Category Archives: Beauty

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Intense Hydration moisturiser review – he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

kiehls ultra facial cream intense hydration

If you thought that living in Hong Kong meant you got to avoid the vagaries of winter weather, think again. The only difference? Unlike the UK, we’re just vastly unprepared for it!

Nevertheless, there are a couple of things you can buy to lessen the pain. Millions of Uniqlo Heattech tops. A mini convection heater to tote around wherever you go. And a really really good winter moisturiser. Which is exactly where Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Intense Hydration comes in.

Add dry weather to drying conditions (hello that beloved convection heater!) and you end up with pretty parched skin. Given that Hong Kong’s usual climate of heat and humidity is the exact opposite of this and you can see why a change in your skincare routine is most definitely called for! So it’s out with light, gel-based moisturisers and in with heavy-duty hydrating creams. However, what’s amazing about Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Intense Hydration Cream is that whilst it’s heavy-duty, it does so without actually being heavy. Which has to be some sort of make-up miracle.

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Zoya Aurora nail polish review

zoya aurora

Hail to the Princess Aurora! All of her subjects adore her! Hail to the King, hail to the Queen, hail to the Princess Aurora!

Given that Sleeping Beauty was always my favourite Disney princess, it was always likely I’d feel the urge to buy Zoya’s Aurora nail polish – and yes, I totally buy cosmetics based on the product names. Thankfully, the colour turned out to be pretty stellar.

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Clinique Chubby Sticks in Heftiest Hibiscus, Chunky Cherry and Jumbo Jasmine review

clinique chubby sticks

“Hello, my name is Rachel and I am a Chubb-aholic.”

Yes, ever since Clinique’s Chubby Sticks arrived on the beauty scene in 2011, I have found myself addicted to all crayon-shaped lip products that cross my path – be they the Chubby Sticks themselves, or bandwagon-jumping Chubb-alikes like Sisley’s Phyto-Lip Twists and Revlon’s Colorburst Balms. So it was only a matter of time before the itch hit and yet more Chubby Sticks found their way into my collection; if I plead innocence as to how they got there, will the make-up gods (and my bank balance) believe me?

clinique chubby sticks heftiest hibiscus chunky cherry jumbo jasmine swatchLeft to right: Heftiest Hibiscus, Chunky Cherry, Jumbo Jasmine

The latest additions to my Chubby Stick family are Heftiest Hibiscus, Chunky Cherry and Jumbo Jasmine. And of course, they are all pretty awesome. In case you need a recap as to why Clinique Chubby Sticks in general are awesome, may I point you to my previous reviews here and here… but if you are too lazy to click (tut tut), here are the basics:

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Airplay Blow Dry Bar review – hairway to heaven

airplay bar hong kong rach

Tis the season to go party, fa la la la la la la la…

Yep, it’s that time of year when even the most shy and retiring wallflowers find themselves being dragged along to burn the midnight oil and stick tinsel in strange places at seasonal soirees and holiday parties galore.

airplay bar hong kong

It’s occasions like these where you might find yourself lacking the time or indeed, inspiration to get ready for a night out… and as someone who has put serious consideration into whether pyjamas fit the description of “smart-casual” and whose most adventurous hairstyle is the ponytail, I definitely know the feeling. Which is exactly where Airplay Bar comes into play.

airplay blow dry bar hong kong

Airplay is Hong Kong’s very first blow dry bar – no cuts, no colours, just simple (or not so simple!) styling – a concept that’s big in the States and Europe but which, in true HK fashion, took absolutely bloody ages to reach our shores. Their first location in Central is exactly the kind of space you’d like to enjoy some prime pampering time in; the décor is soft and feminine, with invitingly comfy white leather chairs and Project Runway on loop on giant screens, whilst the place itself is far bigger and more open than the photos do justice.

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Winter Want List 2014: Beauty

Christmas Cosmetics 2014 1

It’s a shame there are officially only Twelve Days of Christmas – as there’s definitely way more than twelve things I’d like my true love to give to me! And yes, they’re all cosmetics – #beautybloggerproblems yo’.

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Shu Uemura Eye-Need-Shu Liner in Midnight Black review – the most purr-fect holiday cosmetics collection

shu uemura shupette collection

Calling it! The cutest holiday cosmetics collection this festive season has to be the Shu Uemura x Karl Lagerfeld collaboration, Shupette; themed around Uncle Karl’s princess pussycat, Choupette, it’s a pun made in make-up heaven!

The second of Lagerfeld’s collaborations with Shu Uemura (you may remember his similarly adorable Mon Shu 2012 Holiday Collection), Shupette amps up the Christmas cute factor with a range of products encased in highly covetable packaging featuring sweet sketches of Karl’s famous fluffy white kitty, bearer of the most famous baby blues this side of Sinatra.

shu uemura eye need shu liner midnight black

However, one of my favourite products from the Shupette 2014 Holiday Collection is actually one of the more understated items – the Eye-Need-Shu Liner in Midnight Black.

Rather than featuring a drawing of the old fluffball herself, this pencil eyeliner instead has teeny-tiny silver paw-prints dancing their way around the black casing – subtle but sooooo cute!

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The Loft by The Nail Library – taking mani-pedis in Hong Kong to lofty heights!

the loft hong kong

UPDATE: The Loft by The Nail Library is now closed; head to The Nail Library on On Wo Lane for all your mani-pedi needs!

Stuff I like: nail polish, mani-pedis, being pampered.

Stuff I don’t like: walking, walking uphill, getting really sweaty when walking uphill.

You may remember my discovery of The Nail Library being life-changing for my love of nail polish, mani-pedis and being pampered in Hong Kong. However, in order for The Nail Library to be something of a hidden gem, it has to be… well, a bit hidden. Hence its perfectly charming location off the beaten track in Po Hing Fong, which is a reasonably lengthy and very uphill walk from Sheung Wan MTR station.

the loft by the nail library hong kong

So I bring good news to those of you who share my aversion for most forms of physical activity. You can now get all of The Nail Library’s amazing range of nail polish brands, its superstar nail therapists, its unparalleled nail art expertise, and its laidback urban-luxe vibe at an even more convenient location just by Central’s escalators at The Loft by The Nail Library. Huzzah.

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Clinique Quickliner For Eyes Intense in Intense Clove, Intense Truffle and Intense Peridot review

clinique quickliners intense truffle intense clove intense peridot

#BeautyBloggerProblems – having such a mega stash of make-up hidden away that you forget what products you even own in the first place!

Back in 2012, I reviewed Clinique’s Quickliner For Eyes Intense eyeliners… loved them… then promptly forgot all about them in favour of my usual Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil and Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner combination. But one day recently, when I couldn’t be bothered to faff with my eyeliner brush or go crazy with colour (funnily enough, the exact circumstances I predicted myself using them in my Quickliner review – well done me!), I spotted them sitting forlornly in my eyeliner tub – and remembered exactly why I fell in love with them in the first place. They’re so easy to use! The colour is so intense! They’re great for sensitive eyes!

clinique quickliners for eyes intense

… Which is how I found myself in Clinique buying another three Quickliner For Eyes Intense pencils – this time in Intense Clove, Intense Truffle and Intense Peridot. And I found myself smitten all over again, like a grown woman surfing Friends Reunited only to fall back in love with her teenage crush.

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Essentials by Cinci handmade soaps review – land of soap and glory!

ec soaps hong kong

For me, soap is something old people use. It sits on your soap-dish for ages looking unattractively scummy, it doesn’t lather up properly and it leaves you feeling almost too squeakily clean. Suffice to say, I’m a shower gel girl all the way.

However, bringing the humble soap into the 21st century is Essentials By Cinci EC Soap. The brainchild of qualified Chinese medicine practitioner Cinci Leung, these soaps are handmade in Hong Kong from all-natural ingredients – and look absolutely gorgeous to boot.

essentials by cinci hong kong

Before you start imagining Leung as some wizened bearded old man concocting noxious-smelling brews in a ye olde style apothecary, let me tell you that she’s actually a bright young woman with a more modern approach to Chinese medicine – a philosophy which is totally reflected in the Essentials by Cinci soaps themselves.

Leung explained to me that many shower gels are formulated with ingredients that end up stripping off your skin’s natural oils as well as the dirt and sweat we want rid of. Her soaps are much milder and have been created to both cleanse and moisturise – sudsational stuff!

handmade soaps hong kong essentials by cinci

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Benefit The POREfessional: Agent Zero Shine finishing powder review – your secret weapon against sticky summers

benefit the porefessional agent zero shine powder

“Girls don’t sweat, they perspire.”

… Said no girl who lived in Hong Kong ever.

Hong Kong is not the place to come if you’re scared of a bit of sweat. Our summers basically read like the keywords for an x-rated video – hot, wet, sticky, sweaty – and there ain’t much you can do about it. However, there are a few secret weapons you can deploy to help you look a little more fresh-faced and fragrant even in the stickiest of summers, and one of my favourites is Benefit’s The POREfessional: Agent Zero Shine powder.

benefit the porefessional spy gal

“Secret weapon” is a totally apt phrase for Agent Zero Shine. Not only is the packaging officially the cutest – adorned with Benefit’s cartoon Spy Gal, a secret agent “porefessional” whose mission (should you choose to accept it) is to combat the appearance of pores – but like many of the best cosmetics, when applied right, no one can even tell you’re using it… just that you look extra awesome instead.

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