I love the front of the salon - you can really tell they put in effort with the decor.
(The entrance)
The waiting area is filled with different types of magazines such as ViVi, Vogue, Ray, to give you inspiration for your hair :)
As I was waiting for my appointment to start, I was able to briefly meet Jessie, the co-owner of N15 (Hiroki is the head stylist and the other co-owner). She explained to me that she was actually a client of Hiroki's for 5 years before she offered to start a salon with him. N15 actually stands for November 15, the day they decided to partner up! :)
Personally, I was searching for a new salon, and on almost all of the Yelp comments regarding Japanese hair salons mentioned Hiroki. When I saw that the head stylist was called Hiroki, I was positive that he had opened a salon and quickly made an appointment.
This was actually the second time I visited N15. The first time I went for my partial highlight consultation, and for a hair cut. Jun was in charge of my hair. He's extremely funny and talented in hair cutting.
The consultation only took around 10 minutes, and Jun discussed pricing, colors, how thin/thick I wanted my highlights and differences in my hair vs the picture I showed him. I told Jun that I wanted ashy brown natural highlights. I highly recommend bringing in a picture regardless of if you're getting a cut or color.
A couple of days later I came back for the actual highlighting process.
(Jun foiling my hair)
(Jessie kindly brought me tea while I was waiting)
After:
(Taken the day of - at the salon)
(Taken at a couple of days later - outside natural lighting)
Tada! My hair! Jun also color corrected my previous highlights I got done in China over the summer (they were really chunky and bad...) He added delicate highlights and a slight purple and blue hint to make it more ashy :) The entire process took around 3 hours (for the highlights) and around 45 minutes for the haircut. It really didn't feel like a long time because I was able to chat with my stylist and also go on Facebook and Instagram with their wifi!
All in all, I must say that I will be returning frequently for hair cuts and for touch ups on my color! Ultimately, for it me it came down to having a stylist that I could commit to long term, and knowing that they will do a great job with my hair. N15 delivered, and I completely trust my hair with them!The entire staff's really nice and makes you feel really welcomed and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
Also, if you show them that you follow my instagram (@jayyangg) you will receive a 20% off all services for your first time there <3
With fall finally here, Lena and I have picked out our top favourite High End and Drugstore Favourites for this season. We can't help but lean towards the darker, vampy reds and plums to give ourselves an edgier look.
Take a look at our top choices ranging from super opaque formulas to more buildable and sheer ones for those who are just getting into this trend!
This is one of the most long-lasting lip stains that I have tried and easily becomes my favourite "no hassle" red lipstick. If you saw my last post "Dark Red Lips for Fall - Makeup Tutorial" (click here), I reviewed this cream stain and you will know that this was the main lipstick I was using for that look. I found that it was the perfect oxblood red lipstick and had crazy lasting power due to its staining abilities (it stains my fingers every time!). Check out that post for a more in-depth review!
Coco Shine in Temperaire is much warmer than the YSL Burgundy Vibes. It also has a pearly finish to it as you can see in the swatch under a bit of sunlight. In my "Dark Red Lips for Fall - Makeup Tutorial" I layered this on top at the very end to warm up my lips. The lasting power isn't super long and it's sheer but buildable because of the slick texture. It's a perfect cranberry colour that gives a little vampy look, but still can be worn into the holidays!
Drugstore Favourites:
Wet N Wild Megalast Lipstick - 908c Sugar Plum Fairy
Price: $3
Hands down my all-time favourite plum lipstick, and it only costs $3! Sugar Plum Fairy is a super opaque formula that gives full coverage in just one swipe. I do find that it tugs a bit on my lips when I apply due to the thicker consistency but it's a very close dupe to Mac's Rebel at a fraction of the price. The colour can be described as a vampy plum with a hint of red, and I prefer to wear this with a thicker lip balm underneath (like EOS) so it doesn't dry my lips out. Wear time is around 4 hours.
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter - 040 Red Velvet
Price: $6-9
The ColorBurst series is super creamy and has a slight sheen to it. This lipstick is leaning a bit marsala, but still a darker neutral red. I find it really moisturizing and is great if you're a bit nervous in trying out darker lipsticks as it isn't super opaque. It takes a few swipes to get the colour in the swatch, and lasts around 2 hours.
Lena's Picks:
Bite Beauty Creme Delux 001 (LE)
Price: $28
If you're looking for a beautiful dark Marsala shade, this lipstick is a perfect choice. With a deeper, vampy-er neutral undertone, this lipstick makes your teeth look whiter! I love the Bite lipsticks because they last so long, and they don't smudge or feather much. Their thick and creamy consistency makes it easy to apply--one coat provides more than enough pigment! This lipstick is great for creating that bold, edgy look :)
This lipstick is a bright warmer toned red with a matte-like finish that looks flattering on all skin tones. It's definitely not as bold as the Bite one, making it perfect for an everyday fall-look. The consistency isn't on the creamy side, so I like to use a moisturizing lip balm before applying. Because of it's lighter consistency, you can play around with layering going from a light red to a more pigmented red.
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So, that's it for our list of Fall Lipsticks! Let us know if you have any fall favourites, we're always on the lookout for more lipsticks! ;)
When fall comes, I just can't help but wear lipsticks that are darker than usual. YSL recently released the new Vinyl Cream Lip Stain. The shade that caught my eye was Shade 409 Burgundy Vibes, a dark neutral, cool bordeaux. The lip stain is very creamy, and not very drying. The staining power on this is fantastic and can easily last 4hours +. Unlike the Glossy Stains, Vinyl Cream is opaque, and stains much more. Additionally, the color seems to make people's teeth look whiter... ;D
On top of the YSL I used the Chanel Coco Shine lipstick in 112 TEMPERAIRE. This colour is a bit warmer and has a satin finish that leans a bit plum.
So, as you probably know, I went pink! I don't quite remember when the last time I had my natural hair colour, but I can tell you that this is the first time I've dyed it this bright of a colour. And it was quite scary to be completely honest. I've been wanting pink hair for awhile but kept doubting myself on whether I could pull it off or not...but with a slight push and encouraging words from my friends, I decided to go for it! Honestly, I am so glad I went through with it. I dyed my hair in Shibuya, Tokyo at a salon called Shachu. I decided on Japan because I've heard from multiple sources that hair dyeing is a lot less expensive there and they do just as amazing of a job for the lower price. I chose this specific hair salon because my friend actually got her hair done there before and she recommended it to me. And, of course, I creeped their Instagram and I fell in love with their showcase of brightly coloured hair. Unlike the well known salons in Toronto, and across North America, booking an appointment doesn't take months. I was able to book an appointment just 2 weeks prior!
I'm sad I forgot to take a photo of the interior of the salon because it was so cute (but here's a photo I found on the Internet). The stylists were all very kind. If you don't speak Japanese, the language barrier might be a little challenging, but I don't think that should stop you from visiting them. They are so hard working and try their best to overcome this language barrier! I had the chance to chat with all of them, and they're actually all so friendly and cute.
As for the actual hair cut/bleach/dye process, they did a wonderful job. It took about 5-6 hours, so thank goodness the chairs were comfy! I consulted them on what shade of pink I should choose, and I couldn't be happier with the result. I am in love with it!
When it comes to bright hair, as rewarding as it is visually, it also takes a lot of maintenance. I used to use Moroccan Oil once a week, but now I use it every second day because my hair needs that extra treatment. If you're looking for a hair treatment, I highly recommend Moroccan Oil! It really helps nourish the dry bleached hair. At the salon, I bought a pink shampoo that's supposed to help maintain the colour longer. Because I haven't used regular shampoo on my coloured hair, I can't really tell you if it works well or not since I have no comparison point, but I do think my colour is lasting! It's been 3 weeks and the colour is still quite bright.
Lighting actually makes a huge difference in how my hair looks! When it's dark, my hair looks more purple/pink.
I think the biggest struggle when it comes to my hair is that it dyes my white shirts pink when I wear it for too long, or when it rains. When it rains and I have no umbrella, it's basically RIP to my shirt LOL. But all this high maintenance is soso worth it, in my opinion! I hope you guys like it as well :)
If you have any questions regarding hair dyeing or Shachu, please do ask!! I'll try my best to help out :)
My 2016 summer started off under the blazing hot sun of Thailand. Thailand had been on my go-to list for quite some time and it did not disappoint. I spent most of my time in Bangkok because I was actually interning there. To be honest, Bangkok was a little different from what I thought it would be. When I thought of Thailand, I thought it'd be a tropical paradise but Bangkok was actually more of a very modern busy city filled with tall buildings and huge shopping malls. Despite it being not what I expected, the shopping and nightlife scene was amazing and definitely one-of-a-kind. Downtown's Siam Square was busy no matter what time of the day, and showcased a variety of shopping spots--from your high-end boutiques to the cute outdoor stalls in the streets.
A must-see when you're in Bangkok is the Grand Palace. It is huge, and absolutely breathtaking. Although I would advise you to avoid coming here on the hotter days, because you need to walk around quite a bit and the dress code is strict...no shorts and shirts must cover shoulders! But this architecture is worth every sweat drop. The gold detailing and white walls made this place so beautiful.
Something I was pretty worried about for Thailand was the food. If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I can't eat spicy. At all. However, after spending almost 2 months in Thailand, I actually improved my spice tolerance and I now love Thai food (although I still ask for less spicy haha). My top favourites were ka prao, massaman curry, khao soi, and tom yum soup. You NEED to give those a try if you ever hit up Thailand!
After my intern ended, I was finally able to explore more of Thailand. And that is when I experienced the Thailand that I had imagined. First, I went to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a city in the northern mountainous areas of Thailand. It was a nice break from the constant 35°C I was experiencing in Bangkok. I spent 3 days in this city. On one day, we went to Doi Inthanon National Park. We drove up to the highest point in Thailand! It was so high that the temperature dropped to about 16°C!! How crazy is that? Not going to lie, I was pretty cold in this outfit LOL.
Two of my favourite things in this park were the pagodas (which I couldn't get a nice photo of because it was so foggy) and the waterfalls. I've never seen so many waterfalls in one park!
On another day, I went ziplining! I've been wanting to zipline for so long, and what better place to give it a try than in the beautiful mountains of Chiang Mai. And let me tell you, it was such an amazing experience. I did it with a company called Flight of the Gibbons and our guides were wonderful. They were so friendly and fun to be around!
Chiang Mai is known for its mountains and nature scenery, but don't forget to explore its downtown as well! We spent a night walking around downtown and found so many little gems. We came across this lit up alley lined with small shops--a fun spot to eat and shop around!
My second vacation spot in Thailand was Koh Tao. Now this was a tropical paradise. I mean, just look at that beach!
We stayed here for 4 days, and it was so jam packed with activities. We went snorkelling, island hopping on a boat, cliff jumping, rappelling, and hiking. And of course, some relaxation time on the beach.
The waters were clear and filled with marine life!
Here, I'm on a cliff looking out onto the famous Nang Yuan island.
So that pretty much sums up the highlights of my Thailand trip! Check out this video that my friend made for more bits and pieces of my trip :) And if you're looking for a place to go, I definitely 100% recommend Thailand. It was such an unforgettable experience.
Second Stop: Singapore
Singapore was also one of the places I really wanted to go, and I feel so lucky to have been able to knock off both Singapore and Thailand from my go-to list. I wasn't able to spend a long time here so I didn't have time to explore the little streets of Singapore, but I did go to the larger touristic spots. Universal Studios was a must for me, because I absolutely love amusement parks!
Before heading to Singapore, I remember my Singaporean friend telling me that I need to check out the Supertrees...and I'm glad I did. These electric, brightly lit up "trees" were so tall and there were so many of them, it looked like a magical forest. Despite the humidity and crowds of people, I just stood there looking up in awe for a good 30 minutes. A lot of people had blankets out and just sat there appreciating the scenery. It was quite an experience!
If you're in Singapore, you need to go up to the top of Marina Bay Sands. The view from the observation deck was breathtaking.
Third Stop: Tokyo
Ah, Tokyo. No better place to spend the last week of summer in. Tokyo is a city I call my second home. I visit every year, but I never get sick of it. The food, the culture, the architecture, the language, the people, everything--I love pretty much everything about Japan. Normally, I spend a much longer time in Japan (at least 2 months) but because of my intern in Thailand this summer, I was only able to stay in Japan for a week. Therefore, I didn't get to go around too much, but I still had lots of fun. I spent most of my time just hanging out with friends and family.
Despite only having a week, I made sure I didn't miss my annual trip to Disney! I'm such a little kid at heart.
I've always wanted to go to Kyoto to see the famous thousands of torii gates, but I found myself a mini version of it here in Tokyo in the Hie Shrine!
And of course, I can't forget Harajuku and Shibuya. I just love how every corner, every street is so cute and picturesque.
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Well, that pretty much sums up my entire summer! I know it was a long post, but thank you if you read up to this point! If you have any travel questions, or questions about my time here in these 3 locations, please do ask!! Hope you guys all had a wonderful summer as well <3
The consultation only took around 10 minutes, and Jun discussed pricing, colors, how thin/thick I wanted my highlights and differences in my hair vs the picture I showed him. I told Jun that I wanted ashy brown natural highlights. I highly recommend bringing in a picture regardless of if you're getting a cut or color.
(Taken the day of - at the salon)
