I’m pretty sure by now you know I am a little obsessed about beauty. I mean, I write about it weekly in my column for Philippine Daily Inquirer, and every chance I get, I blog about it here when I encounter a brand or product I love. It is a topic I can never grow tired of, only because there are constantly new trends and products to try. It is every bit as exciting for me as say, a basketball fanatic is with his favorite team. “I love beauty products”, is an understatement!!!

I especially love hunting for great products that come with affordable price tags. There’s really nothing like discovering an amazing face cream or lipstick and finding out you won’t have to pay an exorbitant amount to buy it. These are total beauty finds, which I like to stock up on (and give away to my friends as gifts). I like the idea of being able to buy a lot and save a lot too in the process.

I usually get my quick beauty fix at my favorite drugstore (and all-around store), WATSONS. Yes, when it comes to all things beauty, Watsons is just the place to visit. They have a complete range of (affordable) beauty products, from skincare, to haircare, to makeup, and body care. Seriously, if you were strapped for cash and wanted to splurge on a little extra on yourself, say, a moisturizing hair mask or waterproof mascara, you know where to go. I’ve stepped in there more than a few times with not much budget, and came out looking like I’ve had money to spend. My cash goes a long way there, which I love, because then I can allot more budget for “serious” things like electricity bills, groceries, etc.

So it was one of those times when I had to get my beauty fix–I was all out of shampoo and conditioner, facial wash, body scrub and wash, and I was looking to buy a few big ticket items like a great hair curler and an epilator (it’s the best for hair removal). So of course, I headed to Watson’s to get all these things (and a few more finds I couldn’t resist). It was all there. And I was pretty excited, because I (finally) got to use my SM Prestige Card to pay for everything.

Now, let me tell you how I ended up getting THE BEST CARD EVER, which is the SM Prestige Card. You know your SM Advantage card? Well, the SM Prestige Card is actually its elite membership program for members who have reached the required spending level at SM and all SM retail establishments. It is free, and is valid for two years. To qualify for membership, you must be an active SMAC member with a spending of at least P300,000 in SM during your 2 year membership term. You will immediately know you’ve reached this status as you will be notified either through transaction receipts, text message, telephone call, or by email. Of course, if you want to find out how much you’ve already earned in your SM Advantage Card, you can easily check your balance at www.smadvantage.com.ph.

It really was a happy day for me, because first, I used my SM Prestige Card and felt like a star (you can read more about the perks of the card at http://smadvantage.com.ph/about-sm-prestige) and second, I got to join SM’s Shopping Madness promo, which gives me the chance to win over 2M worth of shopping points!!! Imagine what you can buy with all those points!!! Here’s how it works: (1) Buy products with the Qualifier sticker on it! Every P500 single receipt purchase from Watsons or The SM Store Beauty Section (inclusive of one qualifier) entitles the member to one raffle entry. (2) Present your SM Advantage, SM Prestige, BDO Rewards or Primo Card upon paying at cashier counter and be automatically part of the E-Raffle. (3) Get a chance to win over 2M worth of Shopping Points, tax-free. Points may be redeemed in the following Retail Partners: Watsons, The SM Store, SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, Savemore Market, SM Appliance, ACE Hardware, Toy Kingdom, Our Home, Surplus, Kultura Filipino, Baby Company, Sports Central, Adidas*, Nike*, Levis*, Forever 21, Uniqlo, Suiteblanco. (*selected brances only).