Soft Saturday Diaries: My Heart in Two Places

Happy National Day to my beautiful Singapore Glow Girls! 🎉

Singapore will always have a piece of my heart. Over the years, I’ve spent many summers there — getting lost in its art, savoring unforgettable meals, and, of course, shopping to my heart’s content. It’s where I first experienced Van Gogh Alive, where I learned the joy of wandering through every corner of a mall, and where I always felt a sense of belonging.

Today, I’m sending you love from Manila… but my heart is celebrating right there with you. 💌

A Soft Saturday in Two Cities

I asked my SIL, Kristine, to let me know what's on sale at Northpoint Mall today, so I can share it with you Glow Girls!  Here are some snapshots:

Venus Beauty

I can't use Aveeno, but that price is amazing! This is your sign to stock up on Aveeno if this brand works for you! 

Guardian:

I'm guessing this OGX Coconut Miracle Oil is for colored hair?

I used OGX many years ago, but after that bout with urticaria, I've since stopped using it. It's a very good brand, though. I used it with my curly hair that needed a lot of moisturizing. OGX didn't disappoint until I got sensitive to it. 

My SIL said she got the Argan Oil

Fashion:

Shoes:

My son and I are huge fans of Skechers. They're very comfy and they last a really long time! My Skechers outlasted two of my Michael Kors! 

There's also a sale going on at the atrium. Lots of travel and home goods. Lots of water bottles, too! Singaporean Glow Girls need to be hydrated at all times because of the weather! As my Singapore Glow Guide once said, Singapore has two kinds of weather - hot and hotter! 

A big thank you to my SIL, for taking the time to take pictures and share with us the sales going on at Northpoint Mall today (Aug 9, 2025)!

Landers

While she was shopping at Northpoint, I was shopping at Landers. 

And it's Christmas at Landers! 😱

This is the earliest I've seen Landers bring out the Christmas stuff.

In the Philippines, when the -ber months hit, the stores start displaying Christmas items and start playing Christmas tunes, too! 

We have the longest Christmas ever!

 

I didn't take a lot of photos at Landers because nothing caught my eye, except for these Cookie Monster plates! This is so great for a Sesame Street-themed party! 

Mitsukoshi

We went to Mitsukoshi after shopping at Landers. My husband needed something from Daiso and I wanted to explore J-Beauty. 

Mitsukoshi reminds me a lot of Takashimaya, one of my favorite malls in Singapore. They even have the same scent! 

I wanted to try these eyelash curlers, but my bestie said that Shu Uemura curlers are still the Holy Grail. These are very pretty, though! 

These &honey products are great for damaged hair, but if you have healthy hair, you can skip these as these will make your hair feel heavy, oily, or limp. This is overkill if you already have a good hair routine in place. 

The packaging is really pretty, though! 

I'm excited to try these Saborino Sheet Masks! I have a lot of sheet masks in my stash, so these would have to wait. 

I asked my primary care provider about these products and he said to skip them for now. I also have a very important update about my skin condition. I'll tell you Glow Ladies in a future post. 

Kiss Me Heroine Make that I used to hoard whenever I was in Singapore! 

I'm going back for those Ishihara Shoten brushes! 

K-Palette 1-Day Tattoo for lids and brows! I used to buy these at Singapore when it wasn't available yet at Beauty Bar many years ago. 

CANMAKE is one of those brands that I also hoard at Watsons Singapore. It's amazing how this brand is even at the smallest Watsons tucked in small malls in Singapore. 

I checked the palettes, but the shades are too juvenile for me. I prefer darker eyeshadows now. 

Kate Tokyo is another brand that I first encountered in Singapore. I can't even remember which items I tried from this brand. I think mascara and lipstick. 

Daiso

Off we went to Daiso after my makeup adventure. Look at this wall of Hello Kitty Wipes! They're scented, so I didn't buy. They also have individually packed wipes. Those are great for travel. But if you're like me and you use a lot of wet wipes, stick to the bigger packs. It's better for the environment. 

I was so tempted to buy these Calbee themed pocket tissues, but they were expensive at $1.73. 

Mitsukoshi Fresh

Our last stop was the supermarket. My goal at Mitsukoshi was tsukemono, but I love exploring the supermarket. Here are a few interesting finds:

This mustard really is golden! It's very expensive! I like mustard and maybe I'll try this soon. 

These are also quite expensive compared to Barilla or De Cecco. I will buy some of these pasta the next time we go there. I still have a lot in our pantry, so I skipped these too. 

Cute Evian Paris Edition bottles. If these were glass, I would've bought them. My son and I collect Evian glass bottles. 

Circuit Mall

After Mitsukoshi, we went to Circuit Mall for a quick lunch at Mang Inasal:

Chicken Inasal is a kind of local barbecue. We also ordered pork barbecue. My son was concerned about my special diet for the next 3 weeks (related to my skin health), so he chose Mang Inasal. (He's sweet like that.) My carbs are restricted, so I need to eat a lot of protein. 

Chicken inasal is eaten with a soy-calamansi dip. You can also add chillies. And this meal also comes with sinigang soup and chicken oil. I skip the chicken oil. 

After lunch, I went to Mumuso to get these:

Then we did some shopping at S&R and got some Llao Llao before we headed home. 

I also have some curated purchases from BYS that I'm excited to show you! 

Circuit is lovely at night

Today's eye look courtesy of a new BYS palette, which I will show you in another post. Stay tuned for that! 

Red and White Glow

Speaking of eye looks, the Singapore National Day reminds me of my favorite red eyeshadow from NARS. 

I used a combination of Queen Bee and NARS eyeshadow for this look. The prominent red that you see is NARS. 

I also have another red eye look that I called Strawberry Sorbet from years ago.  I'll recreate that look one of these days so that you can appreciate the different layers and blending. My phone camera wasn't very good then. The Strawberry Sorbet look, in my opinion, is the perfect Singapore National Day look. 

A lot of people are scared of red eyeshadow, but with the right combination and blending, you can achieve different eye looks for day and night. 

My Singapore Memories

I have a lot of fond memories in Singapore. I love the art scene there. It's where I first experienced Van Gogh Alive! We've also explored the ArtScience Museum several times. I went to Singapore several times as a single woman, with my then boyfriend now husband, and then as a mom. 

A lot of people gush about the food in Singapore, but since I had many sensitivities when I went there, I stuck to my tried and tested dishes. Maybe I can explore more the next time we go when I've healed my gut. 

I love the energy of the city. People are always rushing, especially at the MRT stations! But there's also the discipline and the MRT fashion! Only in Singapore will you find ladies in head to toe Prada riding the train! 

Stores in Singapore like Tang's, Marina Bay Sands, Takashimaya, and many others have inspired my style and beauty choices throughout the years. I know how important beauty and fashion is to you, my SG Glow Ladies and over the years, you've inspired me to keep creating and to keep writing. 

To my Singapore Glow Girls — you’ve been my number one readers from the very beginning, and I can’t thank you enough for the love and light you send my way.

Today, I’m raising my cup (and my makeup brush!) to you. Here’s to more art, more beauty, more style… and more reasons to celebrate — in Singapore, in Manila, and wherever life takes us next. 💖