Hong Kong might be a veritable shopper’s paradise but, believe it or not, there are still some beauty brands that aren’t available here. Madness! And unfortunately, they just so happen to be some of my favourites too!
So, with the hope that some well-meaning cosmetics distributors are reading this and take pity on a poor make-up addict, here are five of my most-missed – and where to get your fix if you’re desperate!
Urban Decay
Oh Urban Decay… how I love thee. Make-up that channels your inner rock star – but at decidedly un-rock star prices! UD’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils are my ultimate eyeliner of all time; available in a gorgeous rainbow of colours, these stunners are soft, creamy and blendable, smudge-proof, water-proof and just about anything else-proof too (I own at least 20)! Their Naked Palette is the ultimate travel companion, comprising every shadow you need to create either an easy daytime look or a smouldering smoky eye, whilst their Primer Potion, which sets eye-shadows in a crease-free wash of vibrant colour for hours, is nothing short of a cult. And yet, you still aren’t sold here. WHY?!
Where to get it: I’m too much of an Urban Decay addict to not have found a few sources! Both www.lookfantastic.com and www.hqhair.com sell Urban Decay with free delivery to Hong Kong; try and wait for some of their frequent discount coupons to make a big bulk buy!
Soap & Glory
Created by Marcia Kilgore, the founder of Bliss Spa and creator of FitFlops, Soap & Glory specialise in luxurious body products… but at prices that make pampering seem a necessity rather than an indulgence! My favourite product of theirs is The Righteous Butter, a ravishingly rich body lotion that will leave your skin meltingly soft and divinely scented (use after their Flake-Away scrub for skin smoother than you thought possible!). I’m also desperate to try their new miracle product, Sit Tight, which claims to get rid of cellulite by doing nothing more strenuous than sitting down – which sounds like my kind of exercise! With its pun-tastic names, retro pink packaging and lush products, we need Soap & Glory here stat!
Where to get it: Soap & Glory goodies are sold at www.boots.co.uk and www.sephora.com; alas, neither of which deliver here! You can also get your mitts on their products at the Sephora in Singapore. So your best bet is to stock up when you’re abroad – or get some kind friend (codename: make-up mule!) to do it for you!
Aussie
Aussie’s Three Minute Miracle Conditioner does exactly what it says on the tin, turning damaged dry and straggly hair into a well-tamed silky-smooth gorgeously-glossy mane in three minutes flat! Their range of shampoos, conditioners and other hair products tackle all types of hair issues and are unbeatable for the price. Last time my Mum came back from the UK, she practically brought me a suitcase of the stuff!
Where to get it: Despite the fact that Aussie is a mass-market brand that’s ridiculously easy to get hold of pretty much everywhere else in the world, it’s still not made the swim over to the 852 *sob*. Nor can I find any websites that will ship it here – so if you have any tips, let me know!
Boots
I miss Boots more than members of my own family! Sasa, Bonjour, Watsons et al can’t even come close to this one-stop shop for your every make-up and skincare need; lipstick, hand cream, hair straighteners, electric toothbrushes and everything in-between, Boots has it all – you can even top up your phone balance, get your photos developed and buy your lunch there too! Their Advantage Card, which builds up points with each purchase to redeem against later buys, is exceptionally generous and totally without comparison to anything here. Their list of brands is exhaustive, including great-value in-house ones and Boots exclusives, like No.7 (and its much-lauded Protect & Perfect serum), Botanics and renowned dermatologist Dr Nick Lowe’s fantastic skincare line. Just the thought of their 3 for 2 offer on Christmas gift sets still makes me misty-eyed (I operated a ‘Buy 2 for me, get 1 for someone else’ system!). Can you tell how much I miss it?!
Where to get it: If you are prepared to do battle with the suitcase-toting crowds, we’ve spotted a few Boots products for sale at Lung Shing Dispensary (28 Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong). Boots also has many stores in Thailand – worth remembering the next time you’re on your hols! Meanwhile, Boots’ Thai website delivers to Singapore (though not Hong Kong… yet!), if you have any friends willing to act as make-up mules on their next visit!
Illamasqua
If you love colourful adventurous cosmetics, it can often seem that MAC is your only port of call in HK. Illamasqua takes the daring artistry from the early days of MAC and takes it to the nth degree, thanks to superstar make-up artist and creative director Alex Box. This is make-up not for the faint-hearted – and all the better for it! I particularly love their Liquid Metals, pure molten metal that can be applied anywhere, and their intense Pure Pigments, which are bound to bring out your bold side. They’re also renowned for their matte eye shadows and blushes (great for those who don’t want shimmer in everything), their unusual nail polish colours and their especially innovative seasonal collections (hint: don’t expect spring flowers or festive baubles here!). The fact they have a nail polish named Milf should say it all!
Where to get it: www.illamasqua.com ships to Hong Kong for a flat-rate of £8.50 – and speaking from experience, it arrives super-quickly and immaculately-packaged to boot (try and hold out for one of their sales or discount vouchers to balance out the P&P cost!). Illamasqua is also sold on www.ASOS.com, which as everyone knows by now do free international delivery – although check carefully as not all items are allowed to ship here.
What’s your most missed make-up? Any miracle products we should know about? Let us know in the comments!
Rach, I hear you on the love for Aussie hair products. Am just about to finish the shampoo I brought back from the US and am so sad I didn’t buy more!
This is basically my UK shopping list!
My Mother in law is visiting from the UK this week, acting as my makeup mule! In her case:
4 x Soap & Glory Clean on Me
4 x Soap & Glory Righteous Butter
2 x Boots Protect & Perfect Serum
Also 6 x John Frieda Secret Agent (what can I say, I have very frizzy hair and you can’t get this anywhere!)
It’s like Christmas round at my apartment…
Haha glad I’m not the only one who employs the make-up mule technique! John Frieda is also on my most-missed list too, love their shampoos for different hair colours (in my case Brilliant Brunette).
Maura – now I know, I’m gonna be asking you to bring me back Aussie whenever you’re heading Stateside! Our beauty blogger Danielle was just in the UK and she bought me a bottle of Aussie too!
Aussie is ALWAYS on top of the list for the boy to bring back every time he goes back to the UK (Twice a year, luckily for me!)
This time back it included 5 bottles of that exact conditioner, and a couple of mini Aussie Frizz Miricle Deep Conditioning bottles….. Glad to know I’m not the only one!!
The weird thing is, my Mum went down to Australia and I asked her to get me a couple of bottles of Aussie. They don’t actually do it there!
Goodness Rach, are you psychic? I just googling a UD stockist in HK the other day. Bummer we can’t find them in HK though!
Speaking of Boots, my bf was my Boots make-up mule! MWAHAHA… Have you received your No7 Poppy King History lippy yet??
Didn’t like that Aussie conditioner though – I bought it a couple of years back and still haven’t finished it. Ick.. PS: It’s strange that the brand is not available in the country it was named after!
*end of rambling comment… *
Please pass on your unfinished bottle of Aussie conditioner! Scabby of me but I will snap it up eagerly!
I had high hopes that Sephora would carry UD when it opened here, as it does in Singapore, but no such luck. So wasn’t too bothered when it shut! Maybe if they attempt HK again, they’ll read this and decide to stock it!
Hmm i want to try!
Please do more of these posts. They’re so helpful!
So many girls in HK love makeup, I have no idea why Urban Decay would pass up having a flag ship here. thank you for the website, free shipping is just what I needed to hear!!!
Thank you again!
Hi Xaris
Thanks so much for the great feedback! I have used both those sites to order Urban Decay from (as well as several other make-up mules
) and have been pretty impressed with the service so far.
Rach
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