Category: Beauty

Scentsory Pleasures: Four spring perfumes for scentsational ladies

From Bulgari to Esteé Lauder, our favourite brands have unveiled an array of scintillating spring perfumes for ladies just ahead of the SS19 season.

Spring perfumes

The fine folks at Bulgari remain committed to dispelling the winter blues with the new Rose Goldea limited edition. While its freshly redesigned bottle is supposed to depict the mythical gardens of the Roman gods, the fragrance within is said to unleash your inner Aphrodite, with apt hints of pomegranate and damask rose.

Spring perfumes

Not to be outdone, international fragrance house Carolina Herrera has unveiled its deceptively titled Good Girl – a fragrance that’s supposedly so sensational that it is sure to set your inner femme fatale free. With its unapologetic motto – “It’s good to be bad” – and a heady mix of jasmine and tonka beans, it may just be your one-way ticket from dowdy to diva.

Spring perfumes

For its part, New York-headquartered Esteé Lauder is looking to channel girl-next-door sweetness with its golden vial of Aerin Éclat de Vert, a timeless combination of citrus, magnolia and jasmine that’s at once classic and contemporary. In a world of ever-changing haute couture trends, it’s good to know that this is one fragrance that won’t go out of style any time soon.

Spring perfumes

Sneaking up on some, meanwhile, is renowned glassware brand Lalique with its latest foray into the fragrance field – three all-new scents in it Les Compositions Parfumées collection, a playful and girlish trio that evokes the beach and all things warm and sunny. From the woody notes of its Pink Paradise through the musky essence of its Electric Purple, to the vanilla-esque vibes of its Sweet Amber, this is a perfumed parade that welcomes one and all.

Spring queen: Get the luscious lunar look Chinese New Year

Kick off the coming Chinese New Year in style with Givenchy’s Prisme Libre Loose Powder, a treatment all but guaranteed to give your complexion an even tone, then add a touch of NARS Aqua Glow Cushion Foundation for truly a festive golden glow.

Lunar Look

Adding the Orgasm Infatuation Palette from NARS to your arsenal is also a must for the party season, as its three shades of shimmer should give you the perfect sultry look. If you’re looking for a more luminous palette, why not opt for Charlotte Tilbury’s Bar of Gold Trio as a way of notching up the glamour quotient?

Lunar Look

Meanwhile, to distinguish your brow bones, try a dab of sheer rose gold courtesy of Chanel’s Ombre Premiere Crème, pairing it with Eyes to Kill Proliner from Giorgio Armani. No party makeup is complete, though, without bold red lips and Dolce & Gabbana’s Dolcissimo Matte Liquid Lipcolour, which has the added benefit of being smudge-proof. Apply a coat of Dior’s Diorific Vernis to your nails as a fabulous finish.

Anti-Ageing: Ditch the dated look for a more dewy demeanour…

Anti-ageing doesn’t need to be sleight-of-hand, with coy contrivances adopted to inveigle an improved Instagram image. Instead, it should be all about restoring the health of your eroded epidermis, with reality – not appearance – being your ultimate objective. Sounds impossible? In fact, all you need is a little commitment, a few apt insights and, of course, the perfect portfolio of pampering products.

Albion’s Excia Embeage Cream Parfait
Albion’s Excia Embeage Cream Parfait

Thankfully Albion’s Excia Embeage Cream Parfait may be a perfect answer. Packed with ANRIL, an essential cell-rejuvenating polymeric molecule, it could just restore those lost teen skin tones.

Helena Rubinstein's Prodigy Cellglow
Helena Rubinstein’s Prodigy Cellglow

Quite apart from complementary cosmetics, the skin has its own natural renewal programme. Sadly, its effectiveness diminishes with every life landmark we pass. Fortunately, Helena Rubinstein, one the L’Oréal stable of luxury brands, claims its anti-ageing Prodigy Cellglow can help reboot this natural renewal cycle, restoring your skin to its firm and supple prime.

Estée Lauder’s Revitalizing Supreme Anti-Aging Power Soft Emulsion
Estée Lauder’s Revitalizing Supreme Anti-Aging Power Soft Emulsion

Rather than rebooting, Estée Lauder’s Revitalizing Supreme Anti-Aging Power Soft Emulsion takes a slightly subtler approach. Its judicious use of stem cell extract is said to unlock the skin’s lost lustre, while burnishing its natural moisture barrier.

Sisleÿa L’Intégral Anti-Âge Contour Cream by Sisley
Sisleÿa L’Intégral Anti-Âge Contour Cream by Sisley

For those looking for a more targetted zap, though, there is Sisleÿa L’Intégral Anti-Âge Contour Cream. According to Sisley, its Paris-based maker, it’s an anti-ageing solution that’s all but guaranteed to smooth out those wrinkles and leave you laughter line-free.

Bye-bye Bad Hair Days: Our favourite luxury hair styling tools

Hong Kong may be one of the greatest cities in the world, but it’s no secret that our water is far from the top of the freshest drinking pools. The affects of chlorine filled H2O can lead to dry and frizzy hair, breakage, faded locks and colour or the absolute worst – hair loss. Here at Gafencu we are committed to helping you save your pretty curls or sleek straight dos, and so, we have gathered such top hair styling tools on the market as Dyson and T3. 

Don’t be fooled into thinking the healthier hair process ends when you leave the shower, in fact, its just beginning. Water-filters that purify and reduce chlorine, are of course a good start. Next comes finding  a hair towel that minimises the effort and damage of drying your hair, to high-end brushes and combs that promise to strengthen and heal both cuticles and your scalp. The real fun starts with hair dryers, rollers and stylers that ensure quality and protection. 

Some Must-Have Hair Styling Tools

Luxury choice: Our top ten Christmas gift ideas for women

One would think buying a gift for a lady would be easier than for a gentleman (click here for Christmas gift ideas for him), but the mind-boggling multitude of choices themselves may make you feel unsure about just where to start! If you’re daunted by the idea of browsing through a hundred different shades of peach lipstick or choosing between a satchel and a sling bag, we’ve narrowed down the potential Christmas gift ideas for women by quite a bit. So fret not and dive straight into our top ten carefully curated luxurious Christmas gift ideas for women, all assured to win her heart.

Of course, to add an extra-personal touch to the joy of gift-giving, you can always opt for the personalised gift boxes from DFS’s Personalization Gift Shop that’s available till 1 January. From personalised holiday ribbons and monogrammed luggage tags to limited-edition patches and monogrammed tote bags, there’s no better way to make your gift stand out in the pile under the Christmas tree. 

Get the Look: Go bold but stay sophisticated at any festive soiree

As the festive season approaches, your calendar will probably be brimming with fancy dinners and black-tie dos. With so many all-night events in the pipelines, it is undeniably important to quite literally put your best face forward. One of our favourite looks for the season comes courtesy of Dior, with its Holiday look hitting just the right balance between bold and understatedly sophisticated. Here’s how you can get the look and solidify your reputation as a true beauty queen.

Get the look - a step-by-step guide to nailing Dior's Holiday look
Get the look – A step-by-step guide to nailing Dior’s Holiday look

Get the Look:

Get the party started with Estée Lauder’s Futurist Aqua Brilliance Liquid Foundation (complete with Sun Protection Factor 20) to get a dewy, even complexion that will last all night. Add a dab of Givenchy’s limited-edition Mystic Glow Powder or Dior’s Diorskin Rouge Blush to bestow upon your cheeks a truly festive glow.

For eyes to die for, what better than the kind of coquettish go-faster glance all but guaranteed by Helena Rubinstein’s new Lash Queen Feline Elegance mascara? If you’re in the mood for something a little bolder, then Clarins’ Gold Top Coat Mascara will certainly add a flirty frisson. Or you could dare a little inner eye shimmer courtesy of Chanel’s Collection Libre #905 Electrum Lamé and throw caution to the wind with a generous daub of Giorgio Armani’s Beauty’s Eye Quattro.

For the perfect pout, though, one that remains unsmudged all night, Guerlain’s Rouge G N°91 Sparkling Ruby will gift you lips that are longed for. For the final touch, dab some Chanel Collection Libre 2018 Le Vernis #917 Opulence on your fingernails and you’re all set for an all-night-long soiree.

Santa Pores: St Nick’s perfect pick of prezzies for your skin

No matter how welcome winter is in Hong Kong, the cold winds can easily leave you feeling – and looking – frosty. Thankfully, as the season of gift-giving is upon us, there’s never been a better time to hint-bomb your nearest ones into slipping your choice of costly skincare products under the lower branches of the festive family tree.

Lancôme’s new Absolue Soft Cream should top everyone’s Crimbo cosmetics list, with its bold utilisation of rose-infused biotechnology all but guaranteed to silkily revitalise even the most cold-afflicted complexions. Immediately absorbed by your grateful epidermis, the cream gets straight to work, with your skin back to its summer peak in no time.

Another marque striking a tactical alliance with nature is Giorgio Armani Beauty, with all the ingredients of the brand’s Crema Nera Supreme Reviving Cream said to be derived from myrothamnus flabellifolia, a rare African plant reputed to have resurrectory properties. Within a month, if the company is to be believed, your winter wounds will have vanished and your skin will – once again – be in full bloom.

Rarer examples still of nature’s bounty have been sought out by Estée Lauder, with its new Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Creme Rich said to harness the healing power of one of the world’s most elusive ingredients – black diamond truffle extract. With such an exotic element in your corner, newly-supple skin and long-lasting hydration are almost a given.

Should Santa still have space in his sack, Augustinus Bader’s Rich Cream, with its blend of argan, avocado and evening primrose oils, is just the perfect way to de-crinkle your skincare this Christmas.

Text: Bailey Atkinson

Mademoiselle Azzaro debuts the L’Eau Très Florale fragrance

Mademoiselle Azzaro‘s latest creation L’Eau Très Florale is bringing back the playful and girlish scents of springtime. Redolent with the Parisian spirit, the fragrance is inspired by the stylish and vivacious Parisian lady who radiates joy in the sunny weather, but of course this elegant perfume is not limited to just her!

Mademoiselle Azzaro

 

Loris Azzaro, the founder of Azzaro fashion brand set out in the ’60s to create unique yet fashionable pieces, and as he extended his creative process into fragrances he ensured ladies would smell as beautiful as they looked in his designs. 

The latest perfume on offer from Mademoiselle Azzaro, L’Eau Très Florale delights with hints of hazel leaves, rhubarb, and ambrette seeds. Infused in its petite and charming bottle, is the essence of fresh and floral Springtime, all wrapped in with a delicate silver satin bow. 

Mademoiselle Azzaro

If one fragrance from the charming brand isn’t enough, Mademoiselle Azzaro features two other scents in its fragrance collection. Designed and captured within the same petite bottle as L’Eau Très Florale is the pink, liberated and elegant Mademoiselle Azzaro Eau de Toilette. Like it’s Springtime cousin, the fragrance imbibes the goodness of flowers, but also includes a fresh twist of iris wood and peach. The other equally fascinating aroma from the maison comes courtesy of L’Eau Très Floral Belle, a fragrance that’s crafted with blueberry, roses and violet-macaroons – in effect, a romantic whirlwind for our olfactory senses. 

Taking the women of Hong Kong and the world over on an amourous aroma therapy, all three variations of the Mademoiselle Azzaro are available now at Sogo Causeway Bay and New Yao Han in Macau.

Text: Bailey Atkinson

Dyson Airwrap styler to blow away bad hair days

Fresh from the success of its Supersonic hair dryer, household appliances manufacturer Dyson has launched the Dyson Airwrap – a hairdryer-cum-styler that uses jets of air to style your hair into voluminous curls at home.

Dyson Airwrap

So, ladies, it’s time to eschew those hair sprays, because the Dyson Airwrap uses only hot air to give you the same effect without causing the damage that hair sprays may cause. It’s all thanks to the Coanda effect that apparently occurs when a high-speed jet of hot air flows across a surface and sticks to it because of the difference in air pressure. The result is curly, wavy or smooth hair, just the way you like it.

As founder James Dyson puts it: “We have been obsessively manipulating airflow for more than 25 years. It is one of our core expertise. Harnessing the power of Dyson’s digital motor, we have engineered a truly unique styling tool preventing heat damage when styling. I’m immensely proud of what our engineers have achieved.”

Dyson Airwrap

Available in three versions – Dyson Airwrap Volume + Shape, Dyson Airwrap Smooth + Control, Dyson Airwrap Complete –  the stylers cater to all hair types. So whether it’s limp hair that needs volume or frizzy hair that needs smoothening, Dyson’s new gadget is sure to blow away all your hair agonies.

Silk Route: Get silky smooth skin with our top three foundations

Chanel – that most noteworthy of Parisian brands – claims to have discovered the secret of truly silky smooth skin and has incorporated it into its Luminous Touch Foundation, the latest addition to its Vitalumière Glow line. Utilising the very finest hyaluronic acid, the foundation is said to lock water naturally into the epidermis, creating the brand’s signature soft look.

smooth skin

Championing the cause among the non-European brands is Japan’s Clé de Peau Beauté, which has just released its apparently high-functioning Hydro-Softening Lotion, a foundation that, it says, delivers an immediate softening effect, while eliminating all signs of dryness and flakiness. A must-have for winters, we say!

smooth skin

While silky smoothness may traditionally have been the forte of liquid foundations, Guerlain is no respecter of such conventions, as it demonstrated with its newly available New Lingerie De Peau Compact Mat Alive. With easy purse-friendly portability, it could be just the thing you need for a quick touch-up after a long day.

smooth skin