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. 

Lipstick Queen Hello Sailor & dupes

As I was hard at work on my Peripera Peri's Tint Jelly post, I came across another blue lippie, Lipstick Queen's Hello Sailor. Apparently, this blue lip offering from Poppy King is actually a tinted blackberry coloured lip balm. Out only in stores in May, Lipstick Queen's done the smart thing and released samples for bloggers and press in both USA and UK at the same time.

I first read about it here. Refinery 29's Megan McIntyre described it as "very sheer, very creamy.... It was a naturally bright, flushed appearance to my lips." Swatches can be found here. The swatch looks more greyish than the Peri's Tint Jelly in Sky Stick swatch I did but unfortunately I have not been able to find anyone swatch on their lips to make a fair comparison. 

With its nautical name and packaging, my first thought was that Lipstick Queen is launching this brand to ride on the Fleet Week (last week of May 2013 in NY). Hello Sailor, indeed!

The basic marketing speak behind Hello Sailor seems to be "Shocking/never done before colour (in this case, blue) turns into a beautiful lip colour." Such lip products don't appear new to me. These 3 blue lippies are from various Korean beauty brands. They share the same concept - feature a 'shocking' colour (the brands also do a purple lippie) which promises to turn into a beautiful/ previously unimagined shade upon application.

Peripera (shade launched in 2013)

The Saem

Banila Co

I purchased my Peripera blue lippie at approximately S$7 (about £4 or USD$6) not including shipping vs Hello Queen's price tag of USD$25/£20 (not including shipping). 

However, this is not a fair comparison. Lipstick Queen has got a good reputation mainly due to Poppy King and the packaging and casing of Hello Sailor looks luxe to me. I also do not have the chance to try Lipstick Queen products myself so am unable to comment on their texture/glide/pigment etc. Clearly, the price points are departmental stores vs drugstore pricing. 

If you wanted to add a blue lippie to your luxury beauty bag, I would say go for Hello Sailor. But if you just want to try the trend and possibly toss the blue lippie aside after a while, try searching for Korean beauty brands which stock similar products.

Hello Sailor is available at Barnes New York (USD$25) in USA and  SpaceNK (GBP£20) in UK from 1 May onwards. In Asia Pacific, Lipstick Queen is available at Joyce Beauty in Hong Kong (Hysen Place, New Town Plaza, Harbour City outlets only) and at Kit Cosmetics in Australia (Myer departmental stores).  It is undetermined if Hello Sailor will arrive in Asia Pacific, so if you really want this shade, your best bet are the USA or UK locations.

Update April 2013: Lipstick Queen retails at HK$180 for a typical lipstick and the Lip Noveau set (Butterfly Ball Fly, Saint Berry, Red Sinner) goes for HK$420 at Joyce Beauty.