RED Burlesque "Calamity Chang" Shade on My Hapa Friends!

This weekend I met with my two self-described "hapa" girl friends to have them try on my RED Burlesque lipstick to show how the shades flatter darker skinned Asian girls too. Kathleen and Melissa are sisters, and they are of half-Bangladeshi and half-Filipina heritage.

Fun fact: I actually went to high school in Texas with Kathleen. 

Here are the results!

Melissa is wearing "Calamity Chang" here. It was by chance that she happened to wear this gorgeous fuchsia colored sweater which matched the shade beautifully!

Close up of "Calamity Chang" with a fuchsia-plum colored top. Really great match.

Gorgeous!

Kathleen wearing "Calamity Chang". She is slightly darker than Melissa. Both colors "Calamity Chang" and "Strawberry Siren" seem to complement their complexions.

Close up of "Calamity Chang". All shot with natural lighting on my iPhone and no doctoring in Photoshop!

Melissa wears "Strawberry Siren" here. As you can see, Strawberry Siren is redder on darker skin.

Close up of Strawberry Siren.

More Strawberry Siren

Pop-O-Matic a vintage lifestyle enthusiast blog reviews my shade >

One of the Beauty Editors of Jane Magazine recently reviewed my shade and said it is for "going to the Oscars". Read about it >

So, wanna try my shade? It's quick and easy!

Buy Calamity Chang on Ebay >

Buy Strawberry Siren on Ebay >

RED Burlesque on 5 Different Asian Complexions

This weekend I met up with a group of my girl friends who love dim sum at our favorite Chinatown place - Nom Wah Tea Parlor. I took this opportunity to make everyone try on my RED Burlesque shade and the Strawberry Siren shade, and voila! Here are the results of how amazing the colors look on our different skin tones. Between the five of us, we cover a pretty good representation of the wide range of Asian skin tones. I have both shades available so if you want to pick one up just email me and we can arrange to meet and drop. Or you can order them directly on eBay (Calamity Chang or Strawberry Siren). I generally always have some product with me at shows,

Dakota has a lighter complexion. She is wearing "Strawberry Siren". She says she has consistent dry lips so RED Burlesque's rich (but not SO rich that it runs and bleeds) moisture factor is a big plus. She was surprised at how long her lipstick stayed on for the rest of the afternoon to early evening through drinking wine and chocolate tasting!

Close up of "Strawberry Siren" on lighter olive skin.

Later in the afternoon still with the same lipstick Dakota Asians-out with my dog Chewie

Jo has similar skin tone as Dakota. I would say they are both in the light-medium skin tone. She is also wearing "Strawberry Siren".

Close up of Strawberry Siren shade - a very versatile color!

Minx Arcana wearing my shade "Calamity Chang". Minx is in the medium skin tone. I would classify "dark" complexion for people from Southeast Asia as a general rule of thumb. Calamity Chang on Minx did not look as dark as it does on me, for instance. Minx's complexion brought out the rich plum undertone of this shade.

Close up of "Calamity Chang" shade on medium Asian skin tone.

Minx with Chewie and same lipstick after TWO bottles of red wine, I might add.

Lysa is wearing Calamity Chang as well. She has cool blonde highlights and is in the light to medium skin tone range. She said she was really impressed with how "potent" the color stay was. The sample swatch she put on her wrist stayed on through the day.

Close up of awesome lip colors!

Here's a photo studio shot of me wearing my shade - it's a pretty accurate representation of the actual color. I am definitely NOT in the light skin tone range. I am mostly medium. I am darker than Dakota but lighter than Minx so this shade works well on me as well. The plum-color does come through quite well.

All of us in RED Burlesque lipsticks! On my off days, I like to wear my Sol Moscot glasses and just red lipstick.

Gratuituous food shot of some of the dim sum dishes at Nom Wah. Best dim sum in Chinatown, fo' reals.

Pop-O-Matic a vintage lifestyle enthusiast blog reviews my shade >

One of the Beauty Editors of Jane Magazine recently reviewed my shade and said it is for "going to the Oscars". Read about it >

So, wanna try my shade? It's quick and easy!

Buy Calamity Chang on Ebay >
Buy Strawberry Siren on Ebay > 

Or email me and I'll send you a PayPal invoice!

"Last Night I Dreamt I Went to Manderley Again"

This quote seems appropriate today since Joan Fontaine made it famous in Alfred Hitchcock's 1939 "Rebecca" passed away this weekend at the grand age of 96. It is also appropriate because my co-worker and I evoke this fabulously doomy-romantic quote to describe our work condition under a tyrannical, wildly bipolar boss. And this photo I took last night (via Gemini Rising's fingers) at Mug Lounge after Kitty Night's last show in 2013 reminds me of the same romance as seen in Wong Kar Wai's films.



Lastly, the RED BURLESQUE Calamity Chang lipstick is finally available for purchase just in time for your stocking stuffer or a self-indulgent luxury reward for thyself! I have a small stash available to sale. If you are in NYC you can pick one up from me directly or pay only $5 for shipping anywhere in the US. They are $30 each. Email me "calamity at foxfatale dot com".



Read my previous post about using RED

"Calamity Chang": the 19th Shade for RED BURLESQUE LIPSTICK

I am beyond the moon to be chosen to represent the 19th color of Australian brand lipstick RED BURLESQUE!

RED BURLESQUE is a premiere brand of lipstick "inspired by the sexy, teasy, steamy world of burlesque" and it is the largest range of red lipstick in the world. Each color is represented by a burlesque performer in the world, each with a signature color that they chose. I'll be joining the other RED BURLESQUE girls such as Melody Mangler (Seattle), Lou Lou D'vil (Finland), Michelle L'amour (Chicago), Roxi D'Lite (my idol!), Peekaboo Pointe (NYC), two other fellow Texans Coco Lectric and Ruby Joule, and more.

I met RED during the New York Burlesque Festival 2013 when I worked with Don Spiro for our photo shoot at The Slipper Room. Angie Pontani organized for those of us shooting with Don to get a free lipstick of our choice from RED (what a fun little perk!), so when I arrived that day, I walked up to the RED booth and was all (picture ghetto neck sway), "Um Umph. Are you sure you got colors that Asian skin can wear?" LOL - cause Asian ladies, you know what I mean! It is SO hard to find the right shade of retro red for our complexion! And if you are considered "dark" in Asian standards like me, it's REALLY difficult. I have at least 10 varieties of red lipsticks on my vanity ranging from drug store brands to luxury brands. None of them were completely satisfactory. I've found that the drug store ones loose moisture pretty quickly (flaking), and/or the red shade would change over wearing time. The fluorescent lighting in drug stores alter the way colors will really appear in day light. The red is either too bright with too much orange (clown face) or too dark (gimme a bandana and I'll rock that chola-chinita look). And the Chanel lipsticks always bled no matter how I prepped my lips before application.

Imagine my surprise when I tried on "Strawberry Siren" (as seen below) and it was a perfect match with my complexion. It felt smooth and moisturizing (I wore it the rest of the day with no bleeding or flaking!), and it just made me feel happy wearing a brand that believes, supports, and GETS us burlesque girls' insatiable need for glamour!

Wearing "Strawberry Siren". Photo by Don Spiro.

RED invited me to find another color that would be my signature shade and I reached for the mysterious tube at the end of the display. It had a plum-like shade, sultry, and intense. Tried this baby on and she became "Calamity Chang"- the 19th color described as "an incredibly rich and vibrant berry red with a hint of pearlised gold and a creamy high gloss finish. Enriched with Apricot Kernel Oil (Vitamin E) to soothe and protect the lips. 100% allergy tested and fragrance-free."

Wearing "Calamity Chang" by RED BURLESQUE. Photo by Mike Webb Photography.

Wearing "Calamity Chang" by RED BURLESQUE. Photo by Mike Webb Photography.

This is my shade's color palette.

I wear both shades equally. I tend to wear "Strawberry Siren" more during the day time. It's that perfect shade of red for Asian complexion to give you a feel of vintage but still not dowdy or matronly looking.  "Calamity Chang" is very flexible in terms of looks. I wear it when I perform vintage acts inspired by Old Shanghai. It's a gorgeous deep gem tone that goes so well with other jewel tones like emerald and gold. This shade becomes super flirty and fun when paired with light pastels. I think "Calamity Chang" is the perfect representation of my burlesque personas.

I'll be able to offer "Calamity Chang" for purchase soon from my web site (within the US only), or if you are in NYC, you can just drop me an email and I'll have it for you at my next show for pick up!