dating website, JewelMint matches you with jewelry it deems most compatible with your quiz results. The jewelry, which is designed by Bosworth and Coulter, is added to your showroom. If you sign up for a JewelMint membership for $29.99 per month, you’ll receive a new item every month that works with your wardrobe.

It’s a fresh and interesting take on acquiring jewelry, and it all happens online with free shipping (score!). I took the style quiz—I said my fashion personality was “trendy” and “sophisticated” and that I liked to read Nylon, Elle and Vogue magazines. The site matched me with a variety of colorful bangles and a bright dahlia blossom ring. JewelMint was gracious enough to send me a couple pieces of choice for review, so I chose the Scarab ring and Bossa Nova hoop earrings. I was a big fan of the ring; it’s funky and looks retro with its ancient Egyptian flair (which appeals to the anthropology major in me). The hoops were a nice, medium size and threaded with shiny dark blue, yellow and turquoise. The pieces were well-made and fashionable without being overly flashy.

I was super happy with these new additions to my jewelry box, and although I’m not ready to become a full-time member just yet (read: poor postgrad), I recommend purchasing pieces for yourself and friends if you’ve got the cash! Because an outfit is just an outfit until you spice it up with a piece of jewelry that’s special—and that really meshes with your style.

Scarab ring, taken by Malia Griggs

Photo via IMDb.com

I read this article today about a Laguna Beach doctor who is close to finalizing a laser surgery that could permanently change brown eye color to blue. The laser is tuned to remove pigment from the surface of the iris, which reveals blue underneath.

I’m already a little freaked out by a lot of eye-related trends—surgery to give you eyelids, pupil-enlarging contacts and colored contacts, to name a few. One of the things that bugged me the most about “Memoirs of a Geisha” was the geisha’s blue eyes. What?? How many blue-eyed Japanese women do you see walking around? I know an Indian girl who wears blue contacts, and while it is a striking look for her, it’s clearly not a part of who she is. What’s so wrong with brown eyes, anyway? To me, the most beautiful aspect of people is their eyes. They’re seductive and come in a range of colors and shades (and, yes, I sound like I’m talking about nail polish), but it saddens me to see so many girls mess around with a physical feature that’s more than perfectly good.

I’m bombarded with so much media that emphasizes the blonde, blue-eyed Caucasian ideal, and as an Asian, it can sometimes be a struggle to look in the mirror and see beauty in what’s mine, especially if what’s mine is generally overlooked as being blah or “bad.” Here’s food for thought: What hair and eye color do movie villains/bitches almost always have? Right. What worries me is that this new laser surgery takes “optical cosmetic alteration” (a term I just coined) a step further than contacts trends by adding in the factor of permanency. It’s a commitment that, unlike a tattoo, you can’t easily remove or hide.

As a disclaimer, I’m taking five cultural anthropology classes this semester, so it’s possible I’m just on my everything-is-culturally-insensitive soapbox. Still, I can only hope this doesn’t turn into the cool, costly thing for Asian girls to do. What are your thoughts?

Photo via AllLacqueredUp.com

There might not be a better nail invention ever created than Sally Hansen’s Salon Effects – Real Nail Polish Strips. The product has been creating a big buzz on the beauty blogs and there’s a good reason why. These nail strips are not only faster to apply and dry quicker than regular nail polish, but they take out the work in nail design and make wearing prints on your nails easy and fun. And speaking of nail trends, animal prints aren’t just for your handbags, fur coats, shoes, and clothing. Now you can wear your favorite leopard, zebra, or cheetah print on your nails. It’s sophisticated, chic, and edgy at the same time. What a glorious thing, right?

For the best results, cut, shape, and clean your nails before applying the nail strips. Remove any existing nail polish on your nails to ensure that the strips stick and last. Choose a strip that best fits your nail shape and size and remove the adhesive tape. Using the wooden stick that comes in the package, pin down the tape onto your nail and press down. Then, sculpt your nails using a nail file and remove the excess. For a more detailed step-by-step tutorial, watch this how-to video.

Photo via harveyprince.com

Life-altering moments are usually found in the big experiences, like finally getting that career break or falling in love with The One. But Shaan Hathiramani, founder of Harvey Prince, thinks that something as small as the little molecules that our noses pick up as scents can in fact change our lives.

Tapping into the growing field linking smell to memories and emotion, his up-and-coming company—already making splashes in the likes of Vogue, The Early Show, and The New York Times—has been rolling out nine “scents with a purpose.” Empowering women and changing their lives might be tall orders for a fragrance, but Shaan argues, “Smell is one of our most ancient and powerful senses. You can smell something and be overcome with some memory or feeling.”

It all began when Shaan and his brother wanted to create a custom fragrance that captured their mom’s effortless beauty and ageless aura as a Mother’s Day present. The brothers found their inspiration in the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, whose studies showed that pink grapefruit and mango mask the scent of fatty acids breaking down with age. Not long after Shaan and his brother circulated their product on the Internet to share with friends and family, blogs began to pick up on the fruity, floral perfume—and so an entire scientifically inspired lifestyle brand was born.

While this first perfume might have been made for a mother in mind, it’s less about one’s age and more about the spirit of youth. Shaan laughs about emails telling tales of teenage perfume swipers in the house: “Ageless is beloved by moms and borrowed by daughters everywhere.”

Over here at Mochi, we love that every fragrance revolves around such a state of mind, with a very real story behind it. Shaan says of a new Yogini scent in the works: “There’s a post-yoga glow that stays with you through the day. We were inspired by that moment and wanted to provide that to anyone who wanted to access it—the scent is grounding and soothing.” On the flip side, the upcoming Hello scent is meant to add a fresh jolt to a long afternoon at the office or late night at the library. “Use this instead of reaching for a 5-Hour Energy Drink,” he suggests.

Sure, this all sounds a little fantastical. How much can a perfume actually do?  Yet women who haven’t gone out in months credit a renewed confidence for dipping their toes back into the dating pool to Ageless. Someone even reports dabbing on the perfume one day and being greeted at the crack of dawn by the husband who hand’t uttered a good morning for years.

Shaan presents a logical argument behind their mission: “The modern woman has lots of demanding moments and moods in her day that require different reactions and personalities. A scent can add this little spark into your day.” In other words, the right perfume could draw out the right emotions to help us tackle different situations. While it might not tell you what to say in an interview or what to do on a date, it can boost your confidence or help you stay calm.

And believe it or not, these scents do seem to evoke the same energy in the majority of their sniffers. “Surprisingly what people tend to consider youthful scents will be in a similar category of smells—more floral scents—as opposed to sharper, peppermint smells,” Shaan says of Harvey Prince’s survey findings. “Everyone has their own experience and memories to draw on and will tell a different story around the scent, but the reaction will generally be the same.”

At the end of the day, whether perfumes can really change our lives, we’re loving this young company’s positive, individualized approach to fragrance. Anyone can relate to one of Harry Prince’s many perfume personalities, and no one will argue with paraben-free, hypoallergenic products. Like Shaan says, “You don’t have to be in your 30s to have a quality perfume—and you don’t have to buy the Justin Bieber perfume either.”

Photo via Asos.com

I love autumn weather, especially when the crisp air and early sunsets signal change afoot. In many ways, the fall season is like the start of a new year, arming us with a different set of color schemes, clothing, and trends. A timeless look that never goes out of style is red lips. Throughout the summer, we’ve seen coral and orange lips, but as we transition to autumn, we’re still all about the deep and rich bordeaux reds. The makeup powerhouse NARS makes great lipsticks that have a moist, satiny feel. Their lip colors Afghan Red and Shanghai Express are excellent ways to rock red lips this season.

If you’re looking for a grunge-y look, go for red lipsticks with a brownish undertone or dark purple lipsticks. Earlier this year, we saw MAC release a set of bold and bright lipsticks that included lilac purple hues. You can still wear these concert-worthy looks in the fall with dark purple lips, like Yves Saint Laurent’s Rouge Pur Couture in Noir Laque (blackberry plum) and Dior’s Rouge Lipcolor in Hypnotic Red (deep eggplant).

But bold lips aren’t for everyone. If you’re wearing a dramatic eye look, you’ll want to tone things done with your lips. Nude lips also pair well with a natural look and go well with a number of skin tones. Try Lancome’s L’Absolu Rouge in Couture Suede or MAC’s Viva Glam “Gaga” Lipstick.

What fall lip trends are you seeing this season?

Jen Brill via Style.com

Who says smart girls can’t also be sexy? Ever since Tina Fey made wearing glasses a fashion trend, everybody—whether they need them or not—wants to rock the four-eyed look. Glasses can complement your outfit and make you look more sophisticated, polished, and elegant. Here are some ways you can help highlight some of your best features wearing glasses:

Strong, well-groomed brows balance out a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and frame your face. Be sure to maintain the shape of your brows by threading, waxing, or tweezing them routinely. You don’t want to overdo the plucking, so only remove stray hairs and groom them according to the natural shape of your brow bone. Go for an angled arch and try to stay away from round arches.

Conceal your dark circles with a pale concealer as wearing glasses tends to casts a shadow under your eyes. After you apply concealer, put on your glasses to make sure that your eyes look bright and refreshed.

Create depth in your eyes, using a black eyeliner to tightline your upper lashline and create a subtle cat eye. Tightlining also makes your lashes look fuller than they really are. If you don’t want the eyeliner to look harsh, you can use a brown eyeliner to soften it up. When it comes to eye shadows, try gold and bronze colors for a more neutral look. And for a bolder, more dramatic look, create a light smoky eye using navy blues and grays.

Get full, dramatic lashes by curling your lashes and applying black mascara. Apply mascara from the roots of your lashes and motion the lash wand upwards. If you prefer fuller lashes, you can apply false eyelashes.

Go bold with your lips. Complete your look with a bright red, orange, or pink lip. Don’t be afraid to also experiment with fall’s darker colors, like a deep purple or burgundy red. Be sure to apply lip balm before putting on lipstick to help keep your lips moisturized and use a lip liner to prevent the color from bleeding.

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Photo via Style.com

As September Fashion Week quickly approaches, we keep getting news of fashion designers breaking out into the world of beauty. Charlotte Ronson recently launched her own makeup line at Sephora. Now, Alexander Wang takes a dip into beauty by monopolizing the best fashion accessory ever: nails. Like fashion designers Prabal Gurung and Tracy Reese, Wang will be collaborating with Sally Hansen to produce his own nail color collection. The colors will debut in his spring show, which is less than two weeks away. We can only imagine how’s Wang’s sharp-edged chic aesthetic will shine through in his nail lacquer collection. Perhaps navy blue nails paired with a loose-fitting, oversized gray sweater, tight glitter jeggings, and a pair of platforms? Wang is sure to re-define his concept of “cool” in his Spring Collection, and the nails will be just as representative of his cool understated boho glamour.

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Photo via Chanel.com

Finding the perfect foundation for your skin is like searching for the Holy Grail of beauty products. And in true religion, all foundations cater to specific skin tones, skin types, consistency, texture, and smell among other qualities. But at the end of the day, foundation should look natural, be weightless, and offer the coverage you need. This week, I visited the various makeup counters at Bloomingdale’s SoHo to find a lightweight foundation. From Dior’s DiorSkin AirFlash Foundation Spray to YSL’s Teint Resist, I was in absolute beauty luxury heaven. I have always been a fan of my Missha BB cream, but beauty bloggers have been raving about Chanel’s Vitalumiere Aqua liquid foundation, and—let me tell you—this foundation does live up to its hype.

I asked the woman at the Chanel makeup counter to help me find a match for my skin, and she gave me a sample to take home and test. Within two days of using this product, I was immediately hooked and a converted Chanelophile. The water-based formula was like a “second skin”; it blended seamlessly into my skin yet provided the medium coverage I needed. Applying just two small drops of Vitalumiere Aqua will instantly make you look refreshed. It also gives you a natural glow and radiance so it doesn’t look like you’re wearing any makeup. Vitalumiere Aqua comes in two sets of foundations: one for warm, yellow undertones and another for cool, rosy undertones. Asian skin tones will find a great variety of shades in the Vitalumiere Aqua line. The most popular shades for Asian skin tones are B30 (Beige Sable) if you’re on the fair side; B40 (Beige Desert) if you’re slightly tanned and have a yellow undertone; and B50 (Beige Sienne) if you have a more olive undertone. Even though I do have a warm, yellow undertone, I was matched with BR 50 (Rose Sienne) because I liked the rosy, coral contrast. For more information about Chanel’s Vitalumiere Aqua, visit http://www.chanel.com or head to your nearest Macy’s, Nordstrom, or Bloomingdale’s Chanel makeup counter.

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Photo via AnnHe.com

Earlier this summer, I sat in on a Seventeen magazine event where their five Pretty Amazing real girl cover finalists spoke about their respective passions (race car driving, documentary film-making, fashion design, etc.). One of the girls, Ann He, is a 16-year-old fashion photographer based in Dallas, TX. She’s done awesome things like shooting for Elle Girl Korea and Nike. I was impressed with her poise (and the poise of all the girls), but I was really impressed with her photos. You should check out her website; her work is dreamy with a watercolor feel to it. Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie would eat it up. Her success is craziness for a girl her age, but hey, why not?

Photo via AnnHe.com

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