Author: Emmie

I am a fashion and beauty professional with a degree in Fine Arts. I also have passions for cooking, baking, movies, music and pop culture; I am often sailing the seas as a hairdresser on cruise ships.

Reasons to not have a hair stylist…

~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment

I was reading an article online recently about 14 reasons to splurge on a fancy salon, and well, here is my counter-argument to that piece…reasons not to go to a salon.  Most hair stylists would probably hate me if they knew me. I haven’t been to a salon in over a year and I don’t plan on going anytime soon.  I don’t depend on them to keep me with the trends, I do all my own hair styling, even cutting.  I stopped going when I noticed quality chemical treatment and colour products are available to the average person, and dared to ask to question if I could do without the salon industry. I started colouring myself with those home dye kits at the pharmacy and then eventually graduated to professional colours/rinses from the barber supply.  I took a bit of a risk to learn the ins and outs of basic haircare and chemical processing, and once I learned them, the risk element diminished, leaving even less reason to go to a pricey salon. I’ve heard people insist about how “magical” professional hands are to hair and how they are just a must.  Not true.  Sure, if you can afford $150 for a colour job then go for it…it is easier to sit in a chair and let someone else do it.  But for around $10 worth of professional products you can do the legwork yourself and save a whole lot of money.  Then use that for new clothes, stuff for your kids, and good food. Sorry hair stylists, but I’ve put a target on your business  in this entry.

looks like it cost something to breath the air in here!
looks like it costs something to breath the air in here!

A lot of people argue that stylists are needed, because and average person is inexperienced and can mistakes.  That is totally true.  I mean, I won’t lie and say I’ve never messed up my hair.  But the difference is that I can own up to it, and hair will grow back and I learn from it.  Hairdresser have made mistakes with my hair before, and I still had to smile and tip politely at the end.  Not fun. Depending solely on hairdressers for hair functioning is also problematic, because in my experience, they often do not understand or listen to the customer, and they don’t seem to really care about how you turn out.  Nobody can care more about how you turn out than yourself. There are the pricey hairdressers that might listen, but a lot of women can’t justify spending this much on just hair, especially in this time and age where money is so hard to come by.  And I don’t want to go to a hairdresser’s college just to get a decent affordable cut from a student stylist.  You’re giving your hair to someone who is going to learn from cutting it…and your own payback is a slight discount.  Not good enough.  We deserve more than that…

My last dependency on hairdressers ended when I started watching how-to videos online with simple instructions on hair cutting and layering.  I learned these and performed them on myself, made evaluations…all in all, it was something at I could do reasonable well.  Also, my hair is long, so long cuts are easier to maintain in my opinion, they are free flowing in general, so fancy cuts are not needed.  So…now I realize that my need for hairdressers is pretty much obsolete.  And it’s nice to be free.  I don’t have to save up my piggy bank to get something so essential as a proper ‘do.

Rapunzel did her own hair. That turned out well, didn't it?
Rapunzel did her own hair. That turned out well, didn’t it?

Nobody talks about avoiding hair salons, because I think there’s a lot of business at stake, and there is so much riding on keeping women hooked.  My current hair-do is something I created to maintain myself, and I’ve gotten many compliments on it.  It’s a medium long hair length with wispy layers, and a straight cut medium length bang, coloured with a punchy pinkish red colour rinse put in after pre-lighting by toning with 40 volume peroxide, no bleach.  And I do it on my own, after a few trials and errors, but the end result is what I wanted.  And that was worth the work.

Maybe when/if I become a bride, on my wedding day, I’ll treat myself to a pampering blowout from a good hairdresser, because I admit that they do do beautiful blow outs and shaping after a shampooing.  They obviously know how to make an updo.  But until then, they are a luxury that even if I could afford, I have decided is not worth it.

Is Bath and Body Works racist?

~ Emmie ~ 1 Comment
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This is me in front of the offending store. Boo!

Okay, so this entry is as political as I’ll get.  I don’t usually like playing the “race card“. It’s too done. Being the first generation of my family to be born here in Toronto, one of the most multi cultural places in the world, I haven’t really ever felt racism. I mean there were awkward times during my high school years where I didn’t fit in with the main cliques, partly do to the fact that I was a small, withdrawn Asian girl that didn’t play sports…but other than that, I’ve lived without any major discomfort due to my Chinese background.

This doesn’t mean that I’m not sensitive to it.  I am well aware of some Asian stereotypes, and I still do fight them today.  But most recently I had a brief stint working as a seasonal sales staff at Bath and Body Works.  And it was one of the worst employment experiences I’ve ever had.  I wanted to work in the cosmetics industry because it is my interest, so I went in for an interview, even though I had my reservations to work for such a big box company.  It was a group interview involving me, a busty redhead from the UK and a BBW manager that shall remain nameless.  So as I battled it out with the Brit, answering questions for this position, I realized that with my superior knowledge of the make-up industry and my retail sales experience in general, I kind of blew her out of the water.  But at the end of the interview, we both got the position.  That’s fine or is it?  It turns out that that there were only so many hours that could be doled out, so it would mean that me and the Brit would be splitting the little shifts that there was.  I worked 3 hours a week during the brief stint, barely worth getting out of bed for.

Luckily, two weeks and miserably into the position at BBW, I got a call from another make-up company ready to take me on!  I went for the interview, and it was immediate click.  They knew I knew my stuff.  And I knew I wanted to be with them.  No jumping over hurdles, battling it out with a red head, fighting over three hours shifts.  I could relax and know I got the position, because I was qualified.  I decided however to finish one more day at BBW before letting them know I was quitting.  Big mistake.  On this day, they didn’t let me talk to customers, I was put on bag duty, which is double bagging bags.  😦 Then I was sent to the back room to cut box trays.  I know this was prep for Black Friday, but I couldn’t help but feel that they didn’t appreciate me, and I finally noticed that all the front line staff that day were white.  When I looked at the next weeks’ schedule, I had only 1 on-call shift, while the new hire UK girl had gotten 2 shifts.  It had nothing to do with me being a new hire then.  What else could it have been other than race?  Hmm, I can’t prove it, but I sure felt it.  To make matters worse, they gave me a shotty knife to cut the boxes with and I ended up straining my two fore fingers, and they ended up turning numb!  For one week my fingers were numb and were not the same and even as I’m typing now, my index finger is still weird.  BBW, I truly hate thou.  The next day, I phoned in my resignation, and danced for joy, having a way better job to fall back on!  I will write more about my new job in another entry soon!

As a side note, despite what BBW did to me, don’t shop there anyways.  They could be possibly racist, but also, their products suck.  They all smell the same, and are loaded with synthetic chemicals that are junky.  You heard it from me first!

Check out the following video.  It shows that racism in the retail workplace does totally exist.

How not to get fat…

~ Emmie ~ 2 Comments

There are so many fad diets and cleanses out there. Low carb diet, raw veganism, south beach, lemon cleanse…the list goes on and on.  Well, I actually find all of those diets very stupid.  Obviously, if you eat a healthy variety of foods and exercise, this is the best way.  But are there also certain lifestyles that can help with weight control? For example  there are so many books and rumors out there about how French women do not get fat, and how Japanese women do not get fat or old!  So what to make of it all?  Are some cultures and lifestyles more conducive to a slimmer more attractive frame?  Is it something that us North Americans are doing wrong?  I don’t think so.  It’s got to do with just common sense. A diet based on culture can only help a little.

This is what I was bombarded with daily in France. But looking back that was when I struggled with weight the least!
This is what I was bombarded with daily in France. But looking back that was when I struggled with weight the least!

French women do not get fat because of portion control.  They’ll have that buttery croissant, but then they’ll only have one.  When I lived in Paris, this was true.  I only had treats once in a while, and a fresh food market was on every corner for most of my main food…And what about Japanese women?  I used to work with a bunch of Japanese girls from different parts of Japan.  The reason I think that they were skinny was partly due to their work ethic.  They ate simple foods like rice and fish, but also, they worked non-stop…burning off little calories they did consume.  So yes, in a way culture can help in terms of weight control, but still, it’s a lot based in common sense.  Eat less, eat well and be active.

Can you imagine getting fat on just rice? Asians do tend to be slim, but then there are sumos!
Can you imagine getting fat on just rice? Asians do tend to be slim, but then there are sumos!

I’m a true North American, born and raised in Toronto, and I’ve NEVER had a weight problem.  At the same time, I’ve never been bone skinny either.  Infact, I am a nice in between…just plump enough to have curves, but not too chunky anywhere.  Here are some tips or common sense that I find works:

1. Don’t eat if you’re not hungry.  I am naturally not much of a snacker.  I try to keep busy most of the day, so eating for fun or for taste doesn’t really appeal to me.  Think about why you are eating.  Is it because you are bored, or depressed?  Don’t just snack blindly.

2. Stay away from processed, greasy food.  I am lucky that I actually do not find fast food or pizza all that appetizing.  After eating it, I often feel kind of gross, so it’s a great deterrent.  Think about the processed food you are eating…does it really taste good?  I’m sure you will answer no.

3.  Drink water instead of juice or pop, or sugared beverages.  I’m usually kind of broke, so having tap water instead of a fizzy drink works well for me.  But it also keeps me away from a lot of unneeded calories.  Think about how optimal hydration is simply achieved by water.

4.  No chocolate or ice cream, at least not regularly.  These two foods are the death traps for weight control.  You can have other kinds of candy and dessert, but just not these two things for a simple reason.  They taste so good, but are basically fat welded together with sugar.  It’s true.

5.  Everything in moderation.  I drink only one glass of wine, I don’t smoke, I’m not super healthy organic, but I try when I can.  These are the best most simple ways.  And also, read packaging if you’re eating ready made foods.  They tell you what is in it!  If the second ingredient is something like hydrogenated anything…it makes sense to not waste your money on it!

It’s as simple as that.  No fad diets,  and don’t follow another culture for an easy out.  Everything makes sense if you just realize obvious bad eating habits and cut it out.  But most important is to be yourself.  Many girls around me developed eating disorders back when I was in high school.  They had bad self esteem, or were just distracted by media messages that didn’t matter.  Some girls had said to me that I was the “perfect weight” and saw themselves as “fat”.  Now that’s just not right.  Everyone can have their own perfect weight and it is not dependent on models, or women you think are skinnier.  Just be yourself and all will fall into place!

Venus, by Henry Selous. See this magnificent piece of art? This woman is not skinny, but she she working it by being herself!
Venus, by Henry Selous. See this magnificent piece of art? This woman is not skinny, but she she working it by being herself!