Say Yes to the Inexpensive Dress

5 Tips to Score a Budget-Friendly Wedding Gown

Finding a stunning wedding dress will lead you to many different places – bridal salons, consignment shops, department stores, and even to independent designers and mass-market retailers. Some even take the risk and search wedding gowns online, even if it’s impossible to physically fit them, just to find an excellent catch for a much affordable price.

Whether or not your standards are as high for a budget-friendly wedding gown, you’d still want to don a dress from the best bridal studio in Singapore that will make you look and feel beautiful on your special day. So if you’re a budget-conscious bride looking for that perfect yet inexpensive dress, here are some tips we want to share with you.

1. Opt to have a less formal event. Is your wedding more of a casual theme—or are you open to the possibility of having a less formal wedding theme? If so, then you’re a step closer to scoring a pocket-friendly-worth wedding dress. Set your wedding in an outdoor Singapore wedding venue, and match the laidback ambiance with a more casual wedding dress. A lightweight and less dramatic wedding dress is far easier on the pocket than a ceremonial, cathedral-length wedding gown.

2. Search for ‘the one’ at sample sales. Many Singapore bridal shops offer great discounts on wedding gowns several times a year to clear their racks of sample dresses. Although scenes of brides-to-be lunging on piles of marked-down gowns look like a horrendous battlefield, things are actually pretty civilized in these places, not to mention the good savings you’ll get if you join the wagon. To save time and effort in checking out salons, call them and ask for upcoming sale display before heading to their store, or sign up for newsletters to get the latest buzz about upcoming sales.

3. Don’t ignore department stores. With their lovely and elegant styles and reasonable prices, mass-retailers Ann Taylor and J. Crew have been among the go-to sources of brides on budget. But mass-retailers aren’t the only sources to check out when looking for wedding gowns, since more and more Singapore department stores have embracing the bridal business. Instead of visiting just bridal salons, take a stroll at nearby malls and you might just find the most gorgeous gown for a fraction of a price. Also, try checking the malls’ website to check whether they display bridal gowns in their inventory.

4. Give second-hands a chance. Buying a wedding gown on consignment shops or from classified websites might not be your first choice, but these places often have the cheapest dresses in town. Yes, the gowns are second hand, but most of them were worn just once. If you want some real savings, this is probably your best choice. Simply buy the gown that’s flattering to your body type, have it dry-cleaned, and – voila! – you now have a stunning wedding dress, but at a much cheaper price.

5. Buy early and buy simple. Buying early will actually help you save money. If you’re planning to have your gown done from scratch, then its best that you place your orders around eight to 12 months in advance to avoid rush fees, which usually cost a third of the dress’ actual cost. Keep in mind that the more handwork your gown has – beading, embroidery, etc. – the pricier it will be.

Wedding gowns are among those classic garments that look sophisticated even with the simplest embroideries. Keep in mind that simple is elegant, and it will never be daunting to look for that real steal wedding dress.

Energizing Tricks to Combat Fatigue at Work

 

Do you often find yourself yawning and feeling lethargic at work? If so, you’re not alone. However, though it’s normal to feel tired at the end of a long, busy day, feeling lethargic all the time hinders you from being productive at the office. Try these simple and science-backed tips to combat fatigue and reclaim your energy at work.

  1. Try Colour Therapy

Warm colours, like orange and yellow, are more energizing than their cool counterparts. That’s because, according to a research, they are attention-grabbing—therefore, activating the brain works. One of the easy ways to insert orange in your routine is to sneak it to your wardrobe. Wear orange-hued socks, jewellery or scarves. Another way is to keep an orange fruit on your office desk, and then enjoy it as an energy-boosting snack later in the day.

  1. Re-energize With Cold Water

If you have ever showered in cold water and felt a rush of electricity run through you, perhaps you already know why cold water is a good invigorator. Whenever you feel sleepy or tired, wash your hands with cold water for a minute or splash some on your face to rev yourself up. Because the skin in these parts of the body is covered in nerve endings, it’s sensitive to extreme temperature, making cold water a solution for grogginess.

  1. Have a 20-Minute Power Nap

If you have been sleeping late, short afternoon nap can make a huge difference. A 20-minute nap can instantly amp up your alertness and even improve your quality of sleep at night. A study have shown that those people who took power naps in the afternoon felt energized and saw big improvements in their work performance.

  1. Regularly Sip on Water

Around 60 percent of our body is made up of water, so it makes perfect to stay hydrated to perform at your best. However, many of us do not drink enough water, especially when loaded with paper works and other office tasks. To make sipping water part of your routine, remind yourself by setting alarms on your phone. If you have been sitting at your desk for hours, take the opportunity to stretch your legs by getting yourself glass of water.

Your energy and focus are your greatest resources at work. If from time to time you can’t reward yourself with enough sleep and rest to re-energize, try giving these simple tricks a shot.

5 Beauty Brands You Need to Try Before They Blow Up

 

While we love drugstore beauty products and high-end brands we see at Sephora, there’s something alluring about cosmetic offerings that are not quite as accessible (yet!). What can we say, the hunt just excites us; and there’s nothing quite like the feeling of discovering a holy-grail product before it hits the limelight.

From organic skincare products to cruelty-free make-up items, here are the brands to keep an eye for before they hit the mainstream.

  1. Primera

This skincare brand is owned by Korean beauty giant Amore Pacific, but it’s one of the less popular brands. It is an organic brand that avoids ingredients like parabens and mineral oil, and uses lots of natural extracts instead. If you have heard of Innisfree, Primera is a higher-end version of it.

  1. Doctor’s Knows Best

Aesthetics doctor Kevin Chua was using different skincare products for the past decades, until he realized that they no longer cut it and started his own beauty line. His HA Collagen Cream, one of his greatest invention, aims to plump the skin upon application and is said to diminish fine lines and wrinkles after continuous use.

  1. SauceBox Cosmetics

Many of this brand’s eye shadows are excellent high-end dupes. Although the prices of their eye shadow palettes are quite steep for an emerging make-up brand, they are much more economical than purchasing individual eye shadow pots from a high-end brand.

  1. Morphe

If there’s one brand that has had created the most buzz in the online beauty community, it would have to be Morphe. They first came into fame with their line of professional make-up brushes at affordable price. But that’s not all! They also offer an extensive line of top-quality make-up products, including blushes, cream shadows, concealers and foundations.

  1. Allies of Skin

For busy women with virtually zero ‘me time,’ this Singapore-based brand will become your new best friend when it comes to skin care. The brand’s effective products are especially designed for modern day multitaskers to go with their hectic lives. The brand believes that skin care should be, fast and easy, and we agree on this 100%. This emerging brand only offers their products online, so make sure to check out their website.

While MAC, NARS and Urban Decay generally dominate the world of beauty, there’s a ton of excellent indie beauty brands out there waiting to be noticed. Now that you know some of them, make sure to stock up on these brands before they hit the mainstream.