A journey of beauty and festive indulgence: Inside Tatler x Raffles City’s Christmas shopping experience

Festive refreshments as well as a charming ornament-crafting activity followed, allowing guests to personalise their own holiday keepsakes—the perfect take-home memento. Guests also left with a thoughtfully curated Dior Icons door gift, adding an elegant finishing touch to the experience. 

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The journey continued with Chiun hosting the visit to Armani Beauty, where guests immersed themselves in the brand’s Holidayrama collection for 2025. The Advent Calendar—filled with miniature icons across makeup, fragrance and skincare—was a highlight, alongside personalised fragrance consultations. The Armani Beauty team—led by Kenneth Yeo, the brand’s education manager—also conducted personalised shade matching services featuring the new Lip Maestro Magnet, ensuring each guest left with products tailored to their preferred style. Prosecco and light refreshments added to the relaxed yet celebratory atmosphere as our beauty lovers mingled with Chiun over their shopping picks of the season. 

The afternoon of shopping concluded at Givenchy Beauty, led by Thoufeekh, who guided guests through the maison’s festive makeup collection. Her top picks—the Prisme Libre Loose Powder, Prisme Libre Highlighter and the L’Interdit gift sets—were showcased through a short makeup demonstration. Led by the brand’s in-house makeup artist Sylvia, the demonstration revealed how to create a glamorous holiday look using Givenchy’s signature light-sculpting techniques and luminous finishes. A live painting session followed, where an on-site artist hand-illustrated festive motifs on gift boxes for guests to take home. Exclusive shopping tiers and a take-home door gift rounded off the experience on a luxurious note.

The second afternoon welcomed new batch of guests back for another round of festive discoveries at Raffles City Singapore—this time with three brands known for their distinct identities and sensorial storytelling. From Guerlain’s Parisian luxury to Gucci Beauty’s expressive flair and Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s olfactory universe, the day had plenty of creativity and craft to share.

The experience began at Guerlain, hosted by Koh, who introduced guests to the maison’s holiday icons: the Abeille Royale Youth Watery Oil, L’Art & La Matière fragrances, and the enchanting Le Conte Des Merveilles Advent Calendar. A live calligraphy station allowed guests to pen personalised Christmas messages, sealed with Guerlain’s signature wax emblem—a poetic nod to the house’s artisanal heritage. 

Next, guests walked over to Gucci Beauty where Thoufeekh welcomed them with a warm introduction of the brand’s most coveted products of the season. Her top picks? The Glow Skin Tint Moisturizer and The Alchemist's Garden Tears From the Moon eau de parfum. National makeup artist Zoe Ting led an engaging masterclass showcasing limited-edition holiday pieces such as the Rouge à Lèvres Mat Lipsticks. A thoughtful highlight at Gucci Beauty was the painting and engraving of Christmas ornaments, created specially for each Tatler guest. 

The afternoon concluded at Maison Francis Kurkdjian, where Chiun guided guests through the maison’s festive offerings. His top picks—including the Miniatures Gift Set, Sparkling Body Oil and scented candles—introduced the brand’s world of refined fragrance. Guests then took part in a mini Christmas-tree ribbon activity using Maison Francis Kurkdjian ribbons, crafting personalised festive accents to take home. Tiered shopping privileges and deluxe samples made it a highlight for this final stop on the journey.

Also read: The scent of memory: A conversation with Francis ‘Kurky’ Kurkdjian of Maison Francis Kurkdjian 

Both afternoons concluded with a refined high tea at Anti:dote, where guests were treated to its signature afternoon tea. Into the Modern: An Impressionist Afternoon Tea, created in partnership with National Gallery Singapore and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, presented a thoughtful spread of savouries, delicate pastries; edible art pieces that reimagine the artistry of Monet, Renoir, Manet, Cézanne and Degas. The session offered a moment of pause after the day’s explorations—a chance for guests to reconnect, exchange their favourite picks from each boutique, and ease into the early evening.

As the two-day programme drew to a close, the Tatler x Raffles City Christmas shopping experience once again highlighted the joy of intentional, personalised retail—one shaped by discovery, craftsmanship, and festive gift giving.

Click through the gallery below for more photos of the event: