Non-BPI cardholder? Be part of Couchwasabi’s guestlist!

To get FREE complimentary passes, drop a comment on this blog post and let me know what are the things that you are looking forward to with The Big Holiday Outlet Sale. It can be the brand or a specific thing.

Don’t forget to write your complete name and valid email. Only entries/comments submitted by December 2 (WED) 9.00 pm are included in the raffle.

Couchwasabi will randomly pick FIFTEEN (15) lucky participants and the winners will be announced on December 2 (WED) 11.00 pm. Each winner will receive TWO (2) tickets–that’s for you and your friend!

Tickets will be claimed on the day of the event at SMX. Note that a valid ID must be presented by the raffle winner to claim the tickets.

Keep it coming! Goodluck!

It comes and it goes…

The BIG Holiday Outlet Sale 2009 will be held at the SMX Convention Hall 4 this December 4 – 6 from from 10AM to 9PM.

Free entrance for all BPI Cardholders and Php 50 entrance fee for non-cardholders.

UPDATE: Not a BPI Cardholder? Be part of Couchwasabi’s Exclusive Guestlist!

Picture 1: Jacket Urban Outfitters, black dress American Apparel, black ballerinas and purse Bimba & Lola

Picture 2: Embroidered vest and jersey shorts ZARA, white tank River Island

Picture 3: Scarf TopShop, sun glasses RayBan, earrings YSL, ring Bvlgari, oversized clutch Uterque, leggings Sass & Bide

A great Bulgari fragrance ad, and an AMAZING Hugo Boss perfume ad, right after the jump.

1. Jason Wu will collab with Yue [Stylelist]

2. Save Luella! [Fashionista]

3. Emanuel Ungaro has dug his own grave. The label was just dropped by Neiman Marcus and Net-A-Porter. Outside of his own stores and Vivaldi, the label cannot be found. By this rate Ungaro will turn into a novelty item. [Style.com]

4. Rumor has it Ashley Simpson may be on Vogue. But, that’s not why she appears in retail news. She’s aiming high with preppy-punk designs brought to you by the ex-Melrose Place actress – sign of a girl with too much time on her hands. [Hollyscoop]

5. Despite losses in Q1 and Q2, Bulgari sees $10 million Q3 profits. Oh joy! [WWD]

6. Zero+Maria Cornejo will debut a full menswear collection for the spring. [Racked]

7. It’s time to rack up the flights to Finland. Trade in your Finnair airline frequent-flier miles for plastic surgery. Your eyes aren’t decieving you. We said plastic surgery. [Allure]

I feel naked without perfume on. I don’t douse myself in it heavily, but rather I choose light, fresh scents that always get me compliments. I don’t want my perfume to assault those I walk past or interact with; I want them to notice me and wonder why I smell so damn good…

I think a little scent boosts my confidence, it makes me feel that little bit “prettier” and feminine. I realize not all women are perfume lovers- but surely with all the smell combinations out there- there HAS to be something for everyone! As I was growing up my mother tended to wear spicy, heavier smells and while those don’t appeal to me personally, I always admire women who can carry them off. I remember Poison in particular…one called Cinnabar as well. They were heady and rich; and they clung to my mother’s skin perfectly. She smelled ‘warm’.

I gravitate to softer scents; my current fave being BVL, by Bvlgari.

This scent is soft. Womanly. Lingering and it almost smells (dare I say it) powdery? It’s so feminine and I never fail to get compliments from men, and woman asking me what it is I am wearing. When you first apply this perfume it doesn’t go on harsh and heavy on the alcohol, but rather it’s light and airy right off the bat. I find this reassuring. Some women may find it wears off quickly, but I think the subtle fade is what I truly like about it. As my day goes on, those I’m closest to can still smell it.

Perfume is a wonderful thing! Save $10 off any purchase of $40 or more at Perfume Emporium. Use code CD1972. And who doesn’t love a good deal?

Another scent I love? Sensi, by Armani. All Armani fragrances are amazing…but this one turns heads…and especially gets the attention of your special guy. Sensi makes me feel like a woman! I know, I know it sounds corny but this smell is deliciously seductive. It’s probably not a scent I’d wear to the office but with that said, it is NOT overpowering. It’s just damn sexy.
I kid you not.

Stock price: €6.25
Conclusion: We think that the stock looks fully priced against peers and close to the high end of its valuation range, based on our revised DCF (€6.7 per share).

Q3: sales down 9% reported to €233m, down 14% like for like. EBIT down 36%, net profit down 69%..but returning to €7m profit. 9months down 17% reported to €629m, €33m losses vs €77m profit last year.

Two good news:
-the decline in top line is decelerating (-31% Q1, -28% Q2 and -14% Q3). DOS retail sales decreased by only 4% in jewelry and 6% in watches in Q3, with accessories up 10% in dedicated stores. According to management, Q4 should benefit from the end of destocking in perfumes and in accessories, while visibility remains limited in watches and in jewelry.
Although 2010 will benefit from an easy comparison base, notably in H1, management does not expect a strong rebound in wholesale (around 50% of sales), as retailers are now used to work with low inventory.

-Operating costs have started to come down, by 10% in Q3. Importantly, the decrease was not purely driven by communication expenses (-9%) but broad based with savings in personnel costs, variable selling expenses and other administratives. The retail network (up by 5 stores to 169 units) is expected to remain fairly stable in the next 12 months as store openings in Asia should be offset by closures of non profitable units. On the balance sheet front, net debt remained unchanged at €330m, helped by lower capex and working capital inflow.
We expect Bulgari to end the year at break-even excluding restructuring charges. We forecast mid single digit growth in sales next year and around €60m profits.

Bulgari strongly rerated since March and is now trading 14xEV/EBITDA based on 2010 estimates, implying little upside potential.

A travel writer I know used to have rotten teeth. He said it would cost several thousand dollars to have them fixed, because he had no health insurance. But he got them fixed eventually – for a fraction of that amount.

How did he do it? He went on vacation – to Costa Rica. (Read more about this subject here.)

“Dental work – the quality of dentists – is really good in Costa Rica,” he explained, flashing a perfect, white smile. “And really inexpensive.”

So cheap, in fact, he said the cost of airline tickets from Tampa for himself – and his wife – plus ten days in a nice hotel and all the dental work cost less than half of what just the dental work would have cost in the U.S.

“I called it a ‘dental health’ vacation,” he laughed.

I could relate. Recently, I stopped in The Philippines for a few days at the Peninsula Hotel in Manila. Manila being the shopping mecca that it is, I went into one of the malls and found myself soon browsing through an optical store.

One of the attractive female clerks commented that she could turn the RayBan sunglasses I was carrying into reading sunglasses in an hour or two (even though it was Saturday!). And she quoted a really low price.

“But you don’t even know my prescription,” I protested.

“Come around here,” she said, motioning me behind a partition. Back there was a optical evaluation clinic. She gave me a full – and free – eye exam. “I think we can give you a little better vision,” she said confidently.

And she did. In fact, I was so happy with the improvement, I had them make regular  glasses for me too, with really high quality Bulgari titanium frames.

When the bill came to less than $220 – for everything, I was stunned. Back home in California, a full eye exam – which I was overdue for – would have cost me $450. Equal quality glasses would have cost me more than $1,200 (the list price of the Bulgari frames was over $1,100!). And I would have had to wait a week or ten days for them.

I realized that I, too, had just taken a “health vacation”. Round trip airfare to Manila from LAX, a couple of nights in the swank Peninsula, and my glasses cost well under the $1,200 that I would have spent at home.

It’s not news that Americans pay through the nose for crappy health care, especially compared to much of the rest of the world. Politicians are currently saying they plan to fix this – although (based on past performance) I fear they may only make things worse.

Plenty of Americans already head for Mexico or Canada to get discount medical, dental and pharmaceutical care. Crossing the border isn’t as easy as it used to be, of course, pre-9/11. And Mexico’s drug wars are now deterring many casual border-crossers. There’s actually an entire website devoted to “medical tourism” opportunities around the world.

But let’s consider this idea of taking a holiday for your health. Find an exotic location, with good, low-cost medical care. This idea has some real potential.

One more example: Years ago, I remember canceling a trip to Monaco once, with a pregnant wife, who worried she might go into premature labor. She had the baby in the States, and of course it cost us several thousand dollars, even though the doctor botched the delivery. Later, we found out, even as tourists, if she’d needed to have the baby in Monaco, not only would we have been welcomed at the principality’s fine hospitals, and attended by highly regarded doctors, it would have cost us nothing. Dang.

Next time!

Jerry Garrett

November 5, 2009

Get branded eyewear and watches at SM’s private one-day exclusive luxury sale. Privado is on November 13 from 10AM to 10PM at One Esplanade, Bay Boulevard, Macapagal (near Mall of Asia).

Up to 50% off on all items, with an additional 20% discount when you use your BDO credit cards or when you present your BDO Rewards Card, SM Advantage, or SM Prestige Card. You can also enjoy BDO’s 0% installment up to 6 months for a minimum purchase of Php 3000.

Participating brands include Armani Exchange, Bulgari, Burberry, Carolina Herrera, Christian Dior, CK, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Esprit, Fendi, Ferregamo, Girbaud, Givenchy, Gucci, Kenzo, Kenneth Cole, Mango, Michael Kors, Miss Sixty, Police, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Rayban, Tag Heuer, Timex, Tommy Hilfiger, Versace, YSL, and many more.

Düfte, die zum Zeitgefühl und zur aktuellen Fashion passen, finden Sie ganz bestimmt – und das zu fairen Preisen – in Ihrer Online Parfumerie.
Sie haben die Qual der Wahl zwischen – beschwingt, frisch, heiter – sinnlich, extravagant, orientalisch – elegant, klassisch, zeitlos.
Daraus ergibt sich eigentlich zwingend, dass ein Duft nicht reicht.

Se pare că basarabenii încep să-şi schimbe priorităţile şi optează pentru cetăţenia unei altei ţări din zona balcanică, de data aceasta Bulgaria. Conform Agerpress, citat de Ziarul de Gardă, cetăţenii R.Moldova ar fi depus un  număr mai mare de cereri chiar decât macedonenii  în vederea obţinerii cetăţeniei bulgare. De regulă, moldovenii invocă motivul originii bulgare pentru a obţine acte de identitate bulgăreşti.

Nu este exclus că basarabenii s-au reorientat spre Sofia deoarece Bucureştiul nu a produs până acum decât promisiuni şi declaraţii de intenţie în problema redobândirii cetăţeniei româneşti. La urma urmei, ce mai contează cu ce paşaport ajungi în Europa – bulgăresc sau românesc, mai ales că ambele au aceeaşi culoare.

Melhor preço do mercado

A famosa fábrica Italiana lançou este ano o novo modelo de seu famoso Diagono Professional.
A peça agora é equipada com o calibre 303, especialmente desenvolvido para equipar esta linda peça.

Excelência em relógio

Os cronos ganharam cores diferentes e são sobrepostos, com o datador mudando para a posição das seis horas, enquadrado em uma moldura dourada bem delicada.
O mostrador foi dividido ao meio e recebeu uma textura, ficando a parte superior em preto e a de baixo num tom de branco puxado para a cor areia.

Peça a prova d’água.
Peça já o seu, quantidade limitada.

Máquina Citizen.

Informações adicionais visite a seção Conhecendo-nos!

Para compra ou dúvida favor enviar e-mail para replica.09@hotmail.com

Preço: R$ 360,00

Linda réplica

In a dazzling show, the new Khimji’s Watches showroom was formally inaugurated on 10th October at Shatti Al Qurum by HH Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture.

The popular Swiss folklore group ‘25 Jahre Jodeldwett Geschwister Rymann’, specially flown in from Switzerland made the evening come alive with a scintillating performance. Giving a local flavour to the evening was also a brilliant display of song and dance by a highly talented traditional Omani dance troupe from Sur.

A special book on the new Khimji’s Watches showroom, detailing the fascinating interior displays and celebrating the fine nuances that went into making it world-class, was released on the occasion in both Arabic and English versions.

The opening of the new Khimji’s Watches showroom is the biggest happening in Muscat and makes shopping for the most prestigious watches and accessories, at the ultimate luxury destination, an unforgettable experience.

Located at Al Offuq Building in Shatti Al Qurum, the new Khimji’s Watches  showroom hosts the best brands in the world from the high-end watches, jewellery and accessories such as Rolex, Chopard, Cartier, Piaget, IWC, de Grisogono, Chanel, Gerald Genta, Oris, Bell & Ross and Tudor, to Vertu luxury mobile phones and Caran d’Ache writing instruments. The showroom also has the Lunettes (Eyewear) Collection comprising Versace, Bulgari, Tiffany, Mont Blanc and Tom Ford.

A host of dignitaries from the principal companies were represented at the formal opening, namely Yann du Pasquier from Rolex S.A., Hugues Jucker from Chopard, Patric Normand and Awn Zureikar from Cartier, Jean Marc Shammas and Myriam Hayek from Piaget, Hannes Pantli and Gianfranco d’Attis from IWC, Marco Caciti from De Grisogono S.A., Julien Moirignot from Chanel, Jean Philippe Cattin and  Tristan Boyer De Bouillane from Gerald Genta, Frederic Weber of Caran d’ Ache, Wajdi A. Hadi from Vertu ME, Andrea Zaffin and Enrico Destro from Luxottica and Werner Baumgartner from Swarovski M.E.

The formal inauguration was managed by NPA Events who gave the event a touch of exclusivity, befitting the new Khimji’s Watches showroom.

Dentro la nostra Europa e fuori dalla Televisione c'è anche questo, se lo teniamo fuori non c'è nessun allargamento FOTO di Aldo Ciummo (Roma)

L’Europa sta traendo linfa dall’apertura, al suo interno come oltre i suoi confini, ma per diventare europei occorre molto tempo, e perchè venga riconosciuto, a volte anche molto di più

 

 

 

 

 

Aurora De Freitas ha oggi 65 anni, 41 li ha spesi combattendo per i diritti dei suoi connazionali immigrati in Francia, non immigrati da terre lontanissime, afflitte da guerre o carestie, ma da un paese europeo, il Portogallo. Ieri l’Europa l’ha premiata per questo, con un premio che suona un pò come un simbolo stakanovista prestato al capitale, The Single Market Award, attribuito dalla Ue a una persona o organizzazione che ha migliorato con la propria azione il mercato interno, De Freitas forse lo ha fatto, ma soprattutto ha aiutato il volto sociale e autogestito dell’altra Europa, aiutando i cittadini portoghesi fin da quando questi non erano cittadini comunitari o lo erano con un sospetto di inadeguatezza sulle spalle, come i romeni e i bulgari oggi, come tutti quelli che, diceva Pasolini nel “Caos”, nelle sue rubriche, hanno la pelle e il volto bruciati dal sole delle epoche contadine, dal mestiere di vivere.
 
E’ singolare che solo una parte del proprio impegno venga ricosciuta a questa persona, la parte che ha migliorato le relazioni commerciali, solo la punta dell’iceberg in una società dove il contributo dell’attivismo dal basso da parte degli immigrati e delle comunità locali nelle province, nelle periferie, è il motore di quella integrazione reciproca che sta dipingendo l’Europa di oggi e che costruirà quella di domani, con la lenta apertura alle culture anche più lontane che continuamente si innestano in quelle di approdo, all’Esquilino come nelle banlieues parigine. Ed è limitativo riconoscere lo sforzo di una vita “politica” nel senso più significativo del termine, soltanto a chi oramai ha assunto già da ventitrè anni la patente di europeo.
 
Ma questa storia, la storia di una donna che trova lavoro come operaia e cucitrice a sedici anni, che a ventiquattro si trasferisce in Francia dove per altri diciotto anni sarà una extracomunitaria soggetta a tutta la precarietà con il suo corollario di permessi e di sfruttamento del lavoro, ma dedicherà tutto il suo tempo libero ad assistere gli altri immigrati del suo paese, il Portogallo, andando a lavorare all’alba per avere poi il tempo di confrontarsi con le istituzioni, fa pensare a molte altre storie velate dalla distrazione dell’efficenza contemporanea e dalla patinatura della comunicazione-spettacolo. Anche perchè come accade oggi con ungheresi e slovacchi, questa storia non è finita con l’accesso alla Ue. Ancora nel 2004 Aurora ha dovuto intraprendere una campagna per rendere più facile per la comunità portoghese avere la residenza in Francia, e lo stato da cui proviene è un membro della comunità fin dal 1986 ! Quanti anni ci vorranno perchè i cittadini dei Balcani siano considerati alla pari degli europei dei membri “doc” e quanti ce ne vorranno ancora perchè la società europea riconosca gli immigrati anche dagli altri continenti come persone e non soltanto come numeri destinati ad alimentare il mercato?
 
Il premio che Aurora De Freitas ha ricevuto è un premio, è scritto nel riconoscimento, ai cittadini che hanno compreso che lottare per i diritti all’interno di questo mercato è qualcosa per cui vale la pena di spendersi. “Faccio queste cose perchè non mi piace vedere la gente soffrire” ha dichiarato Aurora nel ricevere il Single Market Award, probabilmente sono tanti gli immigrati interni, comunitari e non, che la pensano come lei. Il migliore riconoscimento per loro sarebbe un’ Europa che non li vede soltanto come un grande mercato.
 
 
Aldo Ciummo

Bulgari has dedicated its 125th anniversary to a major fundraising initiative for Save the Children’s “Rewrite the Future” campaign. The aim of the initiative is to ensure a quality education to millions of children affected by conflict and war-torn communities. We set a goal of raising 10 million euros for 2009, which will culminate in an auction to be held at Christie’s New York in December.
Bulgari will auction an extraordinary collection of 11 one-of-a-kind jewels and 7 limited edition timepieces at Christie’s in New York on December 8, 2009.

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[Source: Bulgari's Press Release]

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En Nogastesdemasiado nos llena de orgullo anunciar que por fin tenemos los mejores perfumes al mejor precio de la red. Las marcas más prestigiosas, Lacoste, Bulgari, Vanderbil, Rochas, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Loewe, Paca Rabanne, Yves saint Laurent, Nina Ricci, Armand Basi, Davidoff, Angel, Burberry, Carolina Herrera, Cacharel, D&G, DKNY, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior…

Since I’ve been spending a considerable amount of time at airports lately, I’ve gotten a chance to browse the duty free cosmetics counters from NYC to Hong Kong (and several cities in between). Here are some of my favorite finds:

1)      YSL Bow Collection. I’m generally not a fan of multi usage palettes because it’s nearly impossible to find one where all the colors are usable. This one is definitely much more usable than most in that regard. The eyeshadows are very wearable for evening (important considering the holiday season is fast approaching) and the shiny highlighter is something every woman should have in her makeup bag. However, it’s really the glossy and perfect shade of pink lipstick that I’m absolutely crazy about! I’m really into bright lipsticks for daytime wear lately: just a touch of mascara and a bright glossy lipstick is the easiest makeup recipe for a contemporary chic look. This particular lipstick fits the bill to a T: it’s the perfect bright but not too bright shade of pink (huge color this season) with a touch of glossiness but greater saturation than a standard lip gloss. A bonus: the set comes in a cool black bow clutch reminiscent of a classic YSL design and usable on its own for evening wear.

2)      Nars “Rated R” eyeshadow in green and cobalt blue. I’m particularly keen on the green shade. The color is a fun and unexpected alternative to the usual evening smokey eye look. What makes it work is that the color is just as saturated when applied to your eye as it is in the compact. Also I find that this lime green shade works to enhance just about every eye color and skin tone beautifully.

3)      Shu Uemura Tokyo Lash Bar. Falsies don’t get any more fun than this. Yes this is a product to indulge your more adventurous side, but I’m a firm believer in stepping outside your comfort zone and adding playful elements to your usual fare every so often. I especially love the “mini” lashes from this collection. They are applied from the middle of your lid to the outer corner and come is a nice feathered mix of colors.

4)      BVL Eau de Parfum 2. Moving on to fragrances: for all the “Angel by Thierry Mugler” fans out there, I have good news. This new Bulgari scent is a fresh take on some of the same sweet floral and vanilla undertones.

5)    Allure Homme Sport. Lets hear it for the boys…this light citrusy scent is reminiscent of what a male version of “Light Blue by D&G” should smell like. It’s a really great alternative to fragrances like Cool Water, which I think are grossly overused. Another thing I love about this scent: it doesn’t make me think of a sleazy guy with slicked back hair and a penchant for strong colognes…ugh (ladies I think you know exactly what I’m talking about here).

Aaannnd she’s back with her signature style but this dress, I kinda like. However, I think the shoes are a mismatch and Priyanka really has to do something about that hair! On an aside, she’s at the ‘Bvlgari Save the Children’ campaign sponsored by Bvlgari. You can get your very own Bvlgari ring here, just like the one Priyanka has on.