Tag: beauty products

Taking the Fall: Own the coming season with these autumn beauty products

Even as we bid a fond farewell to the fading weeks of summer, autumn is surely waiting in the wings, with its briefer days and cooler temperatures necessitating a different beauty regime. It is, indeed, time to trade in those light summertime creams in favour of weightier, more rejuvenating treatments. Fortunately, there is no shortage of skincare brands only too willing to help you make the required transformation.

Latest autumn beauty products

With a promise to replenish and revive come the reformulated Intensive Fortifying Emulsion and Intensive Fortifying Cream from Clé de Peau Beauté. Designed to work in harmony, the duo have been formulated for night-time usage, allowing them to nocturnally activate the epidermis’ natural defences, ensuring you wake up with smoother and healthier-looking skin.

Clé de Peau Beauté Intensive Fortifying Cream and Intensive Fortifying Emulsion
Clé de Peau Beauté Intensive Fortifying Cream and Intensive Fortifying Emulsion

Also focussing its attention on dispelling the telltale signs of ageing is Guerlain, with oily and multi-problem complexions particularly in its sights. Using only natural ingredients, the brand’s new Abeille Royale Mattifying Day Cream boosts the skin’s self-regeneration capacity, allowing for a more comprehensive takedown of the visible signs of wrinkles.

Guerlain Abeille Royale Mattifying Day Cream
Guerlain Abeille Royale Mattifying Day Cream

Meanwhile, the fine folks over at Helena Rubinstein have ventured into decidedly organic territory with the Powercell Skinmunity range, which boasts a high native vegetal cell content. The real miracle products in this range are the Powercell Skinmunity The Serum, with its smoothening properties, and the Powercell Skinmunity The Emulsion, with its hydrating qualities.

Helena Rubinstein Powercell Skinmunity The Serum and Powercell Skinmunity The Emulsion
Helena Rubinstein Powercell Skinmunity The Serum and Powercell Skinmunity The Emulsion

Last – but certainly not least – is Japan’s Shiseido, with its all-new Legendary Enmei Ultimate Luminance Serum, the crowning glory of its Future Solution LX collection. Incorporating both enmei herbs and green treasured silk, the serum derives its raw regenerative power from nature and smoothly delivers this onto the skin’s defence system, helping to restore your youthful tones and banish wrinkles.

Shiseido Legendary Enmei Ultimate Luminance Serum
Shiseido Legendary Enmei Ultimate Luminance Serum

MDNA SKIN and InterCon partner up for beauty-boosting tea set

InterCon HK and MDNA SKIN launch eye-catching tea set-min
InterCon HK and MDNA SKIN to launch eye-catching Fragrant Afternoon Tea Set

Madonna’s own skincare label MDNA SKIN has partnered with luxury hotel InterContinental Hong Kong to bring HK beauty queens a special Fragrant Afternoon Tea Set. Available from 2 January to 28 February, the Lobby Lounge-exclusive tea set will feature ten different delectable savoury treats and pastries from Executive Pastry Chef Cyril Dupuis – with a bright and funky MDNA twist.

Priced at HK$668 for two persons, each lady will also receive an Ultimate Luxury Beauty Service gift card, valued at HK$1,000, and a small bottle of Madonna’s favourite ‘The Rose Mist’ for redemption at the Harvey Nichols beauty counter in the Landmark.

Enjoy beautiful views, delightful bites and MDNA SKIN freebies-min
Enjoy beautiful views, delightful bites and MDNA SKIN freebies

A special Instagram contest will be running concurrently with the special tea set. To enter, just follow the two brands’ Instagram accounts and post a creative picture of yourself with the Fragrant Afternoon Tea Set. Remember to use the hashtags #ichkmdnaskinteatime #MDNASKIN and #InterContinental HK. Each fortnight, one lucky winner will receive a MDNA SKIN Rejuvenator Set valued at HK$4,680.

For the uninitiated, beauty brand MDNA SKIN was born in 2014 from a partnership between pop sensation Madonna, renowned Tuscan spa destination Montecatini Terme and Japanese beauty brand MTG. The label credits its fast-growing popularity to the effectiveness of its key ingredient: Montecatini Terme’s mineral-filled thermal waters and clay.

Sa Sa director Melody Kwok-Chan talks beauty and brand strategy

Melody Kwok-Chan is the director of corporate strategy and development at cosmetics retailer Sa Sa International Holdings Limited.

You spent a decade abroad. What brought you back to Hong Kong?

I attended high school in Canada for two years and then moved to Australia. I went to university in Melbourne, first studying marketing at RMIT and then earning my master’s in international business from Monash.

I’m a pretty independent person, but after eight years in Australia I started to feel homesick so I decided to move back to Hong Kong. I love everything about Australia – the food, the weather, the vacation spots – but career-wise Hong Kong is a better fit for me. Plus, my family is here.

Based on my experience, I would advise students to go abroad to learn about another culture firsthand. Experiencing it for yourself is much more meaningful than reading about it in a book or seeing it on TV. Looking back, I wish I could have studied in more countries and learned different languages.

Your parents founded Sa Sa nearly 40 years ago. Did you think you’d end up working for the family company?

 I’ve had an interest in cosmetics ever since I was young and always dreamed of working in the beauty or fashion industry. I think that can be attributed to my parents’ influence and all the hours I spent in Sa Sa stores growing up. My parents occasionally let me sample the products while helping out at the shop. Cosmetics were practically my toys.

On top of that, after graduation I wanted to help reduce my parents’ workload, so I decided to complete the company’s management trainee programme. After that, I joined Sa Sa’s marketing department.

What does your role at Sa Sa entail?

I oversee marketing, product development and business plans. On the product side, I’m tasked with selecting the highest quality products for our stores.

I also monitor beauty trends. European and Japanese brands used to be the most popular, but customers now want Korean products.

On the marketing side, we organise a few major annual events, like the Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse Day, held in conjunction with The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

How has Sa Sa grown over the years?

The first Sa Sa store was in a basement and measured only 40 sq.m. There were two employees: my mom and dad. As the first male consultant at Sa Sa, my dad quickly learned the value of his opinion. When my dad told a customer that a certain shade of lipstick looked beautiful on her, she almost always bought the product. Now you can see many male beauty consultants in our stores.

My parents then opened their second shop in Causeway Bay, right beside Sogo. From there, Sa Sa continued to grow. We now have about 60 shops in mainland China, 100 in Hong Kong and more than 280 altogether in Asia.

To what do you attribute Sa Sa’s success?

I think it all boils down to our products and service. We stress the importance of quality and train our staff to provide excellent customer service. Our beauty consultants undergo nearly 260 hours of training, enabling them to provide personalised beauty advice to our customers.

How did you get involved with the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association?

My mom is also a member, so I learned about it through her involvement. I love having the opportunity to work with teenage girls. I created a cosmetics course for the girls to learn how to look professional and put-together when they enter the workforce.

I also helped establish Sa Sa’s first charity platform – the Sa Sa Making Life Beautiful Charity Fund – in 2013. It has been helping young people build self-confidence and spread positive energy throughout the community.

Do you have a role model?

It would have to be my parents. They started Sa Sa in 1978 when it was just a tiny shop in Causeway Bay and transformed it into the first cosmetic one-stop shop in Hong Kong. My mom is extremely detailed, while my dad is adept at managing a business. They’ve taught me so many important lessons, and I’m still learning from them.

Thank you.

Interview: Emily Petsko

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UK beauty brand, Charlotte Tilbury, to start Makeup Revolution in Asia in 2018

 

Good news for all the bombshells and beauty queens out there!  UK-based premium makeup brand, Charlotte Tilbury, has just announced its planned launch in Hong Kong in April 2018, in collaboration with Lane Crawford.

It is a momentous step for the brand, considering Hong Kong is going to host their second international store outside the UK, the first being a two-storey Beauty Wonderland in Kuwait which just opened last month. With its cosmopolitan vibe, Hong Kong is a natural choice for the brand’s vision of a Makeup Revolution in Asia in 2018.

Talking about the launch, founder Charlotte Tilbury says, “I am so excited to officially launch my magic Makeup Revolution in Asia. There is already a huge demand from my loyal base of customers who have followed my brand from the start. I am so thrilled to finally be able to share all of my best-selling, award-winning makeup and skincare range with all the gorgeous, glamourous ladies in Hong Kong.”

Lane Crawford’s chief brand officer, Joanna Gunn, sounded equally excited, “The Lane Crawford beauty customer is constantly looking for newness, so we are thrilled to collaborate with Charlotte Tilbury to exclusively launch the brand in Hong Kong.”

Hong Kongers have reasons to be thrilled. Charlotte Tilbury is widely recognised as the world’s no. 1 makeup artist, with a clientele list featuring A-listers like Kate Moss, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston, Julianne Moore, Eva Green, Amal Clooney, Nicole Kidman and others. She has also been part of game-changing fashion campaigns for top brands, including Burberry, Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney, among others.

Enjoy a brush with the past with Helena Rubinstein’s rich heritage of mascara innovation

When Helena Rubenstein invented the first waterproof mascara in 1939, it marked a new chapter in women’s makeup routines. Strategically launched at the Acquade Show, a famous aquatic dance performance in New York, the mascara opened women’s eyes to the power of their own beauty.

There has been no looking back since then. Several decades later, Helena Rubenstein Research continues to follow the path of its eponymous founder through its series of innovations.

To commemorate the brand’s rich heritage, Helena Rubenstein has just launched its first hybrid mascara, the Lash CC Carbon Care. Bringing together the complementary properties of skincare and make-up, it nurtures our lashes while making giving them a voluminous, refined expression.

Unlike regular mascara that stiffens our eyelashes and gives them a slightly ‘fake’ look, Helena Rubenstein’s 750-bristle mascara (versus the standard 350-bristle ones) claims to give the lashes a feather-soft appeal.

Priced at HK$ 330 for a 7.3ml tube, you can lay your hands on Lash CC Carbon Care at most of Helena Rubenstein’s counters across select malls in Hong Kong, including Harvey Nichols, SOGO and Lane Crawford.

Sparkling Reds: Louboutin’s iconic rouge hue shines this holiday season

Fancy some sparkling reds this holiday season? No, not the wines – we’re talking about Christian Louboutin’s new Metalissime Rouge line.

The renowned French designer has given his iconic Rouge Louboutin a sparkly twist just in time for the holiday season. With the new Metalissime line, the designer’s signature red hue has a shimmering pearl sheen that’s sure to attract eyeballs wherever you go.  

Dab a little Rouge Louboutin Metalissime Silky Satin Lip Colour and Loubilaque Lip Laquer for that perfect pout. Or brighten your fingernails with a coat of opulent Metalissime Nail Colour. 

There’s no need to fret about finding matching accessories either, because the French brand’s upcoming Spring/Summer 2018 Collection will feature a limited edition metallic-finished Shoepeaks clutch.

You’ll find the new Metalissime Rouge Louboutin line at ChristianLouboutin.com or any Christian Louboutin beauty counter worldwide.

Rouge Louboutin Metalissime Silky Satin Lip Colour: HK$800
Rouge Louboutin Metalissime Loubilaque Lip Laquer: HK$755
Rouge Louboutin Metalissime Nail Colour: HK$450 for 13ml