Liz Semperio met her Mexican husband Jose in the US. They moved to Beijing two years ago for his work with diesel engine manufacturer Cummins. Semperio is a mom of three: Cecilia (age 3), and twins Isabelle and Jose Luis (15 months). Being a stay-at-home parent of twins has been challenging, and Semperio is thankful to have a great ayi. An active participant in the Bumps 2 Babes parent and child networking group, Semperio participates in their Wednesday Chaoyang meetings, and finds the group invaluable for meeting other moms and getting settled in Beijing.
Xiaomi Salon Creative Director Emma Du examines Semperio’s thick, wavy, medium-coarse, shoulder-length hair and decides it’s time to lighten up and try a bob. Semperio is eager to experiment with shorter length for manageability, but fears that too severe a cut can look harsh. Freelance Makeup Artist Melilim Fu has planned a soft, glamorous palette designed with a natural and elegant look in mind. She is impressed by Semperio’s even, blemish-free skin. “I didn’t know I had great skin before today,” Semperio says.
Post-transformation, Semperio is wowed. “My eyes look completely different,” she says. Although she likes her hair color and cut for the shoot, she doubts she will style her hair as bouffant as this for everyday wear. As a parting gift, Salon Manager Vivian Sun offers Semperio a free follow-up Kerastase conditioning treatment.
Makeup List
• Chanel Hydramax+ Active Moisture Mask
• RMK Liquid Foundation
• Becca Blotting Powder Perfector translucent powder
• Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Dark Spice
• Giorgio Armani Blushing Fabric in Scarlatto
• Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat
• Lancôme Hypnôse Star Mascara
• Kanebo Liquid Media brow liner
• Koji Dolly Wink brow pencil in brown
• Kiss Me brow gel in neutral
• Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in black
• Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Esprit
Get the Look:
1.Du lightens Semperio’s all-over base color to a dark golden blonde and mingles it with golden blonde highlights.
2.Fu is booked for another appointment, so we use an unorthodox running order: color, makeup, then cut. Fu smoothes moisturizer over the skin before brushing liquid foundation all over and following with a dusting of translucent powder. She finishes the skin with red cream blush to the cheekbones and highlighter under each eye. She applies warm taupe on the eye lids, and a warm medium brown to rim the lashes. After brushing on mascara, she uses an eyelash curling wand to open up Semperio’s eyes. Three products are used on the brows: a felt tip brow liner to outline, pencil to fill, and brow gel to finish. Finally, Fu lines the upper lashes with liquid eyeliner and daubs on a red lipstick.
3.Semperio’s hair is rinsed, and her wet hair is smeared with leave-in Kerastase conditioning serum and L’Oreal Mythic Oil. Du slices away the length, layering and feathering to reduce weight, before blow-drying with a barrel brush to produce a sleek and bouncy bob, with more than enough length remaining to make Semperio happy.
Xiaomi Salon 小米沙龙
Daily 10am-9.30pm. Shop 8-3/8-8, Left Bank, Solana Lifestyle Shopping Park, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (5905 1800) 朝阳公园南路6号蓝色港湾8-3/8-8店铺
This article originally appeared on p18-19 in the December 2014 issue of beijingkids. To view it online for free, click here. To find out how you can obtain your own copy, email distribution@truerun.com.
Photos: Sui and Joey Guo
