Some of you have been emailing me about my favourite beauty products. I know I don’t post about them often. When it comes to my hair, I’m pretty low-maintenance. I’ve been living in hotels for the past few years so whenever I can, I stock up on Frederic Fekkai shampoo and conditioner. They come in travel-friendly sizes and oh I love the scent. As for product, I’m very loyal to Sebastian’s MicroWeb Fiber and Molding Mud. The latter has the right amount of hold which is oh so perfect for super sunny Los Angeles.

Some say blondes have more fun but it’s always the brunettes who remember everything the next day. I love a good southern gurl. It’s always a hoot seeing my favourite southern belles Gala Gonzalez (from Spain) and Eleonora Carisi (from Italy). I had to share these photos of Gala, in a white tee, trying to emulate one of Eleonora’s signature hair poses. It was hysterical!

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Happy Saturday! While we’re on the subject of hair, I thought I’d share some photos that I took backstage at the Alice + Olivia presentation a couple of days ago.

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I really love the angular, blunt, Rooney Mara-inspired haircuts at Calvin Klein. Not only they were very modern, they also punctuated the minimal but ultra chic looks Francisco Costa sent down the runway. More power to the ‘bob’!

Quick update from the beauty side… my obsession with Japanese skincare brand SK-II reached new heights. I went from treating myself to their famous masks (click here) and now I’m using the whole skincare line after stockpiling them in Japan!

I must say I’m very allergic to pesky and aggressive fragrance sales people but you know what, I had a very pleasant experience yesterday at Barney’s. I popped by the store yesterday afternoon in between meetings to pick up a bottle of Un Bois Vanille (my favourite from Serge Lutens). I had a few minutes to spare so I asked one of the guys for another recommendation. A few spritzing and whiffing happened and voila, I ended up buying a bottle of Datura Noir as well. It’s really, really, REALLY good. Trust.

The Bumble and Bumble salon in NYC’s Meatpacking District redefined my hair salon experience. It was very, very spacious and the waiting area offered breathtaking views… a far cry from what I’m accustomed to: cramped spaces with prying salon gays who serve two customers at a time, not to mention nosy matronic patrons listening to every word you say. Bumble and Bumble was different. Talk about a major upgrade. I think it’s the first time I got a haircut as in salon haircut in Manhattan. They were quick, efficient and friendly. It’s a shame I was pressed for time (I sandwiched my trim in between meetings) otherwise I’d get my hair color done as well.

Oh and my hair stylist, the very tall and very hunky Rogan definitely made my our day. Rumi and I left the salon with a new adjective…

I know it sounds crazy but I’ve been trolling beauty shops as of late. By beauty meaning anything related to the face, body, skin, etc. I like to think of myself as a pretty low maintenance kind of guy but the product junkie in me is coming out slowly. I think it started about two or three months ago when I went to a friend’s hotel room and saw the amount of products she brought with her — she had half a suitcase filled with everything from make-up and skincare to hair and beauty products. Comparing her stuff to mine (which I effortlessly dump inside a plastic bag), I realized holy Snooki batman, I spend ridiculous money on clothes and accessories and here I am using free generic shampoo they dispense at hotels, Colgate toothpaste, shaving cream from Gilette and to add salt to the wound, my deodorant is friggin Secret (I must confess it works)! That’s when it hit me — I need to take care of my body more by spending a little extra in quality products. So not only I go to the stores to window shop for fashion and accessories, I now go to beauty and skincare counters whenever I have free time.

I skipped lunch to go to the ultimate Florentine institution, Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella and picked up some shampoo, hair cream, body cream, shaving cream and a fragrance.

I’ve been getting quite a number of emails from readers asking what products I use. I wish I was one of those beauty junkies because I love trying new creams and potions but alas, I travel so much I have no choice but to be low maintenance. I simply cannot afford to bring the whole pharmacy with me, you know?

Clarins cleanser, facial scrub and moisturizer, Kiehl’s moisturizer, eyedrops from Brazil, Byredo Pulp fragrance, Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille fragrance, Fresh Sugar & Lychee bath gel, Sugar & Lychee fragrance, Pear Cassis fragrance, Sugar lip gloss, Bobbi Brown highlighter, MAC Prep + Prime Skin Base, MAC Studio Fix foundation and concealer, MAC mineral powder, Lancome Dual Finish powder

I bought my first Byredo fragrance in Stockholm two weeks ago during a lazy afternoon. With my crazy schedule, free time to sniff around wonderful concoctions is a luxury. When I passed by the Byredo store, I knew I had to go in. I’ve heard many great things about this Swedish perfume brand. So I bought ‘Pulp’. It’s my favourite scent out of everything they offered. You know me — I have the vocabulary of a twelve-year old so don’t let me put it into writing how it smells. All I know is that it’s terrific.

What impressed me the most is the amount of effort they’ve put into their branding and packaging. My boyfriend joked how I basically paid a little under US$200 for luxurious paper and boxes. All that jazz for 50ml’s worth of fragrance. But it’s worth it.

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Just got back from a beautiful lunch with my friend Zing. He’s a renowned make-up artist in Hong Kong whose work is extraordinary. We first met last year and it’s nice to see him again.

We talked about many, many things. He’s an avid Chanel jacket collector (both vintage and new), he loves Ralph Lauren and he stockpiles Yohji Yamamoto. Another topic was social media in China — he told me about Weibo, the Chinese version of twitter. He has about 500,000 followers there.