Shopping Haul [Venus Beauty + The Body Shop]

I recently did a small shopping haul around my neighbourhood, partly because there's a new Venus Beauty outlet despite their location being under renovation recently. Well, the renovation is supposedly going to benefit stall owners and shoppers alike as there will be shelter from the sun and rain. And not forgetting ventilation as well. This also saves me the trouble of going all the way to Choa Chu Kang MRT station or Causeway Point at Woodlands just for a Venus Beauty shopping haul.

Some of the few items I got are facial scrubs, shower gels (I love shower gels a lot) and a body sorbet. Body sorbets from The Body Shop are the next best thing, as body creams and body butter are too rich for my skin. Despite the fact that I am not using a huge blob, body butter tend to leave a sticky and oily residue on my skin. However, body sorbets are a totally different league altogether as they are just right to use in Sunny Singapore, it absorbs so fast leaving a refreshingly wonderful scent minus the sticky and oily sensation caused by body creams and body butter.

However, users with really dry skin are still recommended to stick with the body creams and butter as your skin is dry, hence the utmost need for a slightly more intensive moisturiser to the rescue. My skin isn't that dry, so body sorbets are just right for my skin type.

Another reason for this Shopping Haul post is also because I intend to separate my posts according to samples received and redeemed, shopping hauls and prizes won so it won't look utterly messy having jammed everything into a "Samples Received and Redeemed" post. Also because when it comes to labels on the blog itself, it's easier to search through if there's a need to find something. Part of the reason for the Shopping Hauls and Prizes Won post is to point readers in the right direction to products I think are really awesome to give a try and as a thank you for having a chance to win some prizes :D

I first saw this St Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub a couple of years ago at the Watsons in Bukit Panjang Plaza when they just barely finished with their store renovations. I was contemplating for a few days and decided to want to get it. But alas, it was completely sold out before I even knew it. And thereafter, it seems that this particular Watsons outlet never did seem to re-stock it again. The only St Ives Facial Scrub available ever since is only limited to the Even & Bright series. Maybe they think everyone has the same type of skin type lol

Anyways, I happened to know of Venus Beauty having an outlet at my area, saw the Apricot Scrub and decided after a few months just for the sake of seeing if they will continue to being in this particular series of facial scrub. Turns out they do, they even have a range for my mother as well and on top of that, I found that Venus Beauty tended to price their products slightly cheaper and more affordable than Watsons. Watsons is mostly for when you really need a product, but can't find it anywhere, not even places like Venus Beauty and SaSa for example, that you have to absolutely buy from them.

I practically got this St Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub for almost half the price if I were to buy it straight from Watsons. So, it's worth the buy in terms of price. Besides, the contents are the same anyways, so it's wiser to buy the cheaper alternative so I can save up more money for products to buy and try :D

Has anyone noticed that some products in The Body Shop seemed to have a new look to them? The Eau De Toilette, to quote for example, has this very expensive look and feel to it. And get this straight, The Body Shop products are also reasonably priced and their EDT scents are to die for. There was also a English Dawn Gardenia EDT, but I find the initial scent a little too strong. I tend to favour scents that aren't so heavy from the first whiff as I am asthmatic as scents too heavy from the start makes me cough and wheeze a little. However, flowery scents are different though, I don't seem to have an adverse allergic reaction to heady floral scents. Weird~

I chose this Polynesian Island Tiaré EDT (retailing at S$36.90 for 50ml) since the scent isn't too light to the point it feels like it's fading away in hot and humid Singapore and yet feels exotic with a deep level of sweetness to it. Just a FYI, the Tiaré flower's snow white petals are a symbol of purity and its suave and addictive fragrance is the signature of Tahiti and the Islands of French Polynesia. Polynesians wear this iconic flower tucked behind their ear – on the right if the heart is free, on the left if not. It is also the flower offered to welcome those who arrive in Tahiti – an invitation to well-being.

But beyond its symbolic and sensual dimensions, the Tiaré flower is one of the most important plants of the Raau Tahiti, the traditional pharmacopoeia of Tahiti. The flower is largely used in many preparations: the treatment for some eczemas, headaches, insect bites. It's sensual and soothing emulsions, body oils, tonics, fragrance is now the composition of personal care products from major brands around the world.

Next up is the newest range from The Body Shop, playful and cheeky Piñita Colada range. They have the usual full range with the body butter and so on and so forth, but I always favour the shower gels and body sorbets. The Piñita Colada Shower Gel on the left retails at S$12.90 for 250ml and the Piñita Colada Fresh Body Sorbet on the right retails at S$19.90 for 200ml.

The exotic and dreamy scent of hand-harvested coconuts from the Antilles region of the Caribbean, as well as juicy pineapples from the Santo-Domingo area will send you into beach heaven in an instant. I love how the scent is like a fruity cocktail that seems to lift your mood and senses and it's as if you can keep sniffing more variety of sunshine-y fruits that makes you feel glad to be in a tropical place, all that summer fragrances is bound to make you feel good from the inside to the outside.

On a side note, Singapore is too hot and humid sometimes to feel anything tropical nor even worth trying to get into the tropical mood though lol It's just plain sweat, sweat and more sweat no matter where you turn, makes me wonder if there's an invisible sun following me 24/7 since I can pretty much sweat a lot just by going to the mama shop downstairs D:

Well, I'm not the Queen of Shower Gels for no reason. Every single time I pop by The Body Shop, it will always be about shower gels, shower gels and even more shower gels. Most ladies are crazy towards high heel shoes, expensive branded bags, the latest fashion trend or the latest makeup trend, I am personally crazy about the shower gels from The Body Shop. As I always believe in this mantra I read more a geisha book (I forgot the title anyway), a geisha's utmost importance is to ensure her hair doesn't smell as they are in constant close contact, or in other words, they are sitting next to their clients and smelly hair will put off even the customer who is capable of spending big bucks on a geisha house entertainment.

That is where I based my principality on smelling good as much as I possibly can, it's not for the guys who passed by me. It's more of a, "I smell great, I feel great and I can do great things today because I am in a great mood" sort of feeling, if you understand what I'm trying to explain here.

On the left is the English Dawn Gardenia Shower Gel retailing at S$15.90 for 250ml and on the right, Polynesian Island Tiaré Shower Gel retailing at S$15.90 for 250ml. I won't go on anymore about the Polynesian Island Tiaré Shower Gel since I've pretty much said my part for the EDT. However, the English Dawn Gardenia Shower Gel isn't as "strong" as the EDT itself, the scent is definitely heavy but it doesn't linger heavily either. I feel that this shower gel is going to be refreshing wonderful after I stepped out of the bathroom from using it in the shower.