Shopping Finds Archives | Page 2 of 3

Uniqlo’s HEATTECH Shirts

17 May 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Fashion, Shopping Finds, Style Musings, Tips

After travelling to Asia in a span of two years, most of my winter clothing these days seem to come from three brands: Uniqlo, Muji and H&M. In 2011, I did massive shopping at H&M and Muji but this year, Uniqlo was where I found a lot of clothing pieces I liked as they have good quality material at reasonable prices. I’m especially thankful to discover their HEATTECH clothing which generates heat and provides insulation too. Their HEATTECH range includes shirts, leggings, socks, cardigans, beannies and scarves.

I chose the long sleeve shirts for my first HEATTECH purchases. These are base layer shirts perfect for layering during cold season. The clothing material is soft, comforting and fits nicely on the body.

I used them when we travelled in Seoul where we experienced 4-11 degree Celsius temperatures. Where I would normally have four layers of clothing, I survived the cold with just three layers and even had to ditch the scarf at times.

The next time I come across Uniqlo‘s HEATTECH range, I will try their other pieces such as the cardigans and scarves.

By the way, Uniqlo will soon open their first branch in Australia by end of this year. I’m happy that we will finally have one here down under, however, it will be in Melbourne which is a state away from where I am (and no we’re not flying to Melbourne just so we can shop for Uniqlo stuff). But we’ll never know, right? We might have one here in Sydney too in the future.

Aussie Boxing Day Sales

30 December 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 1 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Charmed Life of a Mrs, Shopping Finds, Tips

Boxing Day (26th December) is the favourite day of shoppers in Australia where all retail shops offer great sales to buyers. The sales range from 20%-70% off on all or selected items. The Husband and I look forward to Boxing Day because we really wait out for the prices to go down before we buy anything. When shopping in Australia, the tip is not to buy full price–just wait for the item to go on sale because it will.

Every year, the Husband and I make a list of things we need, both personal and for the home. From Boxing Day onwards, we have a look at the shops for the prices. If we get good deals, we buy them.

It is always better to have a list. During sales, it’s tempting to buy one thing after another because it’s on sale. Having a list serves as a guide and reminder that we only buy the things we need. In case we find some thing on sale which was not on the list, we think about it first before buying.

This recent Boxing Day sales our goal was to find a new suitcase for me (my old one is slowly dying with every travel), a set of Corelle plates, Nespresso coffee pod dispenser, work clothes for the Husband, gift wrappers for the next Christmas season and cosmetics for me.

Since the biggest item on our list was the the suitcase, we went to the Travel Section of Myer first thing in the morning. Before Christmas, we already looked at options and prices so we knew what we were looking for when we got there. I chose a red Antler 72cm suitcase, on sale at 40% off, which cut me back $111.00 (big discount!).

We got what we needed and more! The Nespresso coffee pods dispenser and Corelle dining set at 20% off; Christmas gift wrappers at 50% off. Maxwell Williams Flower Power Collection, set of 4 mugs, at 50% off (will give to my Parents).

Boxing Day sales extend til the first few weeks of January. We don’t buy everything in one go. During one of our lunch dates with friends last week, we had a chance to check out Westfield Parramatta. That’s where the Husband found a few shirts at 40%-50% discount.

As for me, I was able to buy a few cosmetics and nail polishes. I usually buy my supply of beauty products at the end of the year and use them for the next 6-12 months (depending on expiry). I do this because it’s easier for me to track their validity. Plus, I don’t want to bother myself buying them from time to time. The only exception would be when we travel because I shop for cosmetics when overseas.

I got Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara for $10 and Sally Hansen nail polishes, 3 pieces all for only $10 (A Sally Hansen nail polish cost about $7 each).

We were at Strathfield last weekend and we found a store that has Missha products on sale. I had no plans of buying BB Cream at this time but it was such a great deal. Also, I’ve one BB Cream tube that’s nearly empty so I took this chance to buy a new tube. It was also an opportunity to try a different Missha BB Cream.

I visited kikki.K, a stationery and gift shop. Their products has this sweet and dainty designs that women love. I found a book called “Happy” which compiles inspiring quotes and beautiful artworks on happiness. They were on sale at 30% off. The minute I saw them, I instantly thought of my dear friends in Manila so I got them a copy each and bought one for myself too.

Boxing day sales shopping, sorted! The Husband and I are very happy with our discounted purchases.

Fresh Rice POP (Westfield Parramatta)

20 December 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 1 Comments Category: Food, Shopping Finds

I saw this stall in Megamall (Ortigas, Pasig City, Philippines) last year because it caught my attention when I heard popping sounds from where it was. My Mom told me it was rice pops, the ones we saw in Korean dramas. The store gave me a piece so I can try them and it’s liked to fish crackers only it’s made out of rice.

Last Friday, I heard the familiar popping sounds again at Westfield Parramatta and when I looked, a new store called Fresh Rice POP is now open selling different kinds and flavours of rice pops.

POP Fresh Rice: Pop Rice Store at Parramatta

Some flavours where salty and sweet. Some rice pops were made from wholemeal rice. There were so many kinds to choose from, it was overwhelming.

The more bags you buy, the more discount you’ll get.

We bought four bags: Multi-grain Rice Pops, Rice Pops in Chicken Salt, Rice Pops in Chocolate and Honey.

The Honey-flavoured rice pops is the same as the Philippines’ Ampao which reminded us of our childhood.

The Multi-grain Rice Pops is a good alternative to fish crackers or pork crackling. I dip them into spicy vinegar and voila, instant healthy snack.

Fresh Rice POP

Level 1, Westfield Parramatta

159-175 Church Street

Parramatta NSW

Japan City (Ryde, NSW)

17 October 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 1 Comments Category: Shopping Finds

We missed going to Japan City. They used to have a branch at The Galeries (near Townhall Train Station) where we used to go but they closed. A visit to Top Ryde City Shopping Centre filled our Japan City craving.

Japan City is Australia’s largest Japanese concept store, offering a wide variety of specialty gifts and homewares inspired by the tranquility and traditional elegance of the Japanese culture.

With humble beginnings as a small gift shop in NSW, Japan City has cultivated unique brand image for the best quality Japanese products, modernized it’s systems and designs and expanded its retail operations with great success to become the largest retail Japanese concept store of its kind in Australia.

Below are some of the photos I took. As always they sell pretty and well-designed products that attract the eyes.

Consistently, we like Chopsticks with Sakura and odd shape designs so we bought these three pairs.

The Blue Sakura Chopsticks came with a holder and it was on sale. The other two were chosen by the Husband to add to our growing number of chopsticks at home.

Japan City

Level 1, Top Ryde City Shopping Centre

Corner Devlin Street and Blaxland Road

Ryde NSW

Phone: (02) 9809 3001

Now Open in Chinatown: DAISO Japan (Haymarket, Sydney)

4 October 2012 Ibyang Sanchez 1 Comments Category: Food, Great Finds for the Home, Shopping Finds

I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since Daiso opened a branch in the heart of Sydney and I haven’t blogged about it. I’m sorry Sydneysiders for the lateness of this post.

Daiso Japan opened in Chinatown Sydney (Level 1, 727 George Street, Haymarket) on the first week of September. On the second day it opened, my friend and I rushed to the store as soon as we clocked out of the office. We were that excited!

The Daiso branch in Chinatown has a smaller space compared to the Chatswood branch however, I feel like I’m able to see more items that I never noticed in Chatswood. I don’t know why this is the case for me.

Two of the sections that I enjoy are the Bento and Food section.

The Chinatown branch is conveniently located not too far away from where I work so it’s possible for me to drop by anytime I want to. However, after visiting three times in two weeks, I had to stay away because Daiso is such a wasteland haven and a hoarder’s nightmare. Eventhough each item is only AUD2.80, it can become expensive later on when you add all your purchases up. So everytime I walk in the store, I get what I need and check-out the counter. No need to dilly dally because I can always swing by anytime.

Here are a few items I was able to get:
Storage solutions. A jug I can use for storing Lemon and Cucumber Water. A small glass container for storing left-over Kimchi. Plastic boxes for storing shoes.

Bento accessories and sushi molders. I would love to learn a few ways to brighten up our lunch boxes and make sushi at home so I bought a few items to help me start off. Also, the sushi molders can be used for molding sausages (I think of Longganisa).

Fragrance Oil. I only bought one scent for now and if we like it, we’ll buy some more.

Food. It’s the first time I bought food items from Daiso and so far, they’ve all been good. I got us some biscuits for snacks and some noodles and soup stocks for cooking (see latest my latest recipe: Japanese Tinola)

DAISO Japan
Level 1, 727 George Street
Haymarket, Sydney 2000
Phone: (02) 9212 6888
Open 7 days a week from 9:00am-9:00pm

Follow @ibyang