Even though Batam is a mere 45-minutes away from Singapore, I haven't been there until my recent trip with my girl-friends over the Hari Raya Puasa holidays.
I must admit that I wasn't very much hyped-up prior to the trip given that I received nonchalant replies from almost everyone whom I spoked to about me going to Batam very the first time.
Was Batam really as how they mentioned it - Nothing to do in Batam, nothing to buy in Batam or nothing exciting in Batam?
Read on to find out more!
Apart from the usual must-do in Batam which includes having A&W curly fries and waffles with ice-cream, another must-do in Batam that all my girl-friends and I strongly recommend is to check out the supermarkets in Batam while you are there! That's where we spent most of our time and money!
During our 2D1N stay in Batam, we visited two supermarkets - JC Supermarket, Batam City Square (BSC) Mall and Hypermart, Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre.
While we spotted most tourists stocking up on Indomie instant noodles and Bika crackers, it was these that caught our attention and made us so excited! The thing I like about an all-girls trip is that you can shop for girly stuffs together and have girls talk! Did I mention how other customers in the hypermart had this bewildered look on their face when they saw our shopping cart filled with nothing but toiletries?
1. Original Source
Original Source
Original Source Spearmint Shower Hair & Body, Shea Butter & Honey Shower and Lime Shower
If you were born in the 80s, chances are you would know about Original Source because it is very popular with teens. Even though we have Original Source products in our local drugstore, Watsons, we can't help but to pick up a few unique 'flavours' that Singapore stores don't carry.
For collectors, lay your hands on the British Strawberry Shower as it is a seasonal edition. We particularly like the Vanilla Raspberry one because it smells so good! If you are torn between the choices and you only want to get one, it has to be Original Source Mint & Walnut Scrub which is their classic product.
2. Lux Fine Fragrance Body Wash
Lux Fine Fragrance Love Forever and Romance Forever
While I'm sure Lux ain't foreign to most of you, I chanced upon these Lux Fine Fragrance collection that isn't available in Singapore.
3. Garnier Duo Clean Duo Foam
Garnier Duo Clean Whitening + Oil control Duo Foam, Duo Clean Whitening + Pore Minimizing Duo Foam and Duo Clean Whitening + Smoothening Duo Foam
We also spotted Garnier Duo Clean Duo Foam which we haven't seen in Singapore's stores.
4. Ellips Vitamin Hair Mask
Ellips Vitamin Hair Mask - Smooth & Silky, Silky Black and Hair Repair
Ellips is known for their hair vitamin capsules and so far, I don't see Singapore's stores stocking any other products from the brand apart from the hair vitamin capsules but in Batam, they have got hair mask and hair repair serum too!
5. Ellips Milkshake Hair Repair
Ellips Milkshake Hair Repair
Also from the brand, Ellips that's known for their hair vitamin capsules.
6. Ellips Hair Vitamin
Here's a hair product I swear by. I can be having a real bad hair day but this product can work wonders on me!
I was first introduced to Ellips Hair Vitamin capsules by my Mom. When she saw that her Indian colleague had super long flowy hair that shines, she asked what's the secret to her long and shiny hair. Turns out that it was Ellips Hair Vitamin capsules.
I used to use the yellow capsules (for smooth and shiny hair) when I had waist long hair. I liked how it fixes my dry ends. I'm currently using the purple capsules, also known as nutri color (for color treated hair) and I'm very pleased at how it makes my hair manageable and best of all - look smooth after application.
Aside from women's beauty products, here are some men grooming products that I came across while shopping in Batam supermarkets.
7. Gatsby Skin Tonic Cooling Face Wash
While I'm not too sure whether they carry a wider product range as compared to Singapore's stores, one thing for sure is that the retail price is so much lower! For instance, a Gatsby face wash costs only 18,300 rupiah (approx. $1.91) in Batam!
8. Garnier Men Turbolight Oil-control Foam
That goes the same for Garnier Men oil-control foam which ranges from 13,900 rupiah (approx. $1.45) to 20,800 rupiah (approx. $2.17).
Presenting to you, my humble Batam supermarket haul!
I got Lux White Impress Whitening Shower Serum to try as I kept seeing the TVC when I was in Bangkok earlier in June. Plus, I tried out the samples that they placed in CentralWorld's washroom and I quite like its scent.
Stay tuned for my post on Batam spa reviews as well as Batam food reviews!
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