8 posts tagged "Jin Soon"
Fei Fei, As China
Liu Wen may have the Estée Lauder contract, and Sui He may have just been named the new face of Shiseido, but Fei Fei Sun is currently our favorite member of fashion’s new school of Asian supermodels. A face of DKNY fragrances and ck One Cosmetics, the Chinese knockout’s January issue of Vogue Italia—the first to ever feature an Asian catwalker on the front—is the stuff of legend. Lensed by Steven Meisel, who was inspired by Givenchy and Avedon muse China Machado, Sun is a revelation in Pat McGrath’s deep pink lip, Guido Palau’s wig-wrapped beehive, and a perfectly polished set of nails painted a shade of melon-tinged coral with Jin Soon’s new-for-spring lacquer in Tea Rose, by the manicure maven herself. Somebody get this girl a (bigger) beauty contract. Thoughts on Sun’s cover turn?
Beauty Etiquetter: On The Topic Of Tipping
Beauty Etiquetter is a new column on Beauty Counter in which we address your beauty protocol predicaments with candid advice from industry experts and those in-the-know. To submit a question, email celia _ellenberg@condenast.com.
The Quandary: I’m a regular at my nail salon. What’s the right amount to tip if I see the owner versus an aesthetician? The same or more?
The Expert in Residence: Jin Soon Choi of Jin Soon Hand and Foot Spas in New York
The Advice: “From my experience, there are two opinions about which way to go. You either don’t tip the owner based on the American belief that the owner doesn’t need to be tipped because she or he directly benefits from the profit of the salon. Or you do tip the owner, and you tip a lot more than you would the regular aesthetician, because you feel special and honored to get your nails done by the owner. Personally, I think that regardless of the person you’re seeing, you should always tip because you’re receiving a personal service. I find that most clients tip between 15 to 25 percent and often more to the owners, although I don’t think that much is necessary.”
Lips And Tips, A Love Affair
Nude nails made a comeback at the Fall shows and continued to dominate more outlandish, allout nail art experiments for Spring—with a few notable exceptions, that is. Missoni and McQueen got minxed and Sophy Robson etched individual hieroglyphics onto tips backstage at Topshop Unique, while Jin Soon christened the “slim silhouette” backstage at Prabal Gurung. But as the battle between neutral and next-level manicures raged on, we noticed another trend rearing its pretty polished head: matching lips and tips. Before Mary Quant started picking nail lacquers according to clothes rather than lipsticks in the 1960s (the British designer revolutionized more than just hem lines), it was all about corresponding pout and polish colors. Both Jason Wu and Donna Karan reprised the tradition with classic crimsons and deep burgundies at their shows in September—and makeup artist Maud Laceppe and manicurist Michina Koide have modernized it in the new issue of Numéro with an electric blue mouth and fingers lacquered in the same powdery shade. We’ve personally moved on from the-crazier-the-better varnishing acts, but we’re always plenty happy to give credit to creativity where credit is due. Would you do blue?
A Pedicurist’s Best-Kept Secret
A few weeks ago, I was sitting on the pedicure throne at Jin Soon Hand and Foot Spa, sipping the house blend of citron tea and apologizing to the nail pro about my less-than-pristine feet. Summer blisters and calluses had set in, and I was in need of some serious TLC. My pedicurist had, no doubt, seen plenty of cracked heels and knew exactly what to reach for—i.e., an expertly culled assortment of unmarked creams and scrubs. It wasn’t my first time visiting Jin Soon, but to be honest, I had never really zoned in on what products are typically applied to my calves and feet. This time, I was inspired to watch closely, since I obviously need to start doing some pro-style DIY maintenance at home. The delicious, cucumber-scented cream particularly intrigued me; it transformed into a mask after a few minutes and softened my tough patches instantly but didn’t create an oil slick on my skin. I was prepared to beg (or bribe) the pedicurist to score a jar of the mystery cream, but then she just offered up the information: Elizabeth Arden! I immediately e-mailed Jin Soon herself to double-check, and she confirmed that I could go knock on the Red Door to find the cream, which I did. Once I commenced beauty sleuthing, I learned that Arden is actually phasing out its spa line but sells near-replicas from Villa Floriani, a phyto-organic brand produced in Italy. And good news—its Ultra-Hydrating Cucumber Body Cream performs almost exactly like the kind I experienced at Jin Soon. To experience the original cream in all its pampering glory, head to Jin Soon (while her supplies last), or you can pick up the next best thing at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas.
The 411: Victoria Hunter
The 411 is a new feature on Beauty Counter, in which we ask some of our favorite experts to reveal their go-to gurus for everything from manicures and highlights to perfumers and holistic healers. Because when it comes to being the best in beauty, it takes one to know one.
Victoria Hunter has been in the business of hair for over 20 years. Originally from Queensland, Australia, Hunter has traveled the world spreading her hair color gospel (she uses a unique hair painting technique), spending time in London, Hong Kong, and Paris before landing in New York. She held the illustrious position of color director at Bumble and Bumble for 13 years, all the while building an impressive editorial portfolio—her work has been featured in Vogue, Elle, Glamour, Vogue Italia, i-D, and W. But many of you may know her best in her current role, as co-owner and master colorist at the adorable Whittemore House Salon, which she opened in 2009 with fellow Bumble expat Larry Raspanti. We met Hunter back in her Bumble days when she was dyeing wigs backstage at fashion week and have been smitten—with both her coloring talents and wicked sense of humor—ever since. Here, she dishes on her tried and true beauty destinations.