When shopping for clothes or shoes online, size DOES matter as the correct size will ensure a good fit and comfort. Many e-shoppers often stay away from buying apparel online as they are worried that the clothes or shoes that they have bought online do not fit plus they do not want the hassle of returning those purchases to the merchants. I have personally encountered “sizing issues” and have resorted to having my pants altered by a local tailor. (FYI, even after factoring in my alteration and shipping charges, my Levi’s is still cheaper than the ones available locally.)

Yesterday, I received an sms from my BIL, who is also a fellow avid shopper, that brought new hope to my sizing woes. At Size Me Up, you will be able to find your size at over 30 stores. This site allows you to find your apparel size and also allows vendors to share their sizing charts in simple, easy-to-use format with their customers. With these information available, am sure that it will take a lot of guesswork out of online shopping and sizing.

Besides the nice blue-grey colour scheme and neat layout, I also like the registration process. No lengthy tedious online form filling. This gets thumbs up from me as I detest filling out long-winded forms, online or on paper. To get started, you need a measuring tape and do some mouse clicking. All you need to do is to input various measurements according to the easy-to-follow instructions. The site requires you to firstly choose your gender. Then you are required to input measurements for your bust, waist, hips, foot, head circumference and finger. At the end of this oh-so-simple process, this cool site will show you your apparel size in US Standard Size and some merchants such as The Gap and H&M. Just choose the appropriate merchant and apparel to know your size.

Now that I have this wonderful tool, I am off again on another online shopping adventure. This time I won’t need to keep my fingers crossed that my clothes would fit as I can always rely on Size Me Up to help me find the right fit.

People say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. But these days, MY best friend in the non-human category is my bag. It goes everywhere I go and I never leave home without it. My bag not only serves as my holdall but it is also my weapon of choice should the need arises. Recently, I got myself a new best friend. See?

I was initially looking for a professional-looking bag to hold my files and knick knacks but the ones that I came across were either aesthetically challenged (ie awfully ugly) or way out of my budget. When my sister mentioned that she was going shopping in US, I immediately hopped on the bandwagon. So off we went shopping together for my perfect bag. We trawled various sites and after many happy hours of shopping online while MSN-ing, we both found our bags. Happiness all around!

When I bought this Two-pocket Tote, it was US$ 9.99 and I was congratulating myself on finding such a good bargain. But now, my new bag friend costs only US$ 4.99 at Oldnavy.com! I know I should go kick myself now but….

Anyway, I fell in love this bag the minute it was delivered to me. I even got rave reviews from my brother-in-law. This black beauty (not the horse, mind you) is just the perfect size to stuff my files, organiser and even my 14-inch laptop. (16″L x 15″H x 4 1/2″W) As it is made of 100% polyester, it is machine washable. The faux leather details will no doubt make loads of animal lovers go for this bag. Am also happy that it has an interior zip pocket and two exterior zip pockets to hold my smaller items.

My quest for the perfect bag is over. For now that is.

I have sensitive skin and it took me years of trial and error (and not to mention $) to find the right skincare. Recently, my face reacted rather violently to my new environment. My face felt so irritated, itchy and I looked quite a sight with my red eczema-like patches. Even my normal skincare seemed to aggravate my skin.

I was out shopping with a cousin when we stepped into L’Occitane to get her face care. I casually asked the salesperson there if they had anything that may help my face. The kind lady recommended that I try their sensitive skin range, Shea & Organic Cotton. I was not willing to spend so much on something new as I was not sure if it would help with my skin condition. Fortunately, they had Shea & Organic Cotton Discovery Set. Brilliant! The perfect starter set at such an affordable price.

At L’Occitane’s e-store, this set is going for USD 18.00 only and has:-

1.  Ultra Comforting Cleansing Milk 1.7 fl.oz.

• This cleansing milk gently cleanses, removes makeup and tones in only one step, protecting skin from irritations

2.  Ultra Comforting Cream 0.17 oz.

• This gentle cream comforts and moisturises even the most Sensitive Skin. Day after day, redness is minimised and skin is more comfortable and resistant to environmental stress.

3.  Ultra Comforting Mask 0.5 oz.

• This richly textured mask becomes smooth during application for comfortable, hydrated and intensely soothed skin. Skin is instantly calmed, texture is softer and redness reduced.

I must say that I was impressed (and I do not get impressed very easily) with the almost immediate results. Soon after I dabbed some Ultra Comforting Cream on my red, irritated face, I felt some relief. My face felt soothed and the angry red patches reduced. Am happy to report that my face was almost back to normal after using it religiously for about 3 days.

I think I can stop searching for the perfect skincare now.