One word. COOL. That’s what comes to mind when I think of Nikhol Xu. She is a free-lance makeup artist here in Beijing who went to Vancouver Film School to learn how to do the kind of special effects makeup you see in Saw 1 though 10. She practically oozes creativity and artsy talent with her retro black vinyl Mary Janes, white-rimmed glasses, and multiple facial piercings. In fact, this was the easiest Fashionista shoot ever as Nikhol showed up already flaunting flawless makeup. All I did was choose the perfect shade of hot magenta to compliment her fabulous polka-dot navy blue French Connection dress found at The Place. As for her style inspiration, Nikhol really doesn’t feel much influence from what is going on in the fashion magazines but instead focuses on her dreams, how she feels when she wakes up and horror novels. “A lot of ideas just pop into my head when I least expect it. I don’t know where they come from sometimes.” As a makeup artist her favorite brands are Makeup Forever and M.A.C because of the intensity of color and wide range of shadows. She also suggests Nars and Stila for their lipstick selection. Advice for this fall/winter fashion includes “the color red, fun-patterned leggings, over-sized collars and big unstructured tops.” When it comes to what to focus on when putting an outfit together, she recommends makeup and shoes: “To me, wearing a nice outfit without the right shoes to finish up is like wearing a very nicely done makeup without touch on the lips.” I don’t say this for many, but when it comes to this über-cool chic, I will take her fashion suggestions any time.

Name: Nikhol Xu

Occupation: MakeUp Artist

Nationality: Chinese

MeiLi Autumn

Fashionista: MeiLi Autumn For more style analysis or fashion insight, visit MeiLi's website, www.dajustudio.com Photographer: Tao Zi Hair and Makeup: MeiLi Autumn