STYLE@LXG: Katie has her first Medi-facial

It’s been around nine months since my last facial, which to be quite honest is quite good for me. With time taking its toll on my otherwise, pretty decent skin, I have been concerned about the few fine lines that have popped up recently.

It will come to no surprise that I have never been for a medi-facial. I mean, to be quite frank, to find the time for an ordinary facial is hard enough with my work schedule, and until today, I had never even heard of such a thing as a medi-facial.

I was a bit nervous, never having been to an aesthetic clinic before, but the staff were lovely. Very friendly and welcoming and my therapist Winnie was very attentive and guided me through all the steps of the procedure, so that any residue of nervousness was soon a thing of the past.

The facial felt so amazing! It was pampering but most importantly, it used medical grade machinery and products so I knew that the effects would be more long term in comparison to a regular run of the mill facial. I especially loved their own Japan-made skin care range that felt light as water and wasn’t greasy or overly perfumed like most skin care products in the market today. 

After the treatment, my skin was a little flushed but a few hours later, it felt very smooth and much more hydrated. A week after the treatment I kept receiving compliments on my glowing complexion and I noticed that my skin did look smoother and free of blemishes. Although my fine lines are still present, I believe with more treatments they will soon be a thing of the past!

A big thank you to EHA Clinic and Winnie for this wonderful experience and I do recommend you try it, especially if you have an important date, meeting or interview coming up so you look your very best!

For more details and to schedule an appointment for your medi-facial, contact EHA on 6235-3325. The clinic is very conveniently located at Shaw in orchard. Join their facebook page for special promotions and giveaways - www.facebook.com/EHAclinic.sg

LADY@LXG: Hair Be Gone - Soprano Part 3!

A big hello! For those of you following my quest for hairless underarms, you will be happy to know that I had my third session of Soprano in July! 

And just like I raved to Dr. Pang, I was thrilled as I only had to shave once that entire month, and this is only because since I used to epilate (even though I stopped a few weeks prior to my first session) I had a few very fine, almost invisible, baby hairs growing, so Dr. Pang, increased the intensity of the machine and zapped them all away! 

I seriously love this machine! Its fast, painless and fuss-free and at the end of just five sessions, I will walk away not ever having to worry about having to shave again. Its such a relief to be able to just don on a sleeveless top without ever having to worry if I need to shave or epilate. 

The procedure is very fast, only around 10-minutes or less and completely painless. Just expect to feel some mild heat in the treated area. Remember to stop waxing or epilating about a month prior to your treatment as the laser needs to kill the hair at the root (hence the sprouting of baby hairs for me) and shave before you go, but if your shave isn’t close enough, the nurses will give you a brief dry shave so don’t worry, they will then apply some cooling gel and the doctor will begin the treatment.

Dr. Pang is really helpful, so if you have any concerns or would like more information, feel free to talk to him.

 

For more information about the procedure, check out my first post where I get a bit scientific, explaining how laser hair removal and IPL differ.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call Dr. Aaron Pang at The Sainte Chapelle Clinic, #B1-10, Marina Square. 6 Raffles Boulevard, S039594. Tel: 63363128. http://stchapelleclinic.com/

My next session is coming up during the first week of August so stay tuned for more updates!

LADY@LXG: Hair Be Gone!!!

Hair, hair everywhere, except where I would rather have it be...

There is nothing more off-putting than a hairy woman. As sexist as it may sound, I do believe that if a woman wants to wear short skirts and sleeveless tops, she should ensure that she is hair-free in those areas, simply for hygienic, if not aesthetic reasons. 

I usually resort to shaving and epilating my underarms, but I wanted to find a permanent solution for my unwanted hair. I really didn’t like how my underarms looked darker after shaving and how I couldn’t apply deodorant directly after, and that’s how I came across SopranoXL. 

  

 SopranoXL is completely painless and safe for even those with tanned or darker skin tones, unlike IPL which can cause burns. This is because IPL devices emit non‑coherent polychromatic light and although the wavelength can be adjusted with filters, the spectrum is too broad and they don’t offer sufficient precision. While laser hair removal on the other hand uses “selective photothermolysis” through a device that makes light converge into a narrow beam with a single wavelength - making it more stable, measured and focussed. 

Here’s some basic science to explain how they both work to kill unwanted hair: lasers and IPL use photoepilation to kill unwanted hair follicles by converting light rays to heat in order to “burn” the hair follicle without injuring the skin. The rays target the melanin that pigments the hair. Unlike those of us with fair skin, those with darker skin contain melanin in both their hair and skin -  this means, darker skinned folk require high‑precision devices that can distinguish between melanin in the hair and melanin in the skin, or they could get burned.

For this experiment, I will be having five sessions of Soprano at The Sainte Chapelle Clinic with Aesthetic Doctor Aaron Pang, to see if all the hype about this machine is well deserved. I had my first session on the 14^th of May and two weeks later, my underarm hair growth has reduced tremendously. I only have to shave once a week and it remains perfectly hair-free for the whole week or more. 

If you are interested in ridding your hair from problem areas, seven sessions of SopranoXL for the underarms at The Sainte Chapelle Clinic is priced at $2300 (before GST), although the doctor usually recommends an eighth complimentary touch-up session to ensure permanent hairless-ness.

I will be undergoing a session every month from May till September 2013 and will post an update after each session to give you an idea on what to expect, how it feels and if its worth the investment. Today’s post is a bit wordy and scientific, only because I want you to understand why I chose SopranoXL over the more common and much cheaper IPL and why you should perhaps consider doing so too. In my next post, I will take you through the procedure and give you tips on what you should and should not do before the procedure.

For more information, contact Dr. Pang or his very helpful staff at The Sainte Chapelle Clinic, #B1-10, Marina Square. 6 Raffles Boulevard, S039594. Tel: 63363128. http://stchapelleclinic.com/

LADY@LXG: A Favourite Facial

As a former full time beauty editor and current freelance beauty writer, The Lady has spent almost a decade trying, testing and immersing herself in a variety of beauty products, procedures and treatments, which is why we have created a guest spot here at LXG for her to share her take on the wonderful but confusing world of beauty!

Any advice we can find about how to treat that special lady in our lives, is advice well received, so who better to turn to than someone who really understands what they want?

So for the time being, its out with the guys... Now its Lady to Lady...

A Much Needed Thirst Quencher for Parched and Dull Skin:

Ladies, what makes one facial stand out from the rest? The products used certainly make a difference and so does the ambiance of the spa, the deal breaker for me though, is the passion and skill of the facialist.

As a beauty editor and writer, and now of course, contributing beauty and fashion blogger, I have spent a good part of a decade lying prone on a multitude of narrow spa beds, having my face kneaded, squeezed, poked and stroked, so I think I am a fair judge of what makes a facial worth trying.

I have a few facials that I will review, which I could recommend to all of you out there. And today in particular, I’d like to share with you my experiences at Angelface Aesthetics, one of Sothys’ Contract Salons: 

 SOTHYS HYDRADVANCE™ COSMECEUTIC PROGRAMME:

Due to a terrible diet and some unhealthy lifestyle habits (I don’t sleep much, I eat far too much chocolate and drink way more coffee than is healthy), my skin is dehydrated internally but oily on the outside and prone to congestion and breakouts. I have tried multiple products and treatments (yes, I know it would help if I just changed my lifestyle habits, but...) however most left my skin only temporarily hydrated and comforted.

When Jasmine from Sothys’ invited me over to try their new Hydradvance™ Cosmeceutic Programme, I jumped at the opportunity for a bit of a treat and mid-afternoon nap - mainly because I am a fan of Sothys’ products and have had a really good experience at Angel Face Salon in the past.

To understand my excitement, its important to comprehend what exactly sets this treatment apart from others. Inspired by genetic studies, Sothys’ advance research in cosmetogenomics (the science of genes - applied to cosmetic science) created their patented 1055 Boletus Extract, derived from a particular mushroom species called the Boletus edulis, which triggers genes to restore the skin’s ability to rehydrate itself. This seemed like a treatment made specifically for me, with my less than ideal lifestyle and dietary habits!  

Angelface Aesthetics is tucked away in one of Singapore’s busy heartland shopping districts, the Tanjong Pagar Plaza, which conveniently is just a short walk away from the local MRT train station. What I personally like about the salon, is that the staff are genuinely lovely, welcoming and friendly. The tea they serve is different every day and is brewed in-house. While I waited for my appointment, I managed to skim through some current glossies while sipping away at their refreshing brew.

My facialist was very professional and a veritable fountain of knowledge; she even remembered me from my last visit and tutted that I had yet to take her advice of sleeping more than a few hours a night... 

TREATMENT PROCEDURE:

Phase 1: Exfoliate
After removing make-up, Hydra-exfoliating Scrub is applied to the entire face and neck to remove impurities and restore suppleness.

Phase 2: Rehydrate
To rehydrate the skin after the exfoliation, Hydra-revealer Coin Mask is soaked in Ultra Hydration Nectar before being applied onto the face. It envelopes the skin in a veil of softness while my facialist conducted a deep smoothing massage movement on all the meridian points of my face.

Phase 3: Regenerate
With the Hydra-generating Modelling Cream, my facialist used her amazingly skilled hands to massage the product which would strengthen my skin’s barrier function while restoring comfort and revitalizing my skin.

Phase 4: Plump
After the soothing massage, the Ultra Hydration Mask mixed with the Ultra Hydration Nectar was applied to my face and neck to provide a “patch” effect which left my skin supple, radiant and regenerated.

Phase 5: Rebalance
Hydradvance™ Intensive Hydrating Serum & Cream was then applied to my face and neck, providing a healthy radiance and glow to my skin.

To be quite honest, with the hours most of us keep trying to make a living and also squeezing in some personal “me” time, dehydrated skin is one of the most common skin problem faced by many people today, regardless of age and skin type. Because dehydration results in premature aging, wrinkles, dull skin, pigmentation, sensitize skin, skin congestions, etc, it is crucial to make time to treat your skin in order to hold back, as far as humanly possible, the hands of time.


If you would like to try Sothys’ Hydradvance™ Cosmeceutic Treatment, do contact any of Sothys’ Contract Salons and Sothys’ Dealer Salons.

I would however, personally recommend Angelface Aesthetics at 1, Tanjong Pagar Plaza, #01-48, Tel: 6221 3723.

They have two branches, one in Raffles Place and one in Tanjong Pagar. I have been to both and the service is fantastic, whichever one you choose.

That's it from me this week. Ladies, I hope this gives you some food for thought - and gentlemen, how about treating the Lady in your life, to one of these treatments. I guarantee that neither her - or you, will regret it!

'Til next time...

The Lady

PS: Readers in Singapore, remember our great Kneipp Giveaway is still on until tomorrow (19th). So you still have one day to enter!


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