..Hong Kong getaway.. Part 2

Sasa shopping in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong island

Second part of my little getaway to Hong Kong!
Although I could only stay for 5 days, I really wanted to do the following:

1. Hike the Hong Kong trail (see previous entry)
2. Eat at my favourite sushi chain (see previous entry)
3. Get cute gifts for Christmas
4. Refill my make-up vanity
5. Get inspiration for my next dress-up games and check the latest fashion trends

Cute gifts

Generally speaking, I find it hard to buy 'small presents' in France or UK other than food such as wine, chocolate boxes and tea. Anything else starts to be quite expensive when you want to offer brands or good quality gifts (scarfs, jewels, etc.)

In Japan and Pacific Asia on the contrary there are so many mascots and cute things. You can not lack inspiration!Lately my friends are really into LINE, the Asian version of Whatsapp with cute characters such as Cony the rabbit and Brown the bear.

So naturally when I found these...

LINE character plushies selling in La Foret (Causeway Bay, Hong Kong island)

La Foret shopping mall looks like an outlet with a lot of designer shops. Despite its name and unlike Sogo, the mall is specialized in Asian stuffs and has a lot of shops dedicated to Japan, Korea, etc. It's definitely a must-go when you visit Hong Kong!
How to go there:

Name: La Foret
Address: 24-26 East Point Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Fashion trend watch

Unfortunately I didn't have time to try any regional brand, so I just wandered around. I felt totally in love with this shop in La Foret, called Sugarman. Yes I know the clothes are made for kids below 5 years old, but when I see them I feel like doing a chibi dress-up game with very colorful and hip-popish items (most people would probably think of having kids instead haha).

So cute and colorful

Sugarman shoes selling in La Foret (Causeway Bay, Hong Kong island)

Make-up hold-up

Last but not least, cosmetics hold-up at Sasa!! Sasa offers huge variety of beauty & health care products and can be found in numerous areas of the city, a bit like Boots in the UK and Sephora in France, except that you can find both Western and Asia brands there

I could easily stay a day in Sasa but I managed to buy everything in less than 1 hour!

• Dolly Wink Black Mascara 02 Volume special set
• Dolly Wink Eyelashes 10 Sweet Cat & 11 Pure Sweet
• Dolly Wink Eyelash fix
• B & C Browlash Ex Water Strong Liner (Deep Brown)
• Narisup Long Lasting Eyebrow Powder (Dark Brown)
• Angel Aqua Moisture CC Cream
• 10 x random aburatorigami (oil blotting paper) - because I can't find any good brand in Europe!

I also managed to get a bunch of green tea products and Koala's March (Lotte) at a random Seven Eleven store. A colleague also gave me some snacks and face masks she brought back from Seoul.

Sasa hold-up in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong island

..Hong Kong getaway.. Part 1

Morning view from Admiralty, Hong Kong island.

I got a last minute opportunity to go back to Hong Kong for a few days, so of course I said YES!

... and that's also why I am late announcing the results of the Sweet Lolita outfit
(if you missed that please read my previous post, 【Release】Sweet Lolita MEGA DRESS UP)

             

 ReijiNoHana wins the 1st prize, a 3 month membership to DA or any of the plushies (see previous journal)! I was totally surprised by the fairy outfit she managed to pull out from the game, and it is totally in the spirit of 6%DokiDoki x Kyary Pamyu. It's sweet, colorful and cute, plus special mention for using a darker skin color
Her creation: link

RoyalVintage wins the 2nd prize, a 3 month membership to DA! The outfit is a success in terms of sweet lolita fashion, plus I love her character's special ability, "Can cast a sweet magic at an evil person and make them good for a day"
Her creation: link

Mysano wins the 3rd prize, a 3 month membership to DA! I think shironuri fashion is a sub trend less popular than the sweet lolita fashion, but it's a she managed to make it cute and very representative of this style. I also love the flower stickers as make up
Her creation: link

             

There was supposed to be only one winner but given that the game received a Daily Deviation and the popularity of the contest, I decided to pick 3 winners

You can view the announcement here or check all the entries (more than 120!!) here.

Now back to my little getaway

Arrived on Saturday just in time for the sunset!

Went straight to my favourite sushi chain in HK, Itacho Sushi!

website link
 It's fresh, better than most restaurants you can find in Europe and you get -50% after 10pm!

View on WanChai, Hong Kong Island

And yes you can shop, eat, party in Hong Kong... but what is less cliché is the nature-part of Hong Kong, the incredible trails that allow you to see the jungle, reservoirs, beaches, peaks with stunning views over the mountains or the city...

So if one day you visit Hong Kong, even during a stopover, make sure you try the trail as some parts can be done in less than 2 hours
You'll find all the information on this website.

I managed to take a few pictures of the one I did, called Dragon's Back

 
 
 
  I believe I can fly!

..Bye-bye Hong Kong, Back to Paris..

After 7 incredible months in Hong Kong, now I am back to Paris. Too peaceful, too silent! I was used to see Chinese people everywhere, to struggle in the crowd to find my way... and now Paris seems to be a little town in the country side compared to the madness of Hong Kong haha :)

I remember I hated Hong Kong during my first months there. Too hot, too humid, too many people, and totally lost in the middle of the skyscrapers. But when you overcome those little differences, the city is definitely one of the best I have known, even compared to Tokyo!! Or at least, same level.

When I was thinking of Hong Kong before, I would have thought of a polluted city without any green area. How wrong I was. Yes people all live in the same area, around 20% of the territory (if I remember well)... but the rest is all about beaches, mountains and jungle! During my week-ends there, I used to take a cab to go to the sea side, or to start a hiking track in the jungle. Only 20 minutes of cab and 8 US dollars and you were lost in the middle of nowhere, total nature.

Night life at Hong Kong is also quite incredible, more of the English style with a lot of pubs, bars, and everyone drunk in the street. Usually, all the entrances are free for girls and some days extra free drinks are provided.

*Sigh* so sad to leave. But now it's a new chapter of my life, in Paris. And in 8 months, Osaka is waiting for me to finish my studies. I will miss a lot all the friends I met there, and my team at work, especially my boss.