Thi's Beauty Story: Sim's Mommy Makeover

Sim's before and after photo.

My good friend, Sim, who I met during my college years, just had her second baby almost 6 months ago. As long as I’ve known Sim, she’s been a sweet, caring, and giving friend who devotes most of her time to her family and friends. As Taylor and I were visiting Sim and her new baby girl, we got to talking about how challenging it is to juggle motherhood, being a wife, a working professional and finding time for ourselves. I’m sure most women can relate to this story in many respects - we all have hectic lives and are always searching for a healthy balance.

We realized Sim would make a great Thi Beauty Story because like most women who have just had a baby (whether it’s your 1st or your 4th), you go through a period of exhaustion. Whether it’s – troubles finding the time, not feeling physically optimal, adjusting to major changes, or just feeling guilty – many women put off spending the time and money on themselves to help them recharge. We forget that the time we put into ourselves extends as a gift to the people around us. Because when you feel and look your best, you exude the confidence and positive energy to everyone!


(Left) Sim having fun with the camera. (Right) Sim holding Baby Julie.


The beautiful Gerard family: (left) Sebastian, Manu, Sim, Baby Julie.

Here's some behind the scene shots:

Taylor getting Sim made up - lashes look amazing!

Mimi doing some final touches on the styling.

Mimi fooling around with her new camera.

Manu and the kids arriving later in the day for the photoshoot. It was a mad rush to get the kids ready before the sun goes down!


Our silly photographer friend, JP, makes a tribute to MJ!


Getting the family together for the perfect shot!

Special thanks to:
Photography: JP Langlands
Hair Cut & Coloring: Cali Pham, 408.890.1477, Tangerine Hair Studio
Wardrobe: Cassis Clothing Boutique located on 532 Ramona St, Palo Alto, CA, 650.329.8070

And thank you to the Gerard family for being such a sweet and fun loving family to work with! Sim, thanks for your many years of friendship and support. ~xoxo, mimi

Photoshoot: Summer 09’ Beauty Page

We had a blast during our Summer 09’ photoshoot earlier this Spring to promote our Summer beauty look (for our website’s main page). The look was light, airy, and organic with splashes of vivid colors to make a strong summer statement.

Tips from Taylor:
As we get into our early thirties, it's so important to protect our skin from the harsh sun rays and use products that will help reduce the signs of aging. Try using Thi's Mineral face powder to help protect the skin. Lightly dust the face throughout the day to ensure sun protection!

Products used on Model:
Face:Mineral Face Powder # 1
Eyes: Soy Cream Eyeshadow, Fai eyeshadow, & Lush Lashes
Cheeks: Aiko
Lips: Quinn Lipstick

Behind the scenes:

Left: While waiting to get makeup and hair, Model Lija, reviews her iphone. Right: Taylor adding the fabulous Lush Lashes - a photoshoot necessity!

From the photo images that day, it may seem that the weather was warm and cooperative. But here's a clip proving that things aren't always as they seem. Watch our courageous model Lija bare the freezing gusty winds while Lisa, Peggy, and myself work on fixing her up for a gorgeous pose! Lija - you rock!

Thanks to our great production crew and wardrobe sponsors:
Model: Lija Lietus from the Stars Model Agency
Photographer: Lisa Lefowitz
Wardrobe Stylist: Peggy Jeung
Couture Gown Designer: Colleen Quinn
Jewelry Designer: Janet Falkner
Shoe Designer: Hey Lady

Thi's Beauty Story: Elizabeth ~ The Busy Working Professional / July 25, 2009

The Story
Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth Lee at our Palo Alto studio. Elizabeth, a busy dental hygienist from San Francisco, has been on the lookout for a new cosmetic line that could help her with some of her beauty dilemmas. She found out about our studio and decided to stop by to check things out. That day, Taylor consulted with Elizabeth to help her find the right products and colors to best compliment her skin tone and features. As we chatted with Elizabeth, she told us about her busy schedule and how she found it hard to make time for herself. We hear this from many of our clients and thought it’d be fun to do an entire makeover photoshoot with Elizabeth focusing on her daily beauty challenges. And because Elizabeth was so fun and easy to be around, we knew we found the right candidate for this next project!

The Makeover

So we gathered our team of experts to start things rolling in mid July. We enlisted Taylor’s sister and “hair extraordinaire”, Cali Pham (408-890-1477, Tangerine Hair Studio, San Jose, CA), who gave Elizabeth very subtle highlights and layered her hair a week before the photo shoot. It turned out fabulous! Taylor and I then took Elizabeth shopping to style her for her new look – so much fun! We called on good friend and talented photographer, JP Langlands of JP Langlands Photography, to photograph the transformation. Awesome job JP!

Taylor’s Beauty Tips:
Like many other women, Elizabeth has the same concerns when it comes to makeup, how to achieve a smooth even complexion. Over the past year, she started noticing the pigmentation on her cheeks becoming more visible and wanted to learn how to conceal the areas without wearing too much foundation. A lot of women in this situation tend to over do the coverage thinking it will make the skin look more flawless but in reality it can result to looking really heavy and cakey.

Foundation Tips:

• To help foundation and concealer last all day, use a silicone base primer. Apply it on after your moisturizer and under your foundation.
• Foundation should be applied to the uneven areas of the face first before applying concealer. If your skin is uneven due to the pigmentation, mix two different shades to ensure an even complexion.
• Apply concealer over brown spots with fingers and lightly blend the color so there is no demarcation. The warmth of the fingers will help the product smooth onto the skin evenly. Finish by patting press powder over the area with a sponge to ensure coverage.

Skin Care Tips:

• Start using antioxidant-based products. Antioxidants like vitamins C and E can help fight age-accelerating free radical damage. Also consider using face powders with SPF to help block the sun's UVA and UVB rays.

Products used:
Face: Velvet Face Primer, Foundation # 2 & # 3 mixed, Concealer # 4 (sold exclusively at Thi Makeup Studio), Cashmere Mineral Powder # 2
Eyes: Soy Cream Eyeshadow, Kai, My, and Fai Eyeshadows, Lush Lashes
Cheeks: Sakura Blush
Lips: Lan Lip Gloss

Some fun behind the scene shots:

Taylor adding the final touches to Elizabeth’s new radiant glow.

Taylor and me getting Elizabeth into wardrobe and perfecting her final look.

On location, Taylor retouches Elizabeth while JP reloads.


While I’m working out lighting, JP gets in his best shots of the day!

Special thanks to JP and Cali for their great work. And to Elizabeth for trusting us with your new look and being such a great sport. The camera loved you!

Thi's Beauty Story: Kim's Beauty Transformation

Kim's Before and After Photo

In early February 2009, my Sister-in-law, Kim Jubb came out to visit me and the family from Colorado. Kim is one of the sweetest ladies you'll ever meet and I would consider her quite the minimalist! After years of working out and a healthy diet, Kim showed up on my doorstep 40+ pounds lighter. She looked great! Although Kim felt good about her new body, it didn’t quite transcend to the outside.

So Taylor and I felt that with her new physique and amazing accomplishments, it was time for her to treat herself to a complete beauty transformation! So in the course of less than a week, we pulled the project together. Taylor and I took Kim shopping and found her a whole new wardrobe to fit her new body shape.

We then enlisted Taylor’s sister, Cali, who’s a fabulous and talented hair dresser. She gave Kim an amazing new color and sassy A-line cut! (Cali Pham: (408) 890-1477, Tangerine Hair Studio, San Jose, CA)

On the day of the shoot, Taylor worked her magic! For as long as I'v known her, she still amazes me by her talent. Taylor was confident there was an inner-diva somewhere in Kim just waiting to get out. Therefore, she decided to take Kim's look to her maximum full potentials - and boy did she!

After hair and makeup was complete, I helped style Kim for her first professional photoshoot debut. Once the look was all pulled together, we had our good friend and amazing photographer, Jennnifer Skog, come to photograph our gorgeous new model! Jen did an awesome job! (http://www.jenniferskog.com/)

After a few series of shootings, Kim got her grove on and was a whole new woman! The process was so much fun and rewarding. Her beauty from within resonated outward! Talk about a complete transformation!

At the end, we did a few sweet photos of my mother-in-law, Joan Harris, who also got a makeover that day. Mom was such a huge support for Kim throughout the whole process and it was such a joy to capture these precious moments between a mother and daughter. Thank you Kim for completely entrusting yourself in our hands - I love you and Mom to pieces!

~Mimi