Every Sunday, I hit up Taste Central to check on new stuff. It has been a pleasant surprise week after week so far. So you could just imagine my thrill when Taste Central started selling Aesop online a month or so ago.
For years, I've been a huge fan of Aesop, the skin, hair and body care label from Australia. The packaging alone is so chic. They have a very old school apothecary feel to them. As for the products? Amazing! I have a couple of favorites that make me want to explore their entire product line-up.
For years, I've been a huge fan of Aesop, the skin, hair and body care label from Australia. The packaging alone is so chic. They have a very old school apothecary feel to them. As for the products? Amazing! I have a couple of favorites that make me want to explore their entire product line-up.
Fine, Taste Central only had four products from the Parsley Seed range, but I am not complaining. Because thankfully, I had just replenished my stash while we were in Hong Kong back in March, heehee. In Causeway Bay alone, there are two Aesop stores - one inside Hysan Place and another on Paterson Street, near the Isabel Marant boutique. I happily got to visit both while staying at J Plus Hotel, which was highly recommended by my friend Gretch Uy (thanks again Gretch!).
Anyhoo, back to Taste Central. I swear, whoever has been stocking the beauty shelves of Taste Central, has been doing a great job choosing brands. From Moroccanoil to Bumble and bumble, Tarte and Chantecaille, honey, you've got your pulse on the market.
Bumble & bumble Seaweed shampoo - when it comes to hair, Bumble and bumble is the perennial buzzword. It's a New York institution that has been around since the late 70s, and known not just for hair cutting and styling but also hair products.
Tarte cheek stain in True Love - I've been using Tarte for years. I love their Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush so I am pretty sure this cheek stain is worth a try too.
Chantecaille Hydra Chic Lipstick - Chantecaille is a part of Net-a-porter's roster of beauty brands. Chantecaille focuses its attention on inflammation, which is scientifically recognized as the main cause of aging. Their makeup line is renowned for its natural look.
Apart from beauty brands, there are lots of great finds as well, from Chicco swim shorts to DwellStudio sheets:
Home goods like the Kenwood kMix Blender and De'Longhi espresso machine (not that I drink coffee, but it would be nice to have especially when we entertain people over brunch or dinner):
And not your usual food finds like trail mix from Fruitti Nutti and Belgian lace cookies from The Delightful Miss Joyce:
Some may argue that Taste Central pricing is higher than retail in the US, but when you factor in time spent ordering, shipping costs, and the convenience of not having to arrange for shipping to Manila and waiting for your packages (which can be anywhere from 5 days to 8 weeks), hey, that's the price you pay. If you can't be bothered, then that's reasonable enough.
For instance, I ordered the Parsley Seed Facial Cleansing Oil "on sale" for Php2,900, which retails for $55 in the US. Add $7.50 for shipping and that's $62.50 already, or roughly Php2,600. If I have it shipped to Manila via Johnny Air, assuming I bunch it up with a couple of stuff so I can hit the minimum of 2 lbs at $5.49 a lb for Express shipping, and the bottle is 1 lb so I spend $5.49 on shipping then the total would be $68, or roughly Php2,829. Am I going to beat myself up for overspending Php71 on the product and another Php100 for shipping? I don't think so.
The Tarte cheek stain is Php1,650. It retails for $30 at Sephora and if I don't spend over $50, I will have to pay $5.95 in shipping. If I ship this with other stuff at $5.49 a lb, then I would have spent close to $41 for the product, which is about Php1,706. That said, my local purchase turned out cheaper pa!
Now that the possible issue with pricing is settled, let's talk about the shipping! OMG. So fast. I ordered May 12, Sunday night, and got my package May 14, Tuesday morning. Considering that May 13 was election day and a holiday, that's pretty quick!
Plus, love that the box is sturdy and the contents inside were packaged carefully with bubble wrap and paper cushioning.
Prior to this, I bought a DwellStudio zebra print throw from Taste Central and ordering and shipping was just as quick and efficient. Actually, shopping at Taste Central reminds me of my Gilt days, the heyday of shopping for deals haha. Always fun looking through the site, and so cool to see hard to find stuff that you won't find anywhere else. I guess that's the reason why items go so fast.
Ha! Race you to Taste Central this coming Sunday!
2 comments:
My only concern and I think the downside with Taste Central is they don't deliver outside Metro Manila. I have lot of things that I want sana :((((
Oh my, that is true and quite unfortunate cheekee!
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