With the so called stars of today being hailed practically as soon as they are out of their diapers, BBHK is so happy to see a 90 year old be the face and designer of their new limited edition cosmetics collection.  This is however no ordinary 90 year old.  This is Iris Apfel, an eccentric New York fashionista and philathopist, who over the years (so many of them!) has inspired many fashion designers, bold jewellery ranges and exhibitions.  In a world she is utterly fabulous, and we think its very bold and forward-thinking of MAC to use a mature lady to front her collection, so different from the younger people that usually shop their brand. 

Launching on Jan 5th, to coincide with her exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art which is dedicated to the 90 year old style icon, MAC says the range is ‘a colour collection inspired by a rare bird who has always been ahead of her time.’  Influenced by her 2005 Rara Avis (Rare Bird) exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and mostly named after birds, the 20-piece collection features lip-liners, brow pencil, a mascara, single eye shadows, lipsticks, nail polishes and a beauty powder.

Like the style maven herself, the range is bold and bright, and she is hoping to inspire the youth of today in the fashion stakes.  Ms Apfel told the Telegraph that  ‘Most of the young people today look dreadful. And celebrities look even worse,’ she said.  Lets see if her new collection can help…

Prices range from USD$14 for the eye pencils to USD$23 for the beauty powder and will be available in Hong Kong somewhere between January 5th to February 9th 2012.

On Wednesday night Emma Watson graced our Hong Kong shores with her beautiful presence, to coincide with her launch of the Lancome Asia Tv Commercial.

Dressed in dark blue Elie Saab couture dress and wearing a fab pair of  silver Jimmy Choos, Hong Kong Fans arrived in their masses to catch a glimpse of the diminutive Harry Potter Star.

The face of Lancôme’s Tresor Midnight Rose told her fans to “Just try to be true to who you are and do the best to feel comfortable in your own skin. You are alright exactly as you are.”

Want to recreate her fabulous look?  BBHK recommends Kate Winslets for Lancome L’Absolu Rouge Limited Edition Advanced Replenishing & Reshaping Lipcolor Pro-Xylane SPF 12 Sunscreen in Caprice. Mwah!

Videos and photos courtesy of AP

Ever look at celebs at wish you had hair like them?  Wonder how they have a fringe one minute, and layers the next, bob one day and long trestles the next?  The answer is hair-pieces and wigs.  Long gone are the days when a hair piece resembles a drowned dead rat, with new products on the market such as HairDo™, by American celebrity stylist Ken Paves, us ladies can change our hair style daily and be red carpet ready at the clip of a hair! Used by Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Lady GaGa and of course Jessica Simpson herself.

The Most Popular Pieces

The ‘Pony Wrap.’ One of the most popular Hairdo pieces, the Pony Wrap allows women to create the classic and elegant ponytail with just one clip on piece. The ‘Pony Wrap’ is a long wrap-around pony that helps women at home to create the trend-setting pony in an instant.

Styleable extensions: Quick and easy to apply, the styleable extensions add length and volume for that red-carpet big hair look.

The ‘Fringe (Bangs).’ For many women, a fringe is not for every occasion — think sports —and with HairDo, you can pick and choose whether today is a fringe day or not. Of course, you can also clip on a fringe and try it out for style before asking your stylist to take out the scissors. Available in 9 multi-blended colours to match most hair colours.

The ‘Braided Chignon.’ Another favorite is the ‘Braided Chignon’ and part of the Styleable Collection from Hairdo. This hairpiece is an elegant braided bun, perfect for any formal occasion or simply a night out on the town. Hairdo has created a simple solution to take your hair from boring to glam in a matter of minutes.

Kelly Roland loves her wigs so much that she has names for them!  What would you call yours?

Available from Glow with Ceri Silk, 9f, parker house, 72 queen’s road central, hong kong

www.cerisilk.com

We can hardly contain our excitement at BBHK HQ.  Very little work will be done today, as we will be glued to our screen to see our future King and Queen of England tie the knot.  The Wedding itself will take place at 7pm Hong Kong time, and we will be waving our Union Jacks, eating scones and waiting with baited breath to see what Catherine Middleton will be wearing!

The world is going crazy for Royal Wedding souvenirs.  The obligatory tea-towel (I want one!), commemorative plates, not to mention Princess Catherine dolls, are all part of the wedding tat on sale, but we were most bemused by the new ‘fashion’ of Royal Wedding nails! While we like the official Mario Testino engagement photo, we find them really creepy.  But not as scary as the thought that some people are actually going to wear them!!  But at least they’re more functional than the Crown Jewels condoms.

Ladies, we have a treat in store for you.  Fresh from Milan, The Philip George Salon has introduced a new brand of cosmetics into the 852 -MTJ and its first Asian collection Goldentears.

Brainchild of celebrity make-up artist Massimiliano Della Maggesa, otherwise known as Max The Joker (hence MTJ), the Goldentears collection was designed for strong, modern forward-thinking women, perfect for you Hong Kong hotties!  Max’s illustrious career notes Gianni Versace, The House of Missoni, and Alberta Ferretti as past clients, but most importantly he was senior make-up artist for Italy for M.A.C cosmetics.  Years of  countless celebrity clients, fashion shoots, world tours, and collaborations culminated in the creation of MTJ Cosmetics.

Last week saw the official Hong Kong launch of MTJ and its Goldentears range in Domani restaurant Pacific Place. Massimiliano was joined by renowned hairdresser, Nicola Baroni who helped create the total look by styling the models hair with Napura haircare products.

The collection ranges from natural daytime looks to edgy, bold colours and fluorescents for courageous night time soirées.  But most excitingly, MTJ claim that the formulation of the cosmetics hold tight despite humidity and temperature variation… Hello Hong Kong!

How Much?
$160-$295HKD

Where?
MTJ is available at:
The Philip George Salon
Address: 23/F, 1 Duddell Street, Central, Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 2524 3143

Many styles and fashions from yesteryear disappear, never to be seen again for the better, so who would have thought the dip-dye would be de rigueur in 2011.  With the throwback to the 80′s in recent years, it was only a matter of time until we dipped our locks, and took our breath away a la Berlin from Top Gun circa 1986, to match our aviators and boiler suits (maybe that’s just me…)

After appearing on a multitude of S/S2011 catwalks, many celebs are sporting the new dip dye trend, why not try the ‘sharp dip’, where the ends are a completely different colour, like Drew Barrymore, or for the less adventurous Hong Kong massive, why not try the less obvious ‘subtle dip, of which Alexa Chung and Dannie Minogue are recent converts.

The Philip George Salon are bang on trend with this look and are pioneering ‘The Dip’, here in Hong Kong, which is suitable for both Caucasian and Asian hair.  BBHK cant think of a better way for the fake blondies (oh there are so many of you girls…) to update their look for the summer, and relax about their root growth for once, and be fabulous at the same time!

Cost
From $1500.

Where
The Philip George Salon,
23/F, 1 Duddell Street,
Central, Hong Kong.

tel: 25243143

At BBHK we care about what we put into our bodies.  We try to eat well, we try to exercise and we try (but don’t succeed) in not drinking too much, but what about the chemicals we put onto our skin hidden in our beauty products?  One of the most worrying of these chemicals are Phthalates, which are commonly found in nail-varnish, which is linked to fertility issues, problems in developing babies and birth defects.  Would we really be having those regular mani-pedis if we knew it could be harming our future babies?
SpaRitual, vegan based nail lacquers have the answer.  They are free from Formaldehyde, Phythaltes, and Toulene, and any other harmful chemicals that can be found in other varnishes, therefore are completely safe for pregnant woman, and women in general.  If that is not enough to make you sing from the roof, the packaging is created by the designer of Ferrari.  Its all the rage in Hollywood amongst green conscious stars such as Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston, and it is now here in The HK.

We visited the Sense of Touch Central store to trial the varnish, and to see if it matched up to our beloved OPI.  As one of the oldest spas in the group,  from the outside it does not look as elegant or spacious as some of its sister properties.  Yet I was surprised how cosy and bright the Arbutnot Road spa was.  Once inside the spa is decorated in hues of cream reds, with a moroccan inspired vibe.  The staff were so friendly, and genuinely close, that it had a real family feel, and I loved it.

The super sweet Kabita &  Netra simultaneously performed my mani/pedi and we all giggled and chatted the way though like old friends.  Now the important part, the Sparitual varnishes.  As I was presented with my colour options, I did feel quite limited.  I am used to the vast spectrum of colours offered by the likes of OPI, but with Sparitual there were only a handful of colours to choose from.  That said, they were all lovely, and the staple colours one would normally choose anyway.  The whole product line was used, ie base coat, main colour, top coat and also foot rubs and moisturisers.  The varnishes did not have an overpowering smell, and my nails looked lovely after.  The top coat was not quite as shiny as the OPI counterpart, yet it was still sparkly and lovely.  The staying power of the products was great, maybe not quite as long as OPI, possibly due to the lack of some chemical, but if i have to choose from the health of my baby, or a day longer of nail polish, I know what I would choose.

Where?

SpaRitual is available in Sense of Touch LKF, Arbuthnot and Discovery Bay, as well as in  Harvey Nichols、Seibu in Admiralty and FACES in Tsim Sha Tsui.

How much?

In the Arbuthnot Road branch a manicure costs $170, pedicure $290

Known for her fabulous body, acting skills, rock star husband and penchance for eating like a macrobiotic yogi rabbit, but it seems that Gweneth Paltrow has another little trick up her sleeve.   It has been revealed that her biggest beauty secret is quaffing a pint of Guinness.   Whilst discussing her amazing figure and flawless looks to The Mirror she said  ‘I always have a Guinness before an awards ceremony…Guinness is my favourite beer’.  So it seems that us mere mortals can have the Hollywood dream body by drinking a pint of the Irish nectar.

Who would have thought girls?! What a perfect excuse to head down to Dublin Jacks for St Patricks day on the 17th March for a few pints of Beauty Beer!

BBHK loves Bobbi Brown make-up,  but no matter how fantastic the quality and perfect the colour, you need to know exactly how to apply it perfectly.  That’s where guru make-up artist to the stars,  Bobbi Brown comes in handy.  Not only has she published a multitude of books showing step-by-step guides of how to create fantastic looks using her products, she also has great tips and info on her website www.bobbibrown.com.hk.  For this weeks blogarazzi post, we have found this fabulous guide on her website showing you how to create a beautiful face in 10 easy steps.  Enjoy, and don’t thank us, thank Bobbi Brown!

These images and steps are copyright of Bobbi Brown and can be seen on this page

With all the late nights and sunny days, Hong Kong life can attribute to premature aging (gasp!).  Well I know us Hong Kong girls will swear blind that we enjoy our lives more, we rattle on about the retric, partying, junking, hiking, shopping and stress, which makes us party more, junk more, and shop more, but are we aging more than our friends back home?

Cue new Pevonia Botanica Myoxy-Caviar Line.  A firm favourite of Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Britney Spears, this new anti aging range is creating quite a stir in the beauty world.  Caviar derived from the higest quality Sturgeon, combined with pearl extracts are said to actually reduce the wrinkles.  Well is it true?  Well we haven’t tried it yet, (review to follow), but If the reviews online from around the world are to be believed then the answer is yes!

“I saw a noticable difference within 2 weeks, wrinkles seemed less noticable. My skin seemed to look younger and smoother. I have used countless creams and moisturizers over the years, this is the best ever.”- MRS A, USA

“Myoxy Cream is worth my 50 years of searching for the ultimate face cream. It smells YUMMY, clean and crisp, it is light and fluffy and gives you a beautiful glow. Even more so since I just got back from a week in Mexico and the cream makes such a health glow! I love it. Worth the money.”- MADDIE,  TEXAS

“One of the reasons I purchased this is it is supposed to help extend my visits between Botox injections. It seems to be doing the trick. Lots of nutrients & it contains retinol so I don’t have to use a separate product to get it.” – JANE

At HK$2180 the Myoxi Caviar repair cream for 50g costs about the same as a 50g pot of Beluga, but if the results are to believed then this girl is going to stop spreading it on her blinis and start slapping the Pevonia version on her face…

The Myoxy-Caviar Line

TIMELESS BALM CLEANSER    120ml / HK$520
TIMELESS REPAIR LOTION       120ml / HK$460
TIMELESS REPAIR SERUM        30ml / HK$2280
TIMELESS EYE CONTOUR        30ml / HK$2380
TIMELESS REPAIR CREAM        50ml / HK$2180
YOUTH-RENEW CAVIAR HAND & FOOT CREAM    50ml / HK$600

Where?

More than Skin Urban Spa
1st Floor, 8 Gilman’s Bazaar, Central, HK.
Tel.: 2815 5590

Bodywize Yoga . Day Spa
Shop 2, 2/F, 1 Wong Nai Chung Road, Happy Valley, HK.
Tel.: 2838 5686
Amrita Spa
1st Floor, 8 Gilman’s Bazaar, Central, HK.
Tel.: 2815 5590
Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel
1 Sky City Road East, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau, Hong Kong.
Tel.: 3969 1888