Category: Grooming

Beauty Bash

Skincare brand Clé de Peau Beauté hosted a gala dinner to launch its latest product – The Foundation. The theme of the dinner was “Infinite Perfection Journey”.

Jurlique makes a comeback with new holistic skincare range

After an extensive research and experimentation process that spanned over two years, Jurlique has finally re-launched a range of body lotions and shower gels.

Although it took a while for the skincare brand to introduce its new products, it might have been worth the wait. The fresh products are expected to be free form harsh chemicals, which can irritate sensitive skin.

“Because we wanted a formula that was free from so many harsh chemicals, it meant that the formulation process was more challenging,” says Paul Kent, Head Formulator at Jurlique.

The new beauty essentials are completely free from synthetic materials including silicones, sulphates, petrolatum, mineral oils, artificial colours and fragrances, and parabens.

New ranges are developed with organic, farm-grown ingredients to enhance their skin-replenishing properties. They are available in expressions of rose, citrus, lavender and lemon.

“Using effective natural skincare is essential for healthy-looking skin,” says Jurlique’s Global Education Director Rebecca Nicholls.

Cleanse-sational: A fresh outlook on beauty

Whether it’s steamed or made into noodles, rice is a staple food in Asia. Beyond the dinner table, though, rice byproducts also come in handy in the beauty department. 

Skincare brand Tatcha’s Polished Rice Enzyme Powder contains Japanese rice bran, which has soothing antioxidants to protect the skin against UV damage. The powder is designed to remove debris from skin, and it comes in four formulas for different skin types: sensitive, normal, active and irritated. 

Shu Uemura’s Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil is also loaded with natural ingredients. In fact, 98 percent of its formula is naturally derived. Said to leave skin feeling like cashmere, the product contains eight oils and extracts of Asian plants with energising properties. 

Similarly, RMK’s Moist Cleansing Balm draws upon nature, infusing sugarcane squalene, olive, rosehip and avocado oils, and shea and mango butters into its formula. It acts dually as a make-up remover and moisturiser, and the balm instantly melts into the skin. 

Hybrid cleansers are proving to be particularly popular, especially Giorgio Armani’s Prima Oil-in-Gel Foaming Cleanser. The product, infused with almond oil and other exfoliating ingredients, combines the benefits of a makeup removing oil with a foaming cleanser. It even removes waterproof makeup with ease. 

Another dual product, Dior’s Hydra Life Oil to Milk Makeup Removing Cleanser, also comes highly recommended. Yves Saint Laurent’s OR Rouge Cleansing Cream is another popular product this season. 

To take your cleansing ritual one step further, ReFa offers a luxurious cleansing duo that comes with its cream wash and clear cleansing tool. The cream wash, which purifies skin down to the pores, can be applied with the clear tool, which uses 3D Sonic Ion technology to remove impurities while gently sliding across the skin’s surface. Best of all, this spa-like treatment can now be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home.

Aesop ventures into tooth territory with first-ever toothpaste

Aesop, an Australian skincare brand, has taken a bold approach to combat a personal problem many people never discuss in public – tooth decay.

Standing out from the generic toothpaste crowd, Aesop’s first-ever toothpaste is a unique blend of distinct flavour and various essential oils, including anise, spearmint and clove.

It contains a mild abrasive to thoroughly cleanse teeth and contains ingredients that are scientifically proven to decrease the chance of users getting tooth decay and plaque build-up.

The formulation is fluoride-free, which prevents yellow teeth and functions as an effective cleanser for teeth and gums.

The toothpaste is also ideal for people used to harsh brushing as it contains sea buckthorn, an effective ingredient used to soothe gum aggravation.

Other active ingredients include cardamom and wasabia japonica, which help to maintain oral hygiene.

Like all other toothpastes, it is recommended to use Aesop’s toothpaste twice daily.

8 ways to treat a special lady this Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is a time to show the most important woman in your life that you appreciate all the sweat and toil she went through to get you where you are today. Let’s be honest, mothers are as close to a superhero as you can get. All that’s missing is the cape.

So this Sunday, show your mother that you really care by taking her out for a delicious meal, buying her a nice piece of jewellery or pampering her at a spa.

We have compiled a list of things to help you treat such a special lady this Mother’s Day.

Brunch at Gaucho

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Gaucho’s new head chef has created a menu that is sure to delight even the pickiest of mothers. Located in the heart of Central and well-known for its steaks, the Argentinian restaurant is offering an all-you-can-eat and drink Veuve Clicquot brunch during the day (HK$600), and an exclusive 3-course dinner in the evening (HK$425).

The daytime brunch includes 2-hour free-flow champagne and delicious dishes such as empanadas, ceviches and different cuts of prime beef. Mothers who prefer nighttime drinking and eating can enjoy a 3-course meal including salmon tiradito, shrimp causita, lomo (fillet) and other Argentinian specials. The meal is finished off with dulce de leche cheesecake.

Food with a view at CÉ LA VI

CÉ LA VI Brunch - Terrace (2)

If you want to treat your mum by taking her to a venue for brunch with stunning views over Hong Kong, then CÉ LA VI’s Moments with Mum brunch (HK$488) is the perfect choice. The brunch is on every Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 3pm during May and the food has been prepared by Executive Chef Kun Young Pak.

The menu has a Korean flavour with chilled seafood and salad followed by hot platters like tempura and Korean-style creamy prawns. Main dishes include the crunchy and succulent short rib lettuce wrap and Korean-style fried chicken and waffles. Ladies will also be presented with a complimentary de-stressing gift pack.

Gifts from Bally

Bally Mother's Day 2017

Bally, the Swiss luxury fashion company, has a number of presents for the mum who is young at heart. The Edelweiss Capsule collection is crafted from calf leather and mums can choose from a tote bag, backpack, mini-cross body bag, clutch and wallet. The collection is available in petal and marine colours.

Beautify with Jurlique

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Beauty conscious mothers will love the gifts from Jurlique. The Australian cosmetics brand offers a hand care set to treat, nurture and restore moisture, leaving hands beautifully soft, smooth and healthy with lasting hydration. Mothers can also indulge themselves from head-to-toe with the rose hydration cream that is included in the hand and body kit.

Satisfy a sweet tooth at Ms B’s Cakery

GARDEN ROSE

For mothers with a sweet tooth, Ms B’s Cakery has five delicious cakes, as well as a range of unique gifts. The five cakes – Garden Rose, the Baby, the True Love, the Heart of Hearts and the Lilac Dream – are sure to bring a smile to any mother’s face. The Garden Rose (1,000g, HK$1,800) is a French vanilla chiffon sponge cake along with peaches and cream and a chocolate corn crunch, topped with sugar-art roses and sweet peas. Ms B’s Cakery is also offering gift boxes, which include handcrafted chocolates, silk flowers and an oversized edible “rock”.

Celebrate with Roger Dubuis

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Roger Dubuis is helping you celebrate Mother’s Day with two of its collections: Excalibur and Velvet. The Excalibur 36mm Automatic features a white alligator strap fitted on a fully paved dial. It has been designed with an assortment of diamonds and comes with a white gold case and folding buckle. The Excalibur Essential 36 Automatic has sparkling gems and a blue PVD-coated dial with a sun-brushed finish. The watch features a 22-carat pink gold rotor, visible through the transparent sapphire crystal case-back and black DLC-treated titanium case topped by a bezel set with 48 blue sapphires.

Indulge at the Mandarin Spa

MOHKG Spa Facial (High Res.)

Show your mum you really care with a rejuvenating facial at The Mandarin Spa that helps to thicken the skin and improve collagen and elastin. The non-invasive facial uses Environ skincare products to expose the skin to high levels of vitamin A, antioxidants and peptides. The vitamin-based treatment counteracts the harmful effects of the environment, pollution and stress for radiant, visibly improved skin. Until 14 May, mothers and daughters who book the 90-minute facial (HK$2,200 on weekdays and HK$2,300 on weekends) will receive a complimentary Environ eye gel.

Larry Jewelry dazzles

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Larry Jewelry has released a dazzling new ring just in time for Mother’s Day. The Precious Heart ring boasts a heart-shaped emerald in the centre weighing 2.89 carats, and also features an additional 2.3 carats of marquise-shaped, pear-shaped and round brilliant diamonds. It is just one of the items designed for Larry Jewelry’s Precious Heart collection, which features unique heart-shaped gemstones paired with a variety of diamonds in elegant and enchanting designs.

Text: Andrew Scott

Video: Dietician explains how to eat your way to a healthier body

Summer is nearly here, which means most people are now beach body ready. However, for those of you who have left it a bit late to get into shape and live a healthier lifestyle, help is at hand.

One of the most important aspects of leading a healthier life is ensuring you have a healthy, well-balanced diet. And this is where a dietician comes in.

We spoke to registered dietician Sally Poon to find out how people in Hong Kong can eat healthier and how she helps her customers with their diet.

Sally also shared two easy-to-make, healthy dishes.

Broccoli soup (Serves 6)

4 cups of chopped broccoli

1 chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 chopped potato

3 cups low-sodium broth or water

1 cup skim milk or unsweetened soy milk

Fat-free natural Greek yogurt to serve (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

– Heat the oil in large saucepan, add the onion and garlic, cook until soft.

– Stir in potato and broccoli. Add broth, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for about 8 minutes until very tender.

– Stir in milk and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

– Blend the vegetable mixture until smooth.

– Serve soup with a swirl of Greek yogurt. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Smoothie (serves 2)

1 ripe banana, peeled and chopped

1 small ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and chopped

100g fat-free natural Greek yogurt

1 cup skim milk or unsweetened soy milk

1 tablespoon chia seed or ground flaxseed

– Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Ready to serve.

For more information about Sally’s clinic in Central, click here

Look your peachiest with these skin brighteners

Clé de Peau Beauté New Brightening Collection

For those struggling with pesky dark spots (also known as “sun” or “age” spots) a range of lightening and whitening products are available to help you combat uneven or patchy skin tones. Designed to give you smoother, clearer skin – as well as reduce hyperpigmentation – there are some stand-out products on the market.

Dior’s Prestige White collection is one such offering, taking inspiration from a rare rose that grows on the cliffs of Normandy in France. Two noteworthy products are the Light-In-Lotion – a gentle rose micro-peel that maximises the light-scattering powers of the skin’s surface – and the Light-InNectar, a deep light-activating serum that lifts the skin’s natural barriers to light circulation and helps renew skin transparency. Another brand to address your needs is Clarins. The White Plus range has been specially designed for Asian skin tones. Containing acerola fruit extract from Brazil, the range comprises of six powerful products that help lighten skin pigmentation and reduce dark spots.

“Designed to give you clearer skin and reduce hyperpigmentation, there are some stand-out products on the market”

Iconic beauty house Clé de Peau Beauté has recently launched its Brightening Collection, which aims to even skintone and reduce dullness. A standout product is the serum, which contains Illuminating Complex EX and increases skin’s clarity and radiance.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive skincare regime, then MTM’s Re-White range has got you covered. Its custom-blended trio of products are designed to work together and create a bright and flawless complexion. Using their years of expertise (the company was founded in 1851) Kiehl’s’ chemists have formulated the Clearly Corrective Brightening and Smoothing Moisture Treatment. Designed to brighten, refine and smooth skin, the treatment targets loss of clarity through two ingredients, glycolic acid and “Activated C.”

AmorePacific’s Luminous Effect Brightening Cream harnesses the goodness of Asian flora and herbs. Derived from fermented green tea, which boosts luminosity, the cream is anti-ageing and helps diminish hyperpigmentation and uneven skintone.

Celebrity’s choice? We Kid you not

Get The Look:

For the perfect red-carpet look, begin with Dior’s Snow Brightening Makeup Base and Compact for flawlessly even skin followed by a dash of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté’s I Have A Blush On You for defined, rosy cheeks. Statement brows are a must, so opt for Laura Mercier’s Sketch & Intensify powder duo which can be easily blended to create the requisite hue. For the eyes, NARS’ NARSissist Loaded eyeshadow palette offers a range of sultry shades. Follow with a generous covering of MAC Work It Out mascara on the lashes. Finish with the show-stopper – Giorgio Armani’s Beauty Rouge Ecstasy lipstick topped with RMK’s Face Pop W stick gloss.

Herr and Mighty: Watch our interview with Central’s newest barbershop owner

South Korean barbershop Herr opened its first foreign branch recently in the heart of Central, on the 29th floor of Attire House.

Herr was founded by Sangyoon Lee in Seoul in 2013 to encourage men to look their best, while feeling comfortable enough to build a rapport with their barber, who in turn shares knowledge on haircare and grooming.

Herr offers an intimate experience, with only two barber seats and with its view out of the wraparound window on the 29th floor, guests escape the hustle ‘n’ bustle below.

Herr is a barbershop aimed at the discerning, modern Hong Kong gentleman, which is evident by some of its collaborations in the past — Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Tods, Club Monaco, Patek Philippe and Four Seasons Hotel.

Due to its partnership with Attire House, visitors to Herr can also peruse ready-to-wear clothing, bespoke tailoring or enjoy a drink in the roof-top bar.

We met with Lee to find out what Herr offers and why he chose Hong Kong, and we watched a shaving demonstration.

Herr barbershop

29th Floor

8 Wyndham Street

Asia Pacific Centre

Central

2619-9007

Six of the best new beauty buys for 2017

The beauty world will be welcoming some long-awaited new additions in 2017, with several tip-top products arriving on the market. From creams to lipsticks and exfoliators to liners, we round up the best of the bunch.

Dermanlogica Daily Superfoliant

Dermanlogica Daily Superfoliant

Perfect for city-dwellers, the latest offering from Californian-based beauty brand Dermanlogica promises pollutant-free, dewy skin. The main ingredients are white charcoal, designed to remove deep toxins, plus red algae and tara fruit, which prevent the skin from absorbing impurities. The result is smooth, soft and refined skin that glows.

Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer

Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer

This easy to apply, creamy concealer ensures a blemish-free and even skin-tone, thanks to its non-crease, oil-less formula. Minimising imperfections (including fine lines and wrinkles), the smoothing peptides offer long-lasting coverage without feeling heavy or cloying. The range is available in 16 different shades.

Benefit They’re Real Double the Lip

Benefit They're Real Double The Lip

A spin-off from the brand’s cult-worthy They’re Real mascaras and liners, Benefit’s latest must-have is a gorgeous range of lip shades designed to colour and plump. Coming in a range of pout-worthy hues, the niftiest addition is the built-in liner which comes in a different shade than the lipstick. The result is expertly lined and coloured lips.

Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Moisturizing and Embellishing Foam Mask

Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Mosturizing and Embellishing Foam Mask

Givenchy’s beauty team constantly delivers outstanding products and their latest foam mask is no exception. Incredibly soothing, the gently scented mask is designed to restore, renew, moisturise and brighten. After applying, leave on the skin for 10 minutes before washing off to reveal a glowing, rejuvenated visage.

Fresh Black Tea Firming Corset Cream

Fresh Black Tea Firming Corset Cream for Face & Neck

Designed especially for dull, finely-lined skin that has lost its elasticity, this luxurious cream is for use on both the face and the neck. Using specially selected ingredients – including goji fruit extract, peptides and black tea – the complexion immediately feels firmer and tightened.

Tom Ford Soleil Eye & Cheek Palette

Tom Ford Soleil Eye & Cheek Palette

A sleek well-thought out palette, this Tom Ford kit is the perfect carry-round for a girl about town. With two blusher and highlighter options plus four eye shadows – two in matte and two in shimmer – the set is ideal for mixing and matching to create the perfect look. Available in two options, warm or soft, its gorgeous presentation (in a faux gold clasp box) also makes this an ideal gift idea.

Text: Siobhan Brewood-Wyatt