Celebrity Life

Ooh, we're digging the breeze. The pastel sunsets. The beauty of walking out of an office building and not being absurdly, immediately, utterly drenched in sweat. Is it too soon to cheer on this splendid weather? We certainly don't think so — and we're marking the occasion by lighting a candle or two to welcome this new season.

Penhaligon's

A set of 4 votive candles (HK$670)

Released as part of their festive collection, step into Penhaligon's fragrance factory where candles flicker in fours.

The set includes 35g candles with earthly, blissful scents that include Maduro Leaf, Comoros Pearl, Anbar Stone and Roanoke Ivy.

Shop here

WOODCO

Casanova (HK$380) 

Founded by a local mother-and-daughter duo, WOODCO features hand poured, small batch coconut wax candles. They've been making a name for themselves with various collaborations since their launch.

Their fall series sees scents that are toasty, spicy and warm; excellent for night time rituals.

Shop here

Loewe

Candlestick shaped candle, various scents (HK$900)

Nothing says "best dinner host" like having a centrepiece with candles shaped like... well, candlesticks.

For the Spanish luxury fashion house's first-ever homeware collection, they've snared our favourite, most nostalgic garden bouquets to complement any dinner setting. Scents include Tomato Leaves, Juniper Berry, Coriander and even Liquorice.

Shop here

Rituals

The Ritual of Sakura (HK$225)

Oh, boy, do we have a soft spot for anything cherry blossom-themed. The Ritual of Sakura home collection also includes fragrance sticks and refills, with their new packaging being more sustainable and easier to recycle.

For us, the delicate marriage of blossoms and rice milk is the ultimate fragrance for a chilly afternoon.

Shop here

Boy Smells

Cedar Stack (HK$330)

Eco-friendly and cruelty-free brand Boy Smells is here to refresh your home essentials with a 'genderful' attitude.

Cedar Stack, their best-selling scent, carries notes of cedar chips and dried tobacco, interwoven with notes of peppercorn and dried ginger — close your eyes, and you could almost imagine yourself in a dreamy cabin far, far away.

Shop here

BeCandle

Vase Candle: BeCandle x The Grey Green (HK$2,500)

For the realists of the world; the practical minds with a keen aesthetic; the worldly, passionate souls who seek something a little other.

This stainless steel vessel showcases two sides, literally and figuratively. You'll be able to choose from two types of fragrances — The Foggy Dew, an iris and cardamom concoction, or After Rain, a lighter raspberry and basil mix. Perfect for gifting, or as a dramatic focal point in the apartment.

Shop here

The post Burn, Baby, Burn: The 6 Best Candles to Buy This Season appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

There’s no doubt Alex Lam inherited his musical talent from his parents, his father being Cantopop legend George Lam Chi-Cheung, and his mother, Sally Yeh. Still, the singer-songwriter and actor hasn’t let privilege get to his head — he’s not afraid to explore other paths, from a stint in Los Angeles to discover yoga and becoming a yoga teacher, to dipping his toes in fashion.

Lam met Hiro Yoshikawa, founder and designer of Washi Jeans, a Japanese denim brand, a couple years back and was intrigued by the designer’s backstory. Now based in Hong Kong, Yoshikawa is the 18^th generation of a revered sake maker in Okayama, Japan, and the first to leave the family business to pursue his own passion in denim-making. By chance, Yoshikawa had found an old document that charted out his family’s history, written on washi paper. Inspired by this, he developed and patented the Washi No. 6 paper yarn, which he utilizes in his first solo collection launching this month.

Lam, who has always had an eye for detail, quickly became an ambassador and muse for Yoshikawa, and took it upon himself to bring the recognition Yoshikawa deserves by helping him stage his upcoming solo debut.

We sit down with Alex Lam and Hiro Yoshikawa at Washi Jean's studio to talk about style and the upcoming debut of Yoshikawa's solo collection Life on Earth.

Can you describe your style? What are your wardrobe essentials?

AL: My style has always been inspired by musicians. I grew up watching some of my favourite bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and today, I'm inspired by singers like Drake. For me, my summer essentials include a sleeveless vest, a good multi-functional blazer and a pair of high-quality designer jeans.

Have you always been passionate about fashion and did you want to work in fashion?

AL: I have always cared about how I look and my outfits since I was a kid. I remember there was one time when the collar of my t-shirt wasn't right and I wouldn’t wear it out until my parents fixed it for me. Having friends who are in the fashion industry allows me to execute and experiment my ideas during workshops, like the ‘marshmallow’ colourway of the t-shirt I’m wearing right now. 

How did the both of you meet?

AL: I met Hiro-san thought some of our mutual friends.

HY: have been making jeans for other brands for the past 30 years and it has always been my dream to have my own denim brand. I have always hung out with people from the fashion industry, and meeting Alex from the music and acting world has made my life more fun and exciting.

Can you tell us a bit about your project with Hiro-san?

AL: I was hanging out with a group of producers and we often talk about fashion shows, designer brands’ videos, installation art and music. Once we found out Hiro-san wanted to launch his own denim brand this year, we decided to catch this opportunity and put our ideas together. We are organising a VIP launch event with a fashion show on June 11, 2021.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome with this project?

AL: I think the rules of the game changed after Covid started last year. We looked at online fashion shows last year, without the tradition styles, and we knew our team needed to do it in a cleverer way. The restriction for event gathering is 30 persons at the moment, so we were not able to invite too many friends and make the event as big as before. Plus the campaign and fashion show video shoot all in one day, that’s the biggest challenge in this project.

HY:  We have been staying in our studio almost every day is the past few months, meeting different parties like our PR team, models, videographers and producers.

What else are you up to this year that you can share with us?

AL: I have released a new song and I just finished a music video for another song. I have also been working on my YouTube channel and created a few series, but it’s been slightly slowed down because I was focusing in this project.

Has the pandemic affected the way you work or changed your priorities?

AL: Before Covid, I was busy working with clients, who often prepared everything. With changes and restrictions during this period, I am able to organise and create more content by myself.

What are you currently inspired by?

AL: There are many indie musicians and young kids out there who are doing their music in their unique styles. I admire them a lot as they can release songs as long as they think it sounds good. I used think good music requires the best studio and recording equipment, but turned out a lot of indie musicians are producing high quality songs just by working at home.

You have a YouTube channel, you're into fashion, music as well as classic cars. How did you get into each of those passions and how do you balance it all?

AL: Project by project. I’m now focusing more on quantity over quality and I'll keep learning from the progress and mistakes.

Do you have a motto you live by?

Stay healthy. As I was a yoga teacher, I still practice yoga for two to three hours each day. It’s a good way to reflect on myself and find peace.

The post In Conversation with Fabrice Pellegrin, the Grasse-native Perfumer Behind Penhaligon’s Racquets appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Established in 1870 by a Cornish barber, British brand Penhaligon’s doesn't just create complex and elegant fragrances, but also tells timeless and intriguing stories.

William H. Penhaligon's first fragrance, Hamman, created in 1872 and inspired by the Turkish Baths where he was resident barber, paved the way for the brand's ground-breaking approach.

From royal recognition to global stardom, more than a century later, the perfumer is still a symbol of British excellence and effortless savoir-faire.

We talked to Lance Patterson, who joined Penhaligon’s & L’Artisan Parfumeur in May 2014 as CEO, about the brand's heritage, present and future.

What does it mean for Penhaligon’s to be a British heritage brand?

Penhaligon’s is one of the traditional British perfumers with a rich heritage. However, the fact that we are still here 150 years later is a testament of us always looking into the future. We are proud of our heritage and the brand’s important milestones overs the last 150 years but we always adapt and try new things to delight our customers. Be this in the creation of fragrances that are innovative and captivating to the way we talk to our customers in the digital era.

How do you blend heritage and contemporaneity in your creations?

We are inspired by our British heritage first and foremost, by all these evocative stories and places. For example our iconic Blenheim Bouquet fragrance was created as a private commission for the 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1902 – which beautifully captured the era of the beginning of the 20th century in one of the most impressive palaces in Britain, Blenheim, where the Duke and his family lived and that you can still visit today.

What are the secrets behind Penhaligon’s success over the years?

For us it is not whether you make a purchase or not, it is that when you leave the store you leave with a good felling, that you had a connection with the brand, the team, the product, the story or all of them. We are proud to have been so agile during this disruptive time and discovered new opportunities for the brand which comes down to a super team of people, thinking always of the customer first.

Why do brands like Penhaligon’s appeal to Millennials and Gen-Z?

Penhaligon’s offers something for everyone, and for younger generations, the Portraits collection has been a huge hit. The humorous stories of the characters and their relationships with each other is definitely what attracts a younger customer who is looking for fun interaction when it comes to fragrance. Each character has a very distinctive personality, so it is easier to relate to than just purely talking about ingredients from Millennial’s’ point of view.

What’s in store for the future?

Our ultimate goal is to educate customers on fragrance, always with the priority of helping them find what they like not what their newest product is or the best sellers. We want you to become an “expert” on fragrance, and this is very empowering for the customer. We have many exciting tools to enable this learning, such as Air Parfumtm – a device that allows you to browse our entire collection of fragrances and by pressing a button smell the fragrant air without the alcohol, so that your nose does not get tired of smelling multiple perfumes. The most recent project that launched in our stores is called Penhaligon’s Magic Monocletm, by using a smartphone’s camera, customers can scan fragrances in the store and get a list of notes they contain without even smelling them. And we have our Digital Profiling, which is incredibly accurate in marrying the incredible knowledge of our Fragrance Sommeliers with the olfactive notes of each fragrance and your likes and dislikes, all done virtually.

When did you join Penhaligon’s and what’s your vision for the company?

I joined Penhaligon’s in May 2014 and my vision has always been to think of customer as being at the heart of everything we do and that means understanding them at present but also anticipating how they will behave in the future. This allows Penhaligon’s to remain relevant and grow the brand in new territories. Honestly, everything we do we try to do based on what we think our customers will want. Data plays a role in our project planning, feedback from our teams in the stores every day and, of course, a dash of gut instinct all help us build the brand for the future.

How do you integrate innovation and preservation in a brand like Penhaligon’s?

The brand has evolved since the very first creation of Hammam Bouquet and we are proud to say that we are not stuck in the past. The past is an important part of our DNA. We do refer to our heritage in all our new creations – for example the upcoming launch of Mr Penhaligon is an ode to our founder, William Penhaligon told through a very contemporary fragrance with vetiver at the base of it. We play with storytelling and the British love of humour which can be felt in our playful descriptions of the fragrances.

Has social media changed the company a lot?

Social media enables us to be closer to our customers, talk to them in real time and really connect with them through our immersive storytelling. It has been a great tool for us to tap into the younger generation and get them to fall in love with the brand. It has been crucial for the past year during the pandemic when stores have been closed and social media remained one of the only channels to talk to our customers through. We are excited for what the upcoming year will bring in terms of the social media landscape and the many exciting opportunities for our brand.

The post Penhaligon’s CEO on the Brand’s Timeless Heritage and Success appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

After months of reviewing close to 300 beauty products and wellness facilities, and tallying, here are the best skincare products of this year, and lest we forget, your top pick! And so without further ado, here are the Beauty & Wellness Awards winners.

From affecting mood and emotion to bringing back memories, and transporting one to a different time and place, scent is definitely one of the more powerful senses and should always be selected carefully. Whether your preference lies with the clean and green, warm and spicy, or fruity and floral, we’ve spritzed and sniffed our way through many to find the best scents and fragrances of the year

The post Beauty & Wellness Awards 2020: Scents & Stories appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

This month, we’re introducing our favourite newly launched products to add to your beauty arsenal. From your holy grail must-haves to the industry’s latest and greatest, explore our roundup of everything you’ve wanted to try, and other things you never knew you needed… until now.

Humidity is, and has always been, a big part of the Hong Kong identity. But certainly it’s August when you feel its effects the most. And if fighting for clear skin in this climate isn’t a tough enough uphill battle already, we’ve got our face masks to kick up the difficulty a notch. That being said, it’s time to swap in breezy skincare, lightweight coverups, fresh scents and even a little bit of nail colour to lift our spirits and keep our beauty game on top.

The post New In: 10 Beauty Launches to Test Out this August appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

There are several ways to get into the festive spirit. In the past, we may have found reason to jump out of bed in December for a sweet treat, but nowadays, counting down to Christmas goes beyond a bite of chocolate. Splurging on gifts to give (or keep), beauty magpies have flocked to advent calendars with daily skincare and cosmetic surprises. To assist you in your holiday beauty haul, we’ve rounded up the twelve best advent calendars of 2019 that you won’t be able to resist opening all at once.

1. Charlotte Tilbury

[gallery ids="175698,175699"]

We all remember the hype last year surrounding Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Universe. This year, the sparkly gift set returns as a Glittering Galaxy of Makeup Magic with twelve gorgeous bestsellers that we’re all excited about. Inside, you’ll find holy grail products that you know and love, along with new marvels to try out. HK$1,224

2. Clarins

[gallery ids="175701,175702"]

The perfect countdown to Christmas, Clarins’ Holiday Advent Calendar has twenty four beauty surprises to open for the whole month of December. The limited-edition set includes eight makeup, four body care and eleven skincare products. HK$980

3. Dr. Barbara Sturm

[gallery ids="175705,175704"]

For the weeks leading up to Christmas, aesthetic specialist Dr. Barbara Sturm offers her molecular approach to skincare in this year’s Advent Calendar. With twenty four different treatments in full and deluxe sizes, your skin will be glowing this festive season thanks to the set’s cleansers, creams, serums, masks and more. HK$4,300

4. Giorgio Armani Beauty

[gallery ids="175707,175706"]

In true Giorgio Armani style, the 2019 beauty advent calendar comes in luxurious red packaging with the house’s signature gold stars. The exquisite gift set holds twenty four different surprises consisting of the ever-popular lip and skincare must-haves. HK$2,500

5. L’Occitane

[gallery ids="175710,175709"]

French beauty brand, L’Occitane has commissioned Taiwanese illustrator Hsinping Pan to tell a playful Christmas story in the form of its special advent calendar. Behind the twenty four doors is a combination of brand new products, as well as classic favourites. HK$495

6. La Mer

[gallery ids="175711,175712"]

La Mer’s Twelve Days of Glowing Renewal Collection is likely to make it on most beauty connoisseurs’ gift lists. Being one of the most sought-after calendars in past years, this limited edition set is one of the most luxurious calendars. Fans will be pleased to know that the Miracle Broth, Revitalising Mask and other signature items are included in the set. HK$3,500

7. Maison Christian Dior

[gallery ids="175718,175717"]

To celebrate the magic of the holiday season, artist Vincent Darré collaborates with Maison Christian Dior to present a beautiful gift set inspired by the couture house on 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris. Behind each window, are fragrances, creams, soaps, and candles to be found. HK$3,500

8. Net-a-Porter Beauty

[gallery ids="175720,175719"]

Following last year’s popularity, Net-a-Porter’s 25 Days of Beauty returns for the holidays. Each drawer is packed with the retailer’s top picks, including travel and full-sized products from coveted brands like Omorovicza, Dr. Barbara Sturm and KORA Organics. HK$2,300

9. Penhaligon’s

[gallery ids="175724,175725"]

Looking for a new scent come 2020? Penhaligon’s 25 days of Christmas is all about exploring new fragrances. Think perfume, body washes, lip balms, candles and more, each day is an olfactory discovery to love. HK$3,950

10. Rituals

[gallery ids="175726,175727"]

Having just launched in Hong Kong this year, Rituals is fast becoming a cult favourite for beauty addicts. Their Advent Deluxe Calendar is a great way to discover the new brand’s offering – with twenty four of Ritual’s hero products for the face, body and home. HK$880

11. The Body Shop

[gallery ids="175730,175729"]

There are times when “the bigger the better” does hold true. At least The Body Shop thinks so. To celebrate the holidays for the past sixteen years, the brand has been launching the most large-scale advents to count down to Christmas. Their Dream Big Ultimate Beauty Advent is filled with twenty six different goodies from their bath and body ranges to take you into the new year. HK$1,499

12. Valmont

[gallery ids="175731,175733"]

Luxury skincare house, Valmont is presenting the brand’s first ever advent calendar this year. Each drawer of the twelve boxes holds  bestsellers including items from the L’Elixir des Glaciers and Hydra3 collections. HK$2,280

The post The 12 Best Beauty Advent Calendars for Christmas 2019 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Every season there are new fragrances that captivate us and transport us to faraway places, even if just for a moment. We’ve gathered a few favourites from this year that keep us coming back for another sniff.

[caption id="attachment_156829" align="alignnone" width="1636"] Bon Parfumeur 402 (HK$410)[/caption]

We just can't stop inhaling the warming toffee and vanilla spiked Bon Parfumer 402. bonparfumeur.com

[caption id="attachment_156830" align="alignnone" width="1636"] Les Eaux de Chanel Paris-Riviera Rich (HK$1,155)[/caption]

Sunny days in Côte d'Azur? Yes please! Les Eaux de Chanel Paris-Riviera Rich is a bracing blend of orange peel and jasmine. chanel.com

[caption id="attachment_156831" align="alignnone" width="1636"] Diptyque Eau de Minthe (HK$1,200)[/caption]

Inspired by a Greek myth, Diptyque Eau de Minthe make a spellh with fresh mint tempered by geranium and patchouli. diptyqueparis.com

[caption id="attachment_156832" align="alignnone" width="1636"] Kilian Woman in Gold (HK$2,450)[/caption]

It's hard to pick just one from this niche brand, but floral-vanilla Kilian Woman in Gold is near the top of our list. bykilian.com

[caption id="attachment_156834" align="alignnone" width="1636"] Penhaligon's The Ingenue Cousin Flora (HK$2,400)[/caption]

A burst of citrus and a heart of musk make Penhaligon's The Ingenue Cousin Flora our must intriguing choice. penhaligons.com

[caption id="attachment_156835" align="alignnone" width="1636"] Byredo Sundazed (HK$1,800)[/caption]

What we reach for when we want a sweet pick-me-up, Byredo Sundazed is also our kind of luxury in a bottle. byredo.com

The post Beauty Awards 2019: Fragrances to Captivate and Transport You to Faraway Places appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Introduce these to your fragrance wardrobe now.

The post All The New Fragrances For 2018 — From Gucci To Dior appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.