Adapted from source: @jamsilvestre
For us makeup-wearers, putting on makeup is both a form of expression and artistry. Of course, beauty doesn’t come cheap… in Singapore. In Malaysia, it’s a whole new world.
With up to 70% discounts by virtue of exchange rate*, you’ll save up even more for life’s other indulgences. So gather your beauty squad, and hop onto the bus to the beauty shopping paradise across the Causeway.
*Exchange rate used was 1RM to 0.32SGD
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$29.90
Price at Watsons Malaysia: SGD$17.47
Hailed as the cult drugstore foundation that gives the brands at Sephora a run for their money, the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation gives a natural medium coverage. For those with acne scars, you’ll still have to go over this with a layer of concealer. This foundation looks amazing on dry skin, but if you’re on the oilier side, you’re probably better off with the next foundation in this list.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$30.90
Price at Guardian Malaysia: SGD$15.16
If you’re blessed enough to be free of imperfections on your face, you’ll be better off with this foundation. Its lightweight, sheer-to-medium coverage gives skin a healthy, even glow, and blends in nicely like a second skin.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$32.90
Price at Guardian Malaysia: SGD$25.83
With a cult following, the L’Oreal Infallible 24H liquid foundation promises full coverage, hydration, no transfer, no shine, and no cakiness. And the hefty claims are all true. For a drugstore foundation, it sure delivers well. Only downside is the limited range of shades, in which the darkest they stock is “sand”, and the lightest, “vanilla”.
Tip: If you’ve got normal to dry skin, word on the web is that this’ll suit you better.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$15.92
Price at Guardian Malaysia: SGD$4.37
As someone with sensitive skin, I break out when the slightest irritants come my way. On days that I have to run errands but don’t want to go out with a pink, inflamed face, Garnier’s Miracle Skin Perfector comes in super handy. It covers redness, hydrates, has SPF and gives a sheer, natural, semi-matte finish.
Read reviews here.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$19.90
Price at Guardian Malaysia: SGD$12
Easily the favourite drugstore mascara from beauty bloggers all over the world, this mascara promises amazing lashes all day – even if you get caught in the rain.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$24.90
Price at Guardian Malaysia: SGD$19.08
Ladies, you know the heartbreak when you’ve stretched your pair of falsies to the limit, and you’ve finally come to the point where it’s time to throw these expensive synthetic hairs into the bin. With a 23% discount in JB, you’ll get your money’s worth for each pair of these eye-openers.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$19.90
Price at Guardian Malaysia: SGD$11.34
Packed with a salmon-toned formula that colour corrects dark circles a the sponge applicator, this concealer helps beginners apply just the right amount of product to look more alive.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$21.90
Price at Guardian Malaysia: SGD$9.70
As the name suggests, if you’re one to draw on eyeliner as sharp as a blade, the Hypersharp liner is going to give you the most precise control – even when compared to high end makeup brands. Living up to its claims of being super matte, super black, and waterproof, your eyes will look flawless all day.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$26.91
Price at Guardian Malaysia: SGD$15.88
I’ve got sensitive, acne-prone skin, and harsh cleansers tend to bring out all the rosacea that I’ve worked so hard to keep at bay. Physiogel’s Calming Relief Gentle Cream Cleanser works like a cleansing cream, and my redness is greatly reduced after the first week of use.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$30.90
Price at Watsons Malaysia: SGD$19.60
Cetaphil’s Oily Skin Cleanser is gentle and lathers well so that you feel extra clean after a wash. This retails at a crazy $30.90 in Singapore for a 125ml bottle, so stock up when you go shopping in JB.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$15.60
Price at Watsons Malaysia: SGD$5.60
Save yourself the time of using cotton pad after cotton pad to remove your makeup, because one pump of this removes even the most waterproof of mascaras and foundations – and you just need your hands. Rub gently over your makeup to remove.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$17.90
Price at Watsons Malaysia: SGD$9.70
If you’re not familiar with micellar water, get yourself acquainted with this magic potion. While regular soaps dry your skin out to the point where it feels tight and devoid of moisture, micellar water is made up of cleansing oil molecules mixed in water, which draw out dirt and oil from the skin while leaving it soft and supple.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$9.90 for shampoo, SGD$11.90 for conditioner
Price at Watsons Malaysia: SGD$4.15 for shampoo, SGD$4.50 for conditioner
I got on with the 2013-2015 trend of rainbow hair and bleached my hair till it was damaged to the point of no return, and using the Total Repair Shampoo and Conditioner for a few weeks sent my hair returning to luscious bliss. Save the hundreds of dollars on treatments, and buy a few bottles of this to revive limp, damaged hair.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$17.90
Price at Watsons Malaysia: SGD$9.68
Hair dye addicts, you’ll know the pain of parting with your cash at the salon. You could do it at home for cheap, but you can get it even cheaper if you buy your dye from JB. For hair longer than shoulder-length, we suggest getting two boxes of hair dye.
Price at Watsons Singapore: SGD$8.20
Price at Watsons Malaysia: SGD$4.63
Picking at acne is something even the best of us do. It’s even worse at night – we rub our face on the pillow, scratch at our faces, and contaminate the infected area even more. Acne patches work by sucking out all the pus in your acne and making sure that it’s kept away from germs. You can get the thinner patches to wear during the day, too.
Generally, Urban Decay, Two Faced, and Make Up For Ever are the more popular brands that are cheaper to purchase in JB. But stay away from Becca, Kat von D, and Benefit – they’re cheaper in Singapore!
Price at Sephora Singapore: SGD$83
Price at Sephora Malaysia: SGD$69.60
You must have heard of this legendary neutral eyeshadow palette. Consequently, you must have heard of the siao price tag that comes along with it. As with expensive products, we tend to use them sparingly, but with the discounts in JB, you can now smoke your eyes out into oblivion.
Price at Sephora Singapore: SGD$33
Price at Sephora Malaysia: SGD$27.50
Yes, even the newer formula in Minor Sin is sold at $27.50. For the uninitiated, if you’ve got issues with creasing eyeshadow, this little vial of magic is going to fix it. Choose from Original, Eden, Minor Sin, Sin, and Anti-Ageing.
Price at Sephora Singapore: SGD$62 for Double Wear Foundation, SGD$68 for Cushion BB
Price at Sephora Malaysia: SGD$53.40 for Double Wear Foundation, SGD$58.30 for Cushion BB
If you worry about foundations oxidising on you, this’ll solve it. Packed with super high coverage, no oxidisation, and lasting power that’ll follow you even when you go swimming, you’ll be lookin’ flawless for days. We recommend the cushion BB if you prefer the dewy look, and the foundation if you want a matte finish.
Tip: Avoid using water based primers below the foundation for maximum staying power.
Price at Sephora Singapore: SGD$34
Price at Sephora Malaysia: SGD$26.89
Better known as “the mascara that Alexa Chung uses”, Eyeko’s mascaras are designed to fix common mascara woes. It comes with a mascara shield, and the tube container also helps you to scrape every bit of product out to get maximum usage out of it. We recommend the Sport Waterproof mascara for our humid, sweat-inducing weather.
Price at Sephora Singapore: SGD$62
Price at Sephora Malaysia: SGD$49
The Urban Decay All-Nighter is my holy grail foundation – waterproof, sweatproof and transfer-proof all while maintaining full matte-finish coverage. You can go dragon-boating, trek up mountains, and still have great skin. For those looking for a more natural finish, the Naked Skin foundation is your pick. The best part? Urban Decay’s diverse shades go from 1.0 to 12.0.
Tip: .5 foundations have pink undertones, and .0 foundations have yellow undertones. Go to the store to get colour matched, because this foundation oxidises quite a bit.
Price at Sephora Singapore: SGD$35
Price at Sephora Malaysia: SGD$29
This miracle tube needs no introduction. Fun fact about the product’s name: the founder of Too Faced, Jarrod Blandino, tested the mascara and shouted: “This is better than SEX!” The rest is history.
It also works amazingly for those with monolids and straight lashes.
Price at Sephora Singapore: SGD$61
Price at Sephora Malaysia: SGD$49.25
If Pony uses it, I’m on board. The foundation is semi-matte, so it’s suitable for people with drier skin. The buildable medium to full coverage looks pretty natural too, so you can still say that you #wokeuplikethis.
For most of us, the trip to JB can be sian AF. Although the cheapest route would be to take buses 950, 160, or 170X from Kranji MRT to JB Sentral, you can evade the JB jam if you take the KTM from Woodlands Train Checkpoint (nearest MRT: Marsiling MRT). It’s about $3 more than if you take the bus, but it saves you about 30 – 45 minutes, depending on how bad the causeway jam is.
Find out more about the KTM here.
Sephora:
Address: Komtar JBCC, Level Ground Floor, Lot G32 , Jalan Wong Ah Fook, 80000 Johor Bahru.
Opening Hours: 10AM – 10PM
Watsons:
Address: Johor Bahru City Square, M2-06, Level 2, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 10AM – 10PM
Guardian:
Address: Johor Bahru City Square, M2-02 & M2-03, Level 2, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 10AM – 10PM
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