Singapore shopping - Kenzoki and Burberry Beauty

Metro was having a 20% store-wide sale this week. Initially, I did not plan to buy anything except Chanel UV Essentiel and Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder. These are two stable items in my make-up routine and stocking them always gives me a peace of mind. However, recently, I am thinking of trying out sunscreens from other brands as the price of Chanel UV Essentiel is increasing to an unacceptable level. But again, I do not want to waste money on trying new products and eventually still have to go back to Chanel. It is a very disturbingly tiresome argument I was having with myself.

Anyway, I was in a very bad mood this week due to family matters. So I knew that I would, either spend a bomb shopping or walk home empty-handed. With that kind of mood, I went into Metro Paragon and headed straight to Kenzoki. Err? That sounded so out of the blue. Well, at the time, I suddenly remembered Kenzoki also had a suncreen (which brand does not have?) and a lot of customers seemed to ask for it last time when I was there checking out its moisturizers. So I thought I might want to see if the stock had come in (it had been out of stock in July).

When I reached the counter, the SA was the one had served previously and I had felt quite comfortable with her. I asked to test the suncreen on my hand to feel texture and if it left a white cast on my skin. Even though the product looked thick at first on my skin, when I spread the liquid, it took less than a minute to absorb into my skin and leave nothing behind. No white cast and stickiness. And the coverage seemed great, just a few drops to cover my forearm. I thought to myself, maybe worth a try. I asked the SA about the price. $61, compared with $73 of Chanel. That was great. "I will take the suncreen, thanks!"

But I did not stop at that. I did not feel satisfied, so the SA recommended other products from Kenzoki. In the end, I walked out of the counter with a night eye cream (for dark circles) and an exfoliator for my face. I had some from Origins (GWP and reward points) but I was having a withdrawal from those products. And Kenzoki scrub had very interesting texture. So yep, I gave these products a try. After all, I am pampering myself so it should be money well-spent.

But that was all I bought in Metro. Amazingly, I did not think about stocking Givenchy loose powder. I passed by the counter without a second thought. I guess I still had until end of this year to buy a new box.

My next focus was Tangs and the newly-opened Burberry Beauty counter. Why? Because I wanted to take a look at Burberry Beauty products, especially its blushes. I was reading beauty blogs the past few months and got hooked into this brand. I am a sucker for clean and classy packaging. That is why Chanel, Givenchy and Kenzoki call to me. The design of Burberry beauty products could not be any less perfect. So yeah, I needed to see them for myself to satisfy my eyes, and then tested the products to see if they were as wonderful as those bloggers described them to be.

The counter was situated near to MAC and the perfume section of Tangs Beauty Hall. And it was quite empty when I was there, which made me hesitant to approach the counter. I just wanted to check out the products, but I might not buy anything. And an empty counter might make that difficult as the SAs would have more focus to push you. Again, my depressing mood prompted me to go there. (Yep, I usually do many thing unreasonable when I am stressed.)

The SA serving me turned out to be very polite and nice. She asked me if I was interested in a particular product and my answer was blush. Due to two unfortunate accidents, my eyes are extremely sensitive and dry nowadays. I cannot put on eye make-up without irritating them, which means eye shadows, mascaras, eye liners, etc. are out of my focus. So when I shop for my make-up, they usually include liquid foundation, loose powder, blush, eye brow related stuff, lip sticks and blush. Since I was sick of my current blushes at home, I looked forward to exploring some new options at Burberry.

Singapore counter seemed to carry all the light glows (that was what Burberry calls its blush) which were available on the UK website. This means more than what is offered on Singapore website. And the SA recommended Tangerie (No. 6) and Blossom (No. 5) to me. After trying both on my cheeks, I wanted to buy both colors. One interesting point about the blushes was that they looked quite different from the pan and on my cheeks. And different in a good way. The texture was another winning point, velvet and pigmented. What else could I expect from a blush? I was sold. But which color should I choose? After asking me a few more questions, the SA convinced me to take Tangerie as most of my current blushes were pink tone. Tangerie would give my blushes a variety.

So yeah, I happily took Tangerie home with me, after parting 61 bucks at the cashier. The price was high, but it was comparable with Chanel. Also, after I checked the website, the pricing in Singapore was quite compatible with other countries carrying the line, which made me even happier. And you will definitely see me at the next Tangs 12% sale.

Here are some shots I took of the blush. Beautiful, isn't it? However, due to my lousy iPhone camera, the color of the blush was not reflected well in the picture. It is the best to see it in real life.

Singapore shopping - Second pair of shoes for 2011

It is my first pair of Chloé shoes. And yes, it is another pair of flats. Out of all shoe types, flats is the one I wear almost daily. Be it weekday or weekend, it is my first choice of shoes. Unless I have a specific outfit in mind, which I usually need to go with a certain shoe type. I know it sounds boring but after spraining my ankles twice (once each side), I might have developed a phobia of wearing high heels. So until I feel my ankles are 100% back to normal, I guess I will continue to wear and buy flats.

Anyway, this pair of shoes wasn't my first choice. I wanted to get YSL 'love' flats, which was in an amazing color. And it was on sale as well. However, the sizing was a little off, plus the fact that the shoes didn't look that well-made (at least compared with my own YSL purple flats which I bought about 2 years ago). So I decided not buying it. Then... I wandered off to Chloé and tried on their shoes. Wow, "soft" was my first thought when putting on theirs. Sad to say this but YSL needs to increase their QC standard before it drops further. Back to Chloé shoes, they fitted me perfectly. I had half a mind to buy on the spot, even though there wasn't any sale at that moment. But... there is always a "but". My size was sold out for the design that I like. Damn...

Luckily, I have another way to get I want, without flying to Paris. Namely online shops. Coincidentally, one of the websites is giving out a 30% off for SS11 collection. So why should I wait for the sale? And a few days later, I received my lovely shoes.

At the moment, the shoes are at the shoe repair services shop to have their sole prepped. I've learnt my lesson with my old Lanvin flats. Now I just need to see how it's done and if it is what I think it is, I will have my black Lanvin flats prepped as well. Yep, expensive shoes definitely needs more care than your average run-off-the-mill shoes. But the reward is when you wear them and they change your outfits as well as posture entirely.

Updates on 21 Jun 2011:

I really regretted having it re-soled and re-heeled. A disaster. Shoe repair services in Singapore suck big time. This is my second time having problems with my shoes after sending them to the shops. Let's see how long I will put up with this pair before chucking it into the bin. For 424 (400 + 24) bucks, I guess I have to wear it at least 100 times. For every other day, this means around 6 months. It means until next year. Well, I can do this. But first, I need a spare nail file.

My shoe collection

I have made a decision with regards to my bags and shoes. From now on, I will try to buy those with good quality. Considered these as investment pieces, this will help me from buying too many shoes and bags which don't last me more than 3 months. Also, given my limited space, I will need to focus more on building a small but well-covered wardrobe. Quality over quantity.

At the moment, I have only 4 pairs of designer shoes. These were bought from different sale events and with discount from 70% and above. I am very proud of this collection even though I haven't managed to establish a personal shoe style. Anyway, I allow myself to acquire about 4 pairs of designer shoes a year. Yes, no more cheap shoes and no more seasonal de-cluttering!

1. Alexander McQueen Mary Jane Heels



Red and brown. Suede and fine leather. Very sharp combination. Dislike its pointy toe cap though, cos it hurt my feet terribly. I have wide feet, ya see!

2. D&G buckle crunched flats



One thing I like about leather-made accessories is that the more you wear them, the more they become beautiful. This pair of flats isn't an exception. I have been wearing it for more than 6 months and it looks prettier and prettier. However, due to the crunched design, it was a pain in the ass to wear. Until I cut the rubber band and it is perfect.

3. Marc Jacobs dark blue pumps



Square toe and chunky heel, a comfortable design? Nah, dun let it deceive you. It's 4-inch high which can really kill you if you walk too much. Talking from a painful experience here! But I love the additional height it gives me and the compliments I got from wearing it. Just be prepared to soak my poor feet in warm water at the end of the day though.

4. Yves Saint Laurent Ballerina Flats in Purple



My latest addition into the collection. Actually I wanted to buy the silver cage bow heels but that pair cost over SGD1k, even after a 50% discount. And it is 4-inch high and I was still traumatized over my Marc Jacobs pumps. Anyway, I just realized I hadn't had any purple shoes before. So here it is, lovely sitting there in my shoe rack.

All in all, for this year, I have bought 2 pairs. I might buy about 2 more pairs, if there are any good deals out there for me grab! My wish list includes a pair of Lanvin flats and a pair of Christian Louboutin heels.

GSS 2009

I'm so broke this sale season! After 4 months of not-so-much shopping, GSS 2009 has been a disaster for me! I've been spending too much now, and in combination of other events, I'm nearly broke. But of course, I'm happily broke.

To keep myself in track, I will use this post to list all the good purchases I have been making. Dun read if you are not a shopaholic. You have been warned.

- 10 books (checking)
- 1 pair of Met store pearl earrings
- Zara dress
- 2 Ralph Lauren dresses
- 1 Ralph Lauren turtle neck top
- 1 pair of Tommy flats
- 1 pair of FCUK flats
- 1 FCUK dress
- 1 Island shop dress
- 1 vintage dress
- 1 pair of Marc Jacobs heels
- 1 Swarovski necklace
- 1 Kate Spade Tarrytown Quinn in Orange
- 1 Mango dress
- 2 pairs of United Colors of Benetton tights
- 2 Massimo Dutti scarves
- 1 Massimo Dutti cotton vest
- 1 BCBG dress
- 2 Zara dresses
- 1 Zara slip
- 1 Zara scarf
- 1 Zara cropped cardigan
- 1 YSL ballerina flats

Am I a bag snob?

I am on the 9th cloud right now. Why? It is because I just bought a Kate Spade Tarrytown Quinn for myself. For those who know about my travel plan this Sep, laugh all you want. Yes, I know I was talking about waiting to shop in the States. Yes, I know I need to save lots of money for that trip. Yes, I know this year the economy is down. Yes, I know there were many reasons that I need to save money. But really, I thought very hard before I decided to bring this bag home. I have been lusting over this bag for a year, or as long as I saw it. And when it was on sale last year, it was 30% discount and I couldn't feel justified enough, for that kind of leather, color and brand.

Time passed, this year's sale has come, I wandered to Kate Spade store again, didn't expect much. And there it was, sitting invitingly on the shelf. I couldn't help myself and took a look at it. Lo and behold, it was a 50% discount and in my favourite color. OMG, I thought to myself, "I could afford it, should I buy it?" Anyway, I walked out of the store and went to buy some jewelry at Swarovski. The next day, I was still thinking about it which meaned I really wanted to buy it. So I went back there with a friend who I wanted to give me a rational voice. And you know what? The bag was sold out at the store. What the heck? I felt so lost and so sad. And I realized I would have to buy it at all means. So I asked the SA to call to another branch to check if they still had stock. The answer was YES. I felt so relieved but it was too late to go there at that time. And today, I went to the other branch, saw the bag, checked with SA for the new piece, had my credit card swiped and BAM, I am a proud owner of a new bag. A Kate Spade Tarrytown Quinn in orange.

That is the typical story of a reformed shopaholic. And back to the question, am I a bag snob? I do not know. Truly. I just feel myself loving bags made of good materials, and at the moment, I am really into leather. I do believe that leather bags will last you very long, compared with bags made of other types of material. The more you wear them, the more they look beautiful. Long-time worn leather bags have a very particular look which make them more unique. Also, just do some simple math, if you keep buying cheap-material bags, you can only wear a few months and then you will feel bored with them, and of course, discard them. And nowadays, those bags are not very cheap either. You can spend nearly 100 bucks for them. And because you think they are cheap, you will buy more, quantity over quality. Within a year, you can easily spend a few hundred bucks on bags which you can't keep at all. Whereas, you save and buy 1 or 2 good bags a year, but you feel content and confident when wearing them. Over the time, you will have a collection of good bags which you might be able to pass down to the next generation. That is if you keep them in very good condition.

And speaking of cheap bags, they will do you no good when travelling. I had a case of bag malfunction at the airport where the handle of my bag broke. I had to run around to find a new bag, just to replace that old bag. It wasn't a pleasant experience, I must say.

Anyway, enough talking, now it's time to goggle over my new bag. Muahahhahaha....

In its shopping bag



Then in its dust bag



In its own glory



In another angle



Enough? Yes, I think so!