My friend has an excellent lip product called Venom that makes your lips sting like you've been eating spicy food. It makes them look bee-stung and swollen but she bought it in Australia. Where can I get some so I don't have to keep stealing hers?
Lip Service, Jordan
The Dictator rules: Why not just rub chillies on your lips (about $4.50 for 50 grams at your local ParknShop). Sound crazy? So does paying much more to achieve the same result. You probably tried Lip Venom by DuWop, the Hollywood-based brand started by Cristina Bartolucci and Laura DeLuisa. It's not sold here yet. Women around the world are clamouring for the product, but we tried it and found our lips dried out later the same day. You can order it from major online retailers that deliver to Hong Kong such as Amazon.com (in association with Sephora) and
www.beauty.com for about US$15 (HK$117) not including shipping. The tingling sensation comes from a mixture of essential oils, including cinnamon, ginger, wintergreen and menthol, with a little vanilla and blackcurrant thrown in for good measure. Skimming through the FAQs on the official website (
www.DuWopOnline.com), I was shocked that they actually need to tell people Lip Venom is unsuitable for 'acts more intimate than kissing'. Oh dear.
I'm looking for socks in dark blue to wear with a new suit, but all I seem to find is black or grey. Help?
In The Navy, Pokfulam
The Dictator: Where on Earth have you been looking? Boring but dependable Brooks Brothers (shop 317, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2175 4288) sells lots of them. They come in a cotton-lycra mix ($90), a ribbed cotton-nylon mix with hand-linked toe ($130), and a cotton-nylon mix that stretches over the calf ($130). Feeling cheap? Marks & Spencer (shop 313, Times Square, Causeway Bay, tel: 2923 7970) offers you navy socks in ribbed lambswool ($150 for four pairs), extra-fine merino wool ($150 for three pairs), or mercerised cotton ($150 for three pairs). Still pinching pennies? Venture into The World of Sock's Shop (G/F, 1 Spring Garden Lane, Wan Chai). Pick from a range of cotton dress and sports socks in all colours, including navy, sold at $100 for four pairs.
I'm really worried. Every time I pull out an elastic from my hair, it either removes or snaps a few strands. Are there any that won't do that?
Band On The Run, Kowloon Bay
The Dictator: Air pollution, human-rights violations, nuclear war - these are things to worry about. Your hair is easily maintained without anxiety. First, stop tying it up with elastic or rubber bands; they tend to pull more than fabric. Second, get rid of the bands held together with metal. Third, look for uninterrupted loops of fabric. The best we've tried are Goody's Ouchless Elastics (
www.goody.com), but we haven't seen them sold here. However, Goodly Manufactory Company has many 'ouchless' bands in solid black, chic Missoni-inspired print or with a cutesy heart pattern ($10 to $20 for two; shop B, 33 Wing Kut Street, Central, tel: 2708 2728). Find them at trendy outlet shop C-Two (shop B, 93 Wan Chai Road ), in solid colours ($5 for six) or a thicker, sparkly version ($5 for four). Mannings (20 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2861 0996) has a fat, looped elastic that comes in a range of colours ($9.90 for four). And if you want to treat your hair well, don't tie it up at all.
