It was about -10°C in New York today!I’m not sure if that’s how it is in the Arctic, but it sure felt like that! I had to cover half of my face with my scarf and felt my eyes tearing up because of the cold wind as we pounded the sidewalks today.

I felt sorry for the little kids who had to be out today. But maybe it would be helpful if they kept their hands warm by wearing these Hello Kitty gloves (on sale at Target for less than $2 by the way!)

And then wearing these mittens over their gloves!

Now isn’t that as fun as eating chocolate smores by the campfire on a cold night?

Right in the heart of New York City, just on 5th Avenue and 47th Street is the L’Oreal Office and their Company Store!

If you want to save money on perfumes, and L’Oreal brands like Kerastase, Inneov, Skinceuticals, Kiehl’s and Shu Uemura, then this is the place to go to! The selection may not be that much, but hey, it’s still worth a visit as you never know what bargains await you! And we are talking of huge discounts here!

There’s a catch though! You would need a guest pass, or be accompanied by a L’Oreal employee to get your hands on these goodies

What I know of however, is that if you participate in a research study conducted by L’Oreal’s Consumer Expressions Research Center, you will definitely score a guest pass as one of the perks. Otherwise, seek employment with L’Oreal! Not only do they have the company store at their disposal, I hear they get $55 every two months to spend for purchases in the company store, among other benefits! Not bad, not bad at all!

Look at what I discovered at Marshall’s this weekend!

While Dear Hubby was in line to pay for his purchases, my friend Ivy and I were curious to see what was inside this cute little box with a handle!

We thought it was a cute trinket, or maybe stationery pads and stickers inside, so I had to open the box just to see!

And this is what we found…Tadaa!

A Hello Kitty watch with pink “leather” straps and a cute watch face for $12.99 only! Hey, not bad!!!

A trip to New York will not be complete without doing a bit of shopping, so should you have the chance to go out of the city, I suggest that you go to Central Valley, New York and visit Woodbury Common Premium Outlets to do some more shopping!

Woodbury Common is the largest OUTLET destination in the United States! With 220 stores, from premium brands like Gucci, Tods, Bottega Veneta, Christian Dior, Chanel, YSL, Loro Piana, Burberry and Judith Leiber to labels like True Religion, Betsey Johnson, UGG, Lacoste, Kate Spade and Tory Burch you’ll surely get excited right? Of course, outlet staples like Nine West, Le Sportsac, GAP, Banana Republic and Ralph Lauren are there as always. From clothing to home goods, kitchen supplies, sporting goods, luggages and furniture, there’s enough to keep the whole family happy! Note, you’d need a whole day to make the most of your visit there!

If you don’t have friends or relatives who can drive you there, there are shopping excursions to Woodbury Common from Port Authority, New York City (42nd Street & Eighth Avenue). Bus fare is approximately $30, round trip. So go ahead, and shop till you drop!

Another favorite place of mine for reasonably priced and very filling meals is Shake Shack, a “roadside” food stand in Madison Square Park, which serves juicy burgers, hot dogs, frozen custard, beer, wine and of course, milk shakes, sundaes and more!

According to their website, www. shakeshacknyc.com, ” as part of the ongoing renaissance of the historic park, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group partnered with the Madison Square Park Conservancy to launch Shake Shack in Summer 2004. Designed by architecture firm SITE Environmental Design, Shake Shack blends harmoniously with the park and its surroundings.”

On a day with nice weather, this place is absolutely perfect for a leisurely lunch outdoors. Lot’s of people to watch too, considering that a line really does snake at the path leading to The Shack’s order line. Hahaha!

I normally spend about $10 for a meal at the Shake Shack, which includes a cheeseburger, fries, plus a shake or sundae (depending on my mood). Not bad, considering that I’m eating for a cause in a way… a portion of a purchase at the Shake Shack will benefit the Madison Square Park Conservancy!

Some people eat to live, while others live to eat. As for me, I live to shop, so I try to eat cheap. So that I have money left over for shopping! Hahaha!

I usually eat at home before I head off to shop. For one, its a bad idea to shop when you’re hungry. You end up buying more food than you can consume. In my case especially, I get irritable and that makes for irrational shopping choices! One needs full concentration when shopping, trust me!

But if worst comes to worst and I have no choice but to spend for a meal (I know, I’m such a cheapskate!), my first choice is Grey’s Papaya!

I usually get the “Recession Special” which actually is 2 hotdogs and a drink for $3.50! Not bad huh? Given that an average meal in the City could easily set you back $20 per person.

Check out the ambiance!

Uhhhmm, ok it might not be the best of places, but it sure fills me up! After all, it still is said to be the best hot dog in New York City!

With three locations on the West Side of Manhattan: 539 Eighth Avenue at 37th Street, 402 Sixth Avenue at 8th Street, and 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street, and with store hours 24/7, it’s a pretty convenient place to stop by for your fill of food.

So that you have lot’s of energy, plus of course, money left over for shopping! Heeheehee!

Hello there Sanriotownmates!If there’s one thing we have in common, its the fact that we all grew up loving Hello Kitty and the gang! Maybe not just loving it, maybe even more than that. Because back in the day, I was OBSESSED with anything if not everything Sanrio.

In grade school, I had to have the Hello Kitty watch, the metal lunch box, the pencil case, all the stationery and stickers I could get my hands on. By the time high school rolled by it was the Kerokerokeroppi compact mirror, the plastic fan, the notebooks, pens and mechanical pencils that meant the world to me.

Not long after that, I found a new obsession. Fashion! Anything and everything about clothes! And shoes! And bags! But that never dampened my fascination with Sanrio. It always brings back fun memories of my childhood, when life was simpler, when all it would take was a trip to Gift Gate (the only store selling Sanrio merchandise in the Philippines) to make me happy. Because sadly for my pockets, these days the equivalent of that would be a trip to some swanky shop on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan!

But well, sometimes luck smiles down upon me and I stumble upon a treasure trove of luxury goodies! Just check out the department store outlet stores! On an ideal day, you might even call it some kind of shoe heaven! Where all the good shoes go after they last their season!

Here’s what I found at the Neiman Marcus outlet store in Jersey Garden Mall - rows and rows of Manolo Blahniks. Not to mention, Christian Louboutin, Dior, Prada, and Marc Jacobs shoe-sies!!!

Sigh!!!