https://www.scmp.com/rss/7418/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com They reject old-school rigid, skinny femininity but still embrace glamour, balancing make-up with muscle. The new-wave female fitness enthusiasts are “glamazons”, or iron butterflies with plenty of masculine yang, thanks to gruelling gym routines. Athletic Malaysian beauty queen Ammetta Malhotra tells the Post: “We all should be able to embrace our glamorous and Amazonian side. I think women’s bodybuilding has come a long way.” Here are 10 of the world’s most statuesque fitness models. The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3020972/where-muscle-meets-make-these-10-women-are-fit-and-theyre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3020972/where-muscle-meets-make-these-10-women-are-fit-and-theyre?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Aug 2019 21:00:06 +0000 The 1990s rapper MC Hammer might be best known for hits including U Can’t Touch This and Pray, but in terms of his style choices nothing stands out more than his signature harem pants: the baggy, flashy trousers with Middle Eastern overtones that are an indelible part of his look. “You can move in ’em. You can dance in ’em … and it gives you freedom of movement,” he told ABC News in 2009. “It’s a slight delay. You move, and then the pants move, so it brings a nice little flair.” The showman –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3016444/how-wear-harem-pants-hailey-baldwin-jessie-j-and-mc-hammer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3016444/how-wear-harem-pants-hailey-baldwin-jessie-j-and-mc-hammer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Jun 2019 12:30:15 +0000 Transgender models have been making headlines in the fashion industry of late, including Gucci’s Hari Nef and Maxim Magnus. While much of the focus has been on the trans women hitting the runways, there are a number of trans men making a name for themselves in the modelling world, also. Here are six trans male models to watch. 1. Nathan Westling View this post on Instagram Link in bio. @cnnstyle —————- Photo by @collierschorrstudio thank you Collier, @SheaSpencer,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3012432/transgender-models-six-trans-men-making-their-mark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3012432/transgender-models-six-trans-men-making-their-mark?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jun 2019 13:00:08 +0000 From an investment standpoint, property, stocks, bonds and gold are not the only game in town. The fashion sector hosts some sure-fire investments – items that hold their resale value long after release and may, in some cases, rise sharply, stoking demand. “We have noticed an increasing number of consumers who actively shop with resale in mind,” says the co-founder and president of the resale site Vestiaire Collective, Fanny Moizant.  Moizant adds that the condition of the product, brand and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3012556/birkin-himalaya-air-yeezy-eight-foolproof-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3012556/birkin-himalaya-air-yeezy-eight-foolproof-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 May 2019 21:15:05 +0000 Body image is more than just a female concern. Men worry about their image just as much, according to a 2016 study. Only half of men are happy with their looks, found the survey published in the journal Body Image. Fifteen per cent loathe their looks. Worse, body image is the second-highest index of happiness for men, trumping love life. Here are nine ways men can improve their grooming game – and achieve K-pop-like finesse in areas from posture to pedicures. 1. Moisturising Daniel Clarke, a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3010918/9-mens-grooming-tips-better-appearance-health-and-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3010918/9-mens-grooming-tips-better-appearance-health-and-success?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2019 13:00:09 +0000 This week marks the 30th anniversary of the start of the Tiananmen Square protests that ended in carnage on June 4. An unknown number of Chinese students were killed by the People’s Liberation Army. Amid the slaughter, an unidentified hero, later dubbed Tank Man, emerged. Clutching two shopping bags that made him resemble the scales of justice, Tank Man blocked a line of T59 tanks by stubbornly standing in front of it, even briefly boarding the front tank, before two blue-shirted goons whisked... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3005664/how-fashion-cashes-tank-man-and-other-iconic-symbols?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3005664/how-fashion-cashes-tank-man-and-other-iconic-symbols?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Apr 2019 06:45:07 +0000 Just as breast augmentation surgery has grown routine, the penis enhancement sector is booming, says Dr Jayson Oates, the primary cosmetic surgeon and medical director of Academy Face and Body in Perth, Australia. “What we have found, certainly in the UK and Australia, is that the uptake of penis enlargement is rapidly increasing. The numbers we do now are considerably more than we were doing a year ago, and even two or three years ago,” Oates says. He ascribes the increase in part to “locker... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2187068/penis-enlargement-its-rise-end-result-will-leave-many-men?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2187068/penis-enlargement-its-rise-end-result-will-leave-many-men?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Feb 2019 06:17:56 +0000 It is not easy to convince a close friend or relative that they have fallen for the charms of an online love cheat, counsellors say. Victims often cannot see the danger signs or simply do not want to, and may remain in denial even after they have been duped out of cash. This insight is worth bearing in mind in lovelorn Hong Kong, which witnessed a sharp increase in the number of online romance scams last year. Cyber scammers cheated Hongkongers out of HK$451 million (US$57.5 million) in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/2182102/how-stop-someone-you-know-falling-online-romance-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/2182102/how-stop-someone-you-know-falling-online-romance-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jan 2019 05:03:29 +0000 Supposed crime boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman once made Forbes’ billionaires list. At his trial, Guzman now wears Kmart suits, according to CNN. Is there anything wrong with supermarket suits stocked by discount stores and is it right to dismiss them as cheap? T-shirt, trainers, US$6,000 made-to-measure suit: men’s style in China New York-based menswear designer and personal stylist Tavia Sharp says: “I’m always honest and upfront with my clients about quality … I explain the difference between... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2178942/should-you-buy-suit-supermarket-or-retail-store?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2178942/should-you-buy-suit-supermarket-or-retail-store?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Dec 2018 22:00:15 +0000 On November 17, an American missionary set foot on a forbidden island in the Indian Ocean, and paid dearly for it. The man, 27-year-old John Allen Chau, was shot with arrows, believed to be killed, by an uncontacted tribe. He had gone to North Sentinel Island to spread the teachings of Christianity, his last letter to his parents suggested. To the crew of a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship that ran aground on the island 37 years ago, the tribe’s reaction would hardly have been surprising. With 31... https://www.scmp.com/society/north-sentinel-island-tribes-close-encounter-hong-kong-sailors/article/2177472?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/north-sentinel-island-tribes-close-encounter-hong-kong-sailors/article/2177472?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Dec 2018 10:30:15 +0000 The murder of American missionary John Allen Chau on North Sentinel Island last month at the hands of a so-called uncontacted tribe will no doubt have offered a chilling reminder to the crew of a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship that ran aground on the island 37 years ago. Chau, 27, was shot with arrows on November 17 when he set foot on the island – part of the Indian-controlled Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal – to spread the teachings of Christianity. Why the world should stay away from... https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/2177003/shipwrecked-hong-kong-sailors-brush-indian-island-tribe-killed-john-allen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/2177003/shipwrecked-hong-kong-sailors-brush-indian-island-tribe-killed-john-allen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Dec 2018 02:45:45 +0000 For every successful robbery, there is a good number that go badly wrong for luckless –or should that be hapless? – criminals. In Hong Kong last month, a man tried to rob a store claiming he was carrying a bomb. The would-be robber demanded staff at a 7-Eleven in Kowloon’s Cheung Sha Wan neighbourhood to transfer HK$15,000 (US$1,900) into his WeChat Pay account. While he was busy lifting up his shirt to reveal a black object entwined with wires, the cashier managed to press an emergency button... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2173307/hapless-hong-kong-criminals-seven-robberies-went-awry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2173307/hapless-hong-kong-criminals-seven-robberies-went-awry?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Nov 2018 07:15:15 +0000 Cocoons by Peter Steinhauer, published by powerHouse Books 4 stars On his first Hong Kong visit in 1994, after landing at the old Kai Tak airport, a stunning structure caught the eye of photographer Peter Steinhauer. Surrounded by bamboo scaffolding and draped in yellow material, the building stood out against the dull city skyline under a canopy of clouds. “I am immediately fascinated with this, as I have never seen such a thing. It was monumental, huge in scale, and I remember looking at it... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2170353/photographers-fascination-hong-kong-bamboo-scaffolding-shows-new-book?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2170353/photographers-fascination-hong-kong-bamboo-scaffolding-shows-new-book?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Oct 2018 05:30:00 +0000 Anyone who has toyed with the idea of a major career transition is likely to have had doubts about stepping outside their comfort zone. The drive can be a yearning for a higher salary level, a lack of fulfilment in the current position, or an urge to explore a new industry. Whatever the motive, such a move may not be as difficult as imagined, recruitment specialists say. How soft skills smooth the way to career and life success Angela Spaxman, a Hong Kong-based career advancement coach, says the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2167837/how-change-careers-successfully-and-find-your-dream-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2167837/how-change-careers-successfully-and-find-your-dream-job?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Oct 2018 12:00:45 +0000 One of China’s most important photographers, Zhang Hai’er, who is best known for his artistic erotic images, is refreshingly honest. “While other artists’ creations are based on their inspired spirits or wits, I am merely driven by hormones. My work is a substitute for my desire,” Zhang is quoted as saying in Zhang Hai’er: Les filles, an upcoming collection of his work from 1988 to the present. Foreplay and freaks: Hong Kong photographer’s erotic images Zhang’s shots – of everyone from his wife... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2166945/chinese-photographer-zhang-haiers-sensuous-images-challenge-outdated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2166945/chinese-photographer-zhang-haiers-sensuous-images-challenge-outdated?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Oct 2018 10:02:40 +0000 Empresses of China’s Forbidden City, 1644–1912 edited by Daisy Yiyou Wang and Jan Stuart Yale University Press 3.5/5 stars Nearly 200 spectacular artefacts – including ornate jewellery, intricately embroidered robes and portraits – picked from Beijing’s vast Palace Museum collection to illustrate the lives of empresses in China’s Qing dynasty feature in a new book. Lavishly illustrated, Empresses of China’s Forbidden City, 1644-1912 emphasises the key roles the wives of China’s imperial rulers... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2166430/chinas-qing-dynasty-empresses-their-lives-riches-and-erotica?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2166430/chinas-qing-dynasty-empresses-their-lives-riches-and-erotica?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Oct 2018 11:30:15 +0000 The Reincarnated Giant: An Anthology of Twenty-First-Century Chinese Science Fiction edited by Mingwei Song and Theodore Huters Columbia University Press 3/5 stars Until recently, in the words of author Fei Dao, Chinese science fiction was like a “hidden, lonely army … laid low in the wilderness where nobody really cared to look at it”. But in the introduction to Chinese sci-fi anthology “The Reincarnated Giant”, modern Chinese literature expert Mingwei Song points out: “The situation has... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2166121/new-chinese-science-fiction-anthology-promises-reignite-genre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2166121/new-chinese-science-fiction-anthology-promises-reignite-genre?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Sep 2018 13:00:45 +0000 It can be a lonely life for an expat mother in Hong Kong, far from close relatives and friends. However, those in need of practical advice, emotional support, good company or just someone with whom to share a joke do not have to look too far. All they need is a Facebook account. Online guide The HK Hub lists 16 mothers’ groups on Facebook with English names, catering to different nationalities, neighbourhoods, business-minded mums and those with other specific interests, with thousands of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/2162183/lols-trolls-and-tequila-facebook-groups-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/2162183/lols-trolls-and-tequila-facebook-groups-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Sep 2018 03:00:30 +0000 Calm and reticence are highly prized in Confucian culture, but these traits may hurt the job prospects of ethnic Asians in the US. That’s because American employers are more likely to prefer candidates who demonstrate excitement and enthusiasm, according to a new study by Stanford University.   Psychology professor Jeanne Tsai, one of the co-authors of the study, believes the findings might help explain the phenomenon of the “bamboo ceiling”, the underrepresentation of Asian Americans in... https://www.scmp.com/society/us-employers-emotional-preferences-could-put-asian-americans-disadvantage/article/2157962?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/us-employers-emotional-preferences-could-put-asian-americans-disadvantage/article/2157962?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Aug 2018 09:15:30 +0000 Hong Kong Chinese job applicants typically appear calm and collected in interviews, but their composure could lower their chances of being hired by companies in the West, particularly the United States, a study shows. The research by Stanford University, with input from scholars at City University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, considered how potential employers react to cultural differences in the way applicants show emotion. Chinese employers bullish on hiring over next... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2157768/traits-make-us-firms-less-likely-hire-hong-kong-chinese-over-white?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2157768/traits-make-us-firms-less-likely-hire-hong-kong-chinese-over-white?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Aug 2018 11:15:00 +0000 Sexuality in China: Histories of Power and Pleasure edited by Howard Chiang University of Washington Press 3.5/5 stars In the 1930s, China was scandalised by a spectacular homicide trial. In the dock was 22-year-old Tao Sijin, a female art student based in Hangzhou. Tao was charged with the 1932 murder of 20-year-old art academy prodigy Liu Mengying, who had been her girlfriend for more than three years before Tao snapped. Raise the Red Lantern author’s novella about prostitutes post-1949 “What... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2153387/sex-china-imperial-times-today-explored-nine-essays-sexuality-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2153387/sex-china-imperial-times-today-explored-nine-essays-sexuality-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jul 2018 12:00:30 +0000 Hong Kong has its fair share of formidable wildlife that can inflict serious harm if disturbed or provoked. And it’s not just snakes that are more active during the hotter months of summer; Hong Kong is home to a highly toxic toad, a monster hornet that can leave gaping wounds, and even a seemingly docile octopus with a lethal payload. William Sargent, an ecologist based on Lantau Island, says that although venomous creatures tend to be more fearsome, people should still have respect for them.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2150195/ten-venomous-creatures-hong-kong-jellyfish-hornets-centipedes-beware-some?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2150195/ten-venomous-creatures-hong-kong-jellyfish-hornets-centipedes-beware-some?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jun 2018 11:32:40 +0000 It’s been a decade since Skye Chan Sin-yeung was crowned first runner-up in the Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant, only to find herself becoming the de facto winner.  Edelweiss Cheung took the crown in 2008, but pageant organiser TVB froze Cheung’s contract following criticism of her behaviour in public, which it deemed unfit for a Miss Hong Kong champion. Miss Hong Kong 2017 Juliette Louie and four other beauty queens who made headlines, but not for the reasons you’d expect Asked how she felt about... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2146391/miss-hong-kong-pageant-runner-who-was-big-winner-when?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2146391/miss-hong-kong-pageant-runner-who-was-big-winner-when?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 May 2018 23:45:00 +0000 It’s been 25 years since New York designer Marc Jacobs debuted his startling grunge collection for the menswear brand Perry Ellis. Outrageously, Jacobs paraded thrift shop gear – work boots, lumberjack shirts and granny dresses – in the belief that imperfection was stimulating. “I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect; they are much more interesting,” Jacobs said then. His embrace of rough charm at the time cost him his job, but his legacy persists. “The influence of grunge... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2141460/has-grunge-fashion-lost-its-gritty-edge-modern-day-revival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2141460/has-grunge-fashion-lost-its-gritty-edge-modern-day-revival?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Apr 2018 12:32:52 +0000 Polyamory is absolutely not about swinging, insists Lea, who declines to reveal her full name because she believes her lifestyle choice is widely misperceived in her home city of Hong Kong. Polyamory is defined as the state of being in love or romantically involved with more than one person at a time. Hong Kong has a small but passionate scene that plays out in the “Polyamory Hong Kong” Facebook group, of which Lea, 46, is the administrator.  “It is about relationships that allow the other... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2140538/inside-hong-kongs-secretive-free-love-scene-dont-call-it-swinging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2140538/inside-hong-kongs-secretive-free-love-scene-dont-call-it-swinging?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Apr 2018 02:00:15 +0000 Wildlife Conservation Day became an annual fixture on the global calendar in 2012. This happened when the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) threw its support behind a call by then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to promote respect for, and protection of, endangered species in the face of increased trafficking and weak enforcement. Illegal profiteering from wildlife, which includes plant and animal species, amounts to “truly stealing from the next generation”, Clinton said at the time. For... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2122417/ten-hong-kongs-most-endangered-species-animals-hunted-tcm-gigantic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2122417/ten-hong-kongs-most-endangered-species-animals-hunted-tcm-gigantic?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Dec 2017 23:17:13 +0000 Australia’s new Possum Magic coin set bucks convention. Playing on a picture book by fantasy author Mem Fox, the set’s two-dollar coins feature colours including turquoise, gold and orange. The vibrant tones underline currency’s talent to be more than just cold cash but a platform for creative design. In particular, banknotes make natural canvases. Just look at Hong Kong’s red, iridescent HK$100 note and its fiery orange HK$1,000 counterpart, Their engraved lions – the HSBC emblems Stephen and... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2121710/how-banknotes-and-coins-make-canvases-designs-artistic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2121710/how-banknotes-and-coins-make-canvases-designs-artistic?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Nov 2017 11:17:34 +0000 According to industry app SoYoung, 14 million Chinese are expected to have cosmetic surgery this year, up 42 per cent from last year. The data comes from several sources including global consultancy giant, Deloitte. In Hong Kong, a nose job costs about US$3,800. But one dubious way to cut costs is to go solo – yes, do-it-yourself. Beyond the Botox-filled syringe option, there’s a range of items reminiscent of torture devices: smile trainers, nose slimmers, scalp stretchers, nose lifters, and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2121690/rise-diy-plastic-surgery-asia-smile-trainers-nose-slimmers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2121690/rise-diy-plastic-surgery-asia-smile-trainers-nose-slimmers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Nov 2017 11:15:19 +0000 In 2002, Richard Lynn, a British professor of psychology, and Tatu Vanhanen, a Finnish professor of political science, released IQ and the Wealth of Nations. The controversial study of more than 80 countries and territories concluded that their average IQ was roughly linked with national wealth. It did this by averaging and adjusting existing studies, and found that Hong Kong had the highest estimated average IQ – 107 – followed by South Korea. Why was Hong Kong ranked so high? Nobody knows.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2120310/worlds-top-five-whiz-kids-hong-kong-born-prodigy-wang-pok-lo-included-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2120310/worlds-top-five-whiz-kids-hong-kong-born-prodigy-wang-pok-lo-included-show?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Nov 2017 10:00:30 +0000 Connie Chiu has fond memories of growing up in one of the hundreds of flats on a housing estate in Kowloon in the 1970s. She lived there until she was seven years old, when she moved to Sweden to escape Hong Kong’s intense sun. Chiu has albinism and was the world’s first fashion model with the condition. Albinism means she has an absence of pigment in her skin, hair and eyes, causing a pale look and a sensitivity to light. “I loved standing on our balcony [in Kowloon] in the summer evenings... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2117293/worlds-first-albino-model-connie-chiu-growing-kowloon-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2117293/worlds-first-albino-model-connie-chiu-growing-kowloon-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 23:15:45 +0000 Magic Week is upon us and, appropriately, the period devoted to the world of illusion ends on October 31. That’s also Halloween, which doubles as the day master magician Harry Houdini died. In honour of this week devoted to the mystical arts, here’s a parade of some of Asia’s most remarkable modern conjurors. The emphasis is on sparkle – celebrity stardust with an East-meets-West tint. Jeff Teo (Hong Kong) Jeff Teo is trumpeted as Hong Kong’s most sought-after corporate entertainer – a firm... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2116927/how-six-asias-leading-magicians-play-tricks-your-eyes-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2116927/how-six-asias-leading-magicians-play-tricks-your-eyes-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 00:30:14 +0000 South Korea has been dubbed the beating heart of beauty innovation, spurred by a fixation with flawless skin, the country continues to thrust new cosmetics into the spotlight. But some of these cosmetic trends are seriously unusual, even bizarre. We put some under the microscope. 1. Animal oil Sheep oil is just what it sounds like: lanolin is an oil secreted by sheep to protect their skin. The theory is if it works on sheep, it works on humans. A variant, horse oil, is made by extracting the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2114559/five-unusual-korean-beauty-trends-will-they-give-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2114559/five-unusual-korean-beauty-trends-will-they-give-you?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Oct 2017 04:18:28 +0000 Finding Eden: A Journey into the Heart of Borneo by Robin Hanbury-Tenison I.B. Tauris 3.5 stars Borneo was once a byword for paradise, but the formerly pristine island in Southeast Asia’s Malay Archipelago now lies in ruins, mostly due to destruction caused by the logging industry. The island is shared by the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, Indonesian Kalimantan and the tiny nation of Brunei. Sarawak – in the giant island’s northwest – has lost more than 90 per cent of its lowland... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2114694/book-review-finding-eden-tells-borneos-beauty-deforestation-destroyed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2114694/book-review-finding-eden-tells-borneos-beauty-deforestation-destroyed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2017 10:30:30 +0000 Human Ken doll Rodrigo Alves has had 10 nose jobs, silicone chest implants, a butt lift, and much more. Not content with that, the 34-year-old reality star from Brazil plans to have a sex change and become Barbie. He first went under the knife in 2004 after struggling with his identity in his childhood. South Korean men having plastic surgery to get ‘pretty boy’ looks and macho physiques of their K-pop and K-drama idols Human Barbies and Kens are just one factor behind the recent rise of “body... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2114484/body-dysmorphia-hong-kong-doctor-fears-disorder-rife-low?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2114484/body-dysmorphia-hong-kong-doctor-fears-disorder-rife-low?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2017 10:02:38 +0000 If you have ever walked into the web of a golden orb-weaver while hiking on Lantau Island, you may have noticed a stiff resistance. As the tension gives, the snap and the stain that may show on your shirt prove that spider silk can be no pushover. In fact, spider silk can be used to make material tougher than Kevlar, the bulletproof jacket fabric, and just about all other known fibres besides. Why robotic fashion designer Anouk Wipprecht wants you to wear your heart on your sleeve A spider web... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2113819/spider-silk-bullet-stopping-plane-catching-fabric-thats-got?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2113819/spider-silk-bullet-stopping-plane-catching-fabric-thats-got?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Oct 2017 04:48:18 +0000 October 6 is Mad Hatter Day, a day devoted to the Alice in Wonderland fairy tale crackpot because his top hat bears the label: “In this style 10/6”. The Hatter’s legendary lunacy raises questions about whether Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll was referencing poisoning caused by mercury in hat production at the time – a popular theory that may stretch the truth. “People are extremely fond of theories that ‘explain’ the Alice books by connecting things in them to real-life people and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2113697/three-fatal-fashion-trends-history-and-why-fast-fashion-may?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2113697/three-fatal-fashion-trends-history-and-why-fast-fashion-may?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Oct 2017 10:30:30 +0000 The human hand can be powerfully expressive and lucrative, if you are a hand model with more than just slender fingers. “I have the advantage of doing dance for more than 10 years, so movement-wise or expression-wise, I think I have an advantage,” says hand model and market researcher Bettina Ding, 30. “I realised that the hands in Hong Kong adverts weren’t too good, and I looked at mine and thought, oh they’re really good, so why not – why shouldn’t I become a hand model?” says Ding, whose hand... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2112334/hand-models-tale-hongkonger-her-love-manual-labour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2112334/hand-models-tale-hongkonger-her-love-manual-labour?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Sep 2017 23:15:30 +0000 Amazon’s new artificially intelligent fashion designer may not be ready to vie with real-world fashion giants, but it raises questions about the fashion industry’s creative future. Hong Kong tech expert Tak Lo, who runs the AI start-up factory Zeroth, says he is captivated by AI’s creative advances. Lo expects to see further advancements in the industry, believing that creativity is less complicated than people think. “The creative process is actually very standardised,” he says. According to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2112355/could-advances-ai-fashion-design-signal-beginning-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2112355/could-advances-ai-fashion-design-signal-beginning-end?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Sep 2017 11:00:15 +0000 No one does fashion better than the queer [LGBTQ] community, states the lifestyle site pride.com. Still, perhaps just because their time has not yet come, transgender designers are rare – much rarer than transgender models. In fact, the ranks of transgender designers have thinned. In January this year, it emerged that Houston trans designer O’Rhonde Chapman had been converted to the straight path by gospel singer Kim Burrell. Likewise, the Seattle fashion house run by transgender tailor Leo Roux... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2111887/four-transgender-fashion-designers-making-clothes-anyone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2111887/four-transgender-fashion-designers-making-clothes-anyone?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Sep 2017 09:48:46 +0000 No longer lumped with an exotic outsider image, Japanese whisky is giving Scotland some stiff competition. This year, Japanese whiskies won three honours in the World Whiskies Awards: world’s best single cask single malt, world’s best blended, and world's best grain, to add to the many other prizes the country’s whisky has snagged since 2001. Masahiko Endo, the bartender-owner of Mizunara: The Library, in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai entertainment district, says his guests have various reasons for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2111142/rise-japanese-whisky-three-hong-kong-bartenders-favourite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2111142/rise-japanese-whisky-three-hong-kong-bartenders-favourite?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Sep 2017 23:18:43 +0000 Despite its soft image, fashion has close army ties going far beyond khaki. The classic case is Jim Thompson, the retired American army officer who vanished 50 years ago after reviving Thailand’s silk sector. Today there are many more examples – not least Bob Beveridge, the boss of the pioneering start-up Hospital Glamour. “I was with all the boys, in all the macho stuff,” says the retired Australian sergeant. Samuel Ross, anti-fashion upstart selling US$125 T-shirts, reflects on his street wear... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2109805/ex-servicemen-do-battle-unlikely-arena-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2109805/ex-servicemen-do-battle-unlikely-arena-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Sep 2017 11:00:45 +0000 Food and fashion may seem like odd things to mix, but with a bit of imagination they can be combined into weirdly wonderful creations. Take the viral design line developed by KFC. The fast-food giant’s “Colonel chic” line offers consumers everything from hen-themed autumn fashion to edible nail polish. Celebrity chef Jason Atherton on his three loves – food, fashion and fitness The pizza bikini, meanwhile, is the brainchild of New York-based food stylist Jessie Bearden and the Italian food firm... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2106453/when-food-meets-fashion-and-fetishes-go-beyond-bit-sauce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2106453/when-food-meets-fashion-and-fetishes-go-beyond-bit-sauce?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Aug 2017 09:15:59 +0000 Despite its plain potato roots, vodka comes in some wild varieties. You can buy milk vodka, bacon vodka, fresh cut grass vodka, and now – perhaps strangest of all – fog vodka. Fog Point contains extracts of fog from San Francisco where, to quote the late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, it filters “through the harp strings of the Golden Gate Bridge”. Pernod Ricard’s new vodka is infused with caviar A poetic concoction steeped in regional atmosphere, Fog Point was created by two... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2104710/vodka-made-fog-san-franciscos-fog-point-gives-drinkers-unique?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2104710/vodka-made-fog-san-franciscos-fog-point-gives-drinkers-unique?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Jul 2017 11:03:05 +0000 According to William Stubbs, co-founder of tech-focused social enterprise Spur:Labs, the most important currency today isn’t the dollar or the euro – it’s data. And for those with a public profile or with roles that require the management of sensitive industry information, “this is particularly threatening”, he says. To help combat the threat, a new breed of luxury privacy products has arisen. One is the Vault app devised by jewellery brand Bulgari and security firm WISeKey, which tracks the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2103635/seven-luxury-smartphones-and-privacy-services-stop-your?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2103635/seven-luxury-smartphones-and-privacy-services-stop-your?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jul 2017 09:02:09 +0000 A hot trend in big bling, moissanite offers a strong alternative to diamonds at a fraction of the price – something that brides-to-be are increasingly picking up on as they buy more of the clear, shiny, laboratory-concocted substitute. “Moissanite is perfect for the bridal market,” says Alana Chang Weirick, who runs the B2B moissanite firm Moissanite International and the Australian moissanite shop Moi Moi. Engagement rings, she says, account for 80 per cent of Moi Moi sales. “And interestingly... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2100695/moissanite-diamond-alternative-tenth-price-savvy-brides-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2100695/moissanite-diamond-alternative-tenth-price-savvy-brides-be?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jul 2017 09:07:59 +0000 Imagine regularly receiving money from distant admirers without having to lift a finger. A fetish called “findom”, short for “financial domination”, lets some women do just that – their clients, called “pay pigs”, lavish them with cash and gifts for kicks, but no sex. The costly kink is now being seen in Hong Kong, with local and visiting “dommes” offering findom services on the classified advertising site Backpage. And it’s spread to China as well. “It’s a rather niche practice, even for us,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2094964/findom-fetish-asia-pay-pigs-money-slaves-and-why-men-dont-want-sex-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2094964/findom-fetish-asia-pay-pigs-money-slaves-and-why-men-dont-want-sex-women?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 May 2017 00:16:33 +0000 The Problem with Me: And Other Essays about Making Trouble in China Today By Han Han Simon & Schuster   After dropping out of high school, budding troublemaker Han Han wrote a scathing satire of education titled Triple Door. A runaway success, the novel sold more than two million copies upon its release, in 2000. Now, in his new collection of translated essays The Problem with Me, the self-mocking Shanghai-based author doubts its popularity was deserved. “I’m surprised whenever I think of this.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/1992711/book-review-shanghai-author-han-han-his-many-bugbears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/1992711/book-review-shanghai-author-han-han-his-many-bugbears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Jul 2016 12:00:45 +0000 When Tigers Ruled the Sky: The Flying Tigers: American Outlaw Pilots over China in World War II by Bill Yenne Berkley Publishing Group 4/5 stars Posing as students, bank clerks and even clergymen, they served as airborne mercenaries for China. Instantly recognisable by the fanged symbol adorning their dogged P-40 planes, the Flying Tigers caused a sensation on the back of prodigious success. Wildly outnumbered, the American aces defied the odds, spurring a Chinese minister to brand them “the... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/1982175/book-review-when-tigers-ruled-sky-vividly-evokes-flying-tigers-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/1982175/book-review-when-tigers-ruled-sky-vividly-evokes-flying-tigers-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2016 23:00:27 +0000 Among the Headhunters: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival in the Burmese Jungle Robert Lyman Da Capo Press 3.5/5 stars On August 2, 1943, a twin-engined C-46 plane broke down over Japanese-occupied Burma. Nobody aboard had used a parachute before, which meant everyone on the dicey “hump route” between India and China needed to learn the ropes fast. “Well, if nobody else is going to jump, I’ll jump,” says John Davies, an attaché to the American general Joseph Stilwell, who is also... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/1976855/book-review-among-headhunters-amazing-true-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/1976855/book-review-among-headhunters-amazing-true-story?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jun 2016 23:00:15 +0000 CEO, China: The Rise of Xi Jinping by Kerry Brown I. B. Tauris 3 stars In 1969, future Chinese president Xi Jinping was banished to the wilderness of Shaanxi province in northern China. As part of his seven-year schooling in rural life, the 15-year-old carried manure and built dams, learning two vital lessons. “One was to let me understand what is realistic, what is the meaning of seeking truth from facts, and what the people actually are. The other was to strengthen my self-confidence. As the... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/1944059/book-review-ceo-china-rise-xi-jinping-kerry-brown-peasant-emperor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/1944059/book-review-ceo-china-rise-xi-jinping-kerry-brown-peasant-emperor?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 May 2016 22:15:34 +0000