While Christmas may be a time of seasonal merriment, the weeks leading up to the big day can be fraught with anxiety and frazzled nerves. Christmas shopping is undoubtedly one of the more stressful preludes to the season, but local experts are here to take the headache out of the experience, offering tips on bargain buys, hot trends and gifts to satisfy every taste.
The way to a friend's heart nowadays is through their four-legged friends. The pet pampering craze has taken Hong Kong by storm, and pet owners will have quite a selection of items to spoil their prized pups and kittens this season.
According to Audrey Sun, chief operating officer of Harvey Nichols Hong Kong, pets could use some couture too. Juicy Couture has a range of products for your stylish pooch, from dog leashes, collars, and clothing to the Tail Waggin' Couture terrycloth dog bed (HK$2,200) and the Doggy Couture terrycloth dog house (HK$2,000). Goyard offers the ultimate dining solution for classy pets with its snazzy black and white food bowl (HK$8,040). Duchamp also carries a bow tie (HK$750) for the canine gentlemen to wear on formal occasions.
Christmas is a time to think of others, and this should include innocent animals. Show your sensitivity to their cause by picking out products that haven't been tested on animals.
Charlotte Yeung, sales and marketing officer from In Bliss, recommends SCO and Smashbox products for women, which are made with high quality natural ingredients that are not tested on animals. Among her suggestions are the Smashbox eye and cheek palette (HK$375) in the Holiday collection for women, and the SCO candle (HK$470) and face scrub (HK$800) for either gender. For guilt-free cosmetics, Janice Cheng, assistant marketing manager from Laura Mercier, recommends its mini lip-plumper set (HK$330), which comes in faux leather zippered cases in chocolate brown.
Friends who simply loved nature would enjoy a small plant to brighten up their room, suggested Jessica Chong from MTM Skincare. For a festive touch to this thoughtful gift, Ikea offers potted euphorbia plants for HK$29.90 each. As for all-natural products, Nesti Dante enhances your bath experience with a line of natural soaps in mouth-watering scents such as the fruity Il Frutteto and the Cioccolata (HK$99 each), designed to look like a bar of chocolate. Andree Lee, communications manager from Aesop Communications Department, recommends its Tea Tree Leaf facial exfoliant (HK$415), made from dry botanical ingredients, for a preservative-free skin care product.
Shamima Chiba, owner of Art It Is, stocks a foldable chair made from recycled wine barrels (HK$1,800), a great gift for the husband or boyfriend, not to mention a good conversation starter.