I’ve been to Japan about 12 times now and I’m planning to visit again sometime soon. Let me tell you that it’s a massive understatement when I say I’m excited to be back post-pandemic. It’s my favorite place in the world! I love the food, the parks, the fashion and of course, the shopping. First place I’d go to is Shimokitazawa for the vintage stores and cool cafes.

Revenge travel is everyone’s favorite hobby at the moment now that the world has opened up post-pandemic. I’ve been on a couple of trips abroad myself this year and the energy at the airport is really different - people are more excited and at the same time more appreciative of the privilege to be able to travel to other countries once again.

I recently got the opportunity to go on vacation for the first time since the pandemic started back in 2020. I needed somewhere fun, yummy and preferably close by. Singapore was the obvious choice.

Aside from being one of the food capitals of the world, Singapore is also known for fashion and beauty - a fact that any fan of Crazy Rich Asians can attest to! Every glamorous outfit on that movie was topped with perfect skin and amazing makeup. In between sight-seeing at Marina Bay and chowing down on sumptuous chili crab, I was on a mission to find the best places in Singapore to indulge my love affair with skincare and cosmetics.

Packing for a trip out of the country is, I daresay, an art. It’s getting that perfect balance between bringing everything you need, having easy access to everything without losing your things, and having enough space for your shopping! When I first started traveling abroad, I was all about packing light so much that I under pack and forget a lot of important things. I used to survive on just a 5-kilo luggage for a week-long trip - that’s unimaginable now. I always end up having to buy a big tote for my shopping and it’s such a hassle lugging it to and from the airport.

But now I have a fairly reliable formula that works for me, and might work for you too. Here’s my tried-and-tested way of packing for a trip abroad! This is handy if, like me, you over think and like to look pretty.

Since discovering the Miss Hana (花娜小姐) gel pencil liner during my last Taipei visit, I knew that Cosmed/Watsons/Ximending and I had unfinished business. Armed with a week’s worth of research and P3000 (converted to NTD1765), I set off for my Taiwan trip with the aim of trying out more of their makeup products. You might be wondering: what about Dr. Morita, My Beauty Diary, My Scheming, Naruko, and 23.5N? The skincare brands are slowly making their way to our shores, so we decided to focus on makeup instead! So if you ever find yourself in Taipei, Kaohsiung, or any of Taiwan’s beautiful cities, consider picking up these local finds.