Through The Looking Glass

MAC Casual Colours in Keep It Casual and Relaxation review

Posted on July 2, 2012 | 6 comments

I’m a big fan of multi-tasking products. Vaseline? Tell me somewhere I don’t use it! (No… not there though… snigger). Blushers slash highlighters? Can’t get enough of ‘em. Bacon? I put it on everything. (Sorry… just had to get my love of bacon in there.)

But lip/cheek stains generally don’t rock my world. Let’s face it – the skin on your lips is extremely different in terms of texture, colour and just about everything else from that on the rest of your face, so for a product to work equally well for both areas seems a bit of a stretch. So although I liked the idea of MAC’s Casual Colours – lightweight pots of creamy colour for both lips and cheek – I can’t say I was expecting great things.

Left to right: MAC Casual Colours in Keep It Casual and Relaxation

In fact, I ended up loving these little multi-tasking lovelies a lot more than expected! The whole aim of the collection is effortless easy make-up (I love MAC’s tagline for this, ‘Stilettos off! Hair down!’) so most of the Casual Colours come in neutral shades for perfecting that carefree au naturel look. Of course, the one I liked the best was the least au naturel in the bunch… well, I do always have to be different!

Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in Beauty

Tagged Beauty, Casual Colour Collection, Casual Colours, cosmetics, cream blush, Keep It Casual, lip colour, lip-cheek products, lip-cheek stains, look, Mac, make-up, multi-purpose products, photos, Relaxation, swatch

NARS Kutki nail polish review

Posted on June 25, 2012 | 5 comments

As my nail polish collection multiplies by the minute, some tough decisions need to get made. In make-up mental mode, I picked up all of Nars’ Thakoon nail polish collection (an stunning series of summer brights, for those that haven’t already seen it). But when I got home and applied Nars Kutki, I had to ask myself – do I really another pastel blue?! The answer, of course, is a resounding YES.

Unlike China Glaze’s Sea Spray, there is not a hint of dustiness to Kutki – it is a true powder blue. Unlike Chanel’s Coco Blue, there is no secret shimmer to it – it a dreamy creamy crème through and through. Unlike many inferior pastel blues, there is not a hint of chalkiness to it; Kutki is bright soft summer skies all the way. It is, in short, gorgeous.

Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in Beauty

Tagged Beauty, cosmetics, Kutki, make-up, nail lacquer, nail polish, nail varnish, Nars, Nars Thakoon collection, pastel blue, powder blue, review, swatch

Heirloom Eatery restaurant review – smores, smores, smores (how do you like it…)

Posted on June 4, 2012 | 6 comments

UPDATE: Heirloom Eatery is now known as Corner Kitchen Cafe.

Hong Kong is all about the hype. Be it Hello Kitty toys, Lady Gaga tickets or the latest ‘it-restaurant’, there’s always buzz around something.

One of the coolest, most talked-about restaurants from a while back, is Heirloom Eatery in the also buzzing Sheung Wan side of Hollywood Road. In traditional Rach late to the party style, I didn’t get round to trying it out until a month or so ago – with foodie partner-in-crime Michelle of Chopstixfix and her friend Amy (not a blogger but just as game for taking loads of pics and eating loads of food!).

Heirloom is a quaint little eaterie with lots of quirky design touches. It’s definitely a world away from any of the flashy restaurant group behemoths in Hong Kong and, with its whimsical menus, floral crockery, mismatched furniture and homespun feel, is probably all the better for it. Although the restaurant is on the smaller side, it’s lovely to sit outside watching the world go by on a nice spring day.

The menu is casual and international, with a few key influences – Mexican and Asian (thanks to the heritage of the two founders) – and a few majorly hyped dishes… Dear reader, we tried all of them!

Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in Food, Hong Kong

Tagged best tacos in Hong Kong, carnitas, Central, eating out, F&B, Food, heirloom, heirloom eatery, Hollywood Road, international cuisine, Mexican cuisine, photos, restaurant, review, sheung wan, smores

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid’s Dream nail polish review

Posted on May 31, 2012 | 4 comments

Over time, you may have learnt a couple of my nail polish weaknesses on this blog. Turquoise. Deborah Lippmann. Glitter. So imagine what would happen if all three got rolled into one… well, it did. Helloooo Deborah Lippmann Mermaid’s Dream!

Even from bottle shots, I knew this was going to be one of my favourite polishes ever. Mermaid tail nails has been a long-held obsession of mine and, well, this one even had it in the name. Mermaid in the name and mermaid in the bottle – it was always going to be a winner in my book!

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Beauty

Tagged Beauty, best glitter nail polishes, Deborah Lippmann, favourite, glitter, Mermaid's Dream, nail lacquer, nail polish, nail varnish, review, swatch, turquoise

Dessert of the day – there be magic in them Crumbs

Posted on May 28, 2012 | 12 comments

UPDATE: #FML, all Crumbs locations have now closed.

My fondness for desserts has been well documented so here’s a quick post for one of my favourites: Crumbs Fro Yo!

I was introduced to the delightful Crumbs by my lovely friend Jane… and it’s probably one of my defining moments in Hong Kong! With the fro-yo craze exploding in HK over the last few years, you can barely move for people dripping their icy treats all over you on street pavements – but how do you separate the wheat from the chaff (or whatever the yoghurt equivalent of that saying would be… something to do with curds and whey? I digress…).

Well, Crumbs isn’t just good, it’s great. Whoever thought that a little stand selling fro yos would be quietly making the best fresh brownies in Hong Kong?

Continue reading →

12 Comments

Posted in Food, Hong Kong

Tagged best dessert hong kong, best fro yo in hong kong, best fro-yo in hk, best frozen yoghurt in hong kong, brownies, Crumbs, dessert, dessert hong kong, fro yo, fro-yo hk, fro-yo hong kong, frozen yoghurt

American Apparel Neon Coral nail polish review

Posted on May 21, 2012 | 4 comments

It is officially summer in the 852 , which means I get even more insane with my make-up than usual! Being my usual stupidly-prepared self, I bagged myself the hottest most searing neon nail polish money could buy around three months ago, thanks to Stateside make-up mule Nunu. First up to give my nails a dose of radioactive summer was American Apparel Neon Coral.

Well, it does what it says on the tin! It is neon. It is coral. BUT IT IS SO MUCH MORE.

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Beauty

Tagged American Apparel, American Apparel Neon Collection, American Apparel Neon nail polishes, Beauty, best neon nail polishes, coral, cosmetics, fluorescent, make-up, nail lacquer, nail polish, nail varnish, neon, Neon Coral, review, swatch

Hello Kitty mo liu – the cat’s meow!

Posted on May 14, 2012 | 6 comments

I was introduced to the term ‘mo liu’ by a few friends on Twitter and rapidly found that it seemed to describe my life!

In English, mo liu translates to items of frippery, flippant impulse buys that are super-cute but ultimately functionless. I have always been susceptible to pretty things (and indeed, a whole category on here is named thus!) yet in Hong Kong, such mo liu lurks round every street corner, in every market, on the shelves of every shop, supermarket and convenience store. You cannot escape!

Prime offenders are items emblazoned with the likeness of a certain cartoon cat (previously featured on my blog here). And yes, forgive me for I am weak… for I gave into the cute collecting craze again… not once, but two times!

Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in Hong Kong, Pretty Things, Random

Tagged 7-Eleven, Happy Meal toys, Hello Kitty, Hello Kitty x McDonalds toys, Hello Kitty x Tokidoki toys, HK people, Hong Kong behaviour, kawaii, limited edition, MacDonalds, McDonalds, mo liu, Pretty Things, quirky stuff, Tokidoki

OPI Did It On ‘Em nail polish review

Posted on April 30, 2012 | 4 comments

With summer well and truly ready to kick in over here, my body starts to crave brights – and my nails are no exception! So next up from the Nicki Minaj Collection is OPI’s Did It On ‘Em.

A lot of people commented on the similarity between Minaj’s collection and the Shrek one OPI put out a few years back – and Did It On ‘Em is basically the lovechild of Who The Shrek Are You (the Shrek green) and Fiercely Fiona (yellow). Basically, it’s a bright amped-up chartreuse… and my, how long I have been dying to use the world chartreuse!

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Beauty

Tagged Beauty, chartreuse, cosmetics, Did It On 'Em, make-up, nail lacquer, nail polish, nail varnish, Nicki Minaj Collection, O.P.I, OPI, review, swatch, ugly-pretty

OPI Pink Friday nail polish review

Posted on April 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

Over my many nail polish reviews, you may have noticed a slight disparaging tone whenever pink is mentioned. Suffice to say, “traditional” nail polish colours just do not do it for me… save them for my wedding day I say (though I’m still not guaranteeing I won’t waltz down the aisle sporting some blingy-holo-flakie goodness!). However, I recently picked up OPI Pink Friday as part of their Nicki Minaj Collection set of minis, and in the interests of fairness and not wasting my money, I’m willing to try any shade once!

Continue reading →

Nicole By OPI Nicole’s Nickel nail polish review

Posted on April 13, 2012 | 2 comments

In the States, Nicole by OPI is apparently easier to get hold of than OPI itself. Not the case in Hong Kong! Its sole point of distribution here is Sasa – and even then, it’s a case of a limited number of colours in a limited number of Sasas… and as for new collections, forget it!

However, from these slim pickings, I spotted what looked like a pretty awesome glitter amongst the multitude of boring pinks and reds – Nicole by OPI Nicole’s Nickel, a Target exclusive in the States (whatever that means!). Call it the needle in the haystack, the wheat amongst the chaff or whatever other convoluted idiom you choose to come up with, Nicole’s Nickel is a winner.