All about Shopping!

I saw on SNS that this week is a week of warehouse sales - FINALLY!

First we have the L’oreal consumer products sale (L’oreal, Garnier, Maybelline etc) and then the L’oreal luxury products sale (Lancome, Shu Uemura, Giorgio Armani etc) both of which feature cosmetics and perfumes in great profusion.

There is also a Metrojaya warehouse sale at which perfumes and cosmetics again are making an appearance.

If you are planning to go for either, I’d suggest you watch out for a few things (coming from a seasoned warehouse saler):-

• Expiry Dates -  There is a reason why products are so cheap at these sales. Some are very close to expiry. Remember that products like moisturiser and sunscreen degrade even if unopened and they lose their effectiveness once approaching their expiry date. So, always always check the expiry or best before date.
• Mascara - I’ve bought mascara at a L’oreal luxury sale twice. Both times, although I paid slightly below retail, what I got was dry gunk that did not work. Now, if this was at a counter, I could return it or exchange it as mascara wands should always be wet never dry. But since it was at a sale, I had to suck it up and watch RM50 fly out the window. Its an expensive lesson to learn. So, unless the mascara is shrink wrapped, I’d steer clear of it at a warehouse sale. I’ve seen girls take one and there and then open it up to check. To me, that is one of the sources of the problem, because opening it up introduces air that dries it out. So, I’d be leery of mascara.
• Discontinued Products - Warehouse sales are an opportunity for retailers to clear stock. Sometimes, these stocks include discontinued products. If they were just discontinued and relatively fresh, that’s fine. The problem is if they have been discontinued for years. I’ve seen it happen. Products discontinued in 2003 were still being sold in 2006. So, know your products. If it is super super cheap, there is a chance it has been discontinued and they are just trying to offload it as quickly as they can.

So, bear these thoughts in mind when you hit the warehouse sales this week. And above all, be early!

Happy sale-ing!

Tags: Sales, Tips, Warnings by ParisB
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Crabtree & Evelyn does some of the best gift sets around. I have not met anyone who isn’t smiling wide upon receiving a gift from Crabtree & Evelyn.

For Mother’s Day, Crabtree & Evelyn has come out with their hatbox sets - round boxes filled with Crabtree & Evelyn signature bath and body goodies in Lavender, Rosewater, Summer Hill and Nantucket Briar!

Get them now for only RM165 a set. Each set includes:-

# Soap Leaves for Travel
# Hand Therapy Shea Butter Hand Cream
# Body Lotion
# Bath & Shower Gel
# Body Powder
# Triple Milled Soap
# Oval Hat Box

Ok, so we don’t wear hats here in Malaysia, but the pretty boxes will make Mom happy to keep all her little momentos.

On top of that, if you spend RM250 and above, you will receive a complimentary teatime set comprising cookies, tea and honey. I really like the cookies from Crabtree & Evelyn. They are very tasty and make a nice teatime snack.

So, if you still don’t know what to get Mom for Mother’s Day, head on down to the nearest Crabtree & Evelyn store and see what you can pick up there.

p/s I personally recommend the Hand Therapy Cream if you really don’t know what to get. It softens hands immediately and keeps them soft and smooth. Awesome stuff!

Tags: Beauty, Promotions & Offers, Star Buys, gifts by ParisB
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Mother’s Day is just around the corner and StrawberryNET.com is all ready for you to have your moms smelling of flowers. A selection of perfumes and fragrances have been heavily discounted on their site under their Mother’s Day specials so now is a good time to get a headstart on your Mother’s Day gift shopping.

Choose from the Salvatore Ferragamo Incanto Coffret: Eau De Parfum Spray 50ml + Body Lotion 75ml for US$36 or go for something more luxurious in the Annick Goutal Grand Amour Coffret: Edp Spray 30ml + Body Cream 75g + Butterfly Note Cards & Envelopes at US$53.

Either way, your Mom will come up smelling of roses!

Now, if you are a new customer, you are entitled to a FREE Stila gift with purchase over $25 USD at StrawberryNET!Choice of products and colors (new customers, while supplies last). So, Mom gets something and so do you!

Note: StrawberryNET.com shipping on fragrances is not free but is 10% of the product price which isn’t very much and they do ship worldwide.

Tags: Online shopping, Promotions & Offers by ParisB
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I got this ad from Airasia (Malaysia’s budget airline) in my email recently and I’ve been hearing the ads on the radio too. Basically, Airasia is having great discounts on their flights from KL to Indonesia!

Here is a table of sample prices from Kuala Lumpur LCCT to Indonesia:-

Indonesia

Jakarta	RM 10.00 / Rp 30.000

Medan	RM 10.00 / Rp 30.000

Padang	RM 10.00 / Rp 30.000

Palembang	RM 10.00 / Rp 30.000

Pekanbaru	RM 10.00 / Rp 30.000

Banda Aceh	RM 30.00 / Rp 90.000

Bandung	RM 30.00 / Rp 90.000

Solo	RM 30.00 / Rp 90.000

Surabaya	RM 50.00 / Rp 150.000

Yogyakarta

RM 50.00 / Rp 150.000

RM10 to Jakarta! I have a friend moving there soon. Once she does, I’ll be looking out for mor sales like this so I can go and visit and see Jakarta at the same time. This is the travel and booking period:-

Watch the fees and fuel surcharges and administration costs. But I think even with all those extra tag ons, its still a cheap cheap price to go on holiday. Surf on over to Airasia’s site to check out the prices. Remember, the earlier you book, the lower your prices will be!

Tags: Online shopping, Sales, Travel by ParisB
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