Angela Pham // Photographer, Billy Farrell Agency

Angela's selections 1. Gilly Hicks underwear 2. Alexis Holiday 2013 3. Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid lipstick 4. Nars bronzer 5. Stila Stay All Day liquid eyeliner 6. The Perfect Panna Cotta recipe

In high school, my search for an identity is best encapsulated through my myriad of changing hairstyles. I experimented with angular bangs, neon colors, and finally settled in senior year for the most audacious look of all: a faux hawk. I had hair that length-ed down my whole back, so essentially the whole top of my head had been mowed.

I admittedly gleaned this look off of Tila Tequila, as this was 2006, and Ms Tequila reigned Myspace, but I still felt wildly individualistic. Now people could look at me and just automatically perceive I was "alternative" and maybe even perhaps "did drugs/drank" (although I certainly did not), and that was the most important thing, what other people thought. I went to a magnet high school with lots of studious asians aiming for Harvard, and I wanted every facet of my being to scream "I'M NOT LIKE YOU!", even though, like them, I religiously obsessed about my GPA and spent weekends studying for my SATs.

The realities of having a mohawk were really prosaic. I had to devise different ways to keep my hair erect: hair glue, super strong hair spray, waxes. At 16, I was working at a pizza shop, making the pizzas, but I was always touching my mohawk to ensure its structural integrity, and that was definitely unappetizing for patrons to witness. By the time college began and I moved to New York, I had given up on being drastic and let my hair grow out. I haven't changed my hairstyle ever since then and am pretty content with looking boring. - @phamgela

Kat Matutina // DJ, Donuts Party

Kat wears The Fashion Club shirt

Kat Matutina - DJ, Donuts Party As much as I’ve always found dark, black shiny hair (especially on Asian women) to be beautiful, there was always something really exciting about the contrast of such light hair on Asian women.

When I was younger, I lived in really Caucasian towns where I was made fun of for being Asian. People called me names like gook, nip, chink, and would say stuff like “Go Back to China!” even though I spoke perfect English and was born in America. Being surrounded by mostly blonde, blue-eyed classmates, I used to wish I looked like them. I would lighten my hair with highlights and even wore colored contacts for a year in high school to feel “pretty”. It wasn’t until I moved to cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York after school did I realize that many people actually appreciated my “ethnic features” and black hair. For years I had jet black virgin hair as I embraced my Asian features.

I started seeing more Asian girls with blonde, caramel and honey colored hair this past year. I was always getting compliments on how pretty my long black hair was so I was really nervous about bleaching it and damaging it. I was also afraid my hair would fall out and I wouldn’t be able to have long hair. My beautiful Korean-American friend, Sharon Choi, told me she could lighten my hair with minimal damage if I took care of it and used the right products. I saw tons of her clients with blonde or ombre hair (most of her female clients were Asian!) and was sold.

I decided to not go full platinum blonde because it would be more damage to my dark hair, and instead, decided to go the ombre route where they don’t bleach your roots. This way there is a bit less maintenance because you don’t have to worry about covering your roots as soon as they grow out. I use Inphenom Shampoo, Inphenom Treatment (a deep conditioner), Inphenom Mist, and Deesse’s Elujuda FO Fluent Oil for Fine/Normal Hair. All of these are from Japan and are made for damaged, but fine hair like mine so it keeps it silky without weighing it down which is perfect for “blasians”.

Do blondes have more fun? I have noticed that people are much more talkative with me because I think they find me more approachable, easy-going and fun. Guys flirt with me more, and women chit-chat with me more. The hair requires a little more maintenance, but I like the change for now. It’s cool being a chameleon. - @pickpocketparty