Alice Niven and her family moved to Beijing from their home country Australia 10 months ago when her husband Paul was sent here to be the hub director at Falcon Dairy Holdings. Their four kids, sons Lachie (age 14), Darcy (12), Ted (8) and daughter Adelaide (10), all attend the British School of Beijing (Shunyi).
Niven’s beauty routine couldn’t be more low key. She always cuts her own hair and can’t remember the last time she went to the hairdresser. She swims most days and finds the chlorine in the pool very drying. She tells us she usually just conditions her hair after swimming, and never brushes it, as “otherwise my hair goes really frizzy!” She also never styles it. “It’s always a bit of a mess really,” she says. “But I think you can get away with a lot when you have curly hair.”
Today Niven is in the capable hands of Malaysian-born Tom Yuen, owner and creative director of newly opened Hair Attack. He assesses Niven’s look and explains his plans for her hair. “Her hair is really dehydrated due to the change in environment. Beijing is making it dry and very dull. I want to give her a warmer, shinier, healthier look,” he says.
Yuen’s protégé Tim Chen, who has worked with him for eight years, colors her hair using Schwarzkopf products, adding highlights two levels lighter than her normal shade at hairline and parting. He adds depth with an ombre effect, applying darker color at the nape and roots to give a warm, natural look. Yuen recommends this technique because it is lower maintenance, requiring a less frequent coloring cycle; perfect for busy moms.
Yuen keeps Niven’s length so she can still wear a ponytail when working out, but adds layers to give volume and bounce. Niven is happy her new look is low maintenance. “It’s different to what I would do myself, but it’s in keeping with what I can realistically manage.” She’s happy with her transformation and feels it complements her features. “I warned my husband that I might use this opportunity to upgrade my spouse!” she jokes. She also really enjoyed the experience and plans to return to Hair Attack. “I would like to treat myself with a trip there in future, perhaps to rescue my hair from what I’ll be doing to it in the meantime.”
1. After a quick trim, hair is sectioned with the back and roots colored with darker shades while the front and ends are given lighter highlights.
2. After washing, hair is evened at the ends and layered to make the hair look fuller.
3. Stylist Howard Zhang shapes the eyebrows, cleans and moisturizes the face, then applies foundation. He uses liquid eyeliner, which he recommends for deep-set eyelids. He adds a pop of blush to her cheeks with a light pink to her lips giving a soft feminine look.
Product list
• No. 4 Giorgio Armani shaping cream foundation SPF 20
• No. 2 Giorgio Armani liquid foundation
• Make up forever Super Matte loose powder
• No. 3 Tom Ford eye shadow – cocoa mirage
• No. 539 Dior eye shadow – Iridescent leather
• No. 609 Dior eye shadow – earth reflection
• Bobbi Brown 4 compact blush
Hair Attack
Daily. 9am-9pm. Unit 3006, Tower AB, Vantone Center, 6
Chaoyangmenwaidajie, Chaoyang District (187 1006 1306) 朝阳区朝外大街甲6号万通中心AB座2层3006
This article originally appeared on page 18-19 of the beijingkids February 2016 issue. Click here to read the issue for free on Issuu.com. To find out how you can get your own copy, email distribution@truerun.com
Photos by Neverland Studio
