It’s time to switch things up! I love warm and copper tones but I’ve been playing around with mattes and neutral tones lately. I’m all about a good balanced look and nothing could be more perfect than a good smoky eye and nude lip combo. This look is also perfect on my on-the-go days where I can create a day-to-night look: starting the day with a lighter smoky eye that’s more appropriate for everyday, then I add darker shades for a bolder look (for when I have dinner plans or a night out with friends). I’ve been really into this look lately and I wanted to share with you the products I used. If you’d like to recreate this look, I linked all the products below!

Skin Prep:

• Pixi Glow Tonic
• Pixi Glow Mist
• Pixi Jasmine Oil Blend

Eyes:

• Smashbox Cover Shot Eye Palette (Matte)
• Maybelline Curvitude Liner
• Urban Decay Eye Pencil
• Origins GinZing Brightening Mascara

Primer:

• Stila One Step Illuminate

Foundation:

• Nars Velvet Matte Tint (Cuzco)

Concealer:

• Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer (SX8)

Powder:

• Laura Mercier Translucent Powder

Contour:

• Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Highlight:

• Lime Crime Hi-Lite Palette

Bronzer/Blush/Highlight:

• Becca x Chrissy Teigen Palette

Lips:

• Purlisse Daily Lip Nourisher
• Colourpop "WYD" Ultra Matte Lip

Set:

• Urban Decay "All Nighter" Setting Spray

My favorite hairstyle and my go-to look:

The Tousled Waves

Tousled hair stays in style because it gives off that effortless cool-girl vibe to any look! My Asian hair is naturally fine and straight, and I absolutely dislike how it gets flat really easily. After trying different hairstyles, I discovered tousled waves and became obsessed. If I had to describe it, I'd say it's something in between beach hair and bed hair. Fun and effortless.

So get ready to channel your inner Beyoncé and look like you "woke up like this" because on today's post, I'll be sharing you how I get my everyday tousled waves! Simply follow the three easy steps below.

Bit first, you’ll need:

• Jose Eber’s Curling Wand
• Dry Shampoo
• Sea Salt Spray 

Step 1: Prep + Section

Spray heat protectant all over your hair and section it. Start curling from the bottom section and work your way up.

Tip: Day-two hair is usually the best to work with because it holds your curls better!

Step 2: Wrap + Wave

Wrap each section of your hair with a curling wand for 10-15 seconds to create waves.

Tip: Don’t leave it on for too long to avoid stiff-looking curls

Step 3: Shake + Shape

Use your fingers and shake your hair from the roots. This technique will separate and loosen your waves for that effortless, tousled look! Spray dry shampoo to add texture and sea salt spray to set the waves. Then, scrunch up parts of your hair to give it more shape.

Tip: Do an upside down hair flip to add more volume

Hair by Niki Nguyen

Short hair don't care, thanks to Bellami Extensions!

I've decided to chop my hair off on a whim, and there's no regrets here. Now my hair feels lighter and healthier since all the split ends are gone. I'll be honest, I've been brutal to my hair; dyeing and bleaching it every month so that I can get it to the perfect silver color that I've always wanted. The result? Damaged locks with so. much. breakage.

Thanks to my Bellami Extensions, I'm able to go from my short 'do to mermaid hair anytime! It's crazy how Samantha's Sterling Silver line perfectly matches my silver hair that there was no dyeing or toning needed! I simply popped it right off the box and clipped it to my hair. It has the perfect silver color that I absolutely love. Get ANY set of hair extensions for $5 off when you use my code "PAU"!

Special thanks to my hairstylists, Niki and Linh for my hair color and cut! :)

Shop the look below:

Coming into 2015, I told myself that it was going to be my year. I had a really good feeling about it. And as I reflect upon the past year, I see it as a year of learning and growing. It has taught me so many things in regards to my career path, my relationships and myself. I wouldn’t say it was an easy year; it definitely had its ups and downs. However, it was an amazing year overall.

Here’s a few lessons that I want to share with you coming into the new year:

 “Surround yourself with people that are going to lift you higher.”

Spend time with people that genuinely support you in all that you do and have your best interest, and don't waste time on people that do not otherwise. Keep those who matter and learn how to cut those that don’t. I’m lucky enough to have the most supporting family, boyfriend and friends in regards to my career. After all my fears and doubts, they always believed in me and that’s what kept me going. If the people that matter to you the most believe in you, it should be enough reason to believe in yourself. 

“Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it.”

One of the things I learned this year was challenging myself to overcome my fears, doing things I didn’t like doing. It made me realize that it’s not as bad as I think it would be.  It made me feel empowered, and made me believe that I can do anything that I set my mind to.

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”

Being the perfectionist that I am, I tend to overthink my craft and overly criticize every detail. Is it good enough? Will people like it? Could I have done it differently? Is it worthy? And then I realized, life isn’t about perfection. You learn and become better by learning from your mistakes. Progression > Perfection.

“Learn to be alone and like it. There is nothing more freeing and empowering than learning to enjoy your own company.”

This is my favorite lesson of the year. I’ve never enjoyed my own company so much, and I’ve never been this happy about myself and life overall. You need to know how to depend on yourself and truly love yourself above all else. You don’t need a man or anyone else to make you happy, you can do it all on your own.

Now coming into the new year, I have a lot of expectations for myself. 2015 was filled with many struggles, but I’m ending the year on a good note. Let’s welcome 2016 by giving all that we’ve got. Happy new year!

Top + Skirt by Runaway The Label / Boots by Shoegeeks

Photography by Johnson Le