Valen’s Vanity Square

Speaking of shopping vouchers, actually there is another way to receive discounts when shopping or dining without having to wait for the pointd to accummulate in your shopping outlet membership cards.

A faster way is to find website that offers shopping coupon codes, such as the red envelope coupons. Websites like this one makes shopping not only more convenient, but also allows you to choose the type of discounts you want.

Whether you want to save 20% off your entire purchase, or enjoy free shipping for your orders, the choice is versatile. Furthermore, there are a variety of items to suit different occasions. Be it birthday gifts, wedding gifts, jewelry for your gf, or leather watch for your DH, or even personalized beer mugs!

Gals, you should check out Red Envelope’s Gifts For Her section! The items there are elegantly designed, simple yet tasteful. For example, doesn’t this cherry blossoms candle look totally sweet?

What a bliss, when I could sleep like a log through the whole night and woke up naturally this morning… at 11 am! 10 hours of sleep, what an indulge!

Really, being able to wake up and see the sun bright and shiny gives me a cheerful start of the day, so that I’m in a good mood all day long, even though I started to get sleepy in the late afternoon. Haha!

Wonder if you have had experience this: taking a nap in the late afternoon, while the day is still bright, then wake up from your nap and find that it’s already dark outside, and in a very depressed kind of state? That’s how I will feel if I fall asleep when it is bright then to wake up in the dark. It’s our biological clock issue. We are made to wake up in bright light, not darkness.

Can’t imagine in countries with winter where people wake up to a dark morning, how they would feel when they first get up from bed. No wonder they said winter can be depressing, not only because of the low temperature, but also lesser sunlight during the day. But something can be done.

One can use a sunrise simulator alarm clock, such as the Bio-Brite sunrise clock. You can set the clock to slowly lit up before it rings and startles you out of your dream. So you feel like you’re really waking up in the morning and not at night. Your biological clock will accept it better. You feel more cheerful and alert, instead of depressed and gloomy.

You can check out various types of Bio-Brite sunrise clock at Amazon.

Hubby has ‘officially’ become an online shopper, like me. Haha!

He has recently bought several items from eBay - a sonic wave mosquito repeller, a wireless USB adapter, a mini torchlight (don’t know why!), and watch with heart rate monitor. Men stuffs. He seemed to like the challenge of bidding for items. Alas, he didn’t win any. All the items he bought was Buy It Now items.

I like to buy things online, but not bidding. When I decide to buy online, I already have a target in mind. This is very different from real life shopping, which I can be very spontaneous and buy things unexpectedly, haha! So far, I have bought beading supplies from eBay, books and beauty items from Acmamall, and more beading supplies from my favourite local online merchant.

I have yet to become a customer of Amazon due to the costly postage from US to Malaysia. Actually, Amazon books are also available at www.buy.com. I found out that they are currently having a discount promotion for some of the bestsellers. If I’m not mistaken, the Harry Porter series is one of them. I have not checked out the delivery charges though.

Why buy books online? Well, mainly because the books are not available here. Sometimes, it’s simply for the joy of shopping online. Haha!

Nowadays everyone is talking about going green to save our environment, save our world, save our future generations.

Going green is not just about eating your greens, haha, it’s about living a green lifestyle - recycle your stuffs, reduce your carbon footprint, save energy (or make your own energy!), cut down waste, cut down the use of chemicals that can pollute our environment, etc.

I suppose you knew all these already. But do you know that you can choose to go green when shopping? Yes, green shopping - shopping online!

According to this Green Study (which you can read it at www.buy.com), “…shopping online consumes less energy and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 35% compared to shopping at traditional retail stores.”

The reasons are simply that - if 10 people each drives a car to a retail store to buy product A, there would be 10 cars emitting carbon dioxide, versus a light-duty truck delivering the goods in a systematic and highly efficient route to the individual homes, contributing much lesser amount of carbon dioxide into the environment.

So, the next time you buy things online, don’t feel guilty, as you are saving yourself money, and at the same time saving our Earth!

I know I have to live on a tight budget these days and shouldn’t be shopping unnecessarily, but this won’t stop me from trying and testing beauty products. LOL! Of course, I only buy skincare items that I truly need.

For example, I recently bought H20+ Marine Toner from the online shopping mall Acmamall.com, as my bottle of Simple Soothing Facial Toner is going to be empty soon. I have never tried H20+ skincare products, but I have seen their outlets in department stores and the name sounds so, umm, ‘refreshing’? Haha! So I decided to give it a try, and for your information, it is less than a hundred bucks, okay?

While this is not my first time shopping with Acmamall, it is my first time buying from their beauty department. Previously I have purchased from them book titles that were not available in local bookstores.

As for beauty products, go take a look and you will be amazed by the product range Acmamall carries. They are all popular ‘branded’ skincare items, make-up products and fragrances - from Anna Sui to Bobbi Brown, Biotherm, Clarins, Estee Lauder, Hillary Duff, Kanebo, Kate Moss, L’Occitane, Lancome, Origins, Shu Uemura, Sisley, Shiseido, SK II, Vivienne Westwood, etc.

There seems to be discounts for their beauty products all the time. Previously there was also a free delivery promotion. Currently, they are having a 3% cash dollar rebate on all beauty products. Whether the discounted price is far more cheaper than the usual retail price, I’m not sure. However, I do find out that the price of Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion in Acmamall is RM25 cheaper than what I paid for at Shiseido’s store in Jaya Jusco@MidValley.

So, if you are too busy to shop for your skincare products or cosmetics in department stores, shopping online with Acmamall seems to be a convenient way to get the things you need, and have them delivered right to your doorsteps. However, if you need your items urgently, don’t expect to receive your goods in 2 or 3 days’ time. I received mine one week later, which was not too bad. Anyway, the delivery dates are always indicated next to the product details, so you can decide whether to order and wait, or head out to the shopping mall instead.

Also, you would first want to compare the products’ online price at Acmamall and their usual retail price to make sure you are enjoying savings by buying online. Hey, nowadays every cent counts, right?

You may have finished buying Christmas gifts for everyone by now, but have you bought anything for yourself? How about a pair of women’s winter boots?

I’ve always wished to wear knee-high boots, but too bad our forever warm weather here does not permit that. I think women look smart in boots, especially when matched with fitting jeans or skirts with length just above the knee.

If you want to get yourself a pair (or two) of winter boots for yourself, you’d better check out endless.com ASAP. Many fashionably-designed women’s winter boot are available at endless.com. The site is now holding a limited time promotion to save you money when buying winter boots for women. This promotion will end before the last second of 24 December.

But if you want “FREE Overnight Shipping”, then you should order before until 5:15 p.m. PST on 12/23/08. By the way, I think this is available for US orders only.

There are also other promotions (e.g. slippers, handbags) going on at endless.com are:

* Save $20 on $80 orders of select slippers for the whole family including brands such as Acorn, Slippers International, and Dearfoams.
* Save $25 on $125 orders of select top shoe brands for women, men, and kids including Nine West, Steve Madden, adidas, New Balance, Naturalizer, and more.
* Save 20% on Two Pairs of Boots including top brands such as Dolce Vita, Jessica Simpson, Timberland, Sorel, and dozens more fashion and outdoor brands.
* Save $25 on $125 orders of select handbags including popular brands such as HOBO International, Big Buddha, B. Makowsky, Latico, and others.

Here’s another cool place - BestPriceToys.com - to do your online Christmas shopping for your children, or nephews and nieces.

If you have a bunch of active kids who like to spend time outdoor, and IF there is enough space for a playground within your house compound, do you think one of these swing sets will make the children go nuts?

Brentwood Swing Set

Space Saver Swing Set

Congo Outing

Swing sets are expensive. But this HUGE Christmas gift can be shared among a few children. And it will be considered as next year’s Christmas gift too. Ha!

The other toys that I find cool at this online toy-shop are the dollhouses.

I would like to have this for myself!

Have you done your Christmas shopping?

I’m not a Christian, so I don’t really need to shop for Christmas presents to give away. But I do like to go to the shopping malls to look at the Christmas decorations and listen to Christmas songs playing in the air.

I tell you, the shopping malls are so crowded these days. Not only because of Christmas, it’s school holiday, too. If I were have to shop amongst the crowd and pay at long queues, I would have fainted. Sometimes shopping during festive seasons can be really chaotic. (Ya, think of the approaching CNY.)

Of course, things don’t have to be that way. For shoppers who don’t like to get into crowded malls, you can always shop online! Just choose your Christmas gifts from the comfort of your home, and wait for the items to be delivered to your doorsteps, or even to the recipients’ home! However, DO NOT make your shopping order last minute, or else the items won’t be shipped and delivered in time, or you might be charged extra for rushed shipping.

One good place to shop for Christmas gifts is of course at Amazon.com! Here are some popular gift ideas for Christmas from Amazon…

* Samsung Touch of Color T260HD 26-Inch LCD HDTV Monitor
Beautiful inside and out, the Samsung Touch Of Color Monitor is a great way to get the most out of your PC–as well as watch your favorite 1080p HDTV broadcasts. It features an embedded DTV tuner that enables you to watch digital HD broadcasts without a special receiving set. And with six image input terminals, you can connect several pieces of digital equipment to the T260HD and use them simultaneously.

* Citizen Eco-Drive Men’s Chronograph Canvas Watch
…is powered by the Eco-Drive movement, which runs continuously in any kind of natural or artificial light for a lifetime of use. Fueled by light, it never needs a battery. This watch has a stainless steel case, military green strap, and a 1 second chronograph and 12/24 hour time indicator.

* 14k Gold, Round, Diamond Stud Earrings -Extra 40% Off at Checkout.
Simple enough for daytime wear, yet radiant with evening attire, diamond stud earrings offer sophistication and versatility all in one beautiful package. Available in 14 karat white or yellow gold.

* Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube
Ideal for children of all ages! Create original music from 5 different instruments (French horn, flute, piano, violin and harp) or play music from eight Mozart compositions. Large colorful buttons light up to the tempo of the music. Soft, rounded corners make it easy for a baby to hold. Batteries included.

* Keurig B30 Mini Personal Single-Serve Brewing System
The new mini brewer from Keurig is perfect for coffee lovers and makes a single-serving in less than three minutes, with no messy grinding and no cleanup. The unit uses Keurig’s patented K-Cups, which offer over 70 varieties of pre-measured gourmet coffee and tea from a variety of premium brands. Ten K-Cups come with the machine.

* Il Divo
Refreshed, reinvigorated, and ready to remind the world just what we’ve been missing. The original and most popular operatic quartet returns with its richest, most dynamic and diverse album, “The Promise”.

* Maxim
On sale for only $5, and is one of over a hundred magazines on sale through December 31.

* Philips Sonicare FlexCare Rechargeable Sonic Toothbrush with Sanitizer
Get a promotional certificate good for $40 off a future Amazon.com purchase when you spend $139 on select Norelco, Sonicare, and Bliss Philips products offered by Amazon.com. Eligible products include Sonicare FlexCare power toothbrushes and Norelco arcitec shavers.

* Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit
Transform your music gaming into a cooperative band experience. Starting Tuesday, Dec. 2 and continuing each day for 15 consecutive days, Amazon Video Games will be featuring one new, terrific deal for your gaming pleasure, kicking off with the Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit (available for multiple platforms). Quantities will be limited!

* The Dark Knight on Blu-ray DVD
Available on Dec. 9, Batman and the Joker will be unleashed on Gotham—and the world—just in time for the holidays. Find The Dark Knight on DVD, Blu-ray, and special editions (plus other Batman-related products) in our Dark Knight store.

Happy Christmas shopping online!

Have you been doing your Christmas shopping for your kids or nephews and nieces, but could not decide what’s the best Christmas gift to buy for them? You have bought them toys and games every Christmas, this year you thought you want to give something unique yet affordable?

How about personalized books for children? Personalized children’s books are very common today. They are inexpensive, they tell simple and engaging stories (at least to the kids), and you can actually have the child’s name appear in the story!

If your child’s name is ‘Coby’, then ‘Coby’ appears throughout the book as he is now inside the story!

I came across a website that sells personalized children’s books online, the books are really cute! They also have personalized coloring books and personalized journal books for children. I think books always make a wonderful Christmas gift for both and children.

So, if you are still undecided on what unique Christmas gifts to get for your little ones, why not pay a visit to www.frecklebox.com and check out their personalized books for children?