Singapore Shopping Street

A few years ago, the government proposed to make the whole stretch of Orchard a dream shopping street. Ideas even include underpasses or overhead covered walkway from OG to opposite OG. And now, I think their plan is slowly, but surely, materializing.

Of crowds and buyers, I don't have the statistics. But of shops and shops, and MORE shops, it is plain for all to see.

I went on a walk from Plaza Singapura at Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station to Ion Orchard at Orchard MRT Station the other day, and there were so many things I just had to check out. I wanted to walk down to Tangs and Far East, but my feet just could not bear it anymore. :PPP

Okay, so without further ado, here are the pics I took along the way.

I went to PS to look for a shop called Funny Pockets as I wanted to look at the real thing before buying online. They are selling Japanese Fashion Accessories here. And I was tempted to get the rings for my SO and I. I think the Lolita dress is nice too, though with limited variety. However, I tried the rings at the shop, and I am surprise that they don't fit my fingers, despite the measurements shown online, which should fit. No pics for this shop.

One of the surprises I got was, to find Etude House. This is another Korean skincare and cosmetic brand that has just opened in M'sia. But I didn't know in Singapore too. It is somewhere in the basement, right in front of an escalator.

It looks like a doll house, and the bottle designs and colours are also the milky kind. I quite the lip plumper, but it stings a bit. The nail polish is no good. Same as The Face Shop, though cheap, but simply too thick to spread. I guess the thing to try out there is probably the BB creams. They have 3 kinds. But that shop is too small and too crowded for my liking.

Then I went out, walk towards Orchard, and tadaa! Orchard Central.

Orchard Central from across the road.

I was so curious to see this place, as it is reported that its interior incorporates art, like an art gallery. Below are some pictures of the art on the first floor.

A water feature.

One of the many islands of sofas on the 1st floor.

Good to rest your feet, and yes, just spend the day reading newspaper like the guy I caught in the picture.

The scarlet heels of the famous 5 storey tall plastic person. (You can go to the 5th floor to see the head.)

The first part of the very long fashion display in dark settings and neon lights.

A mannequin sitting in the dark.

The last part, the sports display.

The place was very cold and deserted, save those people enjoying the sofa and air-conditioner. I think all these are meant to be some form of attraction, as the guard did not stop me from snapping away.

I went down to the basement to see the shops as there are many unknown names that I saw on the directory. But it was so highly disappointing that I did not have the mood to go up to the higher floors. The directory says there are more well-known shops up there.

The only consolation is perhaps, Missha. Missha is a low-end cosmetic brand from Korea, that has disappeared from all over Singapore, as compared to 3 years ago, when they had branches in the most crowded areas of this island, like Citylink Mall. Young girls have been looking all over for Missha products, only to find that they have shifted some of the items into Watsons.

So, if you are reading this, and are looking for Missha, do go to Orchard Central and stock up on whatever you want before it disappears.

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So feeling awfully disappointed, my next stop was Takashimaya. I wanted to visit the Watsons there, as it is the biggest I know, looks bigger than Vivo City's branch. And I wanted to re-visit Sephora there too.

I bought a Kiwi Soft-ins for only $4.95. Which I will review later. Lovely, look out for my review.

For Sephora, it was a very sad case. Not sure if it is because that was a weekday, but the store was so cold, and I belonged to the miserable handful of customers. To think when I went a few days after it opened in December, the store was so pack, I could hardly make my way around.

Nothing much, except that the SA let me try Versace's latest women fragrance, and I fell in love with it. So now, this goes on my waiting list. Will get it once my Omnia Crystalline runs out . (Which would be a few years later. lol.)

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Now, it's time for ION@ORCHARD!!!

I like the way it is integrated into Orchard MRT, like how Wisma Atria is. It is huge! Like M'sia's KLCC. So spacious, probably the first of its kind in Singapore. All other malls in SG are cramped like a sardine can.

I happened to see the opening of Shu Uemura's store. The store is very small, by the escalator. I heard the person-in-charge saying something like this store will open a new chapter of Shu Uemura's history in Singapore. I think they are rebranding, with the new Japanese design cleansing oil bottles. Yet, I don't feel any difference in their brand.

Here are some pics:

The models who look so unreal. Ultra smooth skin and so fair and bony. Slightly envious.

The models from another angle, and without the cameraman.

Now, it is looking for Sephora@Ion. I do not think it is easy to find that place. Had to go up a few storeys. But I found it anyway.

This is the famous MAC counter right at the doorstep.

And the store entrance is so big that I had to use 2 shots to capture it.

I am most of you would already have read that Sephora@Ion carries new brands from the US. And the famous ones that many of us look forward to is Burt's Bees and Smashbox.

There is also the Sephora Girl cosmetic line from Sephora. Really cute and sweet colours.

Other than that, this shop carries a multitude of other brands that are already in Singapore. And I like the way it is just so spacious, with many makeup counters. So you could go there and get everything you want then do a makeover, instead of stopping separately at Shu Uemura, then Clinique, Bobbi Brown etc, and facing snobbish or pushy SAs.

I wanted to try the Sephora nail colour in blue. But after testing over there, I decided that the texture is just too thick and not easy to spread. It feels like $2.90 nail polish that I can get outside.

So this is all for the long Orchard walk. Bring water to drink and wear comfortable shoes if you ever want to go on this shopping trip. Take care. =)