Excellent products in Hong Kong
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free skin care · Wed May 11, 2011 7:40 pm

I will be going to Hong Kong in a couple of days and was wondering if any of you know of good products available in Hong Kong. I'm mostly looking for hand creams, lip balm (with SPF) and sunscreens.

free skin care · Thu May 12, 2011 6:45 am

Hi oasisjc,

My only recommendation is to check out the SASA store while you're there-- it's like Sephora, but HK based, and there are a lot of locations. I don't have anything specifically to recommend in the categories you're looking for, but I found a few great things there:

- KATE brand (Japanese) cream eyeliners
- Silk Whitia cloth masks (dupe of SKII)
- Hand held face massage roller (v inexpensive)

You'll also find that HK, being in Asia, will have a large selection of BB creams to choose from. Missha is the most popular brand, but there are so many different kinds & properties among the various BB creams. (Myself, I haven't really found one that I *love* although Missha is pretty good.)

Tsubaki shampoo & conditioner (made by Shiseido) is much cheaper in HK than in the States (a lot of people like it, I think it just works *OK* on me.)

Jurlique is easily available there-- I believe it's Australian? Lots of nice lotions & hand creams, I hear, although I haven't tried.

I've also heard that FANCL oil cleanser is very good, but again, I haven't tried.

I'll also be heading to HK in a few months! (Just in time for the hot, muggy summer, oh joy!) But I *love* HK-- there is absolutely no other city in the world like it! God, wait 'til you see the malls there! Un-freakin-believable! And the MTR? Wow, talk about an efficient public transit system!

I am hoping that on my next visit, I'll be able to find Korean skincare & cosmetics at prices that are cheaper than here in the US! Have a great trip, and please post any great finds you might encounter!

free skin care · Thu May 12, 2011 8:38 am

EVERTHING's cheaper!!! but not so much as in Republic of China. Just the joy of that great public transit system should erase a few wrinkles!! So delightful to observe the very fashionable Hong Kong women.

Thu May 12, 2011 9:42 am

You can find all different cosmetic/skincare brands in HK.

I bought a Japanese brand sunscreen before which is pretty good - very good proctection and not oily, I believe the name is Anessa - it's a Shiseido product.

IPSA has good products too like foundation.

Beside Japanese brand name, some Korean brand names are worth to checkout too, like Canmake, Missha.

For lip balm (with SPF) - you can go to stores like Watson's or Mannings - like Drug store here, you will able to find different kind.

Hope you have a nice time there and happy shopping!

free skin care · Thu May 12, 2011 9:50 am

Ohh wow thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

I always wanted to try BB cream but I don't think they sell it in darker tones, especially not in HK I'm assuming.

I think I'm definitely gonna try the Shiseido shampoo/conditioner though

free skin care · Thu May 12, 2011 11:03 am

Why would you bother to buy hand creams, lip balms in HK? Anyway, go SaSa or Boujouris, price there is unbeatable.
I would recommend you a local store called Aroma which sells brands like Jurlique, Neostrata, Exuviance, Obagi etc at a 30-50 % off the original price. It is located on the 1/f of Island Kimberley which is just opposite Sogo stores in Causeway Bay on the island. You can check out it's website first for what it has got.
BTW, pls dont buy skincare in the mainland China, many fake products and unlike clothing, thats what you put it on your face.

free skin care · Thu May 12, 2011 12:47 pm

I'm in HK and buy most of my skincare online.

However, I do like to rummage around in Sasa and the other beauty chains, and find many of the Japanese and Korean make-up and beauty items interesting. I could spend hours in some of the larger Sasas. Really like some of the Japanese mascaras, eg Dejavu brand.

For visitors to HK, I would recommend - sheet/cloth masks, Japanese and Korean make-up items, and Japanese sunscreens. Possibly perfumes also, if you're coming from a country that taxes these necessary items as "luxury" goods - but don't buy perfumes at the airport, they will almost always be cheaper at Sasa or elsewhere.

It's also worth having a look around in Watsons or Mannings stores (drugstore chains), you can sometimes find some interesting items.

On the public transportation issue, I had to wait more than 5 mins for a bus recently and was really rather annoyed... seriously! Smile

free skin care · Thu May 12, 2011 7:46 pm

cool! I'll be going hk nxt wk! I'm actually interested in getting some high UVA protection sunscreen that wont clog pores... BB Cream is good the concept but feel tat it's too much to wear daily as it kinda clog my pores...and the sun protection is not enough anyways...
Also, it'll be hot & humid there now. Any good makeup for this kinda weather? Do I need to wear a waterproof mascara? Sry for all the questions...this is my first time to hk =D

Thu May 12, 2011 10:00 pm

biore perfect face milk is definitely a must check item! it's my fave sunscreen Wink

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 6:21 am

prettyprincess wrote:

biore perfect face milk is definitely a must check item! it's my fave sunscreen Wink

Big second! Would love to try. I have heard it is comperable (at least ingredient wise) to the beloved Sofina Lucent that got discontinued last year. : Exclamation

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 9:14 am

Isqueen is rather good too! and beauty diary masks!

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 10:57 am

Stardustdy wrote:

cool! I'll be going hk nxt wk! I'm actually interested in getting some high UVA protection sunscreen that wont clog pores... BB Cream is good the concept but feel tat it's too much to wear daily as it kinda clog my pores...and the sun protection is not enough anyways...
Also, it'll be hot & humid there now. Any good makeup for this kinda weather? Do I need to wear a waterproof mascara? Sry for all the questions...this is my first time to hk =D

It will depend on your skin type, but given how high the humidity can be there, I've found that stuff that usually dries out my skin works perfectly in HK. I have dry/ combo skin & found that both Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation & the Sun Protection Compact Foundation look surprisingly natural & not dried out/ wrinkly on me when I'm in HK. Waterproof mascara probably wouldn't hurt either. I don't use mascara regularly myself, but I do like Clinique's Lash Power, which is one of those tubing mascaras that come off with warm water. It's a natural looking mascara, not dramatic. If you'll be outside a lot, yeah, you'll probably want to consider how well your regular makeup will hold. However, HK is heavily air-conditioned everywhere-- it can get quite chilly in fact!

And don't forget to go clothes shopping at Uniqlo! And to look up some of the *amazing* denim stores (can't remember the names). Oh, and also, I've heard that Paul & Joe cosmetics (Japanese) are also very good, although I have not tried myself. No taxes in HK, so you might want to think about buying that luxury bag too! God, I love HK!

BTW oasisjc, I know that the Missha BB cream now comes in 4 shades-- #13, #21, #23, & #31. #23 seems to work for about MAC NC30, to give you an idea.

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 12:34 pm

hhm too bad the Biore face milk contains silicones.....they tend to clog my pores somehow > < and it's gonna be a pain to remove!

JLM, guess it's the hot humid weather in HK so that's y your foundation doesn't look too dry. Maybe I'll try that too... Use any compact foundation that I found too drying here in Vancouver and bring it back to use so it won't go to waste LOL

But on the other hand, I'm afraid that I'll break out even more there as the weather is so humid! And with foundation on top is not gonna make it any better too Sad

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 12:52 pm

Yeah, it might be a bit tricky to figure out what will work until you get there Stardusty. Good luck!

BTW, I just remembered one more thing that people should get when visiting HK-- prescription glasses & sunglasses & contact lenses. They are much cheaper there!

I feel like you can judge how fashionable a city is based on how good the men's haircuts & glasses are-- and HK is definitely on top IMO!

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 2:19 pm

JLM wrote:

BTW oasisjc, I know that the Missha BB cream now comes in 4 shades-- #13, #21, #23, & #31. #23 seems to work for about MAC NC30, to give you an idea.

JLM, how about #13 and #21? I just ordered OHUI Cell Revolution Serum and Sulwhasoo Firming cream, and I also want to try Missha BB, but it's hard to find a list of ingredients or color information.

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 2:27 pm

Do you know where I can find the Tsubaki shampoo/conditioner? Is it at SaSa?

And the only reason why I want to buy lip balm here is because I forgot mine and need to get one that doesn't dry out my lips. The ones I can get in Canada all don't work very well to moisturize but only provide SPF

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 4:07 pm

I adore HK. Such a unique city.... First time I went it was as if I was on a different planet.
I recall shopping is to die for. Is Stanley market still in operation? I went there my second visit but have not made it back to Stanley Market since.

Next time I'll be armed with all the information from our Savvy EDS Hong Kong women.

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 4:08 pm

JLM wrote:

Yeah, it might be a bit tricky to figure out what will work until you get there Stardusty. Good luck!

BTW, I just remembered one more thing that people should get when visiting HK-- prescription glasses & sunglasses & contact lenses. They are much cheaper there!

I feel like you can judge how fashionable a city is based on how good the men's haircuts & glasses are-- and HK is definitely on top IMO!

hhm JLM, I just got my prescription glasses & contacts here Sad

too bad! Yeh I heard HK ppl are very fashionable. So how do the ladies dress like? Since it's so hot, I'm planning to bring some dresses, skirts, shorts, t shirts? hhm would that be appropriate? Also, I'm going to bring pairs of runners, flip flop, and sandals cuz I would be doing a lot of walking for sure. I'm not a brand name person. Guess not every part of HK is fashionable right? LOL Very Happy

free skin care · Fri May 13, 2011 5:27 pm

Hong Kong is actually quite fashionable from what I can tell :P

However, you d don't have to worry about spending much to be fashionable because you can find amazing things on the street without having to buy brand names. But yeah, you can wear pretty much anything considering how hot it is. People's styles can vary lots!

free skin care · Sat May 14, 2011 2:52 am

Hey RussianSunshine,

I found some reviews on Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream on MUA, along with some color swatches (click on the thumbnail sketch):

http://makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/page=1/pagesize=10/ItemID=105706/

I am guessing from the reviews that #13 is like MAC NC10-15 & #21 like NC15-20? Also, #31 seems to be like NC40-42?

And I found an ingredients list here:

http://www.beautyholicsanonymous.com/2008/11/review-missha-m-perfect-cover-bb-cream-spf42-pa/

I thought it was like a nice tinted moisturizer when I tried it, but I really didn't think I would use it *instead* of everything it's supposed to replace (skincare, sunscreen, primer, foundation, concealer.) And I wasn't too fond of all the silicones in the ingredients either. But it was fun to try!

Please update with what you think of OHUI! I still really like the OHUI The First line myself, (I feel that it's far, far and away superior to almost every American/European line I've tried) but I want to use it for a little longer before I make up my mind. I think that maybe the delivery system might be the key-- I believe that the Koreans are very into nanotechnology and stem cell research. Also if you get the chance, please update with the Sulwhasoo line as well-- from what I've read, you can't go wrong with almost anything in that line. (I'm thinking about getting a BB cream from Sulwahsoo as well).

Oasisjc, you can get the Tsubaki like anywhere-- drugstores like Watsons or Mannings, or almost any supermarket.

Yes, I just *love* HK SisterSweets (except for the summer humidity, but I guess I can deal with that! And we're in New England during the winters, wish we could get that reversed!)

What I appreciate about HK & almost every other major city in the world is that people make an *effort* to look good (not that I always do it myself, especially here in the US, ha-ha!) It's nice to see people looking good!

free skin care · Sat May 14, 2011 1:21 pm

Stardusty - you should have come a week or two earlier. Humidity levels for April were the lowest in over 40 years, or so I heard on the news. The weather was actually quite pleasant until a couple of days ago ... unfortunately, it seems to be returning to "normal" now, currently 96% humidity as I type (my hair iron is on overdrive!) You can check current weather/humidity here -
http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm

JLM wrote:

I feel like you can judge how fashionable a city is based on how good the men's haircuts & glasses are-- and HK is definitely on top IMO!

Yes, the HK guys do look pretty sharp, and not just the haircuts and glasses ... certainly no complaints here on that issue Bad Grin

free skin care · Sat May 14, 2011 4:45 pm

JLM wrote:

What I appreciate about HK & almost every other major city in the world is that people make an *effort* to look good (not that I always do it myself, especially here in the US, ha-ha!) It's nice to see people looking good!

Yes, even the boys and men are fashionable! But I'm not so sure if it's so much as effort as much as it's that nice clothes are so readily available. but regardless, I always have to make more of an effort to look even better Bad Grin

free skin care · Sat May 14, 2011 5:18 pm

does anyone know of a great physical sunscreen that's available which isn't a BB cream?

free skin care · Sun May 15, 2011 5:11 pm

appletini, then I guess it really sucks tat it's so hot and humid now =( ... God I cant imagine wat my already frizzy hair is gonna turn into! I probably have to tie my hair up all the time! I cant really use straightener much as it dries up my hair even more. U know wat, I found body shop moisture shampoo & conditioner help a lot as they're sulfate & silicones free.
Hhm guess there're many good looking guys & gals in hk...cuz who doesnt look good with so many shopping places there for clothes & cosmetics lol...
Oh btw, any good mineral makeup in hk? Thanks!

free skin care · Mon May 16, 2011 5:20 am

oasisjc wrote:

does anyone know of a great physical sunscreen that's available which isn't a BB cream?

Sulwhasoo or OHUI !!

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