Hong Kong Street Fashion

There is no denying that Hong Kong women's fashion is as interesting and varied as its shopping offerings. They are bold in expressing their individual style, fashion forward looking and enjoy dressing up which I find rather refreshing. Perhaps if the weather here is a bit kinder, our Singaporean ladies may amp up their style to the next level. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps! Sometimes a fedora or just a pop of colour in your footwear can make you look more confident than the rest. In the first place, you have to have some confidence to pull that off. Whether you look good in it or not, that is a separate issue which I will find time to expound in my future posts! I wished I had taken more photos to share with you but certainly, there will be more pictures next time as Hong Kong will be my regular shopping destination in the near future!

                            Melissa and Priscilla, a Hong Kong friend                               


Everyone wears boots in autumn!

Diva Kitty

You do not have to be an animal lover to fall instantly in love with this cute flat faced and no mouth kitten.  At 35, Hello Kitty still looks as cute and youthful as ever and adored by fans from little toddlers to octogenarians! I, too, could not resist holding her in my arms when i was shopping at the ANTEPRIMA boutique in Hong Kong recently.HELLO KITTY and ANTEPRIMA worked together to launch a series of Kitty collections which are now HOT!


Paris Hilton has one and so do I...or so I wished!

The "Swarovski Raso Kitty" is one of only 80 limited edition pieces worldwide. Its body is decorated with beautiful Swarovski pink crystals. Measuring W42 x H70 x D30cm and costing SGD$4,999, the bag is already sold out in Singapore! ANTEPRIMA's famed wirebags are made and hand-knitted by skilled craftsmen using exclusive wire code from Italy. Blending techie and fashion, the quirky designs extravert its theme which is "FUN & JOY". Those who are more creative and feminine in style will find the bags most appealing. The bags generally go better with the romantic type of clothing like sundresses, flare skirts, floral prints or sporty looks like jeans and a tee. For work, you can choose the minimal designs in darker shades as the glittery effect of the wires will not be too loud. Rather than a plain canvas tote, invest in a bright coloured ANTEPRIMA classic tote this Christmas to add a little spark in your style!

Head Turners

I was browsing through the shops in Far East Plaza when I caught sight of a halo of beautiful big curls. It instantly reminded me of "I Love Lucy" but with a modern twist. The proud owner of this vintage glam hairstyle is Xuan, a bubbly sales personnel. When asked what was the inspiration behind it, Xuan said she was attracted to Betty Grable's hairdo in the movie "How to Marry a Millionaire", which also starred Marilyn Monroe back in the 1950's.

To update this 50's-inspired style, Xuan has her sides cropped short and kept the curls big and loose as tighter curls will look matronly. The style also balances out her face and the curls relates to the softness of her facial lines. For a sexy look, she can grow out her fringe into a long side swept-fringe. This is an easy look to maintain as all you need is to diffuse-dry hair upside down to inject maximum volume and to create soft touchable ringlets! And curls will continue to be trendy, according to celebrity stylists. A note of thanks to Xuan, for letting me photograph her. You are a head turner!

Sure Bets for Work!

It is always tricky to strike a balance between looking appropriately dressed for work and letting your personality shine through your clothes. Adding on to that challenge, a small budget and as a fresh young graduate in a fast-paced industry, Amanda was thrilled when I introduced her to Lush Women at Queensway Shopping Centre. Managed by Billy and his partner, Lush Women offers a pretty selection of dresses from Korea at affordable prices for the young executive. Prices range from $35 for a ruffled cotton dress to $59 for a modern black and white tuxedo dress. The young lady executive will want to look polished yet trendy without compromising on her style and personality.  Lush Women offers the right mix of gravitas and glamour!

Eyes At Work

    

Men's best accessory can be a pair of sunglasses. With such a wide array of designs, colour and brands to choose from, how do you know which style frame suits you best? Jeff, my hunky often being mistaken as a Korean nephew, put me to task to finding him the perfect pair of sunglasses! His one and only condition was that it must be aviators, and nothing else! I have no idea about his insistence on aviators. Perhaps it has something to do with his cool and collected mannerism or Tom Cruise in Top Gun! Jeff has an oblong or rectangle-shaped face; his forehead, cheeks and upper jaw are about the same width. As his face is longer than wider, I chose a style with deep frames to shorten his face length and that is wide enough for his face.

Doesn't he look COOL?!!

Jeff's new aviator!

The Eyes are the Mirror to the Soul

"A person's thoughts can be ascertained by looking into his or her eyes."

Last evening, I was at the Shu Uemura's Beauty Art Make-Up Competition 2009 held at Vivo City to support my good pal, Amy Chow. Amy was one of the top eight finalists in the professional category competition. How nerve wrecking it must have been for the contestants to be given only 20 minutes to create their master piece! I was completely awed by each and every one of the think-out-of-the-box creations and the contestants' inspirations behind their splendid creations. The look is based on the theme, Mother Nature. The highlight of the event was when Mr Kakuyasu Uchiide, International Artistic Director of Shu Uemura conducted a live make-up demonstration on stage. Here are some of the highlights captured on film:

Amy and her muse








I observed that a lot of women here do not put on eye make-up. It takes effort and regular practices to be able to apply eye make-up beautifully for sure. I meet a lot of clients who shun away from eye make-up simply because they do not know how to apply eye shadow or they think it requires too much time. Well, there are lots of make-up courses available or you can always consult with the friendlier staff at the makeup counters like Bobbi Brown or MAC. Feel free to experiment with different products until you find one that suits your style and skincolour.                                

Let me share with you my own easy, quick tips on eye make-up:-

1)  If you are rushing for time, simply line your eyes with a pencil eyeliner and curl your lashes and you are good to go. Curling your lashes will make your eyes pop instantly.  

2) Sometimes I just use an eye base on my lid for some colour. Eye base is the secret to keeping your eyeshadow looking fresh and in place for hours. There is an array of neutral colours from Bobbi Brown. My favourite is "Burnished", a metallic copper.

3) To open up your eyes, use a white eyeliner on the inner corner of your eye and blend it softly with a black or brown eyeliner depending on the colour of your eyes.

4) If your eyes are set far apart, you can bring them closer by drawing a thick line on the inner corner of your eye and narrowing it towards the outer corner of the eye. Do the opposite if your eyes are set too closely i.e. start with a thinner line in the inner corner and thicken the line as you draw the outer corners of the eyes.

 5) Look for eye pencils that are soft and smudgy to achieve a natural look.
Remember, the purpose of eye make-up is to enhance your eyes so that you can appear to be more expressive when communicating with others. After all, the eyes are the mirrors to your soul!

My Favourite Shops

If you are looking for individualism in style and design, MU apparel is the answer. Its design is a fusion of East and West, combining unconventional constructed designs with interesting silhouettes. Although the clothes are more suited for the creative and entertainment environment, working executives will be able to find some basic pieces with interesting silhouettes like asymmetrical hemlines or shirred sleeves to go with their corporate wardrobe. You can also wear their interesting modern pieces on dress down Fridays instead of the typical cotton blouse and cropped pants combo. Moms who do not have the luxury of time to coordinate their clothes and who always need practical clothings will find comfort and style in MU's oversized tunics and cropped pants. What I really like about MU apparels are their effortless style, soft cotton material and asymmetrical cuts which can camouflage a thousand flaws! Prices range from $39 for basic tops to $200 for long dresses. You can expect new arrivals every week. MU apparel is the brainchild of Alfie Leong, a local prize-winning designer. So head on to MU today and support Singapore's local designers!

MU is located at #01-48/49, Bugis Junction and #04-08B/C, The Heeren