Shopping on HK Island, Hong Kong

It would seem that most tourists stay in Kowloon and business travellers stay in HK Island. Even among the locals, if you stay on HK Island, you tend to work/shop/play on HK Island. If you rest your head at Kowloon, likewise you tend to stick to Kowloon stores. 

While Hong Kong's main financial/business district is in HK Island, HK Island is packed with pockets of shopping goodies. My last 4 trips to HK have seen me resting my aching legs and arms (after shopping) on HK Island, so I do feel somewhat equipped to write this post.

The mtr line travelling on HK Island is the Island Line and the 4 mtr stops I want to talk about are:

- Central (also linked to Hong Kong Airport Express Station)

- Admiralty

- Wan Chai

- Causeway Bay

Central 

Central mtr station is the mtr stop for the main business district of HK Island. Financial institutions, banks etc typically have their headquarters in Central and it is foolhardy to travel on the mtr during times that office workers commute. Although one would think that there are only office buildings and banks, the retail scene is very much alive in Central.  

Brands of note in Central include: Marks & Spencers, HMV (still very much alive in Hong Kong), H & M, Joyce and Shanghai Tang. If you're in Hong Kong to buy something branded and expensive (watches, bags, couture), you can probably find the brand in Central. 

Central also boasts of a famous street market, Li Yuen Street East and West. I have found costume jewellery, Chinese embroidery, children's clothes and shoes, knockoff bags, socks and stockings in this pair of streets. I don't haggle when buying from this pair of streets as I typically find the prices quoted reasonable. I had seen one vendor decline a potential buyer's bargaining attempts, so I guess you can try but don't be surprised when they turn you down.    

If it's raining in HK Island, Central is an excellent shopping choice as many shopping areas are either directly connected to the mtr station or interconnected from one building to another.

Admiralty Place

Pacific Place mall sits directly on top of Admiralty Place mtr station. Beauty brands like Giorgio Armani, Jo Malone, Jurlique, Nars and Yves Saint Laurent have individual stores here (conveniently located next to each other). Like Central, Pacific Place has many brands, so if you want to give your credit card a workout, this might just be the place. 

Sample of street shopping in HK Island

Just like Li Yuen Street East and West, Admiralty has its own street shopping. From the main road, it would appear that the street sell fresh food (typically the first few stalls might sell vegetables, fruits etc). But when you walk into the street, you might spot stalls selling knockoff bags, children clothes (factory rejects), socks and stockings, swimwear etc. The stalls selling non-food items typically open just before lunch hour and might close just before dinner time. 

Wan Chai

Tai Yuen Street in the Wan Chai area is famous for toys and I have picked up quite a few made-in-China toys here. Like everywhere in Hong Kong, drugstores like Mannings, Sasa and Watsons are also prevalent here. Street shopping prevails in Wan Chai.

Causeway Bay

Causeway Bay apparently has been a popular haunt among the Japanese and Korean tourists for a long time. It is my go-to place for shopping on HK Island. Uniqlo has just opened its first flagship store in Hong Kong in April 2013. It is 3 floors of Uniqlo heaven, located near Times Square. There is also another Uniqlo branch at World Trade Centre (perpendicular to La Foret Shopping Mall). 

The bigger shopping malls of note in Causeway Bay and their main draws (according to me):

- Times Square - Lane Crawford departmental store and City Super supermarket(stocks food and Japanese brands/products. Love the quirky Jap beauty buys here!)

- Hysen Place - Joyce Beauty, Gap, Abercombie & Fitch, Apple (2 storeys), Swarovski (including Atelier Swarovski pieces in store) and eslite

- La Foret - quirky stores, Korean and Japanese retail styles (cosmetics, shoes, wigs, clothes etc).

- Sogo - brands like MAC (store-in-store), Lancome, Clarins, Cosme Decorte, Longchamp, their amazing food hall and supermarket

- Windsor House. Think children's paradise. Toys R Us, stride rite, ItsImagical, Next Children among others

 Some brands found at Windsor House

A branch of Ikea and HMV can also found at the basement of Parklane Hotel (just across from Windsor House).

The street level shops in Causeway Bay are also just as bountiful for beauty products. There is a detailed plan for beauty shopping in Causeway Bay in my beauty shopping country guide HK. I have found more upstairs shops in Central and Causeway Bay than in Admiralty and Wan Chai, so keep a lookout for people distributing flyers and holding placards.

If you have any questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. 

Disclaimer: I did not receive payment or payment in kind for writing this blog post. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Beauty shopping - country: Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a destination I travel to almost every year (sometimes more than twice in 6 months). Mr Effort's family speaks Cantonese and love food, so it is no wonder that whenever we discuss where to go for a extended family vacation, Hong Kong typically comes up on the shortlist of destinations.

Beauty shopping country: Hong Kong

Cities/areas of reference: Hong Kong is widely known to be divided between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island (we'll leave the New Territories out of it for now). 

Causeway Bay & Central are on HK Island, Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) and Mongkok are on Kowloon.

Departmental stores in Hong Kong with extensive beauty departments:

1) Sogo departmental store (2 branches in HK, mtr stations: Causeway Bay/East Tsim Sha Tsui)

2) Langham Place (closest mtr station: Mongkok)

3) Lane Crawford (4 branches in HK)

4) Hysen Place (closest mtr station: Causeway Bay)

Drugstore chains in Hong Kong (equivalent to USA's Walgreens/CVS and UK's Superdrug/Boots)

1) Watsons (see my post on beauty shopping in Taiwan here)

2) Mannings

3) Sa Sa

4) Bonjour (there are some who claim that Bonjour is cheaper than Sa Sa. I am unable to verify this, but if you have time to comparison shop, you might want to try)

5) Colourmix

Other beauty shopping outlets

1) Joyce Beauty

Joyce Beauty is the beauty/cosmetics offshoot of the Joyce retail speciality. Joyce Beauty (9 branches in HK) stocks Lipstick Queen, Deborah Lippmann, Bumble & Bumble hair care, By Terry makeup among others. 

2) Upstairs shops

The upstair shops that I've seen in HK stock skincare and nail polishes (read my blog post here). However, it does take effort to search for them.  

Websites (multi-label/brand cosmetics)

- Yahoo HK shopping. Various sellers, various sellers' ratings. 

I was unable to find many multi-label/brand cosmetics websites which would accept non-HK credit cards and which would deliver within HK (excluding official drugstore websites like www.sasa.com, etc). Several websites I came across required payment via HK bank accounts, which is not available to the average tourist. A HK acquaintance shared with me that domestic HK online shopping is not predominant, that she tended to shop online with overseas (e.g. US) sites.

Where to go 

If you only have one day

If your accommodation is on HK Island, Causeway Bay is the ultimate stop. If you're staying on Kowloon instead, go to Mongkok. 

There is a Sogo branch at Causeway Bay. Exiting Sogo via the doors nearest to the MAC store-in-store, you can walk to Lockhart Road which is peppered with Colourmix, Bonjour and a Skin Food store. Hysen Place has Joyce Beauty, its own beauty floor and various Korean brands like too cool for school, Holika Holika and the saem. Innisfree has also opened up a store just diagonal to Hysen Place (the store is on the small side and there is a queue to get into the store). There is also a Sasa (2 floors) store at the Goldmark just next to Hysen Place if you don't want to dash to Hang Lung Centre. Cher2 also has a Causeway Bay branch.

Innisfree store in Causeway Bay

Once you exit Causeway Bay (mtr exit E), you will see an Etude House and Bonjour branch. Leaving the exit, there is a big Sasa shop at the ground floor of Hang Lung Centre, Paterson Street and Mannings is conveniently located 1 floor above Sasa. In Windsor House (the building next to Hang Lung Centre), there is a big Watsons store at the basement floor as well as Kiss nail store. In Times Square, brands like Jill Stuart, Fancl, ettusais, L'occitane, Jurlique can be found as well as Lane Crawford's own beauty hall.

Mongkok, Kowloon is one of the busiest areas in Hong Kong for shopping. Be prepared for jostling in the stores. I do like Langham Place and you can easily find various drugstores just minutes away from Langham Place (all of the 5 I've mentioned above). 

If you only have one weekend

I would recommend doing the same, but at a far more relaxed pace. I have visited Causeway Bay or Mongkok over a few days simply because I needed time to think about whether or not to purchase the product.

If you have one weekend and are visiting Causeway Bay, I do recommend adding eslite at Hysen Place. eslite is a famous Taiwanese book store chain and its first foray overseas is in Hysen Place. The eslite store has a tea salon and carries tea, skincare, bodycare products alongside books and magazines. 

If you have one week

I would recommend getting a Chinese facial/massage. I simply never have the time whenever I'm in HK but I have done Chinese facials (in Singapore) before and it is different from the 'Western' type of facial treatments. Alternatively, you could have a Bliss Spa facial at the W Hong Kong. 

When to go

Hong Kong due to its proximity to China gets a huge influx of China tourists. On one hand, retail stores run promotions to cater to this influx of tourists (lower prices, packaged deals etc). On the other hand, the jostling in the streets can get quite maddening. The peak China tourism periods in Hong Kong are just before or after Chinese New Year (in 2014, Chinese New Year falls on 31 Jan), the first week of May and the first week of October.

Hong Kong runs their summer sale typically in July, although they have been known to stretch this period longer and longer in recent years. It might start from mid June and end only in September but the steeper discounts are typically in July. 

HK vs Taiwan

Having travelled to both countries in the span of 2 months, I can safely compare them in terms of beauty shopping. Taiwan is highly influenced by Japan in terms of beauty shopping. Many Japanese beauty brands have chosen Taiwan as their first choice to sell outside Japan and many beauty bloggers have commented that the same beauty product could be cheaper in Taiwan than in Japan (the release date in Taiwan is typically later than Japan). Following the global trend, Korean skincare and cosmetics have also entered the Taiwanese market, but is still not as prevalant as Japanese brands. Taiwanese skincare brands also have made a name for themselves internationally, with Naruko, Beautymaker, For Beloved One, My Beauty Diary, My Scheming being the forerunners.

HK, on the other hand, has lots of beauty stores peppering every street (and sometimes 2 branches of the same chain on the same street!). These beauty stores carry an amazing variety of brands from all over the world, including China brands. Mannings also stocks Boots (UK) items, so it is easy to pop in and buy a Boots item replacement if you're from UK. Among the brands I spotted in Watsons HK (but did not spot in Watsons Taipei) were Max Factor (a full display, similar to Maybelline New York) and Racinne Skincare.

I would say offhand that there are more Korean skincare and cosmetics brands (both official and unofficial stores) in HK than there are in Taipei. Other than Sulwhasoo and History of Whoo (which are in both HK and Taiwan), I came across another LG Beauty store in HK which stocks Isa Knox and Cathy Cat.

Max Factor limited edition collection with mascara, eyeliner and 3 nail polishes

If you have any questions, do let me know and I will try my best to answer them.

Nail polish shopping in Hong Kong

Keen to find certain nail polishes in Hong Kong, I contacted a HK beauty blogger, Jacq after reading her entries on nail polish and asked her for some contacts in HK. She was very kind and told me about 2 stores (and agreed for me to include them in my blog post). Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the 2 stores, so am unable to personally share more about them. However, I did come across 2 nails stores myself during my trip.

Cher2 is apparently a chain of nail stores (they have 4 outlets in various areas shopping areas and I went to the one near Central mtr station, opposite the big H & M store. It is what I call an “upstairs shop”. The branch I went to stocks OPI, China Glaze, Essie, Orly, Nubar, Jessica, Zoya, Seche Vita top coats, orange sticks, Cuccio gel polish (along with other brands of gel polishes which will need to be UV/LED cured),  UV lamps, etc. 

Storefront after you exit the lift

Interior of the store 

What I liked about this store is that they provide nail swatches that give you a idea of what the colour actually looks like. There are individual shades as well as combinations (e.g. they paint a base coat of shade X, add a glitter/etc coat of Y and paint a mattifying/effect top coat). Great for getting inspiration.  I saw China Glaze being sold for approximately HK$70 onwards (different collections are priced differently) and Nubar was sold for HK$80. 

Nail swatches for Nubar (2 different layers and a matt top coat)

I also came across Kiss nail store at Windsor House (store no 122, closest mtr: Causeway Bay). The store carries Deborah Lippmann, Butter London, Orly Gelfix, Colour Club and others that I can’t quite remember. The Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Set (Coat of Arms Gel Lab Base Coat and Shining Armour Gel Lab Top Coat) were selling for HKS$485 (vs USD$45 from Nordstorm USA).They also stock nail stickers by Kiss, nail wraps, files etc.

Deborah Lippmann also can be found in Joyce Beauty stores (but they had sold out of the Deborah Lipmann Gel Lab Set 1 month after its launch).

I ended up buying these nail stickers from Hong Kong.

Nail stores recommended by Jacq: 

1) Basement floor of K11 Mall (closest mtr: Tsim Sha Tsui)

2) 2nd floor of Chung King Express (closest mtr: Tsim Sha Tsui)

Disclaimer: I did not receive any payment or payment in kind for writing this blog post. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Shopping trend in Hong Kong - upstairs shops

Due to high rentals in Hong Kong, there have been more and more upstairs shops in recent years. These are stores in mostly nondescript commercial buildings and may not have a street level signboard. The upstairs shops may not be limited to retail and restaurants are common (this article features a selection of upstairs restaurants, bars and art galleries). 

they're not on strike, just holding advertising placards

The upstairs shops typically advertise by distributing flyers and people holding advertising placards in busy areas.

 Sample flyer with map of stores

Sample flyer with shop outlet address

I have found pretty good deals at some of these shops before but it is very often hit and miss. Not all stores sell genuine products, so you do have to know what to look out for. Some of them are actually very good copies (typically for bags etc). The beauty upstairs shops I've personally been to sells nail polishes, Hong Kong domestic brands and Korean skincare brands (not available outside Korea). 

These shops are usually at non-touristy buildings, so if you're interested in the brands after taking the flyers, it's best to ask the person distributing the flyer where exactly the location is. A Hong Kong acquaintance  I was speaking told me that some upstairs shops may only stay in a certain location/space for 6 months, so if you had fun shopping at any particular store, it's best to get their Facebook page or website so that you can be informed of any move. 

Due to the space contraints, the upstairs retail stores tend to be bare bones - think simply painted walls, movable shelves and display counters and a cash register. Some may only accept cash in Hong Kong dollar or their local bank network cards (EPS), so it's best to prepare Hong Kong dollars before shopping there.

I have more pictures and details of one such upstairs shop (Cher2) here. 

Two Girls 花露水

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at my grandma and grandpa's place. There were always interesting items to be discovered although their place wasn't big and I treasured the quilt my grandma made despite the hot weather. 

Even as a child, I loved to poke around in jars and creams. Among the metal tins of Nivea & glass jars of Pond's, Chinese ladies in cheongsams usually appeared on bottles and boxes. One of them was a brand called Two Girls.

I came across a store by this brand in HK on a trip a few years ago, but didn't encounter any stores since then. However, I came across a vending machine selling its products on this trip! 

I remember grandma having  its floral dew tonic (花露水, if you translated each character individually, it'll be "Flower Dew Water"). Not quite your Melvita Floral Water but back then(I'm guessing 1940s onwards as my grandma would have been in her 20s in 1945), this was extremely popular. 

The stars of Chinese cinema in the 1940s-1960s predominantly came from Hong Kong. Hong Kong actresses and celebrities were deemed as super glamourous, with their fitted cheongsams, attention to makeup and the appeal of the silver screen. Some stars during this time include Lin Dai and Ruan Lingyu. So skincare products, coming from Hong Kong, land of the stars, must have sold well. 

Oriental beauties in cheongsams have been used on packaging in recent years to sell almost everything from cosmetics to fashion apparel to mooncakes. But the images used by this brand to me reeks authenticity. 

Note: there is a similar brand (English name is Shanghai Vive) that uses similar images. The Chinese names of Two Girls and Shanghai Vive are also similar (the first 2 Chinese characters of Two Girls is the Chinese name of Shanghai Vive).