Thursday, July 31, 2014

Model Homes



Karlie, Stam and Anja at home. So not only do they look better than me, their homes look better than mine? Jelly belly!

More at Elle Decor.

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Bag Lady: Celine Belt Bag

The Celene Trapeze has gotten a new cousin this season called the Belt Bag. The new iteration is more pleasing on the eye that the Trapeze, more subtle and not as easily recognisable yet it also feels more of an afterthought design. Jury's still out for me on this one as to whether or not I like it. Available in a large and small size, the Belt Bags are priced between $16,000 - $255,000.

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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Tee Off

Sports Tee Roundup



There's something inherently effortless about throwing on a sports tee, pairing it with sneakers and being off on a hot summer's day. A quick roundup of shirts that's caught my eye above.

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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Valentino Mophie?!



How freaking excited was I to spot this image on Interview magazine's website? So, so excited. Only... my brain wasn't working right. All I saw was a blur of red tiger print. Rockstud. Want. Need. Love. Fuck!

Then I kind of realised that the Valentino Rouge Absolute Mophie charger was actually... just a red portable charger with a Valentino logo on it. Um, and costs US$349. So not want. So not need. So not love. But still... fuck.

Proceeds go to charity though, so it's for a good cause, and we like those. Actually, proceeds go to THREE charities, so you can feel triply good. And your phone will charge so fast, it'll be the quickest-charging phone in the East. So there's that. And maybe you happened to need a portable charger. If so, hit it up here, you true fashion geek, you.

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Review: AMAZAKE


Ventured to AMAZAKE a couple weeks ago, a new resto by Prive Group which boasts of "a one-of-a-kind dining, drinking and game-playing experience in Hong Kong." We just went for dinner and didn't get into any game playing while there but did manage to try out some of the cocktails and dishes. General consensus amongst us was that the food was ok, they have some interesting concepts but it's nothing to really write home about and there are a couple dishes that we would skip if we return to save quota for other things.


First up, we ordered the Buru Chizu (Sake, Akashi blended whiskey with blue cheese and homemade rosemary syrup). Was extremely excited to try it due to the blue cheese element. Unfortunately, there was barely a hint of it. The whisky masked everything and there was only a slight hint in the finishing of blue cheese.


Then came the #ROLO (Spicy Salmon Roll). Cute name, play on YOLO I presume. Not what I thought a YOLO roll would comprise tho. Shouldn’t it be more of a guilty pleasure? Ah wells, the crunchy bits added a nice texture to the sushi.


This dish unfortunately was a miss. Green tea mochi (fried mochi sprinkled with green tea salt). It ended up being bit of a waste of quota. I’ve yet to find any sort of fried mochi tasty to be honest. We tasted shrimp in the middle but weren't quite sure if shrimp really was there since the description didn't say anything about shrimp. Perhaps the concept was a Japanese twist to fried prawn toast?


Fancy cheese (cream cheese and foie gras tempura). This was a pleasant surprise although the cream cheese to foie gras ratio would be better if it’s the other way round given that the cheese overwhelmed the taste a tad too much.


We also had the AMAZAKE sliders (wagyu hambagu topped with quail egg). Nice little slider and loved the idea of the quail egg. Egg was a tad overcooked but otherwise the slider was quite juicy. Flavourwise, it was on the sweet side as there was quite a big splat of caramelized onion.


Next up was their Famous Fried Chicken (extra crispy served with spicy sauce). Unfortunately sauce wasn’t spicy and chicken not too crispy. Another dish whose quota is best saved for other dishes as you can get better chicken elsewhere.


Final dish of the night was the Fly fish (Kisu and uni tempura). Was hoping for a lovely rich indulgent uni taste to the fish but unfortunately, couldn’t really taste the uni. Fish was cooked well though and was nice and soft.

Dinner came to about about $1,000 for three cocktails (didn't manage to get photos of the other two, oops) and the above dishes.

G/F, On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2537 7787

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Monday, July 28, 2014

Weird Al Yankovic's Word Crimes


It's like Weird Al knows all my pet peeves as a word Geek. Dangling modifiers! The use of literally! It's vs its! (Obviously, using too many exclamation marks is not one of them.)

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Friday, July 25, 2014

LBD


It seems a little dark and dreary to sport an LBD with a depressing smoky eye smack in the middle of a very hot summer, but blackest black is back, my friend. And asymmetry is the new androgyny. Ponder that.

Available at Minty Meets Munt, only the most random and yet weirdly bestest name for a brand, like, ever.

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Geek Spy: Otterbox Symmetry Series



I've never been a fan of those super protective iPhone cases, not because I don't want protection for my phone but more so that they tend to be rather bulky and clunky adding extra weight to my phone. So when Otterbox sent me a case, I was ready to dismiss it and was pleasantly surprised when I pulled it out of the box and noted how slim the case was. Otterbox is known for having cases that essentially renders your phone indestructible, ok I exaggerate but I've read stories of phones being thrown out the window and still surviving because it had an Otterbox case so you get the idea. I've yet to throw my phone out the window and it's not likely to happen anytime soon but if you are looking for something to give your phone that protection, something that has a nice summer pop to it and comes from a brand that is known for producing cases that are durable, check it out.

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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Bag Lady: Rabeanco Seam Satchel


Simple functional office bag in a yummy mint green from Rabeanco that doesn't break the bank. Perfect for those of us who abuse totes by lugging around folders, notebooks, pens that inevitably will leak.

Priced at $2400

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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

SHOErotica: Christian Louboutin Hot Chick 130



I have a fair few pairs of shoes (less than 100! I promise!) but I own no red heels...

According to the feng-shui master, red is an unlucky colour for me this year, so I'm meant to avoid it, but maybe this invites just the right kind of trouble. Although, given the heel height, maybe it's inviting trouble in the form of twisted ankles and scabby knees...

Available from Christian Louboutin this fall.

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Catwalk Me ghd!




After Christina’s awesome experience with ghd, I was kicking myself for forgetting to check out the salon experience when the brand approached us initially. (What can I say? I am extremely good with emails but when it comes to actual physical letters, I have an extremely delayed reaction.) So when ghd approached us recently to spread word about their campaign Catwalk Me ghd (more details on that later but it’s a good one!), I leapt at the chance.

I headed to Alpha Omega in Causeway Bay for my experience and managed to catch Robert, the ghd education manager who was around to give me plenty of intel on how to curl hair and make my hair awesome. We settled for some soft curls and the stylist quickly got to work. What struck me about the experience was how quick it was. The whole styling session took about 30 minutes with my hair being sprayed with the ghd Heat Protect Spray first and then small sections were quickly curled by twisting the ghd eclipse 180 degrees (for looser curls, 360 degrees will give tighter curls) and gliding it down the hair.

So what tips did I learn from Robert? Always make sure your hair is completely dry before styling. Protect your hair with a spray first so the heat doesn’t damage the hair. Ghd stylers can curl, wave or straighten hair (wohoo, I’m all for multitasking gadgets) and because it has sensors in each plate, the styling temperature is optimized at 185 degrees C. Practice with the styler without the heat on first to get the hang on twisting and gliding. Oh and the stylers can last for ages. Robert’s mom has been using the same styler for 8 years on a daily basis!

As you can see from the video, each section really didn’t take that long to do and I came out of it with gorgeous wavy hair. Unfortunately, my hair is super straight straight straight and in about two hours it reverted to its natural state but according to the stylist, curls normally can last until the next time you wash your hair.

When I tried to replicate the curls myself the next day, it was not as effortless as it looked at the salon but as Robert says, practise practise practise and I did find myself getting the hang of it a bit more towards the end of the practice session. Unlike Robert's mom, I probably won't be able to style my hair every day but methinks I'm going to have a lot of fun with the styler on weekends and have girlfriends come over to play!

Interested in trying out this styling session? That’s what the Catwalk Me ghd campaign is for! ghd is offering this styling experience for free for anyone who visit Alpha Omega, Paul Gerrad and Lane Crawford. All you have to do is upload a selfie of yourself with the hastag #catwalkmeghd on Instagram or Facebook. Additionally, all participants will be automatically entered for a chance to win a ghd professional photoshoot session for the winner and two friends worth $30,000. Check out the hairstyling session dates and locations at http://www.ghdhair.com/hk/catwalkmeghd

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The Wall Street Series by les amis


Cute set of rings from les amis and branded as the Wall Street Series. Besides the obvious bear and bull, they've thrown in a chicken and a pig too for some reason leading me to think that these could totally be transformed into Chinese zodiac rings. Just call the bear a monkey and add on 8 other designs and et viola, a new collection is born!

Prices range from $1800 to $2600 with the bull being the priciest naturally.

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Monday, July 21, 2014

Review: Seasons by Olivier Elzer


I was super excited to try out Seasons by Olivier a couple weeks ago when a lovely friend decided to take me there for my birthday celebrations. I had been a fan of Chef Elzer’s food at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and was keen to see how it matched up when he ventures out to open his own place. We were prepared to give the restaurant some leeway given that it was the first week of opening but in all honesty, that leeway really wasn’t needed. Chef Elzer obviously had his team all up and ready to roll.

Chef Elzer obviously has a number of fans around town as the restaurant was comfortably filled (unlike at Eighteen Sharp where we were the only diners the entire night!) and people kept walking in even at ten or so to have dinner. Rather than going for the tasting menu (where it’s omakase style and you don’t know what you’re getting) or the set menu, we opted for a la carte.


My first thought when I saw the bread basket was yums and signs of a good meal to come. What can I say? I love my carbs.

We had a delish steak tartare (go for the spicier version which had a perfect balance of flavours) and a grilled tuna belly with a tangy sauce on a bed of avocado. We tasted some aniseed in the finishing and was a lovely refreshing course for this summer heat.


When I saw the skate wing, I couldn’t resist. It was rich, indulgent and oh so good. The meat was tender but not mushy and lifted right off the wing with a gentle scraping of the knife. The sauce was a tad salty so for the thinner sides of the wing, it was a bit overpowering. The other main we had was the duck leg confit. The skin was uber crispy while the meat had that nice preserved salty flavor while not being too salty.


The only disappointing dish was the cheese platter which we felt was a bit overpriced for the four little bits we got. I guess the manager agreed as he voluntary gave us another platter when he walked past and saw it.

If you’re a fan of soufflé, go for the passion fruit soufflé with mango sorbet. The soufflé was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Fluffy, light and I loved the tangy taste of the passion fruit. It’s rare these days for me to recommend restaurants to people given the inconsistency of restaurants but I must say this one is worth going to. Dinner for the two of us, including a cocktail each, came to $1,600.

Lee Gardens Two 308, Causeway Bay, 2505 6228

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Friday, July 18, 2014

Alexander McQueen AW14 Advertising Campaign


Love love love this campaign featuring Edie Campbell and shot by Steven Klein. And this isn't just coz I'm an unabashed McQ fan. Moody, slightly creepy and oh so eerie. <3

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Thursday, July 17, 2014

Beauty Editors Buy: Leonor Greyl Huile de Palme


I'm boarding a plane to Phuket in four hours! Anyone who's headed to a beach holiday needs to invest in a good hair oil, to coat the locks before you subject it to the harsh sea water or pool chlorine. Especially if you have bleached hair. Or green hair. Ie if you are me. French girls love this stuff, they rub it all over their locks after the shower and just leave it in to get that ratty French-girl bedhead. Otherwise use it as a hair mask 15 minutes before you wash your hair, after you come out of the sun, or if you've been to a dry climate, or you just want to give you hair some R&R. I never really pamper my hair, but this smells so good it's worth doing.

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Geek Spy: Moschino USB Drives


Getting a tad sick of pandas. Give me bears instead! Only downside is that these flash drives are 4gb in capacity. Get them from Moschino for HK$550 a pop.

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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Review: Eighteen Sharp by Franck Muller


When I learnt that Franck Muller was attempting to tackle the F&B market, I was intrigued. The brand was ambitiously opening two restaurants, one Italian, the other Chinese both with Japanese influences. I was given the choice of which to go for, whereby I promptly voted for the Chinese. Yes, even though Italian makes much more sense and would likely be easier to pull off hence ensuring a decent meal, Chinese would be the more challenging cuisine for them to pull off and so it was off to Eighteen Sharp we went.

The restaurant itself is a small intimate space with the ability to house 44 diners. When we went, it housed two, my friend and I making it an oddly disconcerting experience whereby towards the end of dinner, when the waiter was removing the folded napkins one by one from the table, we felt we were intruding and stopping him from leaving work.

We opt to go for the HK$680 set menu (they only offer set menus at the moment) and found the food to be okay, nothing to really write home about to be honest and left feeling that it’s more of a one-time visit than anything else.



We started with a plate of six appetizers, Lychee and Dutch tomato; Pork roll with preserved tofu; Beef roulade with crispy green in gravy; Steamed egg white with soy milk, crab roe and XO sauce and Japanese cuttlefish with Ta Ta sauce. The pork roll was definitely the tastiest as it’s a thin slice of pan fried pork belly. The rest were decent enough. Ta Ta sauce is just XO sauce and the lychee tomato was a tad off putting.


Next up was the deep fried salad oyster roll with minty guava dressing. It was beautifully deep fried but failed the grease test. You can definitely taste the oil and grease when it’s in your mouth. The dressing was a nice touch but not necessary. It was a bit messy to eat with bits of crunch flying off as we cut through the roll.


We then had the baked prawns with crab roe and Japanese sake. Unfortunately, we could clearly taste that these were frozen prawns and the dish was missing that freshness you would get with live prawns and the roe just wasn't strong enough to make up for it. The chef confirmed the prawns were frozen when we mentioned it. Pity.


The double boiled yellow cucumber soup with geoduck and clams had a fragrant sweetness to it and the best part was it was steaming hot. Lukewarm soup = Pet Peeve.


The poached baby vegetables in rich fish broth was exactly what it sounded like. Simple, nothing memorable but not bad.


Those who don’t like sourness would not like the deep fried mandarin fish with pines nuts in sweet and sour sauce. It was much sourer than normal sweet and sour dishes and would ensure an automatic puckering of the lips.


The last savory dish was fried rice with crab roe and deep fried shredded conpoy. Texture of the rice was great but the taste was bland especially when followed by the fish.


Finally we finished with a sweetened tofu with mango mousse and mint yogurt pineapple. Both were a bit meh. Overall, it wasn’t an unpleasant experience, it just didn’t have anything that would make us want to return which just might be the resto’s downfall.

Eighteen Sharp, 3/F, 15-21 Sharp Street East, Causeway Bay

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Monday, July 14, 2014

Lost Your Marbles?


Replace 'em with this faux-marble iPhone case, yes please! At Etsy.

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