Celebrity Life

We talk to four Hong Kong couples about love, romance and long-lasting healthy relationships.

February is a month of celebration: starting off with the Lunar New Year, closely followed by the day of lovers. For this year’s Valentine’s Day, we join Hong Kong couples as they reflect on their relationship and share diverse stories of romance.

4 Hong Kong Couples on Relationships & Romance

Janet Ma and Michael Wong

(Answers from Janet)

How did you meet?

We were shooting a jewellery commercial together.

What’s key to maintaining a healthy relationship?

I think trust and giving each other enough space are very important. It’s very basic, but it does takes time to achieve.

What’s the most memorable moment for you?

Our most memorable moment isn’t Valentine’s Day, but our anniversary.

What brings you joy?

Seeing each other, our children and the people around us being happy brings us most joy.

Tell us a secret about him.

I’m not telling, as I won’t betray my loved one — a secret is a secret.

Which joint goals haven’t you achieved yet?

For many couples, the goal is to be happy ever after. As we still have a long run ahead, we hope to achieve that — like everyone else — by loving each other till the end.

May Chow and Jodie Chan

(Answers from May and Jodie)

How did you meet?

We met at an event a couple years ago through mutual friends.

What’s key to maintaining a healthy relationship?

Communication, mutual respect and trust. Taking an interest in each other’s interests, knowing each other well in terms of the weak and strong parts, and being able to support and cover each other. Prioritising one’s partner over one’s self gives a healthy dynamic.

What’s the most memorable moment for you?

Jodie: The most memorable moment was our official first date. May set up a picnic at Tamar Park and she curated different foods from places that I like. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and the meal together alongside a playlist I created. We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, as it can be every day. We make an effort to have regular date nights and keep the romance. We also take a huge number of pictures and videos together to keep every moment unforgettable.

What brings you joy?

We’re both very people-oriented — we both love to eat and spend time with people we love, sharing experiences. Also travelling to new places together and discovering the stories behind things we’re interested in keeps us happy.

Tell us a secret about each other.

Jodie: For anyone who doesn’t know May, she’s a softy — her emotions, in terms of being touched, are easily moved by things and people around her.
May: Jodie is the alpha and the rock who’s able to secure us, as well as the decision-maker in our relationship.

How do you plan to spend Valentine’s Day?

Romance should be all the time, so we love to celebrate Valentine’s Day not just on that day but normal days too, perhaps cooking a meal at home just to keep it simple and intimate.

Which joint goals haven’t you achieved yet?

We’re going to get married and have a celebration of us as a married couple, rather than a commitment to start a family at this stage. There are many adventures for discovery, things we’re looking forward to exploring and achieving together before the next stage.

Cara Li and Matt Reid

(Answers from Cara)

How did you meet?

We were introduced by friends in New York.

What’s key to maintaining a healthy relationship?

For us it comes naturally. We genuinely are each other’s best friends and love being in each other’s company. We share the same interests — we both love to cook and we make each other laugh a lot. We also respect and support each other.

What’s the most memorable moment for you?

Most recently, the birth of our beautiful daughter Ireland, who brings us so much joy every day.

What else brings you joy?

Sharing all these amazing milestones together. We love just being home and having our family over, cooking for them and taking in all these special moments.

Tell us a secret about him.

Matt makes a mean breakfast sandwich.

How do you plan to spend Valentine’s Day?

Last year we had an amazing lunch at L’Envol. Matt knows that a good cheese course is the way to my heart. This year will probably involve some kind of cheesy date.

Which joint goals haven’t you achieved yet?

We’ve both always appreciated design, and we love interiors and furniture. We’d love to design and build a home together from scratch.

Charlz Ng and Clement Tsoi

(Answers from Charlz)

How did you meet?

We were introduced by a mutual friend at a friend’s karaoke gathering.

What’s key to maintaining a healthy relationship?

Being transparent is most important in maintaining our relationship. Putting everything on the table and talking about it can help avoid misunderstanding and friction.

What’s the most memorable moment for you?

A memorable moment was Clement playing a love song to me on his guitar. The most unforgettable Valentine’s Day is yet to come, as this will be our first — we’re looking forward to it.

What brings you joy?

As simple as waking up next to each other every day.

Tell us a secret about him.

Clement participated in the Good Night Show hosted on ViuTV.

How do you plan to spend Valentine’s Day?

We haven’t planned much this year as the Covid restrictions mean we’re unable to do much, so we’ll keep it simple and cook a nice meal at home instead. The must-do list this year is not to eat at Carbon, as we go there almost every day — it’s better to do something different on this special day with Clement. We both love Marvel, so we’ll probably re-watch The Avengers together.

Which joint goals haven’t you achieved yet?

We’ve done quite a lot in our time together, including meeting family, looking after each other while ill, going to the gym and working out together, making small tokens of appreciation and giving surprises that make each other’s day better. Perhaps what we haven’t achieved yet is independency, as we literally spend most of our non-work hours together.

4 Hong Kong Couples on Relationships & Romance

PHOTOGRAPHY ALISON KWAN
STYLING JEREMY WONG
LOCATION THE HARI HONG KONG
HIGH-JEWELLERY POMELLATO

The post Be My Valentine: 4 Hong Kong Couples on Relationships & Romance appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

’Tis the season to reflect on the past, mull over the present and hope for the future, as we find out how four local personalities will be spending the holidays...

4 Hong Kong Personalities on the Festive Season

Jessica Jann, Actress

What’s your Christmas family tradition?

Lots of time together. I always used to go back home to California and be with my parents. We’d have a lot of meals together, spend time together, watch holiday movies and just be with each other.

What’s your favourite Christmas memory?

Years ago, when I was home for the holidays, I remember having a lovely family meal out with everyone. Then my cousins, my sister and I went to Downtown Disney in Anaheim. We ordered hot chocolate, sat by a fireplace, chatted nonstop and then got doughnuts afterwards. This year will be the third Christmas holiday when I won’t be back home.

Which moment from past holidays still makes you laugh?

Once my sister got us all, the entire family, these ugly, ugly Christmas sweaters but we absolutely loved wearing them! We laughed and took so many pictures!

What’s your Christmas wish?

I’m so lucky because my grandma (Abu) is in Hong Kong with all of us. I miss my parents, sister and nephew, but I’ll definitely be calling them. This year, I might still be in the hospital as my due date is really close to Christmas Day. My husband, Kenneth, and I are so excited, anxious and nervous. Christmas has always been my favourite holiday and I really can’t wait to hold my baby girl for the first time. I just wish she’s happy, healthy and I can’t wait to meet her.

Richard Ekkebus, Chef

Which Christmas tradition from your youth do you remember most fondly?

Back home in the Netherlands, my mum put a lot of effort into decorating the house and it was a true collective family effort – dad did the lights and fixed the tree, and my sisters and I would decorate the tree with garlands and hang Christmas baubles. But the most important part was the family reunion – grandparents, uncles and cousins all meeting. Large dinner tables and extended meals. We were allowed to sip our dad’s glass of wine to get a taste. The laughter, the happiness and, of course, the festive decorations and gifts.

What was your most memorable Christmas gift?

When I was 10, I got a concave skateboard to learn to ride in half-pipes. I was super into skateboarding but my skateboard wasn’t great, so my mum ordered one from a skate shop in Amsterdam – the real McCoy.

What’s your Christmas wish and hope this year?

Christmas is always a little awkward for me. I’m super-stressed, as it’s an important day for my guests. So we’re the family that unwraps gifts very early in the morning before I head off to work, to look after other families. With the pandemic, it will be a challenge this year, just as it was last year. We’d normally have our kids in Hong Kong but this year there’s an empty nest and – that’s somewhat sad. I want to make sure they all have a great Christmas, and my wife and I have organised parcels to be sent early so they reach them in time. We’ll probably do a thing on Zoom on Christmas Day.

Nick Buckley Wood, Art Connoisseur

What’s a favourite Christmas memory?

I don’t have many favourite Christmas memories in Hong Kong. I grew up in the city till I was 13 and then was in the UK. We don’t really celebrate Christmas that much in the Wood family. We all get together, and I suppose that’s the best memory – everyone being under the same roof. Otherwise, everyone’s scattered around the globe. I do like tropical Christmases more than snow-capped ones, probably because I’ve had more Christmases in Singapore and Hong Kong than elsewhere. So, sandcastle over snowman any day.

So a favourite Christmas meal for you would be?

Hainan chicken rice – with a giant chicken. And all the trimmings.

What’s the best Christmas present you ever received?

A puppy when I was a boy. A puppy really is the greatest present ever, at any age. I named him Tiffin.

Money no object, if you could bid for any artwork as a Christmas present for yourself, what would it be?

Maybe a Caravaggio. What’s a good Christmas-y painting? Maybe a giant pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama. What’s your end-of-the-year plan? I’ll be in Cambodia this year for Christmas. I bought an apartment and spent most of the year there, I was basically exiled – there’s no Covid where I stayed and I worked remotely. I’m also working on a non-profit project there. So this year I’ll be working on my apartment and the charity.

Elly Lam, Influencer

What’s your Christmas family tradition?

I have a big family, lots of brothers and sisters, and we all sit and watch old Christmas movies while sipping on homemade mulled wine.

What’s your favourite Christmas memory?

Cooking Christmas dinners together with loved ones every year is always a favourite. Oh, and I love Secret Santa!

Which moment from past holidays still makes you laugh?

Serving salty eggnog! It was ridiculous because it’s so easy to make. I was frantically trying to finish making Christmas dinner and, in the rush, I used salt instead of sugar in the mix! My helper served it thinking that’s how it’s supposed to taste. It was slightly embarrassing for me to serve failed eggnog – we still laugh about it.

For 2021, what’s your Christmas wish?

To be able to travel somewhere cold and snowy for Christmas this … well, I guess next year. I miss having a White Christmas.

The post Home for the Holidays: 4 Hong Kong Personalities on the Festive Season appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Where do celebrities, ageing models, ladies who lunch and an ever-increasing contingent of men in Hong Kong get their non-invasive cosmetic procedures done? We asked. They answered. Anonymously

When reality-TV star Kelly Osbourne (the most vocal child of Sharon and Ozzy) revealed her new “look” to her 2.4 million Instagram followers early this summer, the world took pause and note. The peanut gallery called out her dramatic physical transformation, the purple hair being the least of the twitteratis’ concerns – to pilfer one quote, it looked as if she’d had a “God-damned head-transplant”.

There were indeed many changes to the once-cherubic reality-TV star, from the razor-sharp cut of her jawline to the marmoreal polish of her alabaster forehead, and the voluminous lower lip to the perpetually perched eyebrow. This was clearly not the relatable girl that a generation grew up watching on
MTV’s The Osbournes between 2002 and 2005.

In answer to her critics, she released the following statement: “I have never done anything to my face … other than a couple of injections in my lips, in my jaw, and in my forehead.” Although technically she didn’t lie on a slab and get wheeled into surgery, the popular Instagram account @cosmeticdocs broke it down: a lip filler, masseter botox, forehead botox. Her dramatic weight loss is a result of her 2018 gastric sleeve, to which she’s admitted. Observers also point to possible derma fillers, lip enhancement, silicone lip fillers, facial contouring and perhaps restylane fillers on the crevice of the cheek. And the cost? Roughly upper-five to six figures.

We sent smoke-signals to a dozen local socialites to find out whether they were eating what Osbourne was serving up. No one was prepared to go on the record, but we did find out much more of what lies beneath … the epidermis.

Gone are the days when cosmetic surgery was frowned upon – though some couldn’t frown if they tried – as non- surgical, non-invasive and non-life- threatening procedures are now a dime-a-dozen. But with flights to Korea, Thailand, Paris, the Philippines and other cosmeceutical capitals grounded, where are the “swans” (as Truman Capote termed socialites) getting their long necks, er, spruced, refreshed or revived?

Now we know that Dr Vicki Belo in Manila has been a favourite of many a bold-faced name from our party pages, and in Central, many swear by dermatologist Dr Henry Chan. Both provide a multitude of services including “cool sculpting”, a treatment that freezes the fat away.

Dr Stephen Chan at Lifeclinic on Wellington Street is a favourite of others, while Carrie (Carrey Cheung) at Careyou Beauty in Landmark is more like a friend to many of the well- manicured. In 2008, she introduced Korean semi-permanent 3D eyebrow with manual hair-stroke embroidery technique and invisible eyeliner into the social fabric of Hong Kong.

Thermage and Profhilo does wonders for many, freezing the ebbs and flows of time. The sub-dermal moisture treatment lasts for a good six months before you’ll need a quick touch-up. Dr Nicola Chan at Millennium Dermatology and Laser Centre, a specialist in dermatology, does Profhilo really well apparently. Just as Botox was the buzzword of the season a decade ago, Profhilo is currently the most- talked-about nonsurgical treatment, as it’s said to significantly reduce skin laxity and make it taut yet supple.

Just before charity balls and gala affairs, many a socialite pops in for a quick fixer-upper at LifeHub, trying the ever-popular Skin Glow IV. This drip contains a potent antioxidant that’s designed to achieve luminous, glowing and healthy-looking skin. Painless and efficient.

For those squeamish about needles, there are simpler perks and plucks. One of our favourite socialites swears by Novolash on Lyndhurst Terrace, while Sense of Touch has many non-invasive beautifying procedures available in its remaining branches (a handful of them closed during the pandemic).

For brow lamination, grab an Uber and head to How Brow You in the depths of Cheung Sha Wan, while microblading, lash lifts and extensions can all be done at Lash Artist on D’Aguilar Street. Time was that Hong Kongers made an annual visit to Brussels or Marrakesh, where they checked in at Estheclinic. Its highly advanced treatments covered anything from permanent hair removal, anti-ageing, skin rejuvenation and body contouring, to the removal of cellulite, acne and stretch marks removal. However, there are now two branches in Hong Kong, one on Lyndhurst Terrace and the other in Sai Ying Pun.

Many in the social circuit head to Perfect Medical – it has 12 outposts around Hong Kong – for a variety of reasons that range from the permanent removal of dark spots permanently removed to body re-sculpturing.

Ever the proponent of constant touch-ups, comedian Joan Rivers famously said her grandson called her “Nana new-face”, which reminds us of NUFace, which provides a wide array of gadgets and serums as part of a daily skincare routine. There’s range of products by ZIIP – gold, silver and crystal gels that can embalm your physiognomy for a party, if not posterity.

As we go to print, you probably won’t be landing in Seoul anytime soon, but you can order from Korea the ever-popular Cellreturn face masks to manage pigmentation, which are popular with both men and women. Those with receding hairlines, meanwhile, can order a Hairmax LED comb that promotes both growth and fullness.

Now we aren’t ones to judge what anyone chooses to do when it comes to self-care and -improvement. After all, as 75-year-old (“but parts of me are 20”) Cher famously said, “If I chose to have my ass back to front, it’s nobody's business but mine.” To which we can only add, hear, hear!

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