One of the coolest things about traveling far away? New beauty products to discover. I always try to duck into a local pharmacy or beauty specialty store when I travel. My favorites are the pharmacies in Paris. They have so many cool products to discover. (Gwyneth Paltrow recently did a great post on French pharmacy products on her Goop website. Click here to read.) We were so busy in Beijing that we didn't have a second to check out the local offerings, so I made sure to find some time in Hong Kong.
I popped into a store called Sasa that was crammed with a hundreds of different products and tools. The closest we have in New York are the Ricky's beauty supply shops. Some of the things were so strange. Tweezers for armpit hair? Someone will have to explain that to me. There were face rollers to improve circulation, fake lash applicators, all kinds of masks and supplements, even a Snooki-type hair bump tool. The weirdest thing for sale was eyelid glue. This comes as a glue (literally) or a type of sticker that some girls use to change the shape of their eyelid. Have any of you used eyelid glue? It sounds kind of creepy, but each culture to its own. Some might find Botox weird, but that's considered normal in the U.S. these days.
I think the eyelid glue has something to do with the doll-like look is all the rage in Hong Kong. The models we worked with and the models in the magazine have a very bird-like/doll-like quality. Very thin, tall, but not as tall as models in New York, heart-shaped faces, pointy chins and big eyes made even bigger with circle lenses and lash extensions. It's an extreme kind of beauty. The same thing happens in New York with fashion models, whether it's gap-toothed smiles (very in right now), wide set eyes and big foreheads, or bushy eyebrows. Different looks will always come in and out.
Enjoy the pictures. I'm typing this backstage at the Victoria Beckham show because it's Fashion Week in New York (and my battery is dying!). We're working with the brilliant makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury on the makeup for the show. The look: glowy, glowy, glowy. I'll have a full report on all the shows later in the week. We're doing Chris Benz on Monday.
Oh, and I almost forgot! We have a giveaway. I brought back two Virtuose Precious Cells mascaras that I bought at the Lancome boutique in Hong Kong. You can't get these in the U.S.! Since it's Fashion Week, tell us the name of your favorite New York-based designer. I'll pick two comments at random. You'll get the mascara and I'll include a Bi-Facil, the world's best makeup remover. : )
Please comment by Tuesday night.
PHOTOS: Armpit tweezers (?), our favorite Hong Kong model, Sasa beauty supply store, weird beauty products!
PHOTOS: Armpit tweezers (?), our favorite Hong Kong model, Sasa beauty supply store, weird beauty products!
