Helen Boyle is already waiting as I walk up to the entrance of the mall where we agreed to meet. Even layered in nondescript winter gear and her face obscured by sunglasses, she still has an aura about her that makes her stand out, subtly. “Helen?” I ventured, even though I know it’s her. “Yes?” She responds to her name, and I hear the familiar voice I recall from our phone conversation, where I had to assure her that we were not going to spend too much time and effort to transform her into someone she isn’t through this “makeover”.

Before the Makeover

You see, Boyle is not someone who makes time for the pursuits of outer beauty and material things. At least, not for herself. As the founder of the Migrant Children Foundation (MCF), she has worked tirelessly for over a decade as a champion of children on the fringes of society. According to those who know her, she routinely puts the needs of others before her own. This explains why her last facial was over 8 years ago. She also has not been to a hair salon for a hair cut in the last few months, opting instead to cut her own hair at home!

It is her selflessness that inspired jingkids to invite Boyle to indulge a little and spend this morning getting a facial and hair cut at Mobe. Mobe is a huge hairdressing and beauty services brand in Beijing and China, mostly catering to the local Chinese crowd. But to both Boyle and myself, a facial is a facial and no further explanation is needed. Plus, having lived in China since 2008 and continuing to take Mandarin lessons, Boyle is no stranger to the local ways and culture. She surprises the team at Mobe when she replies to their questions in their mother tongue.

Mobe has many outlets throughout the capital, but the one that I have a connection to is inside Carrefour at Shuangjing, close to Hopson One. The manager of the store, 阿其，Master Aqi, is so dedicated to his customers that he has even come to work on his days off, just to suit my ever-changing schedule. His staff share his devotion to service, and many of them know me by name, even if they have never actually provided me with their service. I started at this salon with a cut and color about a year ago, and since then, not a month goes by without my paying a visit, either for a scalp treatment (which are a staple for me, especially in winter), hair cut, or a facial.

The facial service at this Mobe outlet is fairly new, only starting in June last year. They have dedicated VIP rooms for both individuals and couples, separate from the hair cutting section of the store. In here, the lighting is dim, and the room decorated with lush feathers and warm colors. The atmosphere invites you to relax while the therapist works her magic. The facial therapists incorporate TCM practices like jade rollers and lymphatic massage techniques into the facial routine, which work to improve skin from inside out. At the same time, the store is in sync with modern technology and have a robot assistant that analyses your skin, that is equipped with various tools to tackle different skin issues.

Boyle started with the facial, which gave her time to just lie still and do nothing. This in itself was a luxury for her. Too often these days, we forget the power of doing nothing. Or as parents and caregivers, we forget the power of doing something for ourselves. If you truly let go and sink into it, the hour of me-time can really transform your mental and emotional state. Now add in the cleansing of blackheads, a face massage, and perfume-free products that are light and easy on the skin, and you’ve got a physical transformation too.

After the facial treatment, Boyle went on to get a haircut from none other than the Master himself. Master Aqi had specially rushed back from the opening of yet another new Mobe outlet to ensure that his own hands would be the ones wielding the scissors to trim Boyle’s silver locks. Being a woman of no frills, Boyle had been insistent on a simple wash and cut. But even this basic request could be carried out with utmost consideration and care, which Boyle said Master Aqi showed. “He was easygoing and didn’t try to force his opinions on me, which some hair stylists do!” Quipped Boyle.

Boyle seemed much more carefree after the facial and hair cut, even if she didn’t look much different. Her step was lighter, and she smiled more readily for the camera. When asked if she would now do regular facials or return to the salon for hair cuts, she said agreeably, “I’m definitely going to put in more effort to have some Me time.”

Images: Uni You

This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 November-December issue

Our names are Emily Hellqvist and Kathy Shi, and we underwent a hair makeover in the name of journalism. While both of us have never really been to the hair salon for anything other than simple cuts, we didn’t quite know what to expect on the big day. We both went in with an idealistic view of what could come out of it but were soon faced with reality. Things never go according to plan, even if the styles that we wanted were completely different.

Emily’s Experience:

The only times I’ve ever been to the hair salon were to trim or cut my hair – never for anything else. I had always been discouraged from dyeing or curling my hair as my mom is fond of saying that, “Doing anything unnatural to your hair damages it.” Call it the prime teenage rebellious era, but when the opportunity arose for me to do whatever I wanted with my hair, I hopped on board. Hey, what excuse will work better on my tiger mom than, “It’s for work!”

I went in with reference pictures ready. Like the stylist noted, the style I wanted was very European-American, while what Kathy wanted was more Korean. I had been so nervous and excited in the week leading up to it, that when the day came, I was a little bit scared. I was right to be scared though because my emotions were about to endure a roller coaster ride.

It was my first time doing something different with my hair, so I was very new to the environment. When they pulled out the tin foil that they were going to use to bleach my hair, my internal dialogue was a mixture of confusion and horror. What were they going to do? I was like a cat seeing the outside world for the first time – I didn’t know what to feel. Then, after a lot of tin foiling and a lot of waiting, they washed my hair and I think that’s when they dyed it? I did feel some burning sensation on my scalp so that’s what I assume it was. It seemed like he had washed my hair several times but by the time he was drying my hair, I noticed something that seemed different.

The highlights that I had asked for were…not there. Instead, the bleached strands were replaced with grey locks. It wasn’t the light brown that I had asked for – unless I’ve been color blind this whole time? When I asked, the reply was a relatively simple one: “We thought this would look better on you.” At that moment, my heart did about three somersaults and wanted to jump out of my chest. Even if this altered style did look better, shouldn’t they have asked first? Maybe tell me what they were planning on doing instead of letting me find out after they had finished the job. This attitude threw me off – but maybe it’s a normal occurrence, and I was just a rookie in this whole new world.

As they dried and curled my hair, it began to take shape. The colored highlights were growing on me, but I just couldn’t quite get over the fact that they had switched the colors up without letting me know first. But, I’ve been getting compliments since so it all worked out in the end.

Kathy’s Experience:

“Unexpected” would be the perfect word to describe my experience at the hair salon during this seemingly ordinary, but entirely extraordinary Tuesday. As a girl whose long hairstyle has remained unchanged for years – until very recently, that is – going into a hair salon and asking a hairdresser to “create art” was a challenge.

So then why would I describe it as unexpected? One week before I even stepped into the salon, I was already very excited about the makeover and began looking up photos and styles to capture the “ideal me.” Initially, as a K-Pop fan, I wanted a Korean-styled girl kind of look. However, when I showed the photos to the stylist, he firmly rejected the idea and suggested that small curls would suit me better. He suggested that for a magazine shoot, we should go for something a bit more complex than what I would normally wear in daily life. So, this is what happened…

The final look was a far cry from my original plan, and I can’t say I was 100 percent satisfied with it, but this modern disco lady look was a big breakthrough from the normal me.

This was my first time having my hair styled somewhere other than the small hair salon near my home, and it left me with a good impression. I enjoyed the whole process of putting on the makeup, getting my hair done, and doing the photoshoot. It was particularly interesting to watch the transformation taking place in real time. The four hours passed very quickly, and the salon’s staff were super friendly too.

While Emily started the process of getting her hair dyed, I started with makeup. The process of putting on makeup while a photographer documented it made me feel a little like a celebrity.

The whole experience was quite enjoyable. My hairdresser was an easy-going person and very professional. I have to compliment the effort he put into turning my long and messy hair into a shorter, neater version by cutting it into several layers again and again. Unfortunately, those small curls disappeared after a single hair wash – or perhaps fortunately, since in any case, I can’t go out with the exaggerated curves in real life.

大象造型 (三里屯店)

北京市朝阳区工体北路4号院78号楼南侧首层 4 Gongti Beilu, South side of Bld 78, Chaoyang District Tel: 6592 2202

大象造型 (祥云小镇店)

北京市顺义区安泰大街3号楼南侧底商 3 Antai Dajie, Shunyi District
Tel: 8047 6166

This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 July-August issue

Before the Makeover

Time isn’t money when you’re the mom of a newborn; it’s a luxury. So it’s hard to use the few hours of childcare you have a week to make sure you take care of yourself. And for Christina Wacko, who also just returned to Beijing after being stranded until she gave birth, every minute of her day counts.

That’s why it was such a joy to offer her the chance to spruce up her roots and highlights, giving renewed life to her already pretty stunning hair. Wacko and her husband moved to Beijing in 2018 but last winter were stuck in Nepal, then the UK, keeping up on a new pregnancy in the meantime. When they missed the window to return before the baby was born, her blossoming family traveled to Canada, where her husband has citizenship, to welcome their new daughter.

But their family’s story has a happy ending – or new beginning, in this case. They returned to their home in Beijing last January as parents, ready to embrace a whole new view of their host city – and laden with the usual baby items in tow!

So here we find Wacko, six months out from her last hair treatment and looking forward to new highlights for a brighter spring than she had last year. Laurent Falcon stylist Max and his assistants took their time to get to know her hair and understand the processes it has already been through, then talking with Wacko in depth on her desires. It was determined that they needed to strip the bleached areas even lighter in order to attain the color she had previously, and everyone set to work while their subject relaxed into the chair.

A morning of self care quickly turned into lunchtime, however, and the clock started ticking down to when Wacko’s part-time ayi was due to leave. But we all know that if there’s one thing mothers learn, it’s how to meet challenges. That includes rearranging plans when a hair appointment goes longer than expected and your seven month old has to come for a visit. All parents must figure out how to integrate their child into everyday activities as needed; I myself remember how I had to cleverly time a haircut with my toddler’s nap, the stylist going snip snip snip as the child snoozed happily in a Björn with the apron as an umbrella.

And so Wacko and her beautiful child figured it out; her little one enjoyed the bright new sights of the studio and gained an early insight into the mechanisms of hair stylings. She enjoyed the many mirrors and sounds all around her, taking short breaks in between the bleaching process to nurse. As long as she was near her mom, her baby was happy, content, and comfortable.

Wacko herself got a bit nervous the longer it went on, as Laurent Falcon’s artists worked the steps in a different order than she was used to. But once her hair was rinsed, the relief of the beautiful look was evident in her face. She’d brought a stunningly long floral dress that, paired with her new bright hair and incredible brown eyes, created the look of a goddess. Add to the picture her adorable, happy child, and our subject turned into a vision, a retelling of the Madonna and child that would fit in well at any art gallery. Everyone who saw our photo shoot had to simply stop and stare at the personification of happiness, the proud look of a very happy mama and her child.

Laurent Falcon, French Style Salon

New location at Hello Mart 城市市集
2F 48 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区亮马桥路48号
www.laurent-falcon.com
135 0137 2971

KEEP READING:  Indulge: Pamper Day – When the Twins Are Away, Mama Will Play

Images: Uni You

This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 May issue

If ever there was a match made in heaven it would be beijingkids and Cindy Marie Jenkins. Jenkins stumbled upon our magazine in preparation for her family’s move to Beijing, and there started a four-year love affair. Beijingkids became her Beijing bible, using it to find out everything from current expat-related news, to scoping out the school situation for her two young sons, aged four and six! It is no surprise that after moving to Beijing about a year ago, she would eventually become a member of the beijingkids family, as the Deputy Managing Editor.

Mommy’s Day Out

Between the pressures of working as a full-time writer and editor, and managing two young kids, Jenkins has not had much time for anything close to a beauty day. After being stuck in the United States when borders closed last March, then finally returning to the country this summer, a haircut was low on her priority list. A visit to Laurent Falcon Salon, Beijing’s premier hair salon, was long overdue for this working mom.

Too Miranda Priestley

Jenkins admitted to having silver streaks in her hair from when she was in her early twenties and has never found the need to rinse them out or dye her hair. This lends a very cool punk look to the otherwise sweet and somewhat shy Jenkins. And now, silver hair is all the rage, firmly put on the fashion scene by Meryl Streep’s character Miranda Priestly in the iconic The Devil Wears Prada movie. Since then, celebrities of all ages have lined up to embrace their grey, with some like Sharon Osbourne ditching her signature auburn color for a full head of glorious grey.

A Job Half Done

The initial plan had been to take Jenkins’ stylish grey streaks and transform them into a full ice grey fantasy, but the lifting process would have proven too damaging and require far more maintenance than is convenient for this full-time working mom.  So, a compromise was reached, with the stylist deciding to even out the streaks across Jenkins’ hair, plus an updated cut to pull the look together. He started by sectioning off her hair, applying bleaching cream and foils to selected sections, before letting it sit and process for about 45 minutes, then rinsing. This was followed up with a toner to counteract the harsh brassiness of a bleaching service. As with every treatment, it is important to repair any damage caused by the bleach’s stripping properties, so an Olaplex treatment was applied to reconstruct the hair.

After this, Jenkins was now ready for the cut! The stylist started by trimming the top third of Cindy’s hair, adding layers, and transforming her growing out phase into an asymmetrical bob. This was followed by a faded undercut, enhancing the punk-rock girl-chic feel. And finally, the hair was blown out with a large round bristle brush to create volume and effortless-looking waves to complete the ensemble. This is certainly an outside the box Christmas look that is one for the books. To put the icing on the cake, Jenkins rocked a bold frosted cat-eye to ring in the festive season. Her high-impact, low maintenance hair is just what this amazing Beijing mom needed from Santa for Christmas!

Winter Haircare Tips

• Wear a silk or satin-lined hat to prevent the dry weather from robbing your hair of its moisture. Cotton and wool fabrics also suck up your hair’s moisture.

• Avoid heat styling on a regular basis and opt for air-drying your hair instead.

• Do not leave the house with wet hair to avoid freezing and breaking it. Use a microfiber towel to ensure a quick and safe drying time.

• Deep condition at least once a week. This is the time to invest in good moisture-intense deep conditioners to maintain your hair’s protein-moisture balance through the winter.

• Use an oil-based leave-in treatment like Argan oil to revitalize dry damaged tresses, and provide a protective and lubricating barrier for your hair.

Laurent Falcon,  French Style Salon

F/2, Sanlitun North Street  三里屯北街南43号楼

www.laurent-falcon.com

6409 4243

KEEP READING: Carving Out Some Family Time at Thaiwoo Ski Resort

Photos: Uni You

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 December issue

When I was growing up, my dad was cool, but never once did I think my dad was stylish. He grew up during a time when he thought that because he’s a man, he didn’t need to put effort into his looks. Thankfully those days are long gone, and now most dads have more than just a bar of soap that doubles as a shampoo and body wash. They’ve finally learned to indulge and pamper themselves.

This month’s issue is all about dads. Those strong role models that help us shape who we grow up to become deserve a bit of pampering too. Just because you’re a great dad doesn’t mean you need sport the dad-bod, or the “I don’t have time so I’ll just wear a hat” look.

And so for our November Beijing Baba issue we invited China Radio International contributor and father to a 4-year-old son, Patrick Flanary for a total style makeover.

Arriving at Tony Studio in Lido, Flanary was ready for a makeover that’s fit for a celebrity. Tony Studio is no stranger when it comes to celebrity makeovers. They’re one of China’s silver screen favorites for styling the country’s A-listers on a regular basis.

With 19 years of experience under his belt, Sam Yan from Tony Studio has been the go-to guy for men who are looking to capture (or sometimes recapture) the best of their youth. Flanary’s thick head of hair and no-fuss attitude is every stylist’s dream. Yan starts with a quick chat about Flanary’s preferences when it comes to his hair, ensuring that Flanary will be happy with the end result.

After a quick trim with special attention to specifics, Flanary was ready for the camera. Those wild, untamed morning bedhead locks got a major style makeover. Thinned out and softened, Flanary modeled the ‘after’ look.

A simple haircut can change a person’s whole image. Draped with a New and Lingwood dressing gown, Flanary looked effortlessly chic at East Beijing Hotel.

Hair
Tony Studio
2 Shangrui Lu, Building A-4,
Hairun International Apartment, Chaoyang District
5135 8055

Wardrobe
New and Lingwood dressing gown from The British House

Location
East Beijing Hotel

This article appeared in the beijingkids November 2019 Beijing baba issue

Every woman deserves to look and feel her best. We couldn’t think of any mom that’s more deserving of a day of pampering than Marcey Sparenberg. Our monthly Indulge section usually features a before and after transformation of one of Beijing’s hard working moms, but this month we went in a slightly different direction.

Sparenberg is a mom of two who recently moved to Beijing from Canada with her family. After arriving in Beijing she received news that she’s been diagnosed with cancer. With the love and support of her family by her side， Sparenberg made the decision to shave off all her hair before starting chemotherapy.

On a beautiful sunny Sunday in Beijing our team met the Sparenberg family at Tuanjiehu Park to shave off her beautiful blonde locks together as a family. We watched as her husband Bill, son Wim, and daughter Syril each took turns shaving off her long hair. At times there were glimmers of tears in her eyes, but Sparenberg stood strong and not a single drop of tear ever grazed her cheeks.

Following an emotional morning at the park we met Sparenberg at Laurent Falcon Studio in Sanlitun for a total transformational make-over. The French-inspired hair concept salon are experts when it comes to coloring and styling, but what we love the most is their dedication to their clients. We’ve worked with this salon over the years and they’ve always taken the time to create a style and fine-tune a color that fits your skin tone, style, and occupation. This time Laurent took to styling one of Sparenberg’s chic new wigs, sharing their tips and tricks for attaching a full wig without using wig clips.

Moving on to makeup. Sparenberg has perfect bone structure and is already so effort-lessly beautiful that all we wanted to do was to accent her natural beauty. We went with an autumn palette to add a subtle accent to her eyes, and brightened her look with a thin liquid eye liner lined again with black eye shadow to create a slightly smokey look. We finished off her makeup with a combination of various shades of pink lipstick for a vibrant, but not over the top, addition to her look.

With makeup done and ready, Falcon fitted Sparenberg’s newly styled wig firmly on her head. One of 2019’s top hair color trends is the “mushroom blonde”. The silvery blonde locks have been all the rage this year in the US, UK, and have even been seen on the heads of China’s fashionistas.

Dressed in a simple summer dress and fitted with her brand new mushroom blonde wig, Sparenberg looked stunning, and dare we say, Coachella-ready.

We’re honored that this Beijing supermom decided to share her story with us and we wish this her a speedy recovery!

This article appeared in the beijingkids October 2019 Best Friends Fur-ever issue

Summer is here, and this time around we decided to make our Indulge makeover a family affair with mom Irina Levyk, sons six-year-old Victor and one-year-old Makar, and husband and father Vladimir. All the way from Ukraine, the Levyks have been living and working in China for three and a half years. Homemaker Irina dotes on their boys and keeps the family the heartbeat of their lives, while Vladimir works for a foreign business here in Beijing.

Irina’s style is usually quite casual most of the time, however, she enjoys dressing up for special occasions and when hitting the town with her husband or friends. Irina tries not to follow trends, but rather allows herself to be flexible with fashion, taking what works for her while leaving what doesn’t.

Irina was extremely open to styling, hair and makeup options. A natural brunette, we decided against blonde highlights and concentrated on accentuating her natural color with woody brunette tones. We went with a medium-short and modern cut with a twist from Kyle, who has injected new spirit into Catherine de France in the half year he’s been working at the salon. Keeping her tresses layered with lots of body, Kyle shaped her face beautifully in addition to adding brown highlights to make Irina’s grey-green eyes stand out.

It’s summer so it’s time for dewy, fresh, and natural makeup. The key is to wear makeup that makes you look like you don’t have any on! Irina was given a summery fresh look, with minimal foundation, highlighter, bronzer, nude lips, and pink pastel eyeshadow that popped with banging lashes.

I’m not sure that any six-year-old looks forward to a trip to the salon, so we let Victor have free creative rein over his look. On the day, he asked stylist David for short back and sides with a styled fringe. Like his father, he has beautiful natural blondes running through his hair, so there was no need to add color. Vladimir also had a similar trim by David, and to make Victor feel more comfortable we asked him to bring along some of his favorite clothing that would go with mommy and daddy’s new look. The result was laid-back casual fun.

For a subtle summer look, we chose soft pastel colors and summery motif wrap dresses from Svetlana Cheremnykh, a chic and modern design line. Svetlana helps women dress to impress in Beijing, with an eclectic and stylish line of long jackets, dresses, high-waisted slacks, classic blouses and shirts, and accessories. The designer is a member of the Association of Designers of Russia and has been working as a fashion designer and lecturer at a Raffles Design Institute for five years. Aesthetics in addition to practicality is key for this designer, who prides herself on creating durable clothing that can reflect a woman’s individuality while also being comfortable and enjoyable to wear. We finished off the look with epic jewelry from the Gemmu Designs Game of Thrones creative line, by Veronica Ciecierska.

Keeping it a family affair was certainly the way to go for this edition of Indulge. Why not do the same and get the family down to Catherine De France for a family makeover for the summer? See below for how to get any of the looks.

Get This Look

Hair and makeup
Catherine de France Salon
East Avenue Building G/F 10 Xin Dong Lu, Chaoyang District. www.cathereindefrance.com. (8442 5120)

Jewelry
Veronica Ciecierska (WeChat ID: Veronica12040) and Gemmu Jewellery

Dress
Svetlana Cheremnykh (WeChat ID: sv_chermnykh)

This article appeared in the beijingkids May 2019 Identity issue.
Photos: Uni You

One of the more exciting parts of September’s Teen Takeover brings together a free makeover and the never-ending teenage quest for self-expression, and (not surprisingly!) creates a wild ride for everyone involved. Welcome back to Indulge, and today the spotlight is on two 11th graders reminding everyone of the fun of being a teen.

Jerome Cheung and Emma White are students at the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB). Cheung is an outgoing guy, big on fashion, and makes his own designs in his free time (check them out on Instagram @zhangjielangzuoyifu). He’s not scared to experiment with style and aesthetic, so he was a clear candidate to model this transformation. White is a chill, laid back lady who is part of the track team with Cheung. She likes to keep her hair au naturel (only here-and-there cutting her hair since she arrived in Beijing two years ago), and her long locks serve as the perfect playground for our miraculous transformation.

We headed over to Fashe Salon in Sanlitun, right by Guangcai International Mansion, to talk to Wendy Wang, the master stylist behind it all.

As with any hair transformation, it started with a thorough wash and a trim to remove any damaged hair. We had envisioned a balayage which would work with White’s lighter hair color. After trimming, Wang began to layer the hair, which is basically a beautifully-managed uneven cut with small snips to add more dimension and a twist to the final style. Wang then began to bleach the tips, wrapping them in foil for an even color. Next, she added purple dye to some parts to accentuate the brand-new blonde tips.

They pulled out a rotating ring-shaped thing straight out of a sci-fi movie (it’s actually an orbiting infrared hair dryer… fancy!) which apparently is used to heat and set the dye in place. A quick blow-dry, using a round brush to curl out the tips and some hair oil to help put flyaway hairs into position, served as the finishing touch. The end result was a pop of color style in an otherwise completely natural do.

The process for Cheung was a little different. Wang closely buzzed the sides of his hair for a fade effect. Then, they began to bleach his hair. For the dye, they wrapped Cheung’s hair in foil sheets for a while before rinsing, and repeating – Cheung’s hair was so dark that they had to do it twice to prepare it for dyeing, and after that, he had a bright blonde color which would be covered up with the dye. The final color was navy blue. She applied some dye to the tips of his hair and wrapped it again with foil. They again used the orbiting infrared hair dryer to work magic on his hair. It seemed a bit too dark to notice at first but with a blowout, brush, and a little bit of styling cream, they gave him a grunge look with an edgy Asian feel.

Cheung and White were shocked at their results. Of course, it was a drastic change to what they were used to. A change of wardrobe also changed the mood, and we began to take pictures. A lot of pictures. We included some candid shots, some fierce shots, some playful ones as well. I, the editor, almost felt bad that I didn’t volunteer because of how cool it turned out! The final verdict: they killed it.

Fashe Salon
Daily 10am-10pm. Guangcai International Mansion 18-3, Gongti Nanlu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝阳区工体西路18-3号 (8530 6505)

Photos: Uni You
This article appeared on p12-13 of the beijingkids September 2018 Teen Takeover issue

Summer is the leaving season in Beijing, with many people packing up all the stuff that they’ve accumulated after years of taking up residence. This Indulge will be a bittersweet one as Pamela McManus is getting ready to make her big move with her husband and three kids to Dubai this summer. McManus has been in Beijing for ten years so she will be leaving many friends and memories behind.

McManus is an easygoing gal who had never gotten her hair colored. She usually puts it up and is ready to go. But her hair is plentiful and so long that Kenny Toh Jinshui (the new creative director of Blow + Bar in Shunyi) was dying to get his hands on it.

Kenny just arrived in Beijing after moving from Singapore where he was already working with Blow + Bar. He had some great advice and tips for McManus on her locks, and we walked away with more knowledge about hairdressing than we knew what to do with. We were keen to make a good impression on him, as this definitely won’t be the last time we make use of his hair-raising skills.

Kenny decided on an ever so popular and in-demand balayage look for her untamed locks. After this, he continued to color her hair and cut it into layers to frame it with her face. The beautiful look we had pictured was finally starting to come together!

McManus is not a big makeup girl, but this was a special occasion, so we gave her an over-the-top glam look to match her new hairdo. By over-the-top, we went as far as giving her fake lashes and candy apple colored red lips. She pulled this look off with so much grace, and at the makeover’s completion, McManus told us that she had never felt prettier. To carry her look into next level territory, we decided to have her try on a cool necklace from Sew Gorgeous, along with a very special grey tutu find at the recently opened Roundabout store.

We were ecstatic when we overheard McManus’ daughter tell her mother; “Mom you are so beautiful! Why do you look like that?” Leaving Beijing can be a complicated process. Saying goodbye to all of the friends and colleagues is never easy, not to mention the stress of picking up those roots and moving to another country thousands of miles away. This being said, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do so in style. We wish the McManus family all the luck in the world on their next adventure to Dubai.

Get This Look

Blow + Bar Shunyi: 817 Pinnacle Plaza, Shunyi District (185 1083 1881)
Jewelry: Sew Gorgeous (WeChat: daniellesaponara)
Makeup: Beety (WeChat: 954883777)

This article appeared on p18-19 of beijingkids June 2018 issue
Photos: Uni You