Petra Brook is always on the go. A Year 1 teacher at Dulwich College Beijing, she has been living in Beijing for five years with her husband – who is also a teacher at DCB – and their two sons, Steven (age 9) and Michael (age 8). Between the four of them, they juggle 14 after school activities. Brook herself goes to the gym twice a week and embraces a number of sports. By the time her friend wrote in to nominate her for the column, Brook hadn’t had a haircut since the end of June and needed to refresh her highlights. As a sporty mom, it was essential for her hair stay out of her face while giving her the option of wearing it down. TicTac Creative Technical Director and Makeup Artist Kristoffer Liu and Operations Manager Simon Song teamed up to create a noticeably softer, more natural look.
TicTac
Daily 10am-9pm, Suite 2-06, Tower AB, The Office Park, 10 Jintong Xilu, Chaoyang District (8590 6899) 朝阳区金桐西路10号远洋光华国际AB座2层06单元
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Song began by snipping two inches off, then entrusted Brook to Liu for coloring. Liu mixed a rich, chocolate base by Wella to match Brook’s natural hair color, then applied blonde highlights using a fine-toothed comb. This technique gives more of a “sun-kissed” effect, rather than the blockier stripes achieved by foil highlights.
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After shampooing, Song started cutting Brook’s hair. He trimmed the ends, then softened her overall look by adding a side-swept fringe. The fringe was made piece-y, so it would not get into Brook’s face when she exercises. Song finished up with a curling iron for volume and movement.
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With makeup, Liu de-emphasized fine lines by creating a dewy effect. He blended a couple of foundations for the perfect match, including MAC Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation in NC15. He used his “secret weapon”: Guerlain Météorites powder to illuminate skin and hide imperfections, then continued by highlighting Brook’s brown bone and inner eye crease with a pearly white powder by Shu Uemura. Around the eyes, he stayed with neutral tones like MAC Satin Taupe and added depth with Shu Uemura Medium Brown M875. Liu smudged Benefit Kohl Pencil on Brook’s upper eyelids for a smoky effect, then pulled out another secret weapon: Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes, a mascara that lengthens without the need for an eyelash curler. He finished up by filling in Brook’s lips with a neutral lip liner, then mixed shades from Makeup Forever’s 5 Lipstick Palette for the perfect pout.
This article is excerpted from beijingkids December 2012 issue. View it in PDF form here or contact distribution@beijing-kids.com to find out where you can pick up your free copy.
