Holiday season is in full swing and ... Chanel has come up with some sobering statistics about the effects of air travel on skin. Following an experiment on women with healthy skin in their 30s who agreed not to wear moisturiser during and for a day before an eight-hour flight, it was found that facial hydration dropped by an average of 20 per cent after three hours of flying and that six to eight hours of continuous flying was as much of an ordeal for skin as crossing the Sahara Desert.
Fortunately, help is at hand: namely a glass of water an hour while on the plane and the application of products such as Chanel's Masque Force Hydratante ($200) and Hydra Serum ($345, both below). The former, which should be applied before you set off for the airport and removed after 10 minutes, gives skin optimal levels of hydration while the latter, best applied every hour on the flight, combats the super-drying effects of the plane and gives skin a much-needed 'drink'. The other travel companions no discerning suitcase should be without are the new Chanel No 5 eau de toilette sprays. Although the scent hasn't changed, the perfume bottles have been given an update and now look even more sleek and chic. Best for the hand luggage is the 15ml refillable purse spray, which fits snugly into small spaces and can be used anywhere. All available from Chanel Beauty, Prince's Building, Central, and all Chanel corners in department stores.
Pucker up this summer for L'Oreal Paris' Invincible Platinum lipstick ($88), which comes in nine shades and contains micro particles to make lips shimmer. Although long-hold lipsticks tend to be drying and uncomfortable, Invincible Platinum claims to stay put for up to eight hours without fading or feathering and won't dehydrate your skin. The new lippies can be purchased from L'Oreal Paris Boutique in Causeway Bay, Watson's, Mannings and SaSa. Call 2882 5998 for further inquiries.
Many women would question the sanity of anyone who believes having cellulite is an advantage but that's the conclusion Methode Jean Piaubert Paris (MJP) has reached. Its new product Top Model claims to 'transfer' unwanted fat on tums, bottoms and thighs to the bust, which subsequently becomes plumper and firmer. Based on yin/yang duality, the product comprises two different bottles of gel. The green Figure Sculptor: Body should be applied to areas you want to trim down so an ingredient known as Alpha 2-Releaser can get to work and release fat from fatty cells. This fat is picked up by something called AGR-Transbustyl, contained in the pink Figure Sculptor: Bust gel, and somehow moves it up top. Voila, the perfect figure. After a month's trial, 74 per cent of female respondents said their buttocks were slimmer; 68 per cent noted a decrease in cellulite while 60 per cent felt their busts were bigger. Just make sure you wash your hands between each gel application and don't forget which gel goes where. Top Model costs $1,120 and is available from branches of SaSa and Watson's or from the MJP beauty institute, 18/F, Henry House, 42 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2915 6698.
Hot on the heels of its latest men's fragrance comes Davidoff's Ocean Radiance line for women. Based on the scent of Cool Water Woman, this limited-edition collection of products combines ingredients such as rose, jasmine, peach and raspberry to recreate the freshness of the sea. As well as an eau de toilette ($375), which contains iridescent particles in the liquid to give skin a bit of a sparkle, the Ocean Radiance range includes a sheer body lotion ($175) and a face and body highlighter ($140). Available from Seibu Pacific Place and Windsor House, Sogo and the Sheung Wan branch of Wing On.
