Oil and water
After years of soaps, milks, creams, grains and gels, it might feel strange washing your face in oil, but Shu Uemura is championing its cause. To its three-strong range of cleansing oils comes Premium A/O ($250 for 150ml; $600 for 450ml, right), formulated with Japanese green tea which has high levels of catechin. This is the slightly bitter taste you get in tea, particularly if you overbrew it, but apparently it is an excellent antioxidant (or as Shu Uemura would have it, A/O). Although it should be applied directly from the bottle to your face, the oil - which contains natural chlorophyll giving the product its fresh green colour - turns milky when water is added and will wash away makeup, sebum, dust and sweat in one wash without drying out skin. Available from Shu Uemura counters.
Flower power
Shanghai Tang's home fragrances have long been a favourite scent in many a Hong Kong abode but it has taken until now for the brand to make the jump into personal perfumes. Ginger Lily ($280), which made its international debut last Saturday at the Pedder Street and Peninsula stores, combines jasmine, rose, cyclamen and ginger lily with the fresh smell of oranges and lemons. The rest of the world's Shanghai Tang stores will only get the fragrance next spring so wear it now while it's relatively exclusive.
Looking back
Age-specific beauty products are on the increase and Guerlain's issima Substantific range has already proved a hit with ladies d'un certain age, who have mature and menopausal skin. It contains all sorts of concentrates and extracts to help compensate the effects of hormonal changes on the skin such as brown 'age' spots, dryness and dullness. New to the range are the Skin Densifying Sculpting Neck & Decollete Creme ($645) and Defining Serum ($895, above), which boost this type of complexion, leaving it feeling plumper and rehydrated. In a self-evaluation performed by 70 women using the product twice daily for four weeks, 90 per cent said the products made their skin smoother and more even, and 84 per cent reported improved skin consistency. The serum should be applied under other Substantific products, which include a Densifying Day Cream, Lotion and Night Cream. Available from Guerlain counters in department stores.