Brand consciousness

During my family's recent trip to Macau and Hong Kong (photos pending), my sibs and I spent about about half an hour going nuts inside Uniqlo at the World Trade Center in Causeway Bay. We were dashing around the store like mad, grabbing items left and right, racing against the clock because we were checking out of our hotel and leaving for the airport soon. I ended up with a shopping basket full of tees, polos, dresses, camisoles, and even pajamas. Due to time constraints, I didn't have a chance to try on everything, and when I did upon returning to Manila, I wished I had bought more of the same items in different colors. Save for a snazzy (and bordering on scandalously short) teal dress by Shipley and Halmos, all the items I purchased were basics, and thus versatile. And I just love basic pieces that can work with an infinite number of outfits! Uniqlo may not be as trendy as H&M, but in terms of quality and value for money, I find it far superior. It definitely now belongs in my list of favorite brands.

Speaking of brands, I've recently identified my personal aspirational brand: Christian Louboutin. When I own a pair of those sexy, red-soled stilettos from Paris, I'll know I've made it. Of course realistically, even if I could afford Louboutins one day, I probably wouldn't be able to bring myself to shell out so much moolah for shoes, no matter how gorgeous they are. But hey, a girl can dream, right?

In the meantime, I couldn't even spring for a pair of killer heels I saw in a Nine West store in Macau. I fell in love with the shoes but they were too pricey for impractical footwear (I can't exactly wear them daily to work). I did try them on though, and man were they hot. They also made me about 4 inches taller, and man was I gigantic! My not buying the heels was a triumph of self-control though, given my serious shoe addiction, so I take consolation in that.

And speaking of addiction, I am hooked on jasmine-scented bath products, thanks to the amenities provided in our suite at The Venetian in Macau. I've always liked the smell of jasmine, both in my tea and on my skin (Elianto's Jasmine Body Scrub has become a shower staple of mine). I am now in search of a nice jasmine body spray or perfume. My signature scent since high school has been Estee Lauder's Pleasures (the original one, not any of the fancy new lines), and now I'm intrigued by the limited edition Pleasures body splash variant "Jasmine Violet Splash". I shall search for a tester the next time I'm passing through the fragrance section of Rustan's.

But enough of my material girl fixations. This week is all about feeding my inner geek! I have a new netbook to fiddle with (thanks to Ria who helped me buy a red Lenovo Ideapad S10 from Singapore) and 2 sci-fi movies to watch (X-men Origins: Wolverine and Star Trek). Wait for my reviews!