Instant Goddess gets carried away

This week just gone we’ve been toasting the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee left, right and centre and I have to admit I did get a little carried away with the proceedings – the low point was walking into a closed glass patio door with a glass of “Diamond Jubilee Viagra” in hand! As for the highs, there were quite a few… one being the melt in the mouth lamb cutlets at the RGS DJ bash at the Hong Kong Club and another being Kate Middleton’s knock your socks off red Alexander McQueen dress. God Save the Queen, Kate Middleton and Instant Goddess!

Kate Middleton in her DJ frocks; she can do no wrong in my book in these Alexander McQueen numbers with her ever trusty nude LK Bennetts (more later on how you can get your own lookie likey pair).

M&S red pleat dress $1350 and dress with lace overlay $1150, both available in HK M&S.

Marks & Spencer has a great British story going on at the moment in celebration of the Diamond Jubilee, so if you’re feeling like some good old red, white and blue get yourself down there. They also have some very elegant lace dresses that would make Kate proud. If you can’t find what you want in-store, M&S do ship to Hong Kong via their international website for approx $100… I didn’t know this until recently thanks to another Mama at Citykids!

Ok enough of all the pomp and ceremony, let’s get down to business… this week’s style platter is made up of my favourite fashion tip-offs sent in from fellow Goddesses. If you have your own fashion tip off and you want to spread the love, email me at [email protected].

A friend recently told me about Sequel on Gilman’s Bazaar (just beyond The Centre, just off Queens Road Central). Sequel carries a good range of favourite labels such as clothes from Nine West, Karen Millen, Joan & David and Anne Klein to name a few, but best of all they stock bigger sizes. If you go, take a friend, as the more pieces you buy the more discount you get! Five pieces and over you get 50% off, so it’s best to pool your efforts! Also, get ready to rummage through the racks… it’s not neatly merchandised so you need time to go crazy in the aisles.

Sequel, G/F, 14-16 Gilman’s Bazaar, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, 2815 1938

Over on the Dark Side

I’ve been making a few trips across the water recently to have shoes made for my hubby’s Gran who is a wee size 1 ½ (34) and can’t find shoes in the UK other than children’s shoes. She’s 93 and fed up of wearing children’s shoes, so my man, Jimmy at Lime Shoes in the Peninsula Centre, East TST has been making her shoes which has made one little old lady in the UK very, very happy indeed. I love spreading a little shoe happiness!

Expect to pay $650 up for a pair of custom-made shoes and avoid lunchtimes as he’s really busy. Jimmy has also made city brogues for my husband copied from an old pair (he charged $1000). Some examples of his work, in my shoe collection are above, including my nude peep toes which I had made last year inspired by KM’s LK Bennetts – every shoe collection should have a pair of nudes!

Just outside the main doors from Jimmy’s shop is S&P Collection (G30 Peninsula Centre, next door to Clarks), which has some very reasonably priced clothes, definitely always worth a rummage. I picked up a great beach cover up for only $130.

Another favourite, 5 minutes walk away at the beginning of Granville Road, is Figaro which carries similar labels to the Soho boutiques including the likes of Buttonhole, Brands Boutique, Mint & Lemongrass but at about 30% cheaper, again definitely worth a look.

Once at Figaro, the whole of Granville Road awaits you and if you have time it’s definitely worth a look in the shops on this road. Another favourite of mine is I’m not Jewelry (76 Granville Road) and I found some great studded leather cuffs at only $68 each.

Online finds

Another friend introduced me recently to two US websites: Gilt and MYHABIT which both hold great online flash sales. It’s worth getting yourself on their mailing list so that you in turn can get tipped off! Recent sales have included M Missoni, Oliver Peoples sunglasses, Halston Heritage and Bounkit jewellery (which I really lusted after but had to be good as the purse strings couldn’t take it!). Both sites also have kidswear, menswear and home accessories. Note: if you already have an Amazon account, you can use that to sign up to MyHabit!

Etsy Addict
So, I’m still addicted to Etsy (as seen a couple of weeks ago here!)… thank you friends for leading me down this path of addiction… the hubby is not impressed! To make it easier for you rather than having to trawl through thousands of jewellers on the site (which I’ve done!), I’ve quite literally come up with these little gems for you.

Metallic Silver Wrap Bracelet with Black Agate $318 from Oia Jules in Greece and Stalactite Amethyst Druzy Pendant from Magic Loot in USA $390

 

Leather cuff with crystal, Stella’s Design $382, and Amazonite drop necklace from Cuppacoffee $437

 

Sideway Cross & Freshwater pearl bracelet $127 Beemine Jewelry and Gold Dipped Druzy Necklace by Angelhair Jewellery in Australia, $280

Beauty

This week favourite make-up artist Jaime Smith of Smudge Make-Up Artistry is loving the eyeliner crayon – one of the big trends in eye make-up at the moment. “The newest ones are a combination of eyeliner and cream eye shadow in one fat stick. They can be used all over lids or to create thick lines of colour or highlight.

Plus they are easily smudgeable for smoky looks and last long through the Hong Kong summer heat.
This summer, if you have been following magazine and runway trends and have an urge to experiment with a pop of eye colour, this is the fool-proof product. Try a turquoise, gold or a daring orange colour; there are versions by Laura Mercier, NARS and Make-up Forever, to name a few.”

Midweek Meal Inspiration
Yep, this one is a little tongue in cheek this week… a salad last week (which I got stick for from a certain male reader) and now a cocktail – whatever next?! Answers on a postcard.

So, back to the cocktail party… this week’s meal inspiration comes in the form of Mummy’s Little Helper: The GCG, which stands for Gin, Cucumber & Ginger. I’m not normally a Gin fan but these went down a treat at the cocktail party… until I walked into the glass door that is.

Serves 2

Cocktail measurements:
2 oz gin infused with cucumber
1/2 oz ginger liqueur (I use Crème de Gingembre from Olivers)
1 oz lime juice
2-4 oz ginger ale
Cucumber ribbons for decoration (remove green skin as can be bitter and make fine ribbons using a potato peeler)

For cucumber gin:
1 x bottle of gin
3 cucumbers

To infuse your gin: peel and deseed three cucumbers, then finely cube into 1cm chunks. Decant gin into glass jug or alike and place cubed cucumber in it. Leave overnight in fridge or for longer if possible (3 days is ideal).

In two flutes or highball glasses, drop a few cucumber ribbons, then pour 1 oz of infused cucumber gin into each. Add 1/4 oz ginger liqueur and 1/2 oz lime juice to each glass, then top each glass off with ginger ale (about 2 oz).

Enjoy!

Instant Goddess says: “Who shut that door?”
Yogi tea saying of the week: “Life is a gift. If you do not value your gift no-body else will”.

Until next week Goddesses… and remember you are always, always worth it!

Check out all of Katie’s Instant Goddess columns here.