Express your love for that someone special with tokens of affection
When a long-stemmed rose suddenly costs a fortune, heart-shaped stuff and goodies are all over the place, and restaurants, moviehouses, parks, and assorted dating places are packed to the brim, it must be Valentine’s Day.
Surely, love, sweet love is in the air. You can feel it as soon as you step into SM Megamall, what with its many hearty Valentine offerings and promos.
Aside from whispering sweet nothings to your special someone, you can always get her/him something sweet at SM Megamall where a lot of the stores are holding a sale throughout the month.
Now, isn’t that lovely?
Say it with flowers
We daresay that nothing says “I love you” — make that “I love you very much” — with more feeling than flowers. Be it the priciest flower arrangement that can bust the purse strings or a humble single rose that touches the heartstrings. As the time-worn but well-loved cliche goes, “It’s the thought that counts.”
Well, you can make that thought count by picking out the most loverly flowers guaranteed to bring out the glow in your loved one’s eyes. There’s a virtual garden of assorted blooms at SM Megamall you can give your loved ones — be it your significant other, a very special friend, Mom or Dad, or even Lola or Lolo.
A hot tip: Go get your flowers before the prices go sky-high on V-Day.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Designer Blooms: Designed Not Just For Valentine
Keep love fresh this Valentine’s Day with fresh flowers from Designer Blooms. That romantic invitation comes from Designer Blooms owner Rica Garcia, who’s passionate about flowers. Now 18 years in the business, all of Designer Blooms flowers are locally grown while the seeds are imported.
Fresh is best, but enduring artificial flowers are the next best thing. Now blooming at Designer Blooms is its Valentine collection of silk flowers adorned with mesh, ribbon, and a stuffed toy. A single rose in a box costs P295 while a dozen roses with a large doll fetches P2,695.
“We also do fresh flower arrangements for Valentine,” says designer Dan Tarog.
But of course, Designer Blooms is not just for Valentine. It’s got all-occasion flowers. And you can be sure each one is designed with a lot of tender loving care.
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Designer Blooms is located at the second level, SM Mega A with telephone number 633-2490.
Holland Tulips: Dutch incredible!
When it comes to tulips, there’s just one name on everyone’s lips: Holland Tulips. Here, the tulips come in many different toothsome varieties: purple, yellow, orange, rococo, and alligator petals.
Of course, Holland Tulips does not only sell tulips. It’s got Malaysian mums, gerberas, roses, etc. and ornamental plants as well.
Especially for Valentine’s Day, floral designer Trixie Nuñez has put together different arrangements to delight the heart. For instance, she’s got a basketful of imported roses (a dozen) and white Malaysian mums, which she adorned with twigs, and costs P3,090. Another is a glass vase with two-toned (yellow and pink) tulips, two white long-stemmed roses, Million Star fillers, Song of Korea leaves, and some bear grass for a not-so-pricey P2,035. A cheaper arrangement, at P1,460, is a basket with a bear stuffed toy, Asiatic lilies, gerberas, bromeliads, Song of Korea leaves, beautifully wrapped with a sinamay ribbon.
“But it’s not just on Valentine’s Day that we get a lot of customers,” says Trixie. “The employees of the nearby offices of ADB and San Miguel come to buy their flowers during lunch break.”
Who says you need an occasion to buy flowers?
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Holland Tulips is located at the upper ground floor of SM Mega A with telephone number 635-6160. E-mail hollandtulips@philonline.com or log on to www.hollandtulips.com.ph.
King Louis Flowers: Flowers Fit For A Queen
When it comes to those regal Ecuadorean roses, King Louis reigns supreme. A dozen of these long-stemmed beauties costs P3,200, according to store attendant Fanny Gerongay. Anybody who gives you something like this that costs an arm and a leg must really have his heart set on you.
A less-expensive arrangement is a ceramic vase full of everything pink and pretty: pink carnations, pink gerberas, pink stargazers, and pink roses.
“We also do arrangements in all shades of yellow or orange, or assorted shades,” says Fanny.
King Louis has a big freezer where some of the fresh flowers are kept fresh.
Then our eyes are drawn to the white matiolas that speak of pure love. “Matiolas also come in in lavender, yellow, and pink,” Fanny tells us.
King Louis also has a lot of Oriental flowers like the alluring Asiatic lilies. And South American stunners, too, like the alstromerias.
For the queen of your heart, you can give an arm bouquet she can carry like a beauty queen.
Whatever the shade of flower you give from King Louis, your lady love is sure to be tickled pink.
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King Louis Flowers is located at the upper ground floor of SM Mega A with telephone number 635-6980.
Tecson Flowers: A Shower Of Flowers
Shower her with flowers, along with flowery compliments, by getting her some of those immaculate white Ecuadorean roses or blushing pink gerberas, and watch her blush.
You should have gotten your flowers two days ago, when you could have an Ecuadorean rose for only P250 or a Holland rose for P80. Now, they’re probably 20-percent more expensive. But did you say nothing is too expensive for the most precious love of your life?
Then go for the pretty arrangements of stargazer buds and blooms, statice, white corn, Million Star fillers, or red Ecuadorean roses with fuchsia gerberas.
Live, love, laugh, and smell the roses.
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Tecson Flowers is located at the upper ground floor, SM Mega A with telephone number 635-2771.
Funny Valentines
Funny, we love repeating this story of a guy who walked into a bookstore and bought five Valentine cards with this message: “To my one and only.”
Or how about these mushy lines that can turn your heart into putty: “There are only two times that I want to be with you. Now and forever.”
I remember a gal pal who was sobbing her heart out after she broke up with her boyfriend of many years. “I knew his love for me was not for real,” she said, her voice cracking, “because he always gave me plastic flowers on Valentine’s Day.”
Share a good laugh with the love of your life and enjoy choosing the perfect Valentine gift at SM Megamall, which has all sorts of fun and funny ideas for Valentine.
Purificacion: Please Don’t Eat The Daisies
At Purificacion, the daisies in many delightful colors look so delicious they leave you in a daze. Ahhh, there’s a lot more where they come from, that is, the flower farms of garden enthusiast Corazon Purificacion in Novaliches and Alfonso, Cavite.
Store attendants Dina Bandong and Aileen Baronet tell us that the Novaliches farm is all of two hectares. There, the most-prized orchids grow in abundance.
Orchids — phalaenopsis — in white, lavender, and yellow are among the hottest sellers for Valentine. They’re sold as plants complete with soil in pots. Give one of these to your special someone on Valentine’s Day and watch it — and your love for each other — grow every day.
At Purificacion, you can also pick your own flowers and have your own flower arrangement made by Purificacion’s creative florists.
The store also sells seeds, ornamental plants, pots, soil, and garden tools.
Just looking at these floral beauties is enough to make you fall in love with love.
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Purificacion is located at the upper ground floor of SM Mega A with telephone number 409-8589.
Humor Post: Humor-mongering and more
This Valentine, plush bears — small, medium, large — greet one and all “Happy Valentine’s Day” at Humor Post. How beary nice!
And then you’re touched by the story of Tatty Teddy, the unique grey bear with a blue nose and patches. The story goes that one cold winter, snowflakes fell on Tatty Teddy and his brown fur turned to grey. Feeling cold, unloved, and all alone, he was rescued by a little girl who spotted the grey bear in a pile of unwanted things and instantly fell in love with him. It didn’t matter that the unique bear had a blue nose and a lot of his stuffing had fallen out. The little girl scooped him up, dusted him down, and immediately ran home to her grandma to have the bear patched up (thus the patches where his fur had worn away). It’s a poignant love story that Humor Post loves to repeat Valentine after Valentine.
Other things to warm the heart on Valentine’s Day at Humor Post are mug and plush gift boxes, picture frames, trinket boxes, and funny cards. Especially for Valentine, Angelo Alcaide has designed some very lovely and funny pillows that are bound to inspire a lot of intimate pillow talk.
Yes, a dose of humor is good for the heart.
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Humor Post is located at the lower ground floor, SM Mega A with telephone number 634-2142.
Blue Magic: It’s Magic!
This is certainly one place where you won’t be blue. Blue Magic is an enchanted place for kids and kids-at-heart. For Valentine, there’s a Valentine corner filled with a lot of cuddly, pretty fun stuff. And a lot more lovely items designed not just for Valentine’s Day and not just for lovers.
“Love should be 365 days a year,” says Junjun Limgenco of Blue Magic. “And Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be just for lovers. It’s also a time to show gratitude to our parents, lolos and lolas.”
You’ll love Blue Magic’s Enchanted Garden collection that consists of handcarved religious icons made of scented wax.
And the magic of love lives on.
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Blue Magic is located at the third level, SM Mega B with telephone number 633-5551.
The beauty of love
The prophet Kahlil Gibran said, “Beauty is not in the face. Beauty is a light in the heart.”
This Valentine’s Day, let the light in your loved ones’ hearts shine through via gifts for the body and soul at SM Megamall.
The Body Shop: Good For Your Body And Soul
Catch a whiff of the Moroccan rose at The Body Shop with its ongoing Rose du Maroc promo. Discover marvelous Morocco with Rose du Maroc’s line of products that includes eau de toilette, milk lotion, body butter, shower gel, and room fragrance.
Get a 40-percent discount on your next purchase if you buy a Rose du Maroc EDT. A purchase worth P5,000 comes with a free canvas clutch and canvas tote.
Get the look of love with the Roseflower makeup collection with its romantic night look and fresh day look.
Where to spray your Moroccan Rose? But of course, everywhere you want to be kissed.
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The Body Shop is located at the upper ground floor, SM Mega B with telephone number 914-0431.
The Face Shop: About Face And More
Want to get the face that could launch a thousand ships? Go to The Face Shop which has come out with its Valentine beauty trends: alluring pastel shades in gleaming textures to create a romantic and refined look.
The key trend for the season focuses on delicate eyes in shades of pink and purple, luscious lips, and sheer pink to blush rose cheeks.
And the smacking good news is that for a P500 purchase of items in the makeup trends, you get a 20-percent discount on selected face makeup. And you get a pretty cosmetic pouch for free with every purchase of regular items worth P2,000. Promo runs until Feb. 28.
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The Face Shop is located at the second level, SM Mega B with telephone number 637-9650.
The Soap Factory: A Suds Story
We were almost tempted to bite into a cupcake until we saw the label: Do not eat. We almost forgot we were inside The Soap Factory, that’s got soaps shaped into the most delicious cupcakes, popsicles, cakes, donuts, munchkins, macaroons, and other goodies.
“Our soaps are all-natural,” says The Soap Factory manager Tina Espejo. “They’re made of vegetable oil and fruit extracts like orange, grapeseed, apple, moringa, and tomato.”
The Soap Factory makes all-occasion soaps. It also carries different body products made of tomato, pumpkin, cucumber, guava, and moringa, among others.
Kids can have fun inside The Soap Factory and make their own cupcakes and donuts to bring home.
You can’t but feel bubbly all over after visiting The Soap Factory.
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The Soap Factory is located at the fourth level, SM Mega Atrium with telephone number 706-5122.
