Friday, August 29, 2014

Mischa Jet Set Tote in Camo


Loving the new Camo pattern from Mischa's latest collection. Priced at HK$1690 and available at Lane Crawford and Kapok.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Rue Madame Moving Sale

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The Day The Crayons Quit


We rarely review books here at Geek headquarters let alone children's books but this is too cute not to give a shoutout. I have been on a reading binge since my sabbatical started and was mindlessly scouring Amazon for recommendations and came across this book. What drew my attention was the fact that the crayons each have distinct personalities and I had such a chuckle when I saw that the white crayon is having an existential crisis as to his purpose when paper is white and he's not sure what to do with himself. It was only after I read the blurb that it was recommended for ages 3 and up. Oops, I am decades too old for it but still entertaining nevertheless! Available at Eslite for HK$208

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Sponsored Video: Choosing SK-II


I've shared in a previous post my opinion of the jewel in SK-II's crown, the Facial Treatment Essence. There are beauty products, then there are beauty miracles, and that definitely falls into the latter category. Sometimes when something works so well, you wonder why it's necessary to have things such as advertising campaigns, but I guess a company cannot rely on blog reviews and word-of-mouth alone -- which is why the luxury skincare brand released this "Skin Destiny" video, which brings to light all the choices we make in life: what clothes to wear, which hairstyle to rock, what to eat, who to date and, more important than all of those, which brand of skincare to use... in today's market, we are so very spoilt for choice. I may sound dramatic, but things like who you date COULD potentially be affected by what skincare you use, you know -- it's a superficial world, I'm sorry. I didn't create it, I just live in it with my millions of shoes.

As part of this Skin Destiny study, SK-II talked to over 140 women who have used the product for over 10, 20 and even 30 years -- and I'm sure you can guess the results, or if not, you can watch the video (in fact, please do, that's why we're posting it). But it does bring to mind a question, given that SK-II is a premium line with premium pricing. What would you pay to look younger for longer? In my 20s I would've laughed, as I fell asleep with all my make-up on after a day in the sun with no sunscreen. Now that I'm in my 30s, I wish I could go back in time and bathe daily in Facial Treatment Essence, no matter what the cost. I guess that's the price I'm paying, and the choice I'm making.

Sponsored by SK-II

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Monday, August 25, 2014

Beauty Notes: b.liv Great Summer Kit


I'm currently in the midst of planning my great European trip next month and I recently discovered that b.liv has launched a Great Summer Kit which combines three awesome items that is great for the travelling Geek. Comprising of an oil control toner that also hydrates the skin (Got Oil Relief), a blackhead sebum gel with an awesomely appropriate name (Off With Those Heads) and the Absolute Matt mask (which I had reviewed last month), the kit retails at HK$490. In addition to these three products, the kit comes with a complimentary power bank that is super cute, quite lightweight and has enough juice for 1.5 charges on the iPhone 5S. Perfect for Geeks who are prone to outbreaks when encountering changing climates and having the T-zone go a bit nuts.

Available at Sasa.

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Friday, August 22, 2014

Bag Lady: Jimmy Choo Charlie


I love bags that can transform so when I saw Jimmy Choo's new Charlie bag, I had to feature it. Use it as a tote during the day (make sure you don't put too much stuff in it!) and then transform it into a clutch at night. Check out this gorgeous green colour. Charlie also has a younger sister called Carrie in a smaller size. Available at Jimmy Choo or HK$13,500.

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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Luxe Living at Wynn Macau

hkLifestyleGeek stays at the Wynn Macau

Macau is still alluring to get away from Hong Kong and live a life of luxury -- for a short period of time. One resort we enjoyed was Wynn Macau where they recently renovated the Wynn Tower suites. Walk into the one-bedroom suite and it's a sprawling 2,000 square feet bathed in a palette of white, cream and brown.

By the marble entrance is the washroom, and across is a massage table so you don't have to get your bed all messy, followed by a massive living room. In the corner is a casual dining area, two large couches facing each other and a fully-stocked bar you can sit around. Too bad the famous art work on the walls are all prints...

Nevertheless, the bedroom features the signature Wynn king-sized beds with Egyptian cotton bedding, and this leads to an impressive marble bathroom, complete with a glass-enclosed shower, soaking tub, his and hers sinks and walk-in closet. It's a fantastic way for you and your significant other to unwind and have fun, living like kings and queens padding around in a plush bathrobe and slippers.

You can also relax at The Spa at Wynn, with its latest treatment called Signature Silk and Cashmere Awakening inspired by the two luxurious fabrics. The 90-minute treatment starts with a purifying exfoliation and light massage using silk gloves to gently revive and rejuvenate the skin. Then there's a deeper body massage using warm lotus oil, and then you are wrapped in cashmere for several minutes. You can't help but drift off into bliss... The treatment ends with a body cream applied on the body made of lotus flower extract and shea butter. If you have time, enjoy the spa beforehand with its steam room, sauna and whirlpools to relax in and afterwards nibble on cookies and ginger tea.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

DEEP-FRIED TEQUILA SHOTS, WHAT WHATTTTT


I don't think this really requires much text accompaniment except... remember that tequila face you make, the one you make when you do a tequilla shot? And then remember the face you make afterward, when you suck on that lime, and the lime is better than the tequila, but if you hadn't just done a tequila shot, when on earth would you EVER randomly suck on a lime?

Imagine NEVER having to do that face and still being able to get drunk! Because the actual drinking part is the most annoying part of getting drunk, am I right?

Recipe here and thank you Buzzfeed Food for the heads up, you always know how to perk a girl up on a rainy day.

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Review: Rustico


Ventured out to Lai Chi Kok the other day to try out Rustico, a newish resto serving Spanish Tapas. The restaurant was super easy to find (a plus for someone like me who is directionally challenged) but the food and ambiance of the place was average. The restaurant had tables quite tightly placed next to each other in order to maximize the number of seats and there was a moment of awkwardness when my bag almost hit a diner even though I was already walking sideways. Maybe it’s not maximizing space more so than a wake up call for myself to start losing weight. Hmm food for thought (no pun intended.)


For drinks we had the Estrella Damm Inedit by Ferran Adrià. Had the taste of beer but tasted a bit flat for some reason.


Prawns “al ajillo”, fried with garlic, chilli and extra virgin olive oil. Unfortunately the prawns were quite overcooked and even though we were starving, we still left the dish unfinished.


Cheese volcano goat cheese with arugula, walnuts, raisins and tomato jam. Loved the oozing of cheese but wish the taste of the cheese was more pungent. Flavour profile would have worked a bit more that way I think.


Slow cooked organic egg with spicy iberico chorizo in sherry wine and paprika with mash potatoes. Not a bad dish. Wished there was more chorizo and that they were chopped up a bit more or somehow further implemented in the dish rather than just four chunks on the plate.


Suckling pig slow cooked with sauce and baked potato. Was nicely done and good value for money. We finished with a cheese plate as none of the desserts appealed to us. Dinner for the two of us came to $800+.

G01, G/F D2 Place, 9 Cheung Yee Street, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon (D2 Exit from Lai Chi Kok MTR), Tel: (852) 2743 4511

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Monday, August 18, 2014

Essie Vending Machine


Love love love the Essie vending machines. It's only available at airports in the US at the moment but God help me if they make their way to HK. I will never leave the airport!

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Friday, August 15, 2014

Bag Lady: Michael Kors Hamilton Traveler


This is totally a Winter bag as evidenced by it being part of Michael Kors' Fall collection and it really IS too hot to even contemplate a haircalf bag yet I keep looking at it. Is it because of its acid lemon camouflage pattern? Perhaps. Priced at HK$6,400.

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Thursday, August 14, 2014

Friends & Family Sale: Rupert Sanderson


Rupert Sanderson's sale is going to be extended one extra day tomorrow, so you can still get your shoe fetish on this Friday. Anyone who is a size 40 or can pretend to be a size 40 needs to be there, STAT. The 40s are going for a fraction of the price of the other sizes (talking like, $500 bucks up) because they were press samples (surprisingly good condition for samples) and there's so many of them!

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Niin Clearance Sale

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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Beauty Notes: MAC Nail Transformations


Was super excited when I saw the news about MAC’s Nail Transformations polish. Such a simple and brilliant idea; top coats that changes the colour of your polish giving your existing colours new life. In the photo above, the index finger, middle finger and pinky all have the same base colour. I applied the Highlight sheer blue pearl transformer onto the index finger while the middle finger had a top coat of Liquid Pigment sheer gold pearl transformer. As you can see, it’s like having three different shades of polish all from the same base family. Cool eh? One thing I noticed was that the transformers work better with darker shades of polish. I applied the same colours on a pastel pink and the difference was negligible. The collection comprises six different transformers from a texturize clear leather that gives a matte coating to a range of pigments such as blue pearl, pink pearl, green pearl, gold pearl and also a blackening topcoat. Priced at HK$110 a pop. Available at MAC now.

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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Strappy Strappehhhh


Who DOESN'T love a little strappy bondage outfit that insinuates you may have travelled back in time from the future to save mankind from... loose and flowy shapeless outfits? Chromat's FW2014 collection is called Bionic Being, and is designed around a romance between robot and human. But I really wish it was a love story about me and it, because I am freaking OBSESSED with the stuff. I need you, now. To wear over and under all my loose, flowy, shapeless outfits.

Check out the full lookbook here.

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Dannijo Shoe Launch


I've praised Dannijo for their accessories and I swear it was only recently that I was applauding their venture into bags. They are expanding rapidly as word is that next Spring, Dannijo will be entering the footwear game! Apparently, the brand will partnering with Eric Rutberg of Transparent Footwear Inc, (who has worked with Badgley Mischka and LAMB) and the 24-piece collection will feature all the signature elements of the jewelry line such as the chain detailing and Swarovski bling. Think the ready-to-wear collection will be next?

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Monday, August 11, 2014

Friday, August 8, 2014

Bag Lady: Boy Chanel Tote


I love the Boy Chanel. It's been on my to buy list for ages and yet I can't seem to find a colour that I could love forever and ever and while I keep hesitating over the colours, the prices keep going up. Now there's another item to add to my to buy list, the Calfskin Boy Chanel Tote. Perhaps this would be a more rational buy given that I am the type of girl who likes big bags and it would be quite different from the classic and 2.55 I already possess. Hmmm

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Thursday, August 7, 2014

Rupert Sanderson Warehouse Sale

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Eastern European Capitals in Food


Remember the awesome Flags of the World created by food that we featured earlier this year? I just stumbled upon another cool series in a similar concept done by food stylist Anna Keville Joyce and photographer Agustín Nieto. This series illustrated four famous capitals in Eastern Europe using food and originally commissioned by travel site Foodie Backpacker. Which is your favourite? I'm partial to Prague simply coz I will be going there soon but the others are all so pretty too! See more of their work at their respective websites, akj foodstyling and hqf Studio.

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Wednesday, August 6, 2014

A Culinary Show

hkLifestyleGeek goes to Wynn Macau

Who says the dining experience at Ristorante il Teatro at the Wynn Macau isn't a dramatic performance? In the last few months the fountain show at Performance Lake in front of Wynn Macau has been enhanced to include LED lights so that the aquatic show every 15 minutes or so is a very colourful one. And don't forget the fire too! Thankfully we're safely ensconced behind the glass and have the uninterrupted view of the fountain show for added entertainment.

Meanwhile the menu has had a revamp too thanks to chef de cuisine Anthony Alaimo. The focus on fresh ingredients is evident here, resulting in a memorable meal that we managed to get through despite it being six courses long!


For starters chef Anthony created a luxe version of the rustic panzanella salad, or tomato and bread salad by adding grilled Maine lobster with avocado and citrus dressing. It was very refreshing, perfect for the summer, and the addition of the lobster is divine, garnished with a reduction of balsamic vinegar. It's not wonder this is a signature dish.


The next one is also a must order, the memorable black angel hair pasta with the sweetest Sicilian red prawns, baby squid and spicy Italian sausage. Black angel hair pasta is a first for me, and was also cooked al dente, and soaked up the flavours of the seafood and thick tomato sauce.

More seafood came in another pasta dish, artichoke risotto with pan-seared Queen Bay scallops and cold smoked clams. The scallops were large and perfectly cooked, and the plump clams in the shell still had a touch of brininess to them.


If that wasn't enough pasta, one more dish -- rigatoni Napolitana with tomato sauce featured braised Kurobuta pork that practically melted in the mouth and was garnished with fresh mozzarella cheese.

By now the stomach quota was fast approaching full, and we still had to the main course to come -- lamb done three ways -- herb crusted lamb rack, braised shank, and lamb loin alla Romana with eggplant caponata.

The lamb rack was pretty straight forward, while the lamb loin seared and served a deep pink that was tender and delicious. Perhaps by the time we got to the braised shank we were really full or lamb-ed out? But we couldn't finish it all.

However after a bit of a break, dessert was another dramatic surprise. Echoing Robuchon (the pastry chef has done some time with the French culinary master), this dessert was a show-stopper.


On the plate was a ball with holes in it and inside was a white "ristretto" ice cream sitting on a hazelnut and crunchy giandjua chocolate base. Nom nom.

Needless to say we had to waddle out of there, but who else in Hong Kong or Macau top fabulous food with a view of aquatic dancing and spurts of fire to music?

Ristorante il Teatro
1/F, Wynn Macau
Rua Cidade de Sintra
Nape, Macau
(853) 8986 3648
wynnmacau.com

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Tuesday, August 5, 2014

How To Be Thin... If You're A Hamster



Oh, nothing much going on here. Just THE BEST VIDEO YOU'VE EVER SEEN.

If you're itching for more, read the comments... favourites excerpted below.

"These videos are responsible for hamsters having poor self esteem for presenting unrealistic body images for hamsters."

"Instructions weren't clear enough, ended up in Africa riding a lion."

"Oh wow, this is so much simpler than stepping on it. I shall use your method from now on!"

"I did that to my hamster but now I cant make him bakc again, please post a video explainin how to reverse that."

And then there's our very own in-house freak (slash fashion geek) Virginia...

"I have done similar stuff before... I would stroke one of the hammies until it got really relaxed. And then used it as a screen wipe."

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Beauty Notes: Fresh Line Erato Hair Mask


I’m new to the brand Fresh Line but apparently they have been around since 1992. Founded in Greek, the concept of the brand revolves around the Ancient Greek wisdom of botanic therapy and aromatherapy and uses secret family recipes which sounds intriguing to say the least. What I loved about the product was that all the products are handcrafted using fresh and organic ingredients. Remember how I gave my hair a detox about a year ago? Since then, I’ve only been using organic hair products and absolutely loving the texture of my hair. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even need to condition my hair on a daily basis yet I do feel that sometimes, my hair needs to do a deep conditioning mask just to ensure that it doesn’t get too dry and out of hand.

In comes the Erato Hair Mask which is a repairing & moisturizing mask for damaged & dehydrated hair. While my hair is perfectly healthy, I figured it can’t hurt to give my hair some love right? The mask contains Rose, Sage, Comfrey, Olive oil, Calendula, Chamomile, Elfderflower, Aloe, Sun ower, Sandalwood, D-Panthenol and comes in the cutest jar. When you open up the jar, there’s a lovely scent and the texture of the mask is not too thick which sometimes annoys me (case in point, another hair mask that I tried which was a thick cream that confused me as I felt that I couldn’t get it evenly into my hair.)

I didn’t need to use too much of the mask, about a pearl size dollop and left it in for 20 minutes (sidenote, must remind self to pilfer some shower caps from next hotel stay, best way to leave product in without creating a mess), rinsed it with warm water and my hair felt noticeably softer. The mask is priced at around HK$230 which is quite reasonable for organic hair care.

Check it out at the below locations:

Kiosk ADM28, MTR Admiralty Station, Admiralty
Shop G018, G/F, World Trade Centre, Causeway Bay
Kiosk TST 11, MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Tsim Sha Tsui
Fresh Line, L2 BEAUTY AVENUE, Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street, Mongkok
Hotline: (852) 3979 6900

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Monday, August 4, 2014

Review: Jamie's Italian Hong Kong


Besides Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Kitchen opening later this year, I don’t think there’s been as much hype over a restaurant as Jamie Oliver’s new resto where photos were flooding my social media feeds during its soft opening phase. While I knew that the food wouldn’t be stellar food, I was curious to check it out seeing as it was backed by a newly formed restaurant group by the former GM of Ikea (Big Cat Group for those who are interested.)

Even with 200 seatings, I was told the lines would be insane with 80% of its seating reserved for walk in customers. My friend and I had somehow thought it was still soft opening stages but then found out the day we were planning on going was actually its grand opening day so we were wondering if we needed a contingency plan for dinner. She decided to brave the masses and showed up at 6 and got us a table quite promptly. The nice thing was that even though I didn’t arrive until 7, the staff didn’t harass her to order food etc, they were perfectly content to let her have her cocktail and wait until I arrive.

Onto the dining experience itself. There were some kinks which was evident by the frantic running about of the staff (and how long it took for our drinks to arrive and some confusion in our orders) but on the whole, service was pleasant and I spied a number of folks from other restaurant groups who are now with Jamie’s wandering around ensuring that things were running smoothly.

The food itself really isn’t much to write home about but nor did I expect it to be. There weren’t any outstanding dishes and the general consensus was that everything was ‘okay’. What they have going for them is their pricing, appetisers are under $100, small portions of pasta under $100 while large portions are in the $155 range, mains are between $150 to $320 and cocktails start from $55.


We started with Fried 3-cheese gnocchi. Not very cheesy but the fiery arrabiata dip was ok. Fiery is a bit of a misnomer tho. It wasn’t spicy.


Then we had the fish plank (beet-root cured salmon, roasted shellfish, smoked mackerel pate & mini fritto misto with lemon mayo). All was ok. Nothing mind blowing nor was it bad. Pretty much setting the tone for the entire meal.


This was the crab and avocado bruschetta. The apple was a nice touch but couldn’t taste much crab.


Posh chips with truffle oil and Parmesan. Nice thick chunks and was blazing hot which I liked. Not much truffle scent though.


Crispy squid. So soft that I thought it was fish at first.


Disappointing dish of the night: squid ink spaghetti where the scallops were overcooked and pasta was not al dente. Unfortunate as this was the dish recommended by their staff.


Lamb lollipops with herby red onion salad, yogurt sauce, toasted nuts and polenta chips. Chops were nice and juicy while the polenta was very salty for some reason.

I think the restaurant will do well and certainly there were folks still walking in at 9:30pm to try the food. Is it worth going to? It will depend on what you're in the mood for. Folks have been comparing its pricing to Fat Angelo's and Pizza Hut but with better quality food. Dinner for us came to HK$900 and we had four drinks and a dessert on top of the above.

2/f, Soundwill Plaza II – Midtown, 1 Tang Lung Street, Hong Kong Causeway Bay, Tel: 3958 2222

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