Your’s Truly…Truly Julie!

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Truly Julie

It’s back…Truly Julie segments!!I first launched the Truly Julie franchise in New York at WPIX-CW 11, gosh, about 8 years ago! The morning show TV segments started off randomly. It would air once every few weeks. But with higher viewership/ratings, it eventually aired twice a week for about 3 years. From food, fashion, culture, travel, entertainment, human interest, etc., the goal of each Truly Julie segment was to showcase anything fun under the sun (with a strong touch of my wackiness). For example, I flew all the way to the tiny South Korean Island of Jeju to go deep sea diving with Haenyeos…I entered competitions for double-dutch jump roping and break dancing…I trained for the NYC marathon with the world’s fastest blind marathoner…I cooked with the finest chefs and ate the most exotic foods such as a giant scorpion and a live squid (with moving tentacles!) and the list goes on. When I switched jobs and moved over to WNYW, Fox 5 New York, I put Truly Julie on hiatus. But I tell you what, the viewers from those original “Changsta Gangsta” days have stayed with me! And if this is you: THANK YOU. It’s been about 5 years since I last aired a Truly Julie story in NYC and till this day, when I walk down the streets of the Big Apple, a few people will still yell, “Hey, it’s Truly Julie!”. I rarely hear folks call me Julie Chang…it’s almost always, “Truly Julie”. The success of Truly Julie and loyalty from so many viewers inspired the name of this blog! So with that..I felt it was only natural for me to bring Truly Julie back…but this time in LA!! If the goal is to feature things that are fun in the sun…um…where else is more fitting than Southern California??! I’m fortunate that the folks at Fox 11 LA share my vision. Slowly but surely we are getting Truly Julie back up and running. You can catch it/me every Sunday, around 10:30PM, somedays on Good Day LA & always online. Your’s Truly, Julie

A Nod to Old Hollywood!

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Truly Julie

Truly Julie channeling Veronica Lake on the set of Good Day LA.I’m usually a beachy-wave kind of gal…but today, the fabulous hair and makeup team at Good Day LA went for old Hollywood. Instead of curling the hair back with an iron…we curled in a forward direction. We took the very front chunk of the bangs..curled it first with an iron…then finger curled…pinned with a clip for 4 minutes…voila! As for makeup we skipped lining the bottom lash line to soften the look….and added bold lips for umph.

Truly Julie…no really…TRULY JULIE!

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Truly Julie

Truly Julie without an ounce of makeup. Truly Julie with lots of makeup!

Many of you have reached out to me over the years with the most generous compliments. I gotta be honest though…what you see of me on TV is not really me. It’s me with a lot of makeup. I made a resolution this year to be dedicated to the truth. So…here I am…baring my makeup-less face (as if you couldn’t tell..the left picture). Yes…I have bags under my eyes…sunspots on my skin…what else…oh! A nice zit forming on the side of my nose. Awesome. The picture on the right was taken in the exact same spot after 20 minutes of piling on concealer, foundation, eye shadow and liner, blush, bronzer, highlighter, and gloss. And in both pictures (though, hard to see) some scattered gray hairs. I figure we all get old…so why not try to focus more on the things that only get better with time. Smart never gets old. Funny always stays fresh. Cuteness and Kindess never gets stale. I’m quite happy to admit that I’m perfectly imperfect! Truth…always timeless.

Hoping to look Flossy for a Glossy!

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Truly Julie

I’ve been part of some pretty cool magazine shoots throughout the years. From the high fashion W Magazine to Lucky to Time Out New York, etc., the glossy pages have been good to me. And it looks like the adventure will continue…I’ll be featured in Cosmo Korea’s September issue! Yes…SEPTEMBER issue. Fashion people…you know the weight of a September issue…literally and figuratively (THANK YOU COSMO!). My photo shoot is just 2 weeks away and we’ve not chosen a NYC location yet! Would love to hear your suggestions on twitter (@JulieChang) or better yet SEE your ideas on instagram (@TrulyJulieChang). Till then…”Blue Steel”!

A Hairy Situation? Truly Julie Has Got You Covered…or Uncovered

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Truly Julie

I’m a champion for grooming. BUT. I hate the grueling time it takes to run all over town to get our waxing, threading, extensions (lashes), etc. That’s why when Strip:the Ministry of Waxing & Browhaus opened up in Nolita…I was besides myself.
One half of the joint (Strip) is dedicated to getting rid of hair including the chocolate waxing and the relatively painless IPL (laser treatment that uses pulses of light so it’s more gentle yet effective). The other half (Browhaus) is all about replacing, enhancing hair such as your lashes or brows. I’ve sent many people to get the Brow Resurrection…which is a soy-ink temporary tattoo that fixes overplucked, “betty boop” brows.

And just this week…they launched the Brazilian Facial. Um…er…auh…it’s a facial for “down there”. Yup…treatments that smooth out the texture…clarify pores…all that good stuff for your most private area. I have not tried it out…but you gotta give it to Ramon Padilla, the director of the store, for thinking outside the…ah ham…”box”! They also introduced mink lash extensions. Yup..it’s real mink, but don’t worry…it was combed off the animal, not skinned. When I first discovered Strip and Browhaus…I just had to share the one-stop-grooming-shop with our Fox 5 viewers. Click on the below picture for your inside tour.

New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 Kicks Off!

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Truly Julie

Alexandra (“Ali”) & Kristen O’Neill are the sassy sisters behind the label Porter Grey. The two are brains, beauty, and fashion! Ali (left) attended NYU and Kristen (right) went to Harvard. This is their 2nd year showing at NYFW.

The hip O’Neill sisters grew up in Denver…so while their collection is fun and girly with a touch of East Village, it’s very Colorado grounded….literally! All the models had flat oxfords on. My favorite dress was actually the one Kristen was wearing…cool open back.

Of all my years covering Fashion Week…I have never ever met a designer as chill, humble, and relaxed as Richard Chai. When all that hard work boils down to a 10 minute runway show, designers are usually on edge backstage…to say the least. But not Richard. Much like his clothes…Richard is no frills, just finesse. Having sketched for Lanvin…designed for Donna Karan…only to become the creative director for Marc Jacobs, Richard is trained and equipped to do it all. He won the CFDA award last year for his men’s line. Today was the first time he showcased both the men’s and women’s lines in one runway show. Yes, this meant male models for me to gawk at:) Known for his understated, architectural style…Richard is spicing it up for Spring 2012…more colors and prints.

In the midst of the fashion frenzy: steamers puffing at your face, hairspray hurricane, makeup mayhem…
I couldn’t help notice a beaming face: a woman with flawless skin just radiating health. It was Tata Harper, the organic skincare guru who’s been all the buzz lately. The Columbian beauty says all of her products are made at her farm in Vermont. I actually use the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask and love it because it gently tightens my pores. Tata was in charge of keeping the models’ skin glowing…which is no easy feat when they are piling on and scraping off makeup…show after show. Alright, kids…it’s Day 1 of New York Fashion Week. More adventures to follow!

Click on the gallery pics for makeup and hair trends.

[Show as slideshow]

Fashion Front: Truly Julie is wearing Lanvin dress and Lanvin for H&M necklace

A Hairy Situation Gets Milified!

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Truly Julie

Truly Julie getting a Mili Simon cut! Check out more of Mili’s killer work here.

I often say, God didn’t give me height. God didn’t give me curves. But heck, he hooked me up with some hair! But having thick, long hair can translate into a mop on your head (especially if it’s black) if you don’t get a killer cut. Enter Mili Simon! She’s one of our talented hairstylists at Good Day New York. Within just 15 minutes, she’ll turn me out like a Pantene commercial. Her blowouts always give my look an exclamation point…so this morning, I trusted her with a pair of scissors, well, more like a razor. She dug into my hair and took shards of weight out. This concept is funny to me in that I get asked if I have extensions in my hair at least once a week. Meanwhile, I actually get chunks of my hair taken out.
This is the real s%$!, folks. As for the eyelashes…well…that I can’t vouch for:) And for those of you who have asked that I start a twitter/facebook page solely for my hair, bless your heart! I welcome any of you to start one, as I’m pretty occupied with social networking as it is! (Twitter:JulieChangFox5, 3 Facebook pages. Come find me, please)

Mili shaped the crown of my hair, so that it now moves with little pockets of air underneath. I’ve had my hair done by some of the most well known stylists: Ken Paves, Rossano Ferretti, Harry Josh, etc., and I can say with confidence that Mili is right up there. And she may have all of them beat as far as timing….she works so fast! My hair has been looking a bit “pageant” lately…you know, sort of like Kim Kardashian’s perfectly coiffed tresses. Nothing wrong with that, but that’s not me. I’m “Julie the broadcaster” by day, but by night, I’m “downtown Julie Chang”…and I need a cut that can accommodate my split life:) Mili totally gets that “tousled, a little rock & roll, model off-duty” look because she has it herself! Trained at Bumble & Bumble, this girl knows what’s cutting edge…when it comes to cutting:)
.

Voila! Finished product: polished enough for TV, but textured enough for fun!