sense of touch: the “boutique spa in central” December 21, 2006

Today I finally went to A Sense of Touch on Hollywood Road. I have reviewed many spas in Hong Kong but never tried it before. The Hollywood Road location is the first SoT, but they have a newer location just up the road in the Centrium (below Cafe O), and have also opened on Discovery Bay.

At $400 for a manicure/pedicure it is pretty reasonable. You can get cheaper in Hong Kong, but I don’t always advise chasing the cheapest manicure. They don’t have the big luxury chairs, but for those of us who like to get regular mani/pedis, that bit of extra luxury may not seem worth paying for. They have a comfortable, high Asian bench with cushions which can seat three customers very comfortably at the same time.

Like most places, they have a full range of OPI products, however I like to see a bit more variety (I also like Essie prodocuts as well). They thoroughly scrubbed and removed the dead skin from my feet. And best of all, they didn’t chintz on the massage. They even rubbed in a pumice scrub cream (a nice extra).

The service was good, the mani/pedis were very professional, and the spa has a nice personal touch. I felt as if I was the only customer who wasn’t a regular, which is always a good sign. Considering the price and the service, I may become one after all.

xmas gifts: perfume December 15, 2006

How many brands of perfume are there? Hundreds? Thousands? And yet there are only a handful that I like. Perfume makes a nice gift but you really have to know what people like. Here are some suggestions based on my favourites:

For classy, elegant women, stick with traditional perfumeries like Chanel and YSL. I don’t normally like florals but for some reason I always squirt on YSL’s Paris whenever I go by the counter.

For modern women, I would suggest Jil Sander, Prada, or Carolina Herrera (Chic). You can also go for Gucci (the pink one is less overwhelming than the darker one). Jil Sander’s new perfume “Pure” is very fresh and clean smelling.

For the fashionistas, try Aqua de Parma “Iris Nobile”, Prada or Jo Malone.

As for me, this year I’ve taken a fancy to the Narciso Rodriguez perfume “For Her”. It’s a floral but it has some woody undertones that keep it from being too sweet.

More advice: avoid eau de toilette (doesn’t last) and celebrity fragrances.

Happy Shopping!

Remede finally available in HK! December 15, 2006

Good news beauty junkies, Remede is finally available in HK. OK…so it’s only one product, but it’s a start.

I had a look and feel of Remede’s Translucent UV Coat and I loved it. It goes on sheer, has a nice light texture and, with the aid of soft focus technology, helps you look a little more perfect.

I find that many UV products have a “paint”-like texture, but this one is leaps and bounds ahead of those. And because it is so sheer, you can wear a darker colour and it can even act somewhat like a bronzer giving you a healthy glow.

Worth every penny. Find it in Hong Kong at Lane Crawford or buy online from Blissworld.