Wellness
Perfectly Professional
Beijing-born Nancy Ding divides herself between two very important roles: a business manager at Microsoft and a mother to her son Andy (3). A self-professed "workaholic," Nancy admits she finds juggling the two to be rather difficult. "It's very challenging - I don't have a work/life balance," she confesses. When Nancy's not taking 1am conference calls, she's devoting her time and energy to her son who attends Ivy International Kindergarten. It's high time this mom took a break from her hectic schedule to relax and unwind. Thankfully, London-trained stylist Tom from The Cut Culture was on-hand to pamper Nancy and force her to put her feet up for a whole afternoon.
Brazilian Beauty
After leaving her demanding position as an insurance actuary, Marina Sieh Ho is now a stay-at-home mom. Her two daughters, Sophia (6) and Allegra (3), keep her so busy that she barely has time to dry her hair in the morning, let alone apply any makeup. Brazilian-born Marina, who had never dyed her hair before, was convinced that adding a touch of color was a bad idea - until she met colorist to the stars, Cat from Salon Vajra. After a lengthy consultation she decided to give it a shot with amazing results. To cap off the day, Dragonfly Therapeutic Retreat generously supplied Marina with a 90-minute massage voucher.
Simply Beautiful
Savvy Him, marketing solutions manager at Microsoft, manages to fit 6am conference calls and 10pm workouts around her little girl, Reina (3) and her school schedule. Savvy has an amazing life story. Adopted in her native Cambodia, Savvy and her family then moved to Portland in the US, which she now calls home. A passion for different cultures led her to live in France, Japan and Israel. Savvy speaks five languages, including Cambodian, and has plans to add Spanish to her ever-growing list. Juggling full-time work with full-time motherhood, this mom is used to pulling all-nighters. "I normally get five hours sleep," she says. Gavin Style Hair Salon in the Nalio Patio was there to make sure this super mom got the perfect makeover, and Taidian Massage Salon capped off the day of pampering with a blissful Japanese massage.
Pretty in Punk
Helen Stromme has lived in Beijing for over four years and doesn't have much time for herself. A Norwegian native, her children Kim (18) and Miriam (3) keep her busy when she isn't counseling patients at her psychotherapy practice, 2baware. "I spend 15 minutes getting ready in the morning. That includes a shower," says Helen. Despite her busy schedule, this mom has recently taken on pro bono work at the Phoenix Cancer Centre outside of Beijing. There, she helps six Norwegian families deal with the emotional stress of cancer treatment. "One patient is a little girl just 5 years old. It's so sad." Helen's idea of relaxing is having a good gym workout. "That's my nice thing for me," she says. beijingkids thought it was time for Helen to take an afternoon off with a pampering session at Toni&Guy, Hilton. In the capable hands of bubbly UK hairstylist Scarlet and resident makeup artist Simon, Helen was treated to a splash of color and fun.
Paint it Red
Laura Roark, from the Mississippi Delta in the US, has lived in China for over nine years. A full-time Montessori teacher at the Family Learning House and a single mom to Maia (7 months old), Laura rarely has time to dry her hair in the morning, let alone book an hour at the hairdresser. Laura's lusciously thick hair gave the Toni&Guy salon director a lot to work with, and she was happy to experiment with a new image. "I'm not afraid of color," Laura exclaimed. Because of her limited prep time in the mornings, Laura wanted to keep a style that could easily convert into an up-do or be pulled back into a bun. With this in mind, color was added to the under-sections of her hair to create a "wow" factor when it was pulled up. "The last time I did something nice was eight months ago when I got a gift voucher for a spa," says Laura. In addition to her new look, this busy mom recently had her braces taken off. She couldn't wait to flash her pearly whites for the first time in months.
Canadian Cover Girl
Sharon Hill, mother of Joshua (16 months) and Kristen (3-and-a-half-years) is a registered nurse who has spent her time in Beijing volunteering at orphanages. This Filipino-Canadian is blessed with smooth, perfect skin, and spends about five minutes each morning getting ready: “It’s all the time I have before I need to get my daughter to school,” Sharon says. The stylists at Franck Provost Paris in Raffles City put more life into her long locks but kept the length. As for makeup, this good Samaritan likes to keep it simple with concealer and mascara, but for her makeover with Shu Uemura, she decided on an elaborate evening look. “I don’t even recognize myself,” Sharon exclaimed. “It’s really fun to look like the girls in the magazines.” As for the secret to her perfect skin? Oil of Olay. “I’ve been stealing it from my mother’s medicine cabinet since I was a little girl. I still use it everyday,” Sharon says.
Get the Look:
Pampering for a Power Mom
Carolyn Wu Kurtzig, the director of Communications Asia Pacific at Motorola, would normally never have the time for a full makeover, but the American is currently on maternity leave after giving birth to her son Benjamin two months ago (she also has a 2-year-old daughter, Sophia, who attends 3e International). Kurtzig, who has almost fully returned to her pre-pregnancy weight, credits her fitness to a regimen of chasing after her toddler, yoga at Yoga Yard and Alona Pilates Studio. Although the kids still keep her busy, she was able to indulge in a morning at Eric Paris Salon at the Kerry Centre, where the low-maintenance mom was treated to a haircut, blow-dry and makeup application.
Model Parenting: A lesson in colors for one mother
Recently, Australian Caroline Francis hasn’t had the time to do justice to her luck in the genetic lottery – straight blonde hair, blue eyes, and smooth, fair skin. The mother of two (7-month-old Isaiah, who was born in Beijing, and daughter Emmerson, her 2-and-a-half-year-old born in Hong Kong) hasn’t had a proper haircut in years – unless you count sporadic trims with a pair of kitchen scissors courtesy of her husband. “I just haven’t had any time,” said Caroline, a former industrial designer turned full-time mom. Kristoffer Liu and Maya Geng of C.de France Beauty Salon treated the bubbly, charismatic mother to the works – a color test to see if her skin tone was better suited for warm or cool colors, a hair trim and blonde highlights, a full makeup overhaul, and hair-styling. A voucher to the romantic Mediterranean restaurant, Taverna of The Hidden City 1949 completed the day of indulgence. By the end of the day, it was apparent to all(including the staff at the salon and bystanders) – Caroline had transformed from mom to bona fide model. Jessica Pan
Mother of Nine, Dressed to the Nines
Glamorous makeup for a superstar mother
When Barbara Moore Toronto nominated Megan Raines for a makeover, she gave us quite a convincing argument. “Megan is the mother of nine (yes, nine) children, she has long beautiful brown hair and skin like the Dove soap commercial girls. She could definitely use some pampering.” With those qualifications, beijingkids just couldn’t resist.
With children ranging from five months old to 12 years old, Megan typically spends a precious 20 minutes getting ready in the morning with the same self-taught makeup routine she’s had since 1985. “Someone recently told me I look like a ‘70s hippie,” Megan said, although that doesn’t bother her much, since this mother of nine is also a classically trained and aspiring folk singer. Mei Li Autumn, a professional makeup artist trained by the ultra chic MAC cosmetics company, revamped Raines’ brunette locks and creamy skin with a modern twist that rendered her less Joni Mitchell and more Julianne Moore.
Tip Corner
Jet Lag Drag
Any expat knows the symptoms of jet lag – waking up at odd hours of the night, crashing during mid-afternoon and developing a cranky disposition. For families traveling overseas this summer, it’s best to try to lessen the effects of jet lag as much as possible since the time difference adjustment can be harder on kids.
