Shopping trips have been deemed ‘fun’ for as long as I can remember. My brain has been wired, at a very tender age, to enjoy shopping. Little did my little self know it was already reaping the benefits of retail therapy even before experiencing actual stresses in life.

And though I wouldn’t consider sales to be a weakness – the term reserved for food in all forms – I really do get a kick out of computing supposed ‘savings’ and lugging around shopping bags. The more I have in tow, the better. The heavier, well – it doesn’t apply. So when I was invited to shop at SM North Edsa to experience the 3-day Great Northern Sale the answer was an immediate yes nevermind the fact that I’ve actually never been nor driven to the place.

The adventure –  it always is with my zero sense of direction – was well worth it with a sale tour I really enjoyed. Thanks to it, I’m probably going to be heading there when I get the chance. Anyway, there were 5 stops penned in our itineraries (and by our I mean myself and fellow bloggers) and I’ll give you a quick tour of each.

Sale penguin

1. Original Penguin. While their expansive selection of perfectly displayed colored polos were very tempting, they were mostly (I’m guessing about 95%) for men. They did have a couple pieces for girls (a lot more for kids) that were eye-catching. I would suggest that guys check it out – if not for the sales then maybe just for some inspiration for your future/dream-closet where polos are lined up in an exact rainbow replica. I should probably do that too.

sale uniqlo

2. Uniqlo. We spent a great deal just taking selfies in this store. Confession/realization: sunglasses are also a weakness (though second only to edible things.) Seemingly every area had some sort of price reduction and given that the store is pretty big, I got some serious amount of exercise in this store alone.

sale ice

3. Ice Watch. I’ve seen friends sport this brand a lot so I was always pretty interested in their items. I adore watches though I rarely wear them – my wrist’s size makes it very tough to decorate. That might just be about to change though since I got myself a red one. (Friends-1, Alyssa-1.)

sale claires

4. Claire’s. This store evoked so many happy childhood shopping memories – particularly those involving a certain ’10 items for $10′ promo. I’d make it a point to grab a bunch as ‘pasalubong‘ although it was very hard not tearing the tag off and using everything myself – so hard that it happened quite often. I ended up getting a backpack (in photo)– something I have not used nor owned since grade school – that’s more than a decade-long backpack hiatus. I blame Claire’s for re-awakening the child in me and its sartorial preferences. Hopefully not all though, my teenage years were very awkward.

Sale5. NYX. Of course our last stop had to be a makeup brand. I think I The Secret-ed it. Okay, fine. Make this weakness number 3: make up – particularly lipstick. (I swear, when I started writing this post I didn’t realize I’d uncover so many weaknesses. Blogging is apparently a form of self-discovery.) Got a bunch of stuff from them including soft matte lipstick – those in lip glass-like tubes. I didn’t even know they existed and now I think I’m hooked. My lips are perpetually chapped and matte lipstick just makes all the protruding chapped ends more visible. NYX’s doesn’t. Best discovery of the week.

I ended up with awesome loot from each store.  

saleeeeeeee

But I stand by what I said earlier: unlike make up and sunglasses, sales are not a weakness. When I do find a good sale though, I – with a 100% fully functioning brain and absolutely no emotional directive – shop.