Mar 31, 2010

Sephora in Singapore and Crazylibellule Update


As much as possible I like to keep my promises. So here is the fulfilment for one of them! :)

I was in Singapore when I finished my 2nd bottle of Mario Badescu's Buffering Lotion (it's good for cystic acne, next time I'll do a separate post about the product itself). A quick online search showed that Sephora is on the list of Mario Badescu stockists in Singapore. I became super excited when I found out that there are 2 branches: one at ION and one at Takashimaya. Out of curiosity I went to both. 

I'll start with my trip to ION. First impression: the store looked tidy and orderly, with very bright white lights. The overall effect is almost too sanitized, if you get what I mean. I was quite happy to see they stocked many brands that aren't normally found in Asia. Though Sephora seemed to be playing a little "too safe" by stocking familiar names on the side: like MAC, Clarins, and other usual department stores brands. I suppose it's a business, not a charity, so they have to try to maximise their chance of profitting from both familiar and not so familiar brands.

The very first counter I checked out was MUFE: to admire the mascaras and eyeliners. Admirably, I did NOT buy any of them - I was (and am) still sticking to my Post and Shame Challenge. I didn't wavered and didn't let any of the Aqua Eyes tempt me. I did feel a little sadness when I abandoned the counters, such good products... (yeah, reviews of MUFE I have are coming up soon!). The SA there was very nice and polite, a breath of fresh air in a country where the service standard can be below the par of other Asian countries.

Second counter on my list was MB. Did Sephora have the product I was after? Well, yes and no. Yes, because I saw a tester bottle on the counter. No, because they didn't allow me to buy an individual product: the Buffering Lotion was sold in a pack with 2 other products that I don't have the need of. The didn't sell it individually. Even my pleading didn't work, the lovely SA asked the manager whether it's possible for me to buy the BL only - to which the answer was "NO". I didn't think it was worth spending about $150 to get a product I want plus 2 others that I don't really want. And no, I can't be bothered selling the other 2. Afterall, I was (and I still am) living on suitcases - not much extra space and not much time to flog what I don't want. So yeah, with much regret I said goodbye to MB counter and moved on.

I wondered around, bypassing some UK brands (obviously, since I just moved on from UK), and stopped only when I saw familiar cute packagings in front of me. Some of you might remember my older post about Crazylibellule Crazy Stick Solid Perfumes. After much sniffing and trying on the skin, I decided that they're not really for me. Granted the packagings are as cute and as chic as on the website. Pity the most important thing about the perfumes (read: scents) didn't blow me away. I only liked 2 or 3 from the whole collection. They didn't pass the "skin test" either, as in they didn't smell as good on my skin. One actually gave me a headache. Which signals the end of my trip to ION Sephora. No purchase whatsoever - disappointing considering I was sucked into Sephora-hype after reading many good words about the ones in USA and France.

My trip to the branch at Takashimaya was pretty uneventful. I saw, I went in, I came out again a few minutes later. There wasn't anything worth looking that I haven't seen before. The SAs also looked scarily snooty. My words of advice for "you who are passing by Singapore": go to Sephora at ION, it's much bigger than Takashimaya branch. Plus the SAs are much nicer.

Conclusion: I'll try my luck with other Sephora stores in other countries next time. Or just be content with the online store...

On a more personal note: I'm still busy trying to sort things out here. Moving country is never easy, there are many joys and pains that come with it. So, till next time, my faithful readers! :) 

Mar 16, 2010

It's NOT a Competition

Recognize the famous building in this picture? Click here for the answer.
I'm in Sydney now! Unbelievable, I know...

A lot of things happened since my last post. Last week we received the long awaited news on Tuesday, left Singapore on Thursday evening, arriving in Australia on Friday. Last minute news = last minute arrangements. Plus hubby's paranoia about his health and other things, my plate is full at the moment. I'll start blogging on what I intended to blog about soon. :)

Mar 9, 2010

I Set Out to Find Something, I Found Another Instead


"There are many things in life I'd like to find:

I set out to find a good mascara,
I found an "almost perfect" one instead.
I set out to find a good lip gloss,
I found a forgotten one from my stash instead.
I set out to find a good skincare routine,
I found a brilliant dermatologist instead.

I set out to be an archaeologist,
I found my calling in music instead.
I set out to find a new adventure,
I found many old adventures being re-lived instead.
I set out to find a place to settle in,
I found real friends in my time of trials instead.

Life is full of unexpected things,
The Lord my God leads me through them all."
- by Music, 08 March 2010, Singapore

Music the Vagabond is back! :) How's everyone?

Life is like a round of carousel at the moment. First I was in Indonesia. Then I was in Singapore. Followed by another stint in Indonesia. The circle comes around with my being in Singapore again. I enjoyed celebrating Christmas and Chinese New Year with family and friends I haven't seen for many years.

Despite the good times (and much food-chomping), I still long to settle in "a country in the southern hemisphere" like I mentioned before. Alas, the waiting time is longer than what hubby and I thought would be. If the saying "all good things come to those who wait" is really true, I'm hoping to find a big bucket of gold at the end of the rainbows after the rains. Well, make it a big bucket filled with Godiva chocolates and HG products. And funky shoes. And round-the-world flight tickets. And many more. Hehehe...

I hope my writing skill isn't getting rusty after being away for what seems to be a looooong time in the blogging world. I didn't have reliable and/or cheap access to internet where I was, followed by a time of bad health, thus the absence. But those were minor inconveniences compared to the more important things in life at the moment.
 
Anyway, I'll try to start writing more regularly again, hopefully soon. Now I need a lot of time to catch up with my reading list, and my sleep. It's after midnight where I am! Zzzzzzzzzzz.....
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