I like it hard when it comes to… kicking drums in our beats.

The last time I danced… I did the electric slide.

To work up the crowd, I… play sexy music to get bodies moving.

Our last best gig was… at XS Nightclub Las Vegas, one of our favorite clubs in the world.

My poison of choice is… Voli vodka Red Bulls; about eight of them.

Girls to me are… superstars, just like us.

When the going gets tough… we work really hard.

Manufactured Superstars spin on April 21 at Mink.

Air Crew
Fresh off the plane? Wavehouse Sentosa welcomes any air crew to Singapore with 1-for-1 drinks all night (6:30-11pm) on Tuesdays.

Designers
Calling all creatives! You can enjoy 1-for-1 drinks all night (6pm-2am) at Zouk Wine Bar on Saturdays. Lawyers benefit from the same deal on Tuesdays and Fridays, while those in Sales & Marketing should head down on Thursdays.

Hospitality
It’s your turn to be served at Tanjong Beach Club with drink promotions all night (7:30pm-midnight) on Sundays.

Media
Journos are suckers for freebies and discounts, so House’s promotion of 30% off all food and drinks all day (noon-10:30pm) on Wednesdays is a surefire winner.

Models
How they verify this one, we’re not sure. But beautiful people can drop by Aquanova on Thursdays for all night drink promotions (9:30pm-3am).

Buying online is already second-nature for most of us. But even in the digital world we still tend to have our go-to stores, our oft-repeated gripes and a reluctance to look around the corner. If only someone could give us a good reason to dig around, some sense of which sites are really worth it and tell us what’s new in e-town! So, in the absence of anyone else doing it for us, we’ve dug around to bring you 10 great reasons and some 50 sites (many of them local) to shake up your online shopping experience.

Support Local Designers

There’s at least two great reasons to go local. Firstly you’re helping support the scene in the face of fierce international competition. And if that’s not reason enough, you’ll save a packet on shipping!

Dresstronomy has a great selection of evening dresses and bags designed by young and talented upstarts Tylda Tan and Patricia Teo for less than $100, and there’s even a sale section for those looking for more value-for-money pieces.

For cool, collectible T-shirts that won’t burn a hole in your wallet, 9Fountains (left) features limited edition prints from both established and young graphic designers, starting from just $30. They also boast a capsule collection where you can pre-order special collaboration pieces from noted artists like Singapore-based Steve Lawler, which are produced in very small quantities using premium Japanese cotton. Shana Logic also has a great range of locally designed tees, as well artworks and accessories by new designers. It’s also an impressively convenient site to shop at, with categories organized according to price range.

If you’re already a fan of local brands like alldressedup, Burgundy and Vice & Vanity, you can easily purchase their latest creations via Shop The Mag. Not only are the pieces here the most up-to-date and cohesive, you can also check out other hard-to-find Asian labels like Malaysia’s Khoon Hooi and Thailand’s The Only Son while you’re here.

And if you’d rather shop at these labels’ own sites (with what you pay for going directly to the designers), click on alldressedup for its current Spring/Summer and discounted past season collections of women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, Hansel for designer Jo Soh’s latest vintage-inspired Spring/Summer dresses, and cool men’s tees, shirts and pants from Sifr (right), which are chic, smart and eminently wearable.

Find Cult Labels

Singapore’s a sucker for stuff no-one else is wearing, and shopping online gives you access to a fantastic array of cult, hard-to-find labels that are not stocked at physical stores here.

For menswear, new multi-label site Haven is one of the best, carrying lesser known brands like emerging shoe specialist Diemme, funky streetwear-influenced Human Made and casual wear brand Nonnative; while Hong Kong-based Concept Shop is great for past season collections and one-off collections of brands like Head Porter, Visvim and Number Nine. Mr. Porter (left), the menswear offshoot of the legendary Net-a-Porter site for designer womenswear, and only launched a couple of months back, also comes highly recommended for its collection of close to 100 designer brands, including Lanvin, Jimmy Choo, Bottega Veneta and Maison Martin Margiela, with pieces exclusive to the site. Ditto Oki-ni, which carries the complete ready-to-wear collections of brands White Mountaineering and Raf Simons, previously unavailable here.

For womenswear, we love Shop It To Me, which even has a personal shopper component and close to 900 labels to choose from—take your pick from everything from Alexander Wang to Zac Posen. Ladies will also love the range of the clothes at La Garconne and Opening Ceremony, the former chockfull of brands like Proenza Schouler and in-house brand La Gaconne Moderne, and the latter great for brands like Rodarte which cannot be found in stores locally.

Be Your Own Tailor

Once you’ve worn a custom-fitted suit, there’s only one thing that’ll make you go back to the rack: price. Yet, strange as it may seem, a number of online retailers have developed innovative platforms offering made-to-measure services at high street (or less) prices.

Both Indochino and Light in the Box (above) provide step-by-step video guides to assist you in quickly setting up your measurement profile—the former specializing in men’s shirts and jackets, the latter in haute couture and wedding gowns. For the men, Indochino offers sexy chambray shirts (from US$79 [$100]) that allows you to customize your collar type, cuffs, and even monogramming your initials at no extra charge. Choose a myriad of dresses from Light in the Box from US$198 ($250) and get them customized for a small fee of US$30 ($38).

For shoes and bags, we love Timbuk 2 and Timberland which allow you to completely customize your item. Timbuk2 takes customization to a whole new level, allowing you to choose from your preferred bag type and size, colors and fabrics (50 options available), binding, lining and logo colors from US$39 ($50).

Keep It Discreet

No matter how old you get, there are some things you’d rather not have people see you buy. One such example is the Universal Sex Swing Stand ($450) from Mr & Mrs Smith The Couple Store, a free-standing steel support that can hold up to 400 pounds of weight. The same store also stocks great gift ideas like their Sweet Celebrations Box ($219), which can easily pass off as a case of potpourri but actually contains vanilla-scented massage oils and body soufflé, delicious-sounding lubricants and even a large puff containing sparkle dust—charming.

If you’re on the quest for something more portable, both Shop Intimates and Sensual Lifestyle stock a fantastic range of sex enhancers—if you need them, they’re bound to have them.

Amazing Savings On Books, Beauty and More

Sure, we all know that shopping online is cheaper, but you might be surprised by just how much. And it ain’t just clothes.

For 30-70 percent savings on designer bags and accessories, go straight to Reebonz (right), which holds periodical sales (just sign up and you’ll be notified through emails and newsletters) for labels like Burberry, Chloe, Miu Miu and Valentino. A signature Chloe Paraty shoulder bag costs close to $4,500 at regular stores, but over at the site, they’re available for just $3,295. Pieces are mostly one-offs so you’ve got to act fast—but hey, that’s a small price to pay for huge discounts like that.

Two of our favorite Singapore-based online bookstores Open Trolley and NoQ are also great for hugely discounted books, averaging 20-40 percent cheaper than from physical stores.

For beauty products and supplements (why not buy them online? An eye blusher is an eye blusher, after all), head to Best Buy World, Luxola. The Supplement Warehouse which offer a great range of cosmetics and health and fitness products for both men and women, averaging 20 percent cheaper than at the stores. Spend more than $35 at Luxola for example, and you’ll get an additional 35 percent off. Now that’s healthy shopping.

Spare Your Shoulders

Beds, bikes and bookcases might not be the first buy you think of buying online, but let’s face it, when was the last time you enjoyed a trip to IKEA? Save on traveling time and shop for bulky items from the comfort of home and have them delivered right to your doorstep. Beds and furniture can be purchased and delivered via Beds and Furniture Mart. Think designer bed frames, coffee tables, television consoles, kitchen cabinets and even bar furniture—all without breaking a sweat.

For cycling and sports enthusiasts, you can shop for vintage-inspired items like the Flying Pigeon bike available through the good folks at Deki Bike. Choose from a gent’s bike (from $151) or lady’s bike (from $196) complete with hi-ten steel painted frames, U-shape steel handle, front and back mudguard, back carrier and chain cover.

Even limited edition art pieces and original works are available for purchase online. Local art gallery Vue Privée offers you prints and original artworks from just $80, featuring works from artists like Burton Machen, Olivier Henry and Inga Beckmann that will look great in the living room.

How did minimART come about?
Being artists ourselves, we know that affordability is essential when it comes to putting ourselves in the market. minimART was inspired by artistic platforms we came across in Malaysia, Japan and Australia. We realized that Singapore didn’t have an affordable showcase platform for budding local artists, thus minimART was born.

How do you feel about the local art scene?
There’s a pool of growing talent in Singapore waiting to be unleashed. However, these artists need the support of our community to reach their full potential.

Where do you see Singapore on the international art scene?
In terms of presence, I’d say Singapore is doing relatively well. Our local artists have had their work featured in internationally acclaimed auction houses such as Jason Wee’s “Captain’s log: The coast of Japan” at Christie’s in 2009, and Genevieve Chua’s ‘“Stand Guard for Our Motherland” at Sotheby’s in 2011.

How will minimART help budding local artists?
minimART provides budding artists with a platform to be discovered by showcasing their work for sale and allowing them to experiment with new ideas. It also serves as a support network for local artists to be nurtured and encourages creativity.

minimART 2012 is on April 7-8 at The Substation.