One of South Korea’s biggest export these days is KPOP, and they are taking the world by storm. Teens across around the world are going online to check out the latest from Super Junior, BoA, Rain Bi, Wonder Girls, TVXQ, JYJ, SS501,2PM, BIGBANG, Miss A, KARA, SHINee, After School, Brown Eyed Girls, Se7en, f(x), Secret, MBLAQ, Afterschool, and 2NE1. High schools across the country have been receiving more and more requests to play Kpop at their homecoming dances and football games.

Kpop growing more popular because Korean dramas have always been popular, especially in most of East and South East Asia, including Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Vietnam. One of South Korea’s top grossing movies of all time, My Sassy Girl, was remade in the US starring Elisha Cuthbert.

Original 2001 Korean Version

American 2008 Version

There was even a Bollywood version.

And one of Korea’s hottest actor/singer/models “Rain” has entered the US mainstream by appearing in the movies “Speed Racer” and “Ninja Assassin”

And with the popularity of korean dramas and cinema, KPop too is becoming more mainstream around the world. Recently The Wonder Girls aired a movie on TeenNick, and released the single “The DJ Is Mine.”

And us…we’re huuuuuuge KPop fans. We love the music, we love the look, and the lifestyle. If you like the Kpop look, we’d like to recommend some of our colorful synthetic and feather highlights, which um, you know….was featured in After School’s music video!

Them’s is SOHO FEATHERS in that beedeeyo!

check out their haawwwtt music video below

AND we have some winners to announce! drumroll please…..

CONGRATULATIONS to KAYLA MARIE! kayla, you have won that oh-so-pretty heart shaped box gift set! hope you like it!

and the second place winners are:

Keiko Shiraishi Wray

Penny Hoelscher

Polly Cheung

didn’t win? don’t worry, we have a few more give-aways in the works, including a bridal hair accessory set! ooOOOooooo! stay tuned, and happy valentine’s day!

and for those of you who won, expect a message from us shortly for shipping information! till then, i think a small little victory dance is in order. if you don’t have a victory dance handy, i’d like to recommend something a little like this:

i like peonies, cupcakes, a good frappacino, and probably most of all, FREE STUFF.

if you “like” us on facebook any time between now and valentine’s day, you’re entering to win a heart-shaped box gift set! (retail value: $269.99)

to further spread some love, THREE (that’s one-two-three) 2nd place winners who will win a red soho crystal ponytail holder! (retail value: $49.99) w00t w00t~

and of course, there’s a SALE going on!

all red and pink items on sohostyle.com is 20% off.

everyone likes a sale, right? and who doesn’t love pink?

happy valentine’s day y’all!

slicked back, textured, flowing down, or tied high with a wet-look finish. SEXY.

this hairstyle made its appearance in 2012 spring runways everywhere. use oils, or sea-spray, or keep it old school and break out the dep.

hair, with a twist

the hair twist is a cute alternative to the popular braid, and far easier to accomplish.

bold bangs

bigger, fuller bangs are dramatic, bold, and fun. for more volume and density, you can try using soho b.bangs. available in 22 different colors, heat resistant, and simple to use.

according to ancient chinese mythology, a nian (a mythical lion beast from under the sea, or the mountains) would come out of hiding once a year around spring to attack villages. the nian would attack people, livestock, and crops, but preferred children as its prey of choice. the people exploited the nian’s fear of loud noises and the color red, scaring it off for good. to commemorate this successful plan, there are always plenty of red decorations and loud fireworks in full display. there are also many “lion dance” performances (not to be confused with the “dragon dances”)

and this year is supposed to be an especially lucky one, as the dragon is the most auspicious zodiac sign in chinese culture. the dragon is often associated with good fortune, intelligence, and sign that foretells a destiny of success. china expects a 5% increase in births in 2012 as many want a “dragon baby.” some famous “dragon babies” include salvador dali, john lennon, al pacino, and of course…bruce lee.

gung hay fat choy!

we adore her colorful accents, and are over the moon that we can achieve this look without the permanency of hair dye.

if you’re feelin’ a little adventuresome and down for giving it a whirl, we suggest purchasing our clip-in highlights (offered in 8 beautiful colors).   soho highlight clip-in extensions can be cut, curled and straightened – so you can get the same fun, flirty look as Ms. Gomez.

colorful locks are popping up everywhere from katy perry’s bright blue hair… (wait…pink…wait…what is it now?) 

…to kate bosworth’s turquoise-dipped blonde locks.

If you’ve been thinking about playing with color – now’s the time.  why? because change is good. 

no, no…not kirstie alley.

oh kirstie…

christy and ali are two of our most popular hair extensions that we offer at soho. and to do it right, we brought in our friend allie (confused yet?) to demonstrate how they work. she’s a 100% bona fide aussie girl from down under. she’s got the most adoreable voice, and isn’t she just absolutely gorgeous? thanks again, allie!!

we loaded them both up on our youtube channel and our vimeo account to compare which format works better. what do you think? first up, the christy / kasey tutorial on vimeo!

and our ali tutorial on youtube

it’s super simple and requires minimal effort for such chic results. start by making a ponytail, secure it with an elastic band, take a one inch section of hair and wrap around the ponytail holder (keep it in place with bobby pins) and simply loop the tail end of your hair into the elastic ponytail holder and voila! a masterpiece of spring sexiness. from the office to the nightclub, this is the perfect all day style.

for women with shorter hair or anyone that just wants a really thick & sleek ponytail for this loop ‘do – i suggest our christy hair extension for a perfect look everytime (as shown below)

if you DO choose to have some drinks and you don’t have a designated driver, there are many safe options out there. southern california AAA is offering its Tipsy Tow service for new year’s eve. Between 6pm and 6am, they will offer to tow your car 7 miles and give you a ride home FREE OF CHARGE. you don’t even have to be a AAA member. the number to call is (800) 400-4222.

Many other states are offering similar Tipsy Tow type services. Click here to see an expanded list.

a while back, i watched a style segment on the today’s show on the return of the braid. Jill Martin, an US Weekly contributor, said, “What’s new is that it’s much more edgy now. It’s not Pippy Longstocking with two braids down the side, it’s a cooler kind of braid that feels more modern because it looks loose and undone and very much on the pulse of what’s going on in hair right now.”

john barrett salon (i LOVE this place) was also featured in the piece. they opened up a “braid bar” and the demand is so high that….you know what, i’m going to stop talking. watch the video.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

john barrette salon

braids are can be seen everywhere these days, from the runway to the tennis courts. and in florida, our girls are braiding as fast as their little fingers can handle.

we made this cute little video from a few videos that our ladies in florida shot with their iphones. clickety-CLICK to see how our ladies are braiding it up, along with a lil SOHO swag~