I have covered many makeovers for Indulge, giving new looks to mothers all over Beijing. This makeover was one of the most fun, by far; not only because I got to hang with a lovely mother, but because this mom was so overjoyed and grateful for her new look. Iryna Kurniawan told us she’d never felt so pretty, not even on her wedding day. She kept sending us updates about her hair in the days following her makeover, and several people contacted us complimenting Kurniawan on her new looks. I caught Kurniawan looking at herself in awe in shop windows.
Kurniawan is a longtime Beijing resident, having arrived here in 2004 with only a notebook filled with phone numbers. It was a time when smartphones did not exist and the wonders of the internet were not readily available, so she has many exciting stories of her first years in Beijing. Kurniawan has been working for the last eight years as a teacher for Ivy Education Group, and loves her job as a kindergarten teacher. She is mother to a five-year-old daughter, who happily attends the same school mom works at.
We took Kurniawan to Catherine de France, a perennial favorite salon with the international community. Their new salon artist Sébastien Emery has been highly spoken of, and I was looking forward to seeing him work on Kurniawan’s hair. I was not disappointed. He took the time to speak with her and figure out what would suit her face and lifestyle. Kurniawan often wears headbands, and owns over 30 of them. Her husband once asked her why she had so many: “You only have one head!” We ladies know that’s not how it works.
Kurniawan had experimented with home hair colors so there was some fixing to do. Emery added some pretty dark streaks and blond locks, making her face pop. He gave her a short inverted bob cut that really suited her. It’s good to know there is a stylist in town that can work some magic with a tired mom’s hair.
Catherine de France’s make-up artist worked some magic, and went over the top with fake lashes and big smoky eyes. I could hardly recognize the mother from the one that walked in that morning. Kurniawan popped herself into a dress from a clothes auction, her favorite pastime and the most ethical way of adding great pieces to your wardrobe. She looked like a proper femme fatale. As mothers, we don’t get the time to really feel super pretty, and this mom took the spotlight with ease. It’s evident that Catherine de France has not lost its magic touch, and Kurniawan is the living proof.
Catherine de France
Tue-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun-Mon 11am-6pm. 1/F, East Avenue Bldg, 10 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区新东路10号逸盛阁首层 (8442 5120)
This post appeared on the beijingkids October 2018 Mental Health issue.
Photos: Courtesy of featured schools
