Butter London Wallis nail polish review

I’m never one for following the seasons with my nail polish (I mean… have you seen how often I wear glittery “holiday” colours?!), but if you’re looking for a perfect fall colour, you can’t go far wrong with Butter London Wallis.

This beauty made its way to me thanks to my lovely make-up mule Justine after many months of lusting – but it was definitely worth the wait. Generally, I don’t lose too many sleeps over Butter London’s limited (and stupidly expensive) availability in Hong Kong as their colours aren’t really that special (their British slang names which have been confusing American bloggers for years with hilarious consequences, are pretty priceless though), but Wallis is definitely one of their smash hits and unique enough to warrant pursuing across the oceans!

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Clinique Chubby Sticks in Two Ton Tomato, Mighty Mimosa & Pudgy Peony review

When it comes to my make-up miracles, Clinique already has two in the bag (their Cream Eyeliner and their Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Foam). Last year, their Chubby Stick lippies joined the hall of fame – and now they’ve unleashed a series of fantastic brand new shades (and they really are fantastic), my love has only lifted higher and hiiiigher!

Although I love Clinique (I know I sound like a broken record but: stringently allergy tested, 100% fragrance-free, dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested i.e. a GODSEND sensitive skin), their make-up can be a little… whisper it… boring. Work-safe colours, neutral shades, workmanlike branding – their cosmetics very rarely got the pulse racing, even if they worked wonders. The first round of Chubby Sticks in Hong Kong were lovely, pretty, perfect everyday colours – but this latest set of shades really pack a gorgeous punch.

Even the names – Two Ton Tomato, Mighty Mimosa, Pudgy Peony – have me sort of salivating. You just know they’re going to be as fun, colourful and cute as the name “Chubby Stick” deserves.

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bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 4.0 in The Truth palette review

When did bareMinerals get all fun?! Last I remembered, they were a rather holier than thou company extolling the virtues of mineral make-up back in the day when no one else really cared. Well now, everyone cares… and bareMinerals is coming of age at just the right time.

Their packaging and products have had a bit of a makeover (love their hot pink bags) and top of my to-try list were the bareMinerals READY eyeshadows. I can’t be doing with messy loose pigments on the daily basis, which is what bareMinerals were predominantly famous for, but these new eyeshadows are solid pressed babies in duo or quad palettes rather reminiscent of *cough*Nars*cough*.

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Mid-Autumn Festival Hong Kong 2011, Moon Fun Playground lantern exhibition: Fairground attraction!

Mid-Autumn Festival is rolling round again (four day weekend, hollaaaa!), so what better time to bring you… a full year late… the gorgeous lanterns from last year’s festivities?!

My advice is to bypass the crowds at Victoria Park and instead head to Tsim Sha Tsui’s Cultural Centre Piazza, where every year they have an awesome thematic lantern exhibition. It stays on display for a full month (much longer than the ones at Victoria Park), is less crowded (especially if you hit it when everyone else is having their dinner or when they are otherwise occupied with the Symphony Of Lights show), provides almost an hour’s worth of photo opportunities and intense study of all the amazing close-up details of each lantern, plus you can then get the Star Ferry home and admire HK’s amazing skyline… its very own modern cityscape of a lantern show.

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Deborah Lippmann Just Dance nail polish review

Cometh summer, cometh turquoise. I’m actually obsessed with turquoise all of the time anyway (see here for proof), yet as soon as the sun starts shining, my world turns totally aqua – so Deborah Lippmann’s Just Dance, part of her Holiday 2011 Dance Music mini trio set, seemed perfect for my turquoise turn!

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Deborah Lippmann On The Beach & NARS Koliary nail polish review – a tale of two blues

A Tale of Two Blues…

Yup, you’re getting two reviews for the price of one here! Now you know me… my usual philosophy is why write 100 words when 500 would do… but the reason behind this package deal is that NARS Koliary and Deborah Lippmann On The Beach are basically the same colour. Admittedly, a very gorgeous bright primary ocean blue, but the same colour nonetheless – and I imagine you’d enjoy reading two identical reviews as much as I’d enjoy writing them!

It’s a simple colour, but both brands execute it stunningly. Pure bright creamy mid-tone blue. No turquoise or green or purple hints hiding beneath the surface, no shimmer or glitter or special effects – just straight-up primary blue on a platter. It’s a delicious palate cleanser of a polish and one that always gets me compliments whenever I wear it.

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Abercrombie & Fitch hits Hong Kong – I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch…

UPDATE: In November 2016, Abercrombie & Fitch announced their Hong Kong store would be closing, as a result of the economic downtown – it had been rumoured for a while and what with Forever 21 also exiting their phenomenally expensive space in Causeway Bay, was not really a surprise. As part of their rebranding, A&F also removed all their #HotGuys videos from Youtube (and from the stores!); props to various gay YT channels for preserving Call Me Maybe for perpetuity, whilst I’ve plugged in some other fan/news videos to try showcase the mayhem of the opening. Let’s remember the good times…

So, in case you live under not just one rock but ten tonnes of them, Abercrombie & Fitch finally opened its first Hong Kong store in the iconic Pedder Building in Central.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOLUSOe3eoM

At 11am, August 11, 2012, the doors finally opened (signature Fierce cologne filling the air). People queued overnight, lines of not just hundreds but thousands swarmed all the way around Pedder, an MTR exit was closed and police barricades were in effect. Don’t believe me? See the video above!

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Clinique Lash Power Lengthening Mascara review

You already know from my previous blog that my must-wear make-up is eyeliner. However, I know that for plenty of people, the thing they just can’t leave the house without is mascara… so here’s Clinique’s new Lash Power Lengthening Mascara to tempt you!

I will be honest – I very rarely wear mascara as it… or rather the removal of it… tends to wreak havoc with my sensitive teary eyes (a lifetime spent crying at Disney movies and rom-coms? who knows!). Nevertheless, on the rare occasions that I do, the two brands I trust most with my lashes are Becca and Clinique… so bring on the Lash Power Lengthening Mascara!

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Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense in Intense Plum, Intense Ivy and Intense Charcoal review

Some people never leave the house without a sweep of mascara. For others, it’s a swipe of lipstick. But for me, it’s a slick of eyeliner!

I do actually leave the house without make-up on a regular basis (are beauty bloggers allowed to admit this?!), but if I’m venturing more than a couple of MTR stops away and if there’s a chance of being seen by anyone that matters, out the eyeliner comes! As a result, I have two go-to holy grail eyeliners – Clinique’s Brush-On Cream Eyeliner in Smoke Grey and Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in just about every colour under the sun. But I’m always on the hunt for more… enter Clinique’s Quickliner for Eyes Intense.

clinique quickliners intense plum intense charcoal intense ivyLeft to right: Intense Plum, Intense Charcoal, Intense Ivy

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American Apparel Neon Orange nail polish review

This summer is all about neons. The other day on the train, I spotted two girls who looked like they’d got dressed with the sole purpose of glowing under UV lights at a rave – fluorescent yellow vest top, fluorescent pink bandage mini skirt, it literally was like they’d coloured themselves in with highlighter pens!

For those seeking a slightly more subtle take on the trend, a pop of neon nail polish is your best bet. China Glaze, Essie, OPI, Orly and even Deborah Lippmann have all jumped on the bandwagon with neon collections hitting the shelves in time for summer. However, American Apparel got there first with their neon collection last year – and luckily, I have a prime make-up mule Nunu to supply me with such fluro goodness from across the seas!

I already showed you Neon Coral (LOVE); this time, it’s American Apparel’s Neon Orange. You’d typically expect neon orange to be more similar in colour to that of Neon Coral (errr… I can see this is going to get confusing!), but this was an awesomely unexpected take on the shade.

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