Sale Shopping in the Philippines

What have I been doing that I've been missing the mid-year sale?

While not as phenomenally marked down as the January end of the year sales, the mid-year sale (which lasts for most June and parts of July) is one of the best times to shop in the Philippines (a place without Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Yes, I believe that Black Friday and Cyber Monday should be capitalized. In the Philippines, where businesses do NOT believe in stacked discounts (coupons, discount vouchers etc. disclaiming their validity for regular items only) and international shipping (costing at least 100% more than the product itself in "taxes" if you are lucky enough to get the item), the end of the year and mid-year sale are the best time to find good deals on clothes and shoes.

Always look closely at what you're buying. You're buying not only old stock, but products that may have been manhandled a thousand times. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are no "lemon" laws for wearable items on sale, not in the Philippines. Recent trips to an international clothing chain and shoe chain have told me that all these transactions, being sale items, were final.

Now, this may be obvious and more helpful next year since it's already July, and most stores are already on the tail end of their sales, but items that are still in store at the end of a sale are probably undesirable (whether innate or acquired). It may still be too expensive for the audience it's catering to, in a size too small or too large (advantageous if you go to an international store with non-average sizing), or have a defect you can't see at first glance. You may be able to haggle the price down (if you really want the item) in small businesses, but most stores in malls will not allow further reductions for even glaringly inferior products (such as stains, tears, etc.).

On the other hand, be prepared for LARGE crowds, especially at the start of the sale. Wherever malls are built in Manila, the people flock and traffic slows to a crawl. This is a hundred times worse during big sales and some major malls become so crowded that it becomes impossible to try on items in a dressing room, pay without queueing for hours, use the public restroom, eat in a decently-priced restaurant, park inside the building, or even move without hitting another person.

I know a mall, which I will not name, that I refuse to step into when it's on sale for reasons of preserving my sanity and my ability to breathe. If you do decide to go to such a sale, eat well, empty your bladder before hand, wear something you can easily put clothes over (shorts, spaghetti strap and slippers) and gird your loins… maybe bring a lemming if your morals allow you to: I have seen women have children, SO's and service personnel line up at the cashier while they shop.

As someone who has been in the poor soul's position, unless the other offers to save you a spot, don't. I generally prefer going to smaller malls with less traffic, if I go at all. While the selection is not as varied,  I end up being able to do more and even enjoy the experience.

However, if you do like seeing people losing their temper to get a "must have,"mall sales are the place to be. Also, if you like stealing stuff (theft done by both shoppers and pickpockets). Watch all your things, and people too (because, kidnap does happen here). Note that the mall is not a place for infants and young children that tend to cry, get hungry and get lost. However, if you're lucky, you might find a place for some of your youngsters: While there are few actual day care centers in Manila, I've seen a revival of the "mall playcare centers." Slots may be enough for regular days, but not during big sales.

This post is incomplete and may be edited in the future!

Hopefully, this will be helpful for future shoppers.

Not sorry for the semi-long post.

Clinique: Can you guess?

A remnant from one of Clinique's Bonus Time offers ages ago (old but unused), some of you may be familiar with this blue and silver tube:

A short pause to think about it.






Hint, its's a mascara.









This is the Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara, and its not quite as its namesake promises: It's quite capable of lengthening my short, stubbly lashes without spiders or clumps; but it does not double the size. Even with the first coat, my lashes are much visibly longer, though not much volume is added. Using 1-3 coats looks natural enough with smaller length increases with each added coat. Though it doesn't look quite so natural, I've used up to 5 coats without any problems for added volume. The wand is the regular pine cone/christmas tree shape, and it's fairly easy to use. I don't have any problems with its drying time either, just a few minutes and I'm good to go.

Unnfortunately, in this weather, it tends to smudge in like crazy, giving me instant dark circles. Ugh. I can use it if I'm sure to be in an air conditioned room the entire time, but not if I'm exposed to a tiny bit of heat (which is all the time in the Philippines!). At night, with temperatures on the cool side, it'll last around 3 hours before smudging.

As a freebie, I can't really judge the price, but the Clinique Bonus Time offers are always worth it for me…

Can I use this mascara? Sometimes, but I wouldn't recommend this purchase for people who live in the tropics.  I think this works quite well for quick night excursions or in-office use (applied in your office's bathroom) but it's no substitute for a waterproof mascara. I'll be using this but I'll be passing along any  tubes I see in the future.

Sunplay Skin Aqua Acne Clear Milk

As shown in my previous pre-sun care routine, I've been using Sunplay Skin Aqua Acne Clear Milk for my face this summer. The picture below was its original packaging and I'm not sure how much it costs now, but I remember it being quite cheap.

This bottle contains 25 g of product that promises SPF 50+ and PA ++. I've been using it for a while and I haven't run out yet. The milk itself is white and watery, but doesn't leave a whitish cast. The scent isn't remarkable and it dries quickly without being sticky. It's marketed towards those with acne prone skin, and while I haven't seen a definite improvement because this product, it hasn't worsened at all (no clogged pores for me!). However, from what I can read on the back, this product also contains vitamin C and E, so those who are sensitive to vitamin E may decide to steer clear.

I wouldn't recommend using this on the eyes. While I do this since I don't have a dedicated eye cream with SPF right now (as I stated before), it is a bit irritating used alone.

Summertime: Sunsavers 2015

Before summer ends and the rainy season officially begins, here's a quick look at the products I've been using.

(L-R) Nivea UV Whitening Serum, OraLabs Lip Naturals Lip Balm, Sunplay Skin Aqua and Neutragena UltraSheer Sunblock

Nivea UV Whitening Serum: used on the body for "regular days" when I'm sure I don't go out in the sun. Review to be done in the future.

OraLabs Lip Naturals Lip Balm: used on the lips

Sunplay Skin Aqua: used on my face. I don't have a dedicated eye cream with sun protection so this also ends up over a non-retinol eye cream. (Also, I just realized that I didn't review this, so review in the future!).

Neutrogena UltraSheer Sunblock: used on the body for days with known sun exposure. I'd use this everyday, but it's too costly to do so for me.  While I probably won't review it anymore (because I didn't review this either, apparently), this was a hoarded item that I'm considering stopping just to try newer (and less expensive) body blocks.

Use sun protection everyday, even when it's cloudy. However, honestly, I try but I usually end up skipping the body blocks during rainy season...