Sassy Hour at Philia, Thursday July 9th

We're so excited for our next Sassy Hour at Philia on Arbuthnot Road... When we first went to check out Philia as a venue, we loved the green and black colour scheme (reflected in our flyer above!) and cool loungey feel. We had no idea that Philia means "friends" in Greek, but that made us think it was even more perfect.

Come dressed up, dressed down, or straight from work, and get ready to sip and socialize! There will be complimentary cosmos, happy hour prices and a champagne giveaway. We'd love it if you would tell all your friends about Sassy Hour. 

You can RSVP on our main site, or just turn up on the evening. We're looking forward to seeing you there. 

***We have a new No Soliciting rule, which we will be enforcing to make sure everyone plays nice! ***

South China Morning Post: Ladies First

If you haven't already seen it, we'd love for you to check out the article about Sassy in the South China Morning Post today! We're so thrilled with it and proud, and it's definitely the biggest bit of press coverage we have received so far - we had no idea it was going to be such a big article. Congrats also to Kelly and Neveen of Dim Sum and Then Some! It's a great way for us to finish up the week, and I'm just sad that we'll have to postpone celebrating together until Natalie and Maura get back from the US. 

To everyone who has helped us so far with Sassy, signed up for our mailing list, or come to an event, we really appreciate all your support. We work really hard on Sassy, and are excited to see how it develops... watch this space! 

Fantasy Outfit: Rainy Friday Night

I just LOVE Polyvore, and the easy freedom it gives you to pull together items in a fun and creative way... You can play stylist and create outfits, mood boards and collages. It's dangerously addictive! 

This fantasy outfit is inspired by all the great weather we've been having lately - sun turns to rain in 3 minutes flat, and before you know it you've left your umbrella at home and you're huddled in a shop doorway with a hundred other dripping souls. These Yves Saint Laurent cage sandals are just perfect for the rain - no sogginess as the water can just flow right through, and then the heart-shaped upbrella will keep your hair from being a wash-out. The dress and Topshop necklace keep it old-school glamorous... Who's going to join us for cocktails? 

Dress, Lam Clutch & Yves Saint Laurent Shoes: Browns Fashion

Necklace: Topshop

Umbrella: Umbrella Heaven

Emma Watson for Teen Vogue

I'm not sure why it should be that Teen Vogue is just so much cooler and more creative than Vogue, but this beautiful editorial of Emma Watson shows just why she was chosen as the face of Burberry. Plus those Shetland Ponies are A-Dorable. 

Images from Teen Vogue

Photos from Sassy Hour at the Priory

Our last Sassy Hour at The Priory was our biggest yet, and we've been eagerly waiting to receive the photos from it... They're now up on the Gallery page of our site, so go and take a look (they're just below the photos from June Manicure Monday)!

Orbis Black Night

Tonight Cliq is hosting a very special "Black Night" to benefit ORBIS,  a Hong Kong-based charity that works to restore sight for visually impaired people. During the evening there will be random black-outs which will give party-goers the experience of being temporarily blinded. Net proceeds will be donated to ORBIS, and donations are also welcomed. A small donation such as just HK$75 can go help with testing and eye glass correction of a child's vision, while HK$2,750 can provide enough antibiotics to protect 500 people from Trachoma. 

Tickets cost HK$200 in advance by emailing theblacknight2009@gmail.com, or HK$250 on the door. 

ORBIS Black Night 9pm - 1am

Cliq

2/F On Hing Terrace,

LKF

How To Make A Simple Ponytail Modern

Hong Kong summers are known for heat, humidity, and rain. Which for me equals unmanageable hair-days full of frizzy fly-aways and messy hairstyles. I spend most of the summer with my hair up in a ponytail. If you are like me, and want to dress up the ponytail, check out this video for a quick tip!

No Smoke without Fire

The Captain's Bar at the Mandarin Oriental is a true Hong Kong institution, where regulars can drink draft beer from their own engraved silver tankards, and where cigar smoke usually hangs so heavy in the air that non-smokers tend to just stick their heads inside, take one breath and then swiftly exit. To usher in a new smoke-free era when the smoking ban hits on July 1st, the Captain's Bar (and M Bar) will be launching an innovative range of "smoking inspired" cocktails and canapés to help smokers kick the habit. 

The Smoking collection includes three cocktails: Havana (containing rum infused with tobacco), Smoky Martini (a stem-less martini glass balanced inside a bubble glass filled with dry ice "smoke"), and Cigar & Cigarette, which is actually two different cocktails served together in tubes to look like their namesakes. The canapé selection is just as creative, named Light, Havana and Patch. Patch is actually literally inspired by a nicotine patch - a clear film served in a plastic dispenser that dissolves in the mouth to taste like smokey bacon. 

We're very excited to try them all out! Who ever thought smoking would be so cool again? 

Rainy Monday

Happy Friday!

Wishing you a fabulous weekend! xxx

Time Out: The Great Hong Kong Weekender

Just on the off-chance that you don't already have junk trip plans for the weekend (we're heavily into junk season, and remembering why the novelty wore off last summer too), the new issue of Time Out is here to help you plan a fun whole-weekend getaway, and you never have to leave Hong Kong!

They whole itineraries for breaks in Lantau, Sai Kung and the North-East New Territories are also available on their website, and they really put to shame anyone who thinks you need to get on a plane to escape our Island Fever. Perhaps not the most glamorous of destinations or swanky of experiences, if you want to get out into the outdoors and enjoy what promises to be a glorious weekend then you should definitely take a look. You might als0 score extra points with your other half too for having more imagination than simply whisking them off to boring old Bali, no?

Vogue Italia: July Fashion Spread

Via Starbucks & Jane Austen

Fallen Princesses

Artist Dina Goldstein's Fallen Princesses project was inspired by her young daughters' fascination with Disney princesses. Going back to the origins of fairy tales, and exploring work by the Brothers Grimm, she was struck by how much Disney has removed all the dark aspects of the traditional tales to create sanitized versions that always have a happy ending. Goldstein began to imagine the fairy tale heroines placed into real life negative situations, affected by modern day issues: addictions, obesity, self-image problems etc. 

The result are these fabulous photos - I just love Cinderella in the dive bar! 

H&M to Collaborate with Jimmy Choo

So this news was already ALL OVER the blogosphere this morning, but we still can't help being excited. If you thought there was a feeding frenzy at the launch of the Karl Lagerfeld/H&M collaboration, it's going to be nothing compared to this... And the best thing is, to grab the shoes and purses you don't even need to try anything on, which will make the predictable bun fight a little easier to navigate. There will be a line of clothes as well, which look kind of simple and classic, and which have been designed rather to complement the shoes and bags rather than as stand-out pieces in their own right. 

Due to launch on November 17th, we don't yet have confirmation of which stores will be carrying the collection, or whether this same date will apply for Hong Kong... We'll let you know when we find out! 

Just say no...

So we've been ignoring this new crop-top "trend" as hard as we can (eyes shut, blindfolded, hands over ears)... And then the perfect picture comes along to explain exactly why crop-tops are SUCH a bad idea on the huge majority of the world, so we just had to share more as a warning than anything else.

Frou Frou Bedroom

I seem to be very drawn to exceptionally girly and pink interiors these days - perhaps the grey, rainy days of early summer here are making me wish for an escape to somewhere completely different. This bedroom belongs to Mademoiselle Frou Frou of Frou Frou Fashionista, and if you couldn't guess from the beautiful bra collection, she owns a lingerie boutique. 

The white desk with the mac, Philippe Starck Ghost chair and vase of peonies is my dream workspace... but the little dog at the end of the bed closes the deal for me, and that's not even mentioning the gorgeous shoes!

Manicure Monday June 15, 2009

Manicure Monday at The Feel Good Factor was fabulous as always. This is the 4th Manicure Monday that we have had, and each month we see more new girls joining us and of course many familiar faces! Gingers Catering catered our yummy nibbles, which was a nice treat. In true Sassy style we had several lucky draw give-aways: Cindy won a signed copy of Gingers Cocktail Cookbook, Vicky was the winner of a pedicure, and Louise won an express facial. Looking forward already to our July Manicure Monday the 21st. You can check our more pics from Manicure Monday by visiting Sassy Pics on our website.

Do you Dare to Detox for Charity?

Enlighten - Action for Epilepsy is a Hong Kong based charity that aims to widen opportunities and choices for people affected by epilepsy, to raise awareness of epilepsy issues and to break through some of the stigma attached to epilepsy.  This month, in partnership with Downtown Detox, you can support this great cause, as well as doing your body some good with an 11 day detox challenge. Participants can "weigh in" at 7.30pm at The Dublin Jack in Lan Kwai Fong, and enjoy some bubbles and berries while contemplating the days ahead! Detox packs are $150 per day, which is a great deal when you consider that this cost includes all your cleanse drinks, meal replacement shakes and snacks  - no weekly shopping needed. 

Downtown Detox will support you in the detoxing process by providing daily encouraging emails and 24/7 phone and email support. As this is a safe and professional detox program, Jennifer of Downtown Detox conducts a pre-detox health analysis and post-detox check, as well as giving advice on how to maintain the results. 

You can pick up sponsorship forms at the Weigh In event so that your friends, family and colleagues can support your efforts, as well as collecting your detox packs. The Weigh Out event will be held at the main HSBC building on Queen's Road. 

For more information about this event, please contact:

Jennifer at 11daychallenge@gmail.com, or Orla on 2820-0112

Inspiration for the Weekend

We all know what storage looks like in a Hong Kong apartment - teeny bathroom cupboards filled to bursting with a million products, all stuffed in together... jewellery tangled into little boxes and shoved in with all your underwear or makeup. It's not exactly like the beautiful images above which I am aspiring too! 

I would love to paint the inside of my bathroom cabinets a soft pink, decant all the products into matching bottles, and put cotton wool balls and cotton buds into pretty glass jars. Then I would hammer a nail into one of our 4 spare inches of wall space and hang my necklaces just like the ones above. Just dreamy...

Image from Eddie Ross

Saving Fashion Face

Have you ever had one of those moments where it comes time to say out loud a name you have read a thousand times, and you suddenly find yourself totally doubting yourself in terms of pronunciation? Having stifled my own rather unpleasant instinct to snicker on hearing people verbally butcher Yves Saint Laurent, I don't want to be the snicker-ee! 

Thankfully the Imperial Hotel Management College (I.H.M.C) in Vancouver has created a selection of YouTube audio clips as part of its "Luxury Studies" program that can help to give all of us a fashion education. Now, some of them are a little bit funny in that they do seem to suggest that we should be putting on a ridiculous French or Italian accent to say the names, which I think would earn you a bit of a funny look,  but helpful nonetheless. 

Fashion Doo Hickey has a fairly complete collection of the clips, so go and check them out. There will be a test later. 

Vera Wang and Dancing With The Stars

Sources are saying that Vera Wang will be competing on the next season of Dancing With The Stars. Although the television network ABC has yet to confirm this fashionistas casting. Wang, who is of course known for her fabulous wedding dress designs, also has years of training as a professional ice-skater. If the sources are correct, then I will definitely be watching the next season!

Coco Before Chanel Opens Today In Hong Kong

Coco Before Chanel comes out today (June 11th) in Hong Kong and I have been patiently waiting for this movie to arrive ever since I heard about it. My kitty is named after the fashion icon so I knew this would be on my must see list for 2009!

The movie stars Audrey Tautou who portrays Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and it provides us with a history of how Gabrielle, the orphan, turned into Coco Chanel the designer we all know today. The film takes place in the late 1920's and it takes us through the hardships and heartaches that Coco had to overcome and it shows us that her success did not come easy. Fashion lovers are sure to be enthralled with this movie because it gives a glimpse into the life of one of the most famous fashion designers but this is not just a movie for the fashionista at heart. This movie is about succeeding amongst difficulty and perseverance and I am sure almost anyone can relate to that.

We always have a quote up on our blog and in honor of Coco Before Chanel being released today we could not resist putting one of her famous quotes up. Make sure to read our quote section regularly because it changes and the quotes are always fun and girly! If you have a quote you think we should post send it over to us!

Check out your favourite movie theater for show times this weekend because if this rain continues this is the perfect rainy day activity!

Bikini Bootcamp Survivors!

Our final Bikini Bootcamp session was last night in the Hong Kong park, so we just had to get some snaps of our "survivors" (though some girls were actually still in the locker rooms)! We were kind to ourselves and took the pictures before we started working out, so no red faces. Our first foray into Sassy fitness events was a big success - the girls who took part told us they really found it motivating to work out with a group of girls all together, and the group definitely built camaraderie over the 5 sessions.

We'll be working on more fitness-oriented events to come soon, and we're already planning another Bootcamp session for later in the year, so look out for that!

Abaca' Resort, Cebu

One of the best things about living in Hong Kong is that it is so easy to get on a plane, take an hour or two flight, and be in a tropical paradise. Three day weekends in Hong Kong usually equal mini-holidays! I discovered a great new boutique hotel in Cebu, Philippines (a 2 and a half hour direct flight from Hong Kong), Abaca Resort.

Abaca Resort is the ultimate tropical getaway. This fabulous new resort only has 6 deluxe suites and 3 private villas creating the environment for total seclusion and ultimate relaxation. Each of the suites and villas are decorated with ethnic touches to reflect the beauty of Cebu. Every room boasts the elegant style of the tropics with accents on warm dark woods and natural stones. As a guest you can enjoy panoramic ocean views from the privacy of your own terrace or garden.

Abaca is also known for their fabulous restaurant. I had the chance to dine at this Mediterranean inspired restaurant, and it was absolutely fabulous. Chef-owner Jason Hyatt has created a complete menu of healthy cuisine with the freshest local fish and seafood, and imported meats and cheeses from around the world. All the vegetables and herbs are organic and grown in their own gardens. Menu choices include wood fired oven roasted meats, seafood, handmade pizzas and pastas, freshly baked breads, tapas and a variety of appetizers and salads.

For more information check out the Abaca Resort and Spa website http://www.abacaresort.com/

Dial Tone Mysteries - Vogue Nippon