Dandy & Dapper

Mr Dapper: Why not, instead, reduce the number of things cluttering your life and be altruistic? There are many people in need who could benefit from your unappreciated items. Try any of the following charities: the Salvation Army (tel: 2572 2879; www.salvation.org.hk); Oxfam (tel: 2522 1765; www.oxfam.org.hk); and Castaways Charity Shop at St John’s Cathedral (tel: 2523 4157; www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk). The Home Affairs Department runs the Community Used Clothes Recycling Bank scheme (www.had.gov.hk), with deposit bins dotted around the city. Anyway, I don’t particularly fancy picking through other people’s cast offs while they dig through mine.
Mr Dandy: OMG, Dapper! Swap parties are so much fun. I’ve made some fabulous swaps over the years. They do have standards, you know, so you won’t have to paw through ratty, dirty rags or anything. For proof, visit www.swapandshophk.com and click on How To at the top of the homepage. Upcoming event details are also listed there. Sisters Samantha and Karen Wong organise swap and shop weekend parties regularly and part of their mission is to encourage people to minimise fashion waste. There’s also Forever and Again (www.facebook.com/groups/319725193833), which hosts regular swap parties for both guys and gals, while also raising money for charity. So get sorting and swapping, dudes!

Mr Dandy: Man, you’ve got to try it to know how good it feels! There is something magical that happens when you put on these products, like your skin just soaked up all this moisture, and you feel suddenly awake and supercharged. Before you shop, I guess I should tell you that “seaweed” is kind of an umbrella term for ingredients from the sea. So, other words you’re looking for are kelp, blue, green or brown algae and, believe it or not, moss. “Marine” is another blanket word that grooming brands like to use. If you’ve got the big bucks, go straight for La Mer, which has led the way using what it calls a Miracle Broth. Made with nutrient-rich fermented kelp, the line has extended from its famous Crème to a Radiant Serum with ionising sea salt and blue algae (HK$1,500 and up; Pacific Place, Admiralty, tel: 2111 4088). Duh, it’s name means “the sea” in French, after all! Or have a look at products from La Prairie’s Advanced Marine Biology, such as the green microalgae- packed revitalising emulsion (HK$1,250; Pacific Place, tel: 2918 0806). H2O+, whose tagline is “the science of marine skincare”, has obviously got a bunch of the right stuff. Go to one of its stores to find what’s right for you, perhaps from its collection of Oasis Men cleansers, scrubs, moisturisers and shave balms made with wakame brown sea kelp, sea lettuce, etc (HK$100 to HK$275; WTC More mall, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2504 3688).
Mr Dapper: So-called trends in skincare make as much sense as selecting a headache medicine based on what a cool kid advises. However, legitimate marine-based products do have beneficial vitamins and nutrients for rich moisturisation and “cell turnover” that promote younger-looking skin. So, I must admit, in a rather self-satisfied way, that the brands I recommend have actually formulated products with these ingredients. Facial Fuel Transformer by Kiehl’s (HK$290; The Landmark, Central, tel: 2869 1798), for example, contains blue algae. Full of amino acids (protein) and vitamin B, it promises to minimise enlarged pores and moisturise out those fine lines that are usually the result of dry skin. Or try Anthony Algae Facial Cleanser (HK$113.20, with free delivery; www.anthony.com).