STYLE@LXG: Karryl bids her freckles adieu!

Finally, a solution to freckles and dark spots 

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the sun. I loved being outdoors, sitting by the pool in my sexy bikini, basking in the sun and the admiring glances of the passing boys. I loved to tan. In my eyes, a tan looked healthy and radiant. Unfortunately my pasty white complexion doesn’t tan easily, and instead of getting that beautiful, glowing bronze hue I craved, I usually ended up, red (and raw – Ouch!).

It didn’t help that I wasn’t a fan of sunscreens either. I hated the sticky feel of lotion on my skin. And although I would get a smattering of freckles  after a day out in the sun, I thought they looked sort of cute. And so I carried on with my outdoor activities with nary a concern for something as dull as sun protection.

As I entered my thirties however, things changed. I spent less time under the sun, and started slathering on the SPF. I grew to love my fair skin and freckles no longer appealed to me. If anything, I found those tiny brown specks embarrassing - I’ve lost count of the number of times "helpful" people thought there was something on my face and tried to rub it off with an; "aiyah girl, you got something on your face lah, come I wipe it for you"

I tried various products to even out my skin-tone, but the results were dismal. Just when I was about to resign myself to the fact that those pesky brown spots were here to stay, I received a bottle of SkinCeuticals Advanced Pigment Corrector from the kind folks at L’Oreal.

For those not familiar with the brand, SkinCeuticals, they are known for their advanced scientific formulas and come highly recommended by dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons and aestheticians.

My sister has tried their antioxidant serum and it worked wonders for her skin, so you can imagine how excited I was to try out their pigmentation treatment.

The product itself is easy to use – after cleansing, I applied a small amount to the pigmented areas, followed by my usual skincare products - morning and night.

So did it work? I’d say yes. It’s been only 10 weeks since I started using the Advanced Pigment Corrector, and while the spots have not completely gone, they are much lighter. My mum has also commented that I look more radiant.

SkinCeuticals recommends using the Advanced Pigment Corrector for at least three months for the best results. I’ve been using it for only two and a half months but I’m already sold. There’s quite a fair bit of the product left, and I’m pretty optimistic that I would get to see further improvements in my skin by the time I’m done with the whole tube. Keeping my fingers crossed!

SkinCeuticals Advanced Pigment Corrector, $198 (inclusive of GST), is available at the following:

·       Freia Medical Aesthetics

Wisma Atria Office Tower #19-03, Tel: 6735 8180

·       Skin Physicians

Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre #11-08, Tel: 6733 6466

·       Spa Artisan

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Mezzanine Floor, Tel: 6423 1382

·       The Aesthetic Studio

Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre #12-08, Tel: 6836 8382

·       Cosmopolitan Clinic

25 Lorong Telok #01-01, Tel: 6327 3773

For more information, please visit www.skinceuticals.com.

 

LADY@LXG: The Braun Silk-épil 7 SkinSpa experience

My new obsession..

After many years of epilating my nether regions and under arms, my poor epilator bid this world adieu and died on me mid epilation (yes you read right, it died in the midst of epilating me, so my hairs were still stuck in the mechanism). After wrenching it off my hairs, I was in quite a tizzy about which epilator I should get to replace old faithful.

Thankfully I didn’t have to think too long as Braun were kind enough to send me their Silk-épil 7 SkinSpa. This little beauty is the female equivalent to the Braun CoolTec shaver. Not only is it an epilator, it is also an exfoliator, can be used both wet and dry and even has a detachable electrical shaver head and trimmer (how much more awesome can this little gadget get?)

Ok so I test drove each of the attachments, and here are my views:

SkinSpa’s epilator head: 

My favourite part about this section is that it comes with a very handy (can’t believe I ever epilated without it in the past?!) little Smartlight. Basically, as soon as you switch the epilator on, a little light pops on and literally illuminates every single hair, making it so easy to ensure that you get a perfectly smooth finish. 

I used it both in and out of water and it works. If you are an epilator virgin, please note that it hurts, like waxing does, cos epilating is essentially removing the hair at the root. The advantage of this method is that you will remain hair free longer (think 1-2 weeks) and newer hairs (after prolonged use) are usually finer. 

I have very fine hairs on my arms and legs which my usual epilator could never reach, but this little beauty did. Although it didn’t remove 100% of my fine hairs, it gave me a very clean finish when I epilated my bikini area and boy did that Smartlight come in handy there!

SkinSpa’s exfoliation brush:

I am so into exfoliating. I have numerous body scrubs, loofahs and natural fiber body brushes, so I was super thrilled to give the exfoliating brush a go. At the end of the day, just like in the case of our face, there is really no point investing a fortune on your skin care if your skin is coated in dead cells, which is why exfoliation is a daily must-do!

I must say, that I love this feature cos none of my exfoliators do the job for me, I usually have to put some effort into manually scrubbing myself, but this cute little things swirls away by itself and my skin looks all glowing and soft after! 

Skin Spa's Shaving head and trimmer:

Have you ever made the mistake of shaving your bikini area cos you were just too lazy or tied for time to get it waxed? Did you them itch your skin off a few days later when the hair started to grow out? Well I did. My advice, don’t EVER shave your nether regions, the grow back is torture!

Well anyway, I was a bit concerned about putting myself through that torture again, but heck, I had already epilated my leg and arm, hair off so I didn’t have that many options. The shaver is great. Its fast, very gentle (especially around the delicate bits) and the best part?? There is absolutely NO itching when the hair grows back. I am so impressed. I don’t know why this is the case, but I don’t care, I am just so thankful I wont have to rip my skin off itching again.

I love the fact that this is cordless cos my old one wasn’t. Its beautifully designed, ergonomic and a joy to hold and use. If I had to choose just ONE feature, what would it be? I love them all, but If I was forced at gun point, I would choose the Smartlight, cos it really illuminates the area and makes epilating so much more efficient.

The Braun Silk-épil 7 SkinSpa retails at $219 and will be available at all major electrical chain stores, departmental stores, selected hypermarkets and independent electrical stores. 

Join Braun on facebook for more promotions and giveaways :  www.facebook.com/braunsingapore

Stay tuned because I will be giving away this little beauty to ONE lucky winner in January!

LADY@LXG: Say what! sunscreen in a capsule??

I am a big sunscreen user. Unfortunately for me, I started this obsession a little late in life, so I have already damaged my skin irreparably, but heck, better late than never, so for the past decade or so, I have been slathering, spraying and daubing on almost every brand of sunscreen in the market, so believe me when I say that I know my sunscreen brands.   

Since the beginning of this year however, I have focussed this sunscreen obsession of mine towards one specific brand; Heliocare. I like the simplicity of the product and the fact that it is not tested on animals, as I am a huge animal advocate.

Their sunscreens also smell nice. Not overly perfumed or reeking of chemicals, but subtle and nice. My favourite is the gel/cream formula which melts into the skin. 

But today, I am not going to wax lyrical about their topical sunscreens. Instead, let me tell about their top-seller; Heliocare Oral, which is quite simply, sunscreen in a capsule. Its perfect for those of us who are not as conscientious about applying SPF on every visible surface of our skin, including the webbing between our fingers and toes. Its also great for when you just don’t have the time or ability to reapply every 2-4 hours, which is why Heliocare Oral is a must-have for me every morning to ensure that my already damaged skin, does not get damaged any further.

Thankfully because I have been literally dousing myself in sunscreen and now ingesting Heliocare oral for about a year, I do not have any freckling issues (phew!) but looking good and staying healthy takes effort, so if you want to ward off those pesky freckles and unsightly pigmentation, but keep forgetting to apply your sunscreen religiously, then my advice would be to get yourself a bottle of Heliocare Oral which claims to be able to protect skin from premature aging and sun damage, while inhibiting the depletion of collagen caused by UVA by 55% and reducing free radicals by up to 50%.

Its simple, mess free and keeps you protected when outdoors. Their patented fern extract of Polypodium leucotomous is currently the only agent known to provide oral sun protection. It also improves your skin’s inner defenses by preventing and reducing cellular damage caused by UV rays and free radicals. 

The best bit? I no longer have to run from one shady patch to the next like a demented vampire when walking my poor embarrassed dog, all thanks to Heliocare oral!

For more information and to take part in their year in giveaways, LIKE Heliocare on Facebook : www.facebook.com/Heliocare.Singapore

My formally embarrassed dog, can now walk with her head held up high as I no longer run from one spot of shade to the next.

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

STYLE@LXG: The Big Braun CoolTec Giveaway!

Regular visitors will recall our recent review of the stylish new Braun CoolTec Shaver

Well I hope you paid attention, because those equally cool people at Braun Singapore have now teamed up with LXG to present a fantastic CoolTec competition!

Want to be the lucky winner of a Braun CoolTec shaver?

Braun Singapore has kindly sponsored TWO CoolTec CT4s worth S$289.00 to 2 lucky winners during the month of November, and another TWO in December!!!

To stand a chance to win:

1. Send us a picture on our FB Page to illustrate why you need a CoolTec Shaver!

2. Like this post

3. Like Braun Singapore’s FB page

4. Like LXG's FB page

5. Share this post with EVERYONE!

 

The more you share, the greater your chance. Good luck!

LADY@LXG: HAIR BE GONE - SOPRANO PART 5

I know that many of you have been wondering what happened to my underarm hair after my last session with Dr. Pang. Well, I wanted to wait a few months to see if my hair grew back before I wrote my review, so here goes:

To understand how our hair grows, its important to have a quick biology lesson. Hair growth has three distinct phases: anagen, catagen and telogen. Each phase has specific characteristics that determine the length of the hair and all three phases occur simultaneously. Therefore, one strand of hair may be in the anagen phase, while another is in the telogen phase.

Because I had been epilating my underarm hair for several years, five session, done over a period of five months, was not enough to catch the hairs in the catagen and telogen phases (see, the quick biology lesson was helpful wasn’t it?) My advice, if you are looking at having your hair permanently removed - go for it, its totally worth the money, but opt for 6-8 sessions, which should catch your hair in whatever growth phase its in.

Although my hair has grown back, its much less than it was before and I can still get away with shaving about twice a month. 

For more information about the procedure, check out my first post where I get a bit technical, 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/