You know what: you’ve had a difficult semester and it’s time to treat yourself, even if it’s a $10 item from Shopee. Here’s a roundup of the best buys from Shopee at a very wallet-friendly price point, courtesy of the HCNTU team.
*Prices do not include shipping.
Novelty (stationary, storage et cetera)
Journaling stickers
Lee Ann: While I have only taken up journaling just within the past year, not only has it become an outlet for me to express my emotions, but it has also become a creative space. As I pen down my thoughts, I would doodle the pages with colour markers and pencils. However it is as of late where I found a wide variety of inexpensive and cute stickers that has allowed me to further personalise my journal. I would even argue that the process of taking my time to decide on which stickers and the placement of the stickers is the best part of the process!
CiCiFunnyStore on Shopee has a wide range of colourful and adorable stickers! From flower shaped stickers to sparkling alphabet stickers and even bunny stickers, you are spoiled for choices! Moreover the quality of these stickers are top-notch given the wallet friendly prices (average prices are from $0.60 to $1+)! So what are you waiting for?
Get yours from this shop.
Shell Trinket Dish
Vedika: I hate having a mess on my desk and this trinket plate is the dedicated messy zone on my table. Most other small trinket trays I found (on Ikea or Amazon) were either too big for hall desks or pricey or just not cute enough. But, this holographic shell dish was well-priced and adorable. It makes for the perfect place to keep things that I keep around my room but forget where they were when I want to retrieve them, like small jewellery, keys, paper clips or, my personal favourite, laundry coins.
Get it here, for $8.72!
Transparent sticky notes
Vedika: When I saw transparent sticky notes on my TikTok for you page, I knew I would love them. They’re great for making notes on textbooks borrowed from the library or on notes you don’t want to ruin. I usually write my doubts on them and stick them to my notes or slides then remove them when my doubts are answered. But, you can only write on them with a pencil (which is erasable) because a pen gets smudged very easily.
Buy them here in two sizes, starting at $1.20.
Tulasi incense sticks
Nicole: I’ve ranted a lot about my own mindful/spiritual practices over the semesters, and these are a huge part of that — it flicks a ‘switch’ in my mind if you will. There are many options out there, some claim to be handmade, or special in some sort of way, but these are really inexpensive and work well, at $2-4 per box of 20. My favourites definitely are the Lavender and Frankincense & Myrrh ones, but Sage and Chandan (sandalwood) are great too!
Please note that incense sticks produce large amounts of smoke and the scent is intense (more so than a candle), so use it in a ventilated space and not too frequently. I’d also get an incense ashtray to burn them, or you could make your own out of air-dry clay like I did!
Get yours from this shop.
Phone holder
Nicole: I’m not even joking when I say this is probably my best buy ever from Shopee, so much so that I bought my entire family one each when it goes on sale (which can go below $0.99). If you have an iPhone that uses FaceID, you’d know the (very first world) struggle of not being able to see notifications unless you raise it, which can be annoying to do mid-essay. It’s great when your hands aren’t available to hold it upright too, such as watching your favourite show during a meal. This has an adjustable angle so you can find what works for you, and folds completely flat for portability.
One downside is that you can’t charge your phone when upright, only when it’s in landscape mode, but I’ve provided you with an alternative that allows you to charge your phone in portrait mode below.
Available here. Find the alternative here.
Beauty
Etude House Soon Jung Facial Cleanser & Toner
Nicole and Lee Ann: This definitely isn’t an underrated line by any means, but it definitely deserves more hype. Though the Korean brand is more well-known for makeup (especially for their lip tints in the age of COVID), this new line is developed specially for sensitive skin that doesn’t do well with harsh chemicals such as artificial fragrances. Our team loves the cleanser and toner from the line for its gentleness and price efficiency.
Shop the cleanser ($8.08) and toner here.
COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF50 PA+++
Nicole: If Jessica Vu is recommending it, we gots to try it. I’ve tried many different sunscreens, but this one stands out to me the most. The texture and application is exactly like a regular moisturiser, so no weird powderiness, oiliness or pilling there. I can get pretty tan, but I haven’t experienced any white cast from this one, so I’d put my money on this being suitable for my darker skinned friends out there! There is a slight bit of fragrance there though (it’s more of a fresh scent than your usual annoying white floral), but my sensitive skin doesn’t react so it’s still a go for me.
Get this here ($9.78).
Missha Triple Shadow
Nicole: If the Triple Shadow has 100 fans, I’m one of them, if it has one, it’s me, and if there’s zero, I’m dead. First of all, the concept, a square pan of three complementary shades that you’re supposed to swipe with one finger and apply it on your eye so that the colours blend seamlessly and in seconds? Genius. While the shade range isn’t very exciting — expect more browns, pinks, peaches, dark purples than neon blues and greens — it’s perfect for everyday wear. One thing though: the payoff, as with most Asian makeup, isn’t as great as one you’d get from a Tom Ford palette or a MAC one (for something like this try 3CE’s multi colour palette), but for $5? Take. My. Money.
Available here from $4.20.
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter formula moisturiser
Nicole: Did I buy this because I wanted to smell like Willy Wonka (no, seriously, it smells exactly like real chocolate)? Absolutely, yes. But what I didn’t expect was how well it worked on my dry skin, it apparently works great on those with flaky skin or skin with eczema too.
Get it here ($9.90).