paris meets hong kong

I found the coolest new shop last night, it was their opening night and they were still unwrapping the clothes....so exciting...I love a new find, especially something this cool. Magnan & Tse is the collaboration of two seriously stylish women, Catherine Magnan and Yuen Man Tse. Their aim is to mix Paris and Hong Kong in their creations. They succeeded, the fabrics are light, soft and feel expensive, the bling is more glam than babysham and the result is stunning t-shirts, long vests and dresses in black, grey and olive, from around HK$1280. Definitely pop in to their boutique on Aberdeen Street, just opposite where Gage Street ends.

desk to disco

Love the naff title, don't you? There are hideous amounts of post-work parties this December, and whilst we have discussed underwear, we have not touched upon the annual desk to disco dilemmas. Can you wear a polo to a party? Well only if it belongs to a foxy sweater dress and you team it with some fabulous bling or shoes. This French Connection dress offers a great solution, team it with black opaque tights and layer underneath with a thin black polo or long sleeved top. Come 6pm whip off the layered top or polo and change the tights for grey sparkly numbers and there you have it. Gosh I'm good. There are only a few left in the Pacific Place shop...

go nude

I am totally in love with all the nude, blush colours around at the moment, and its creeping into 2010's spring summer collections too. They look divine with greys, gold, silver or pattern and are super smart with black. You can add jewels, feathers, vintage lace or sparkles and make yourself look ten times more expensive. The trick is finding the right shade to wear, if they work with your skin they can really bring it alive. I am super pale and never tan (unless its fake) so pinkier blush tones suit me, if you are darker skinned then you can take really light or yellowy shades. I love how these have worked.

knicker picks & lingerie loves

The run-up to Christmas means parties galore, so I need to re-emphasise the importance of good underwear. Whether with boy, or single, you need to wear nice knickers in case things get a little hot and steamy under the mistletoe. When I met the Welshman I was wearing the most god awful undies that I had to take them off in the bathroom, he found completely starkers in the kitchen, making tea. It worked, but it could have been a disaster. It is a lesson learnt ladies. Here are my top five knicker picks and lingerie loves in Hong Kong:

1 - Cotton On - cheap as chips boy shorts with lace detail in every colour imaginable, 3 pairs for HK$99. Find them at the bottom of Lan Kwai Fong, undies are downstairs.

2 - Elle Macpherson - I love her underwear, she makes strapless sexy and her knickers rock. Find her in Lane Crawford.

3 - Secret Wardrobe - A little bit filthy and not very practical, but we all need that sometimes. Browse at 2/F, 15 B Wellington Street.

4 - Marks and Sparks - An undies list is not complete without them. Great emergency bra action for tricky outfits.

5 - Agent Provocateur - The perfect Christmas present (with a pair of earrings from Astley Clarke please). Never fails to excite either party. Love it at IFC Lane Crawford.

friday500 girl guide

I was a Girl Guide once, not a great one, but I rocked the blue shirt dress as it went with my eyes. The motto is of course, be prepared, or maybe that was the Scouts. Whatever. So for two weeks we are going to save our Friday500's to make 1000 smackeroooonies to put towards something stunning. We will then pooootle along to this exclusive trunk show at The Upper House. A first for Hong Kong, Anna Trzebinski will be showing her beautiful designs, which are handmade in Kenya. Not to be missed are the pashmina stoles with feather trims (see, told you, frou frou is here to stay). Pick your frou from Ostrich (pink, white), Guinea Fowl (white) or Flamingo (light green). She will also have scarves, suede bags, chokers and much more. I'll be there on Thursday 3rd, see you then xx

foxy cardigans

Officially freezing in Honkers. Time to get out the tights, cashmere and UGGs. And your foxy Cardigans. It must be an English thing, we barely leave the house without a trusty Cardi, just in case the weather changes dramatically on the way to Waitrose. I love them and I don't think they are granny-ish or boring. I bought two recently, one long, slim cashmere one from M&S (as shown). It makes me feel like a cosy bunny and looks great over leggings/tights teamed with boots and a bit of bling jewellery or a colourful belt. The other is a short fitted cream one, it is trimmed with crystals and is perfect for brightening up your basics. I dug it out of a cardboard box in one of my fave shops Magic Wardrobe (I also managed to buy a a little black dress with feathers on the bottom...very frou frou and I am predicting a lot of frou frou feather action this coming year). Magic Wardrobe is at Shop 74, 1/F, Tower 2, Admiralty Centre and also under the stairs at Western Market. P.s Look out for me in the FT Business Travel Guide out tomorrow!!!!

friday500 face

I don't really talk about make up much, mainly because I don't wear a lot, but I am mildly hungover today so it seems appropriate to discuss miracle products which you can apply at the desk, run out and look glam. All in approx 10 mins. For those little outbreaks and for brightening under the eyes try Mac Select Cover-up (HK$ 135). Expertly applied by Clare who saved me from an unsociable acne attack recently. I love a little eyeliner in the evenings but I was hopeless at applying it until I found Bobbi Brown Long-wear Gel Eyeliner and more recently the Mac Powerpoint Eye Pencil (HK$120). It is so easy to apply and keep in your clutch. Try Prussian for a smokey bluey shade and Industry for a soft black/grey. They have a black sparkly limited edition out at the moment, head to Lane Crawford IFC or Seibu in Pacific Place. So now you look less like a tired old hag and more hot to trot, and still have HK$245 left. Save it for the flea market.