Singapore & Batam Finds...

Right, back to my bit of shopping in Singapore and Batam – a large portion went to clothes shopping not to mention trying a lot of different foods (!!), but I did pick up a few notable items...

These belts were a bargain at SGD10 for three items – the third item was a stack of pretty bracelets...hehe...


Why can’t we get deals like these back in Malaysia? This MNG card wallet cost me only SGD19 after discount!


For those of you that know me well, I suppose this is a dead giveaway as to why I picked it out? LOL...


The item above is actually a gift from my cousin – a Moschino Cheap and Chic set! I love the design on the box, and the inside smelt simply lovely!


Moschino Cheap and Chic EDT (30ml), body milk (50ml) and shower gel (50ml)

Anyone who’s ever seen J.Lo in THAT green Versace dress would have been wondering how she kept her dress from falling off. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I used to rely on double-sided tape in a pinch (heck, I even used it on my cousin to fix her wedding dinner dress!) But sadly, they used to irritate my skin somewhat so it was only for short use. So when I saw these new Nexcare tapes by 3M, I couldn’t resist grabbing a pack to try.

During my short hop over to Batam, I was shocked at just how cheap some of the items were. Needless to say imported goods were rather pricey, but the ‘Made in Indonesia’ items were extremely affordable...I reckon the two huge shopping bagfuls of stuff I brought back are a testament to it (although most of it was made up of snacks and gifts!)

Herbal Essences are seriously a LOT cheaper in Batam! I got the small bottle for just over RM2, and the two bigger bottles for about RM4 each!

To the best of my knowledge we don’t have this here...Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Sunblock in SPF30. I was afraid that it would have that typical sunblock smell, but it actually smells quite nice! It’s also water resistant, which means I can use it when I head to the beachside. :)

This one was gotten during my last few days in Singapore, but this is a freebie – I was given a 50ml tube of Dead Sea Premier hand cream just for trying out their Dead Sea Salt Scrub (reminded me a lot of Crabtree & Evelyn’s La Source Hand Therapy!) but hey, a freebie’s a freebie right? :D

I’ll get around to reviewing the products once I’ve had a chance to test them out thoroughly! Wheee!!

Cats Whiskers Summer Essentials…

Ahead of the Merdeka sales coming up, Cats Whiskers has revealed their list of Summer Essentials – and with a slew of weddings coming up to attend, their recommendations for wedding outfits are quite appealing. (click on the images below for larger versions)

Cats Whiskers outlets:-
Sri Hartamas: 34-1, 1stFloor, Jln 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2300 1264)
Damansara Perdana: 22-2, 1st Floor, Jln PJU 8/5G, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya (Tel: 03-7728 5662)
Bangsar: 7-1, 1st Floor, Jln Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2282 7317)
Subang Jaya: 32A, 1st Floor, Jln SS15/4D, Subang Jaya (Tel: 03-5638 3520)
Damansara Utama: 52M, 1st Floor, Jln SS21/58, Damansara Utama (Tel: 03-7710 5217)

Stage BOGOF Promotion…

I noticed that there have been quite a few cosmetic sales happening during the time I was in Singapore – apparently the Benefit sale was also quite good, but alas, in order to keep my finances in check I refrained from doing any ‘proxy’ shopping…hehe…

However, Stage has just revealed their latest promotion which I must say is rather tempting – from now until 5 July, Stage will be running a Buy 1 Get 1 Free promo on the lip, eye, cheek and nail products listed below which is tantamount to a 50% discount. :)

(click for larger image)

Incidentally, inuovi’s Ditch & Switch for Eyes is ending today…did any of you take advantage of the promotion?

Well, if you didn’t their next Ditch & Switch coming up in July will be on skin products. Stay tuned!

Lancome Fall 2009 Declaring Indigo…

At a recent event, a few of us got a sneak peek at Lancome’s upcoming Fall 2009 collection. Needless to say, we went a little nuts (ever seen a paparazzi frenzy? That would be pretty similar with all the cameras whipped out!) but to whet your appetite, here are some shots of what to expect and some swatches! :)

There are two eye shadow quads in this collection – Palette Liberte, which comes in a gold rose-imprinted case. I liked the feel of the case which comes across as sleek and sturdy, not to mention the glam factor.

Next up in the collection is the La Rose Liberte Illuminating Smooth Powder in Goldenescent Glow. By contrast, this compact resembles the more conventional black Lancome compact with the trademark gold rose in the corner.

The rose embossing on the surface of the powder is definitely very pretty, but I believe the embossing was supposed to have gold spray on it which has since rubbed off.

Lancome’s Color Fever Matte lipsticks – red lipstick never looked so good!

Personally, I like #152 and #153 since I found #151 a little bright for my liking. Despite being matte, they’re not drying so I’ll definitely be looking forward to these when they come out.

However, if the matte look isn’t to your liking you can always top it off with one of the two Color Fever glosses in either bright red or gold.

The applicator for the lip glosses come in the shape of a doe’s foot.


I loved the gold gloss – paired with the Color Fever lipstick, it packs quite a punch!

There is also a nice matte black gel eyeliner – do you see where my Egyptian sentiment of this collection is developing? Gel eyeliners are also a first for Lancome, if I’m not mistaken.

The rest of the collection is made up of Le Crayon Khol eyeliners and Le Vernis nail lacquers, both in the collection’s signature Indigo Blue and Gold shades.

For a twist on a French manicure, the gold can used as a base layer with the indigo blue on top leaving a gold strip not at the tip, but the base instead.

I’d concur with Paris that this particular collection looks very Egyptian, what with indigo, gold, black and red in the mix.

The Lancome Fall 2009 Declaring Indigo collection will be available in August 2009.

I must say though, the blue and gold effect on my nails did look quite attractive, so I might give that a try one of these days! :)

And…I’m BACK! :)

Hello hello ladies!! Missed me? Thanks for your patience over the past two weeks – I’ve been dying to post up stuff on the go, but somehow life got in the way! :D My Lenovo S10 performed admirably, but I was so caught up shopping and meeting up with friends that at the end of the day I just KOed…eeps!

MadAboutSprees and Rin, so sorry about not being able to reply your messages...it wasn’t till the day before I left that I saw them, but hey, email me your numbers – I’ll hopefully be dropping by again before the GSS is over...hehe...

Just to share with you all a few highlights of the trip (although there are plenty for sure!)…

Clarke Quay – a must go at night, especially since they had the Read Bridge Spectacular going on with plenty of night activities…

Fancy a gravity shot into space or a HUGE swing? I didn’t go, but it looked like a total blast (pardon the pun!)

Part of the entertainment that night – water gymnastics of a different kind…in huge bubbles!

Looks idyllic doesn’t it? Hehe…I also managed to squeeze in a quick trip to Batam – this was taken from the ferry as we were docking. And boy, things were quite cheap there too! I had a fab 2-hr aromatherapy oil massage for Rp.150,000 (works out to approx. RM50!!) not to mention got to try authentic Ayam Penyet too… :D

If that wasn’t enough, I am also back with newly-threaded brows done at Browhaus Raffles City (more on their services soon) courtesy of an old college friend EL…and this was just after I had had lunch with my aunt and cousin at – are you ready for this – Equinox, the restaurant on the 70th floor of Swissotel The Stamford. By the way, you get an awesome view of the Singapore Flyer and Singapore’s upcoming Integrated Resort from up there!

I finally got the chance to meet my friend’s baby (well, now toddler!)…this was the first time I’d seen her son, and gosh, he’s such a splitting image of his dad. And talk about a cool name – Zia (pronounced Zay-ah)

And if there’s one thing that I realized about Singapore, it’s that there’s a LOT of PSAs around advising people on socially acceptable behaviour, the most hilarious being the two I saw below (personally, I think these two should be implemented in Malaysia!)

The perennial problem of being courteous enough to let people OUT of trains before getting on – actually, this would extend to elevators too! But Phua Chu Kang is just hilarious lah...I laughed until my sides hurt when I first saw his video on “A Happy Journey Starts Like That”.

Maybe if we started putting these up in public toilets locally, people would stop squatting on toilet bowls? Somehow I’m a bit doubtful, but hey, it’s worth a try...if not a good laugh... :)

Of course, one of the main reasons I was in Singapore was for the Great Singapore Sale, and it certainly did not disappoint. This is just a sampler of the clothes I bought – and yes, I’m trying to move away from wearing a lot of black, hence a brighter selection of items...hehe...more pics of my other purchases coming up soon!


So, what’s been happening since I was gone? What’ve you all been up to eh? :)

In the land of the merlion...

Hey ladies!

Sorry for the sudden lull in content…don’t worry, I haven’t fallen off the bandwagon just yet – I’m actually in Singapore at the moment having a break. I’ve brought some great stuff with me, and will be reviewing it while I’m here (as and when the internet allows me to!) :D

As for those in Singapore, how about meeting up? I’ll be here till the 26th, so do let me know! Will be back with some new finds too…stay tuned, and stay beautiful!

Sephora Pop-Up Travel Brushes…

When a friend went over to the US recently, I couldn’t resist asking her to pick up a couple of items for me from Sephora. One of the items was a pop-up travel brush…in fuschia! :D

Description:
Sephora Brand Pop-Up Travel Brushes are perfect for home, travel, and quick touch-ups at work. Simply flip open the mirror and press your thumb against the bottom of the compact to pop out the brush. To retract the brush, gently press on the bristle tips with the center of your palm.

I love this little baby! Hehe..it combines both a mirror and comb into one – what’s not to like? The brush and mirror are also a pretty decent size each, so I don’t end up either squinting when applying makeup, or barely making any improvements to my hair!

The Sephora travel brushes come in a variety of colours, and they introduce special colours pretty frequently to coincide with seasons or special occasions (like the purple and black one on the bottom right) – they’re typically priced at USD4-8 (approx. RM15-RM28) which is quite pricey, but they are regularly put on sale and can go for as low as USD2 (about RM7) which sounds a lot more pocket-friendly right? :)


Sephora Pop-Up Travel Brushes are available from the Sephora website or outlets and range in price from USD2-USD8 (depending on colour and seasonal collection)

Pretty pretty…

While walking in Metrojaya the other day, I had some vouchers to use and was browsing for a handbag. I’m not sure why, but some seasons designers can get things so right (making you want to buy up entire collections!) but some where they get it so wrong (let’s not go there).

However, this little baby from David Jones caught my eye…interesting texture and felt nice to carry!


The inside of the bag was just so adorable – it sure beat having a solid colour interior.

There was one thing that bothered me about it though…it may be fashionable to have these dominatrix-esque tassels, but that look is just not me. So what to do? Do a little modification of course!

I had gotten this pretty leather flower clip from my (well, now former) boss for Christmas, and thought it would work quite well with the rest of the bag. I loved the tasseled leaves!

Didn’t take long either – took me all of two minutes to pry off the existing tassel loops and link on the leather clip. I dunno about the rest of you, but I like it… :D

PS: Better yet, this baby was on 50% discount! After deducting the discount and my vouchers, I ended up paying just RM30 for it...*grins*