I spotted a brilliant print that looked like it was painted by an Impressionist. Ring any bells? I'd love to track it down. (I don't have a big budget though.)
Big Impression, Wan Chai
The Dictator rules: Gee, I wonder where you could have seen that since every magazine for the past few months has featured something that could fit that description. Zara has reissued its tulip-skirt dress, which came in red and flew off the racks around Christmas time. Now, you can get it in a multicoloured floral print that recalls some of the greats of the Impressionist movement (HK$799; Pacific Place, Admiralty, tel: 2918 1099). If you like dresses that nip in at the waist, you might like the interesting Paul Smith Black Label shift we saw in a painterly pattern, with a wide grosgrain ribbon tie (HK$3,290; Times Square, Causeway Bay, tel: 2895 1102). The usually frilly Moiselle has gone more modern recently, with paint-like and photographic print pieces (HK$3,999; Queensway Plaza, Admiralty, tel: 2866 2061). If you like blues and purples, check out the options at Max & Co (HK$2,880; Pacific Place, tel: 2918 0386) and even Bossini (HK$600 and up; 27A Des Voeux Road, Central, tel: 2524 9313). Then, when you're ready to luxe, check out the dreamy designs by artists in their own right: Dries Van Noten, Peter Pilotto and Nina Ricci.
Someone gave me an awesome eyebrow pencil with a brush attached but when I went to buy a replacement, it cost more than HK$300! Is that really how much they cost?
Brushing Up, Kowloon
The Dictator: Of course not. You can find them for much less. A word of warning though: although I love to harp on about how marketing and branding distort prices, I do think you need to be careful when choosing cosmetics or anything you put on your face, especially near your eyes. Random super cheap cosmetics may contain questionable dyes and other ingredients. Just stick to well-known brands. The cheapest we found was by Cyber Colors (HK$48; Sasa, customer service hotline: 2505 5023) and, what's more, that brand has one of the widest selections of browns to blacks we've seen. L'Oreal's Superliner line includes a brow pencil with a brush (HK$79; Sasa). It doesn't take much more money, though, to get one by a high-end brand such as Dior, which has both the crayon (the kind you need a sharpener for; HK$180; Lane Crawford, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2118 3428) and the retractable 'precision' types (HK$200). Clinique offers the two options, too (HK$115 to HK$180; Faces, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, tel: 3101 9317). Always quirky and fun, Benefit Cosmetics has a variety of brow products and services, including the Instant Brow Pencil with brush (HK$200; Faces) and the fab Brows A-Go-Go kit (HK$370).