Shopping at Muji
Muji is a Japanese "no-brand" brand that specializes in minimalist lifestyle goods. The brand sells things from clothes to toothbrushes, bed frames to makeup. I've always been curious about Muji because friends who have visited its stores abroad have raved about it. Thus, I dutifully went last night with Marco and braved the sea of chi-chi shoppers, poodles (clutched in the arms of chi-chi shoppers), and yayas in uniform, toting hyperactive kids.
Muji's minimalist, utilitarian clothes are not my style, but there are a lot of nice basics like plain tanks and shirts which one can incorporate in any outfit. The prices of the clothes started from P600 to P2,500. Frankly not all the clothes are worth their price tags. They were selling these plain cotton dresses for ~P1,600. The fabric or quality wasn't anything special, if that's the major argument for the price.
The cardigans and blazers for women, however, are worth a gander. Cardigans were P1,700, but I can see that they're of high-quality and can be washed repeatedly without damaging them. The blazers were P2,250. I loved the material used!
If you're not interested in the clothes, Muji also carries a host of other practical distractions - furniture, kitchenware, snacks (candies, nuts, tea), stationery, knickknacks, organizer bags for traveling, skincare, and makeup. These are what Marco and I found the most interesting:
Marco obviously loved the clothes and the shoes. Well, he loved everything actually. His style is minimalist so Muji is like his soulmate. He got three long-sleeved tops (he's been looking for these exact same ones forever) for only P795 and canvas shoes for only P1,650. We both wanted the house slippers (P395)!
For myself, I got a striped shirt for errand days (P895), sketchbook because the paper is nice and I miss sketching (P115), colored pencils (P485), candy, and the Cleansing Oil (P395). I swatched all the makeup, but I didn't find anything compelling enough to go home with. They're cheap though - the concealer was P300, blushes at P250, and some lip products at roughly P500 (please correct me if I'm wrong). You can also find foundation and some powders.
Muji also brought in their organic skincare line, so that's something interesting to try! The Cleansing Oil is famous - Google it. I used it last night and so far so good.
Overall, I enjoyed my shopping experience at Muji. I think that many (but not all) of the stuff there have achieved a nice balance between quality and price. I am looking forward to what the brand will be bringing in the coming weeks!
You can find Muji above the Gap in Bonifacio High Street
