The best of May

Credit: Birchbox

In the beauty world, new collections and products pop up all the time. Luckily, Birchbox has got our backs. They’ve rounded up seven of the best May launches, including everything from YSL’s tie-dye top coat (so cool!) to Rihanna’s collaboration with MAC. If you don’t have the patience to search for May’s hottest collections, stick with this perfectly curated list and you won’t miss a thing.

No more scar face

Credit: Chick RX

When you were younger, maybe you picked one (or more!) pimples, only to be haunted by acne scars. Chick RX has demystified some common facial scar issues and offers advice on how to perfect your complexion for good. Of course, the best way to ensure a scar-free face is prevention. When you get a pimple (or have a scab), just wait it out and don’t pick at it. After all, isn’t it a lot better to be called Rudolph for a day than be scarred for life?

So cute for spring

Credit: Glamour

I’m loving how Frieda Pinto wore her hair at Cannes. At first glance, it’s just a gorgeous updo, but in the back, she’s got little sequined butterflies (or moths?). The little clips are a playful surprise that add to an already flawless updo. This would be a cute look to wear to a graduation or even prom. Are you inspired by Frieda Pinto’s hairdo? (via Glamour)

Summer-ready feet

Credit: Allure

In the past weeks, I’ve shared some bronzers and self-tanners that I’ve been hoarding in preparation for summer… but sandals and pedicures are one of my favorite summer essentials! BellaSugar shares tips on how to get your feet sandal-ready for the season without a budget-breaking salon pedicure. One tip? Slather your feet with oil to fill in cracks and diffuse the appearance of calluses in a pinch. These tips will keep your toes in tip-top shape throughout the season!

Olivia Wilde’s classy mani

Credit: Deborah Lippmann via Instagram

By now, you’ve probably already seen the punky looks from Monday’s Met Gala, but have you seen this close-up of Olivia Wilde’s manicure? The fresh look of white nails is perfect for sunny weather, although it can be a tricky color to pull off. Wilde, however, pulls it off perfectly. To complement the actress’s custom Calvin Klein gown, celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann gave Wilde a modern French Manicure. Recreate this elegant look at home by painting your nails in Deborah Lippmann’s Amazing Grace ($17), a gorgeous pure white, then tracing your tips oh-so-thinly in Face to Black ($17). How’s that for an easy, glam look?

Study this chemistry

Credit: Refinery29

Bookmark this gem ASAP. Refinery 29 put together a Periodic Table of Beauty Elements to help you navigate the many ingredients found in skincare products. Gorgeously illustrated by Niky Roehreke, the interactive chart details everything from vitamin C to caffeine to Retinol. Click on an element to learn more about its properties—and more importantly, what it can do for your skin. It’s super cool to see what these ingredients are doing in your skincare products. Plus, developing a better understanding can help you shop smarter. For example, if you have dry skin (like me!), look for a product rich in glycerin, vitamin E and/or glycolic acid when you buy your next moisturizer or serum.

A new favorite bronzer

Credit: Laura Mercier

While I love trying and testing new products, I love discovering new vanity staples even more. This week I’ve found a bronzer I won’t be abandoning. I’m confident I’ll be faking my summer glow with Laura Mercier’s new Matte Radiance Baked Powder ($36) all season long. Accommodating all skin tones, the five shades of the powder (which can be used as a bronzer or highlighter, depending on the shade) provide a gorgeous matte finish with a soft hint of luminosity that make the skin look flawlessly radiant. Infused with vitamin E and jojoba oil, the lightweight formula effortlessly blends into skin allowing you to control the color build-up. So perfect for faking my fresh-faced summer glow!

A bank-breaking lipstick

Credit: Serge Lutens

Would you spend $75 on a lipstick? What about if it were the only lipstick you’d ever use again? Serge Luten’s Refillable Lipstick ($75) is available in nine shades and the matte formula intensely stains the lips. Plus, the shape of the column makes the color easy to apply without a brush. Still, $75 for a lipstick (and $55 for a refill)?! That sounds exorbitant, even to me. I wouldn’t be able to use the color enough to make myself feel un-guilty about the purchase. How about you? What’s the most you’re willing to spend on a lipstick (or any beauty product for that matter?) (via The Cut)

Since then, Mitchell has learned to embrace her unique features, which has helped her character in the show who struggles with self acceptance. In Pretty Little Liars, Mitchell plays Emily Fields, a star athlete who recently came out to her friends and family. While Emily Fields may not “look” like your typical high school sweetheart, Mitchell rebuffs and says, “Who’s to say that I’m not the girl next door?”

It’s really comforting to see someone who has gained so much success in Hollywood shy away from the predominant standard of beauty and make her own mark. When fans come up to her and tell her how much they want to look like her, she tells them, “You want to look like you, because you’re unique and beautiful”. She adds, “You were made like that for a reason. It’s tough being a girl. I think we need all the support we can get.”

I hope that girls, not only those of Asian descent, will live by Shay’s words and look and feel their best self. Catch Mitchell in a new season of Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family on Tuesday, June 11.

To help raise awareness and further fundraising for the film, visit this Kickstarter page,

Unexpectedly, “A Werewolf Boy” completely blew us away. Only after watching it did I realize why it is a best-selling melodrama in South Korea. Now that the “Twilight” brand is almost always attached to anything “werewolf” and “vampire,” I’m sure people had reservations about this movie’s potential, but it is beautifully composed and scored. Many of the scenes were filmed in an organic atmosphere (e.g. in the fields during “golden hour” right before the sun sets), and is often framed so that the characters are enveloped in a warm halo of soft light. Gentle piano melodies subtly accompany scenes, which are sometimes lighthearted, somber, and of course, romantic. “A Werewolf Boy” displays a playful innocence and familial love that is sometimes lost in American films these days. Without giving away the storyline, the film is wonderfully endearing, charming, hilarious, and definitely heart-warming. It’s rare for a movie to make me both laugh and cry, and believe me, there was a symphony of sniffles throughout the theater during the last segment of the film.

The after-party took place at the Koi pond inside Fashion Island, and the sponsoring restaurants (Pick Up Stix, Ten Asian Bistro, Rude Awakeningz Catering, and Mochilato, to name a few) catered mostly Asian fare for the guests. And, of course, there was the open bar, sponsored by Stella Artois and Absolut Vodka (which was a hit). A live DJ kept the party going, in addition to performances by local student groups (including UC Irvine’s own Jodaiko drumming group, UC Irvine’s Vietnamese Student Association Lion Dance and Cal State Fullerton’s Wushu Martial Arts, and a traditional Korean choir group). Amidst the pastel parasols, white lanterns, colorful koi, and a dragon ice sculpture, the performances and décor resembled a Lunar New Year celebration.

I would like to thank Mochi Magazine and Mochi staffer Amy Lee for reaching out to UCI’s Taiwanese American Organization and extending the opportunity for us to attending the film festival and allowing me to be a guest blogger. It was definitely a grown-up experience, and now that I’ve been to one, I’m sure I’ll be attending next year’s Newport Beach Film Festival!

Guest blogger Victoria Lee is the 2012-2013 Internal Vice President of Taiwanese American Organization at UC Irvine.

Get bronzed… in the shower

Credit: Josie Maran

Achieving a lust-worthy glow is no easy feat. It’s a long process that starts with exfoliating in the shower (to avoid an uneven tan) and ends with prancing around naked to avoid color transfer. And then there’s always the danger of the dreaded oompa loompa look. Luckily, Josie Maran has our backs this summer. Last Thursday, she launched her new Argan Glow Self Tanning Body Wash ($34.98). The time-saving two-in-one body wash and self-tanner gradually creates a gorgeous, natural-looking, sun-kissed tan. With each application, the body wash promises to build and maintain color while moisturizing your skin. Sounds like a good deal to me!

Artsy eyes

Credit: MAC

Have you seen MAC’s latest collection? Entitled Art of the Eye, the colorful collection enables you to create an endless array of bold looks. The eye-centric lineup features five bright shadows (think magenta and orange), two shadow quads, two new glitters among mascaras and pencil liners. The Chromagraphic Pencil in Process Magenta ($16), a vibrant hot pink liner, is super fun for summer. If crazy colors aren’t your thing, try the warm, versatile colors in the Rimal Dahabia Palette ($40). Or tone down bright hues by layering a dark gray or black pencil over or under the magenta. Summer is all about messing around, right?

Don’t forget Mom

Credit: Bath & Body Works

Mother’s Day is this Sunday (I cannot believe how quickly this year is going by!) Have you found a Mother’s Day gift yet? If you’re still looking, check out these deals: Get 20% off Bath & Body Works with code BBWMAY13 (expiration unknown), 20% off Elizabeth Arden purchases of $80 or more with code RETAILMOM20 (expires May 12), 20% off Skinstore.com with code 4MOM (expires May 7), and, if you’re speedy enough, free shipping at Kiehl’s with code WELOVEMOM (expires May 6). Take advantage of the sales and get yourself a little treat because well, why not?

Newly obsessed with these nails

Credit: Chalkboardnails.com

I may be a little late to the party on this one, but last week, I discovered Chalkboard Nails, a website full of nail art inspiration. I love the wide array of looks, the high-quality photos, and the specificity of the brands and shades used. Click around to find new nail brands by browsing through the archives—have you heard of Different Dimension, Candeo Colors, or, my personal favorite, Big Ruby Nail Tattoos? I love finding new websites and brands, and this week (amidst my finals “studying”) I did both.

Tell me: What’s your latest newly-discovered addiction?

Nail doodling

Credit: Ciate

School may be ending soon, but this May, you can bring the blackboard to your nails! Ciate, the U.K. nail brand behind the popular Caviar Manicure, is upping the ante in do-it-at-home nail art with their “Chalkboard Manicure” kit. The set  (which includes matte black polish, four nail art pens, and a matte top coat) will retail for $25 at Sephora. The coolest part? The nail art pens rinse off with water so you can perfect your doodles before sealing them with the matte top coat. Will you sport this newest spin on nail art?

Designer makeup 

Credit: Styleite/Lancome

Since I heard that Jason Wu and Lancome were collaborating on a makeup collection back in February, I’ve been anxiously waiting for his cosmetics collection to hit shelves (unfortunately, it’s not slated to be in stores until September). But after seeing the newly released product images, I’m totally enamored by Lancome’s upcoming collaboration with Alber Elbaz, the creative director of Lanvin. The collection, which launches worldwide on June 15, will include eye shadow palettes, false lashes, and mascaras.

Korean clones? 

Credit: Jezebel

Have you seen this yet? These pictures of the 2013 Miss Korea contestants have gone viral this week. The Daily Mail attributed the contestants’ nearly identical features to plastic surgery, and cites figures released in January that say plastic surgery in South Korea is more common than anywhere else worldwide. Jezebel responded in an incredibly thought-provoking piece questioning the limited notions of beauty. Despite modern celebrations of individuality, the Miss Korea contestants show that we still have a long way to go in embracing our uniqueness. What do you think about these images? When is plastic surgery too much? (Also related: The New York Post breaks down New York’s “most wanted face.”)

The benefits of tea 

Credit: Chick RX

Last week, I shared the world’s first ever BB Tea with you… but teas do much more than illuminate your skin. If you haven’t already switched from coffee to tea (Come on, do it!) let Chick RX convince you with the amazing health properties of seven different kinds of teas. Did you know that oolong tea has an antioxidant that boosts your metabolism? And nettle tea may help relieve your hay fever symptoms? So many reasons to jump on the tea-drinking wagon!