Watsons GLOW Magazine

It does not have the glossy feel of most women’s magazines but it is worth keeping, thanks to the incredible amount of information it contains. Looking at its contents, it is hard to believe that GLOW is an in-store publication.

Although it highlights products from the store, it does not bludgeon you with mentions of them. In addition, the advertisements are thankfully not as copious as in most women’s mags, which accounts for much of the latter’s thickness.

I sometimes dislike flipping through numerous engineered ads of pouting models in designer bags/clothes/shoes before arriving at the article I am looking for. After a while, the ads all look the same!

I did enjoy looking at the makeup ads in the mag. Some contain interesting text (Rojukiss BB Cream), while a few reveal newly-launched items (Rimmel London is now at the Ngee City store – awesome).

I spent the most time poring over the makeup and skincare articles. I like how they are well-written, explaining things in a concise manner. Among the many beauticles are a piece with some good advice and product recommendations on achieving a natural look, a write-up on blush application, a pretty makeover/tutorial by Maybelline (I was pleasantly surprised by how it turned out; one would never have guessed it was a drugstore look) and a sun care 101 article, which I found extremely useful. There are also write-ups on whitening products and creating a home spa.

Besides beauty pieces, this mag – slated to be a quarterly one – is filled with articles addressing style, wellness and health. It even has a section devoted to children. It’s amazing how much they fit into this publication with 60+ pages!

At the back of the magazine is a Watsons directory. This is a welcome surprise as I’d always wanted to have the contact numbers of the local stores, without having to scour their website.

Along with giveaways and a chance to win a London spa treat worth S$6000, the store is also organising a GLOW Spring/Summer workshop which comprises elements of health, beauty and wellness. This workshop held in April has a registration fee of S$25 but a goody bag worth S$150 will be given away.

Having just collected my Watsons Mystery Bag, I can assuredly say the workshop gift will be a bumper bag of good stuff! The closing date for registration is 11 April 2009 (apply through the mag).

To GLOW with the flow, purchase this mag at any Watsons store. The first 30,000 readers will receive a free recylable bag worth S$5. These aren’t very me in terms of design but I appreciate their functionality; they seem sturdy enough to hold groceries and library books.

If you live in the east or are nearby, you should purchase the magazine at the atrium in Tampines Mall, where the store is celebrating Watsons Week from now till 29 March. Every purchase of GLOW gives you a spin on a lucky wheel for a free gift!

Every weekend from now, representatives from Watsons will be roving and rewarding: they will visit selected stores and reward people who purchase GLOW, with freebies. To know where they will be going, join the Watsons Facebook group, which will also update members on the treats that will be handed out.