Vogue Dresses (B9493, R205, White dress)

I'm over the moon! Apart from all the online shopping, I've done retail shopping for clothes at Vogue again! Here's today's haul:

B9493 Blue dress ($12.50)

This blue body-hugging dress might seem average upfront, make a back turn and it will change your perception. 

Intricately-linked together, eight straps converge at the thoracic region of your spine to give a sophisticated look. Nu-bra recommended.

Despite being non-sheer and smooth, the dress comes with a black inner lining. See that the seams are neatly sewn in, good handiwork! 

R205 Flowery dress ($12.50)

I wasn't really keen on getting this dress but K seemed to like it and that the other dresses on sale are so-so so okay, I'll get it. I like the overall design - sweet patterned dress with smocked waistline and frill-like bottom. I am not very sure what the patterned design is, but it looks kinda like blue ribbons/flowers gone awry, coupled with some circular curly whirly things. 

There is a zip at side which appear uncalled for since I just slip on the dress from the top. This dress is not suitable for those with heavy tops, as the top part is rather small. Unlike the previous dress, a white translucent lining is a must for this one as the material is slightly sheer. Good sewing as seen.

White dress ($10)

Priced competitively at $10, this white satin dress gives many fashion boutiques a run for their money. When I first saw it, it appeared weird to me to have a band connecting the two straps at the chest area. But after I've put it on, well, it didn't turn out as bad as I thought, apart from the fact that it squeezed out too much of my armpit fat =X

Even though the fabric is thick, an inner lining is present, and all well-sewn. One has to be careful with this kind of fabric and not scratch it, to avoid those nasty lints.

Source: Vogue

Price: B9493 & R205@$15 ea, buy 2@$25; white dress@$10, buy 2@$18

Rating: 9/10

Vogue Dresses (Smocked dress, simple black dress)

Since the purchase of a gorgeous white dress at $19.50 at Vogue, I found myself visiting this store at Yew Tee Point more often for my shopping fix. I like the fact that they change their clothes often and that the store staff are very spontaneous in offering their assistance (to the extent of being annoying sometimes).

Today, I brought home two dresses from Vogue for $25 - a simple black dress and a smocked V-necked blue dress.

Made of polyester, the black dress comes with a detachable black "belt" which is just a cloth band and appears to be rather heavy on the top due to the large frills. Not a good fit for those with broad shoulders.

The blue dress is more flattering compared to the black one, and of thick yet stretchable fabric. It is a well-made dress, save for little hole at the back that I missed out while checking for defects. Always look carefully when things go on sale! 

After buying countless apparel online and offline, I'm quite convinced that there will be no item that is of good quality at the right price. Until this dress bought at a standalone store in Tampines Central proved me wrong: 

Excellent quality (soft yet hardy material) at an astounding price of $8! 

Source: Vogue

Price: $25 for 2

Rating: 8/10

Kotex Luxe Sanitary Pad

Recently, in a bid to convert more Kotex-users, Kotex has a "Try Kotex Luxe at $0" promotion, whereby you can claim $$ for your purchase (up to $6.40). So effectively, it's FREE for your first purchase. It's only limited to the first 8000 packs or till 7th April 2010.

Of course, being me, I immediately jumped on the bandwagon and got my hands on a promotional twin-pack which came packed with two 20-ultrathin packs, two Kotex unscented liner packs, a free customisable mobile skin from Snapfish, and a notebook:

Initially I wanted to get a single pack, but the promoter in charge of Tampines Mall suggested that I get the double promotional pack, and explained the Math of a wiser choice:

Option 1: Single pack $6.40 

 Price paid after $$ claim: $0

Item/s received: Single pack; worth $6.40

Option 2: Twin pack $10.90

 Price paid after $$ claim: $5.45

Item/s received: Two single packs ($6.40 ea), two liner packs ($2.95 ea), mobile skin, notebook; worth at least $18.70

I don't really know what others think, but I was convinced that option 2 was a much sensible choice. Afterall, I'd been using Kotex's liners before and found them to be good.

The Luxe series have incorporated abstract art prints (see above, 3 designs for this series) into the plain white scaffold, and the designs have certainly attracted me. Quoting from the promoter, who was a 60+ year old lady at Tampines Mallo.O, periods give you the low, but the pretty designs would lift your mood when you see them (along with your er-hem, mess)! I couldn't agree more to that when I tried the product during my period 15 days later! Don't worry, no blood!

Many products have got the looks, but not the functionality. But not for Kotex Luxe. In fact, I found that the quality has exceeded my expectations. Not only was there no leakage on my heavy days despite it being ultra-thin, it remained pretty dry on the surface after I had removed the huge viscous mass of blood at times (quite a common sight for me, always have to remove those =/). The absorbancy allowed me to survive a heavy day with only 3 pad changes!

Made from cotton, the surface of the pad had a soft texture so it felt good to the skin, with minimal irritability. It didn't stick to my skin like the times when I had used pads with synthetic plastic-like surfaces, so there was no need to literally peel the pad off the skin. Thumbs up! 

The abstract art, which was true to the product package image, did make me feel less dreadful of visiting the loo, since I would not be seeing too much of a disaster on my undies. Speaking of disaster, there was none during that period. *happy*  
I really salute Kotex for her product development team and marketing campaign on their new series Luxe. They have managed to re-package a product that is "taboo" (to guys, and some girls even) and "functional", into a chic item that is the talk-of-the-town and appeals to a large consumer base, from the fashion-conscious youth to the mature down-to-earth females alike! 

Prepared to be WOW-ed with Kotex Luxe!

Source: Any participating supermarkets, pharmacies, stores

Price: $6.40 for single pack (free for first pack within promotion terms), promotional $10.90 for twin packs

Rating: 9/10