I was invited last week to a Beauty themed event at Palais Renaissance meant for bloggers and one of the places that hosted us was Privé Clinic. Privé is one of Singapore's trusted medical aesthetic clinics and was founded by Dr. Karen Soh.

I was lucky to be chosen as the model for the live demonstration to get either a nose or a chin filler by Dr Chua, Aesthetics Doctor of Privé Vitale Clinic. If you're interested to get a filler, a single treatment would normally cost S$963 (incl. GST).

Walking in for the prep, I saw the chair and it was slightly intimidating but the nurses and Dr Chua helped to make me feel comfortable. I had a consultation with Dr Chua on whether to do the nose or chin filler. We had a bit of a difficulty with this because he said that my face was quite proportionate so there really isn't a very pressing need for a filler. However, the filler on my nose bridge would make my nose seem thinner/smaller while a chin filler may help make my face look slimmer. I naturally went for the chin filler as I want to look like a lost 1 kg!

Dr Chua prepping to do the chin filler

Before the demonstration, I was led to a smaller room to take some 'before' photos and also given some numbing cream on my chin. While waiting for the numbing cream to take effect, Dr Chua then explained why fillers are gaining popularity over plastic surgery (mainly due to the fact that it is less invasive and people like how it isn't permanent nor damages any muscles). He introduced 2 types of fillers used - Hyaluronic Acid (HA) and Radiesse.

Why do people do fillers? Besides wrinkles, some people look as if they have double chins when it actually is a shorter recessed chin and this is where fillers can be used to elongate the chin while making the face more proportionate. Asians also tend to have a very low nose bridge and fillers can also be used to make the nose bridge a lot more defined so that the face looks sharper.

I'm sure that most of you ladies would've heard of Hyaluronic Acid as it's the current popular ingredient in most moisturisers and facial masks. Why it is so popular is because HA occurs naturally in the body and it attracts water molecules of up to 1,000 times it's size and weight. That is why it goes into your moisturisers and facial masks because it naturally boosts your skin's moisture levels. As a filler, the body does not reject it and if the patient does not like the results, the doctor is able to remove it easily. The other filler used is Radiesse, which is made of synthetic calcium hydroxyapatite, a similar compound that can be found in bones and teeth. As such, it's slightly harder than HA and harder to remove if the patient isn't happy with the results. Nonetheless, unlike most other fillers, Radiesse expands upon injection and stimulates collagen production. Thus, a lot of people who get Radiesse filler will see drastically smoother skin (bye bye wrinkles) and a lot of people love it as the effect lasts for about a year. Do note that this filler is not recommended for the lips as it may cause lumps.

Pop goes the needle

For this demonstration, Dr Chua used a syringe of Radiesse. Although I can't stand needles, I was not nervous about the procedure because I knew that I was under expert hands. In order to make me feel more comfortable, Dr Chua even used a cold compress to further ensure that my chin was numb and that the procedure would be painless.

Nevertheless, I could still feel the needle going into my chin and the filler being injected inside. Dr Chua made 3 injections and he pressed my chin to mould it to the place where he wanted it to go. It felt a little strange because it felt a little bit like play-doh in my chin and there was a bit of swelling (natural since there was an injection). There was a bit of bleeding from the 3 insertion points but that stopped when the nurse applied anti-bacterial cream on them.

They told me not to smile for the photos so that's why I look sombre in the 'After' photo. But...I've got a new chin! And don't you agree that my face looks slimmer? Everyone else at the event commented that they could immediately see the difference and that my face looks slimmer!

With Dr Chua of Privé Vitale Clinic

I'm really thankful to Dr Chua and the nurses at Privé for making me feel comfortable and for doing such a great job on my chin! Not to mention the cool swag that every one of us received after the session. I did not experience any bruising (this happens with some patients) and as for aftercare, I just needed to be very careful not to lean my chin on anything as well as not to purse my lips or pout as I do get a lot of dimpling on my chin whenever I do that.

Goodies from the event

It has been a week and my chin feels almost natural, with only a very small lump at the bottom of my chin which isn't visibly noticeable and I only notice it when I touch it. I'm very impressed with the follow up service of Privé when I received text messages from them asking about my chin 2 days after the procedure. When I told them that there was a bit of swelling, they even asked me to take photos to send to them via WhatsApp so that Dr Chua could look and evaluate! Talk about combining service with technology! Now...would they be interested in listing on SWAG Guide? Hahaha.

Privé also has other aesthetic treatments such as facials and Elite Eyes (bye bye eye bags), which I will be going back o Privé for. I'm quite excited to tell you, dear readers, that you can get 10% discount when you quote "Blogger Melissa" for any of their aesthetic treatments. This discount is valid from now till 30 March 2016!

Book your appointment today at:

Prive Aesthetics
390 Orchard Road
#03-02
Singapore 238871
Tel: +65 6737 0755
Website: http://www.priveaesthetics.com

Ms Pooja Chhabra - Trichologist at Trichokare

Meet Pooja, one of the trichologists at TK TrichoKare. I was very lucky to be able to have a consultation with her during my last appointment with TrichoKare and I was very happy to finally have an expert examine and advise me on my hair loss issue from a more scientific and biological point of view.

As per usual, the consultation began with a scan of my scalp and she was very happy that my scalp was very clean (compared to the previous appointment). I was happy that my twice-a-day shampoo habit has paid off. She also pointed out that she could see that my veins were quite close to the scalp, indicating that I have sensitive scalp/skin. That is true, which is also why I'm quite particular about what products I use. Nevertheless, I am still suffering from hair loss.

What causes hair loss?
A variety of reasons cause hair loss, including:

• hormones
• stress
• genetics
• scalp infections
• certain hairstyles
• oily scalp with clogged hair follicles

In my case, it was a combination of both genetic and hormonal issues. Pooja explained that chemically speaking, the main culprit for baldness is DHT (Dihydrotestosterone), a derivative of the male hormone testosterone which can be found in the oil glands of every hair follicle. As women's hormones change every month and even more drastically during pregnancy, DHT is triggered more so with us because the balance of hormones keep changing. We all know how a teeny tiny bit of hormone change can really wreak havoc in our bodies and (now we know) hair. This DHT is also the cause of hair loss in men but it is often a lot easier to treat because men's hormone levels do not fluctuate as often as women's.

Pooja told me not to give up hope as my clean scalp has shown that there is still a chance to work on the follicles to ensure that they get more nutrients required for healthy hair growth. When she saw that I was taking Minoxidil (5%) and using Hair Max while also taking Biotin with Multi-vitamins, she said that I was definitely someone who "has been there and done that when it comes to hair loss!"

It was good to hear from a trichologist's point of view that Regaine/Rogaine (brand differs depending on which country you buy it from) foam for both men and women are exactly the same and the different packaging is mainly due to marketing purposes. 5% is normally prescribed to men while 3% to women. However, women with serious hair loss can be prescribed with 5% minoxidil. She did warn me not to stop using minoxidil as it is the only thing that is preventing the DHT from being formed. Once I stop, as my hormones are still sending the same signals to the hair follicles, I may experience a very sudden severe hair loss.

Pooja then customised the treatment for me and explained that I was going to get a hair mask to soothe the sensitive skin while also balancing it so that it will be less oily. After that, I will get their ampoule which contains extracts from herbs that clinically show improvement in hair growth and to nourish the hair follicles will be applied onto my scalp. It's as if I'm going for a facial but instead of my face, I'm treating my scalp!

Too much white hair!

Another problem plaguing me is the amount of white hair that I have on my head. Lucky me, I was given a preview of their colouring services before it launches in April! My hair was coloured before the hair mask and since TrichoKare is the hair care experts, naturally the hair dye that they use did not contain ammonia and uses natural ingredients.

Indeed, no nasty chemical smells while my head was smothered with the dye. I did not experience any itching on my scalp while waiting for it to set either! During the wash, my consultant switched from their usual conditioner to another one which was more moisturising and targeted at grey hair. This was simply because she realised that although my scalp was oily, the ends of my hair were very dry. I've got to say that I love the personalised treatment.

Ampoule used for the treatment

The ampoule was sprayed onto my scalp with something that reminded me of an air-spray gun. It felt really cool on the scalp and the massage that followed after was amazing! Besides being very relaxing, the head massage is also meant to promote blood circulation to the scalp and therefore, encourage nutrients to reach the follicles. Pretty similar to what my cold laser is supposed to do.

After the blow dry, my head was given the infra-red treatment by what I'd like to call the 'octopus' and Pooja explained that this is to kill off any bacteria on the scalp as this too would affect the health of your hair.

After colouring

I'm also glad that the hair colour covered all my grey hair! The consultant then added some of their Hair Coat which immediately added shine to my hair without it feeling oily. I also noticed that it helped with the frizziness too! When I touched my hair, it was really soft and a far cry from how it was when I walked into the salon.

At the end of the treatment, it was back into the consultation room for a review scan. The hair colouring has helped to show where there are empty hair follicles and Pooja was optimistic that new hair can grow back from them.

Unfortunately, I could not get the hair growth treatment straightaway. Pooja explained that the herbal extracts used for hair growth would be rendered useless if the scalp and hair follicle were still clogged with oil and toxins as the growth factor would not be absorbed. Which is why it is normally recommended for clients to do 6 to 8 cleansing Trichological Scalp Treatments before going onto the hair growth treatments. Hair growth also differs from person to person because of our natural hair cycles as well as the cause(s) of each individual's hair loss.

I decided to buy some of Trichokare's fabulous hair care products so that I can continue having great hair after leaving the salon. I was so grateful that Pooja was around because what went into my bag was also per her recommendation. My shampoo (it's called Purifying Bath) is meant to be strong enough to wash off oil from my scalp so that I no longer need to wash my hair twice a day. In my bag also went the Hair Coat and Black Shine, both contain proteins and nutrients that were blended by trichologists to repair damaged hair while moisturising it. I also got an ampoule for at-home treatment.

I must say that I really enjoyed this treatment and it's mostly due to the good advice of the trichologist who customised the treatment from start to finish. With so much stress, pollution and diet issues  (not to mention how some of us change hair colour like we change clothes) nowadays, it is important to take better care of your scalp like how one takes care of our face.

Which is why, if you have hair problems but do not know where to start, do make an appointment with TrichoKare's trichologist for your first time consultation. If you just want to try out TrichoKare's Scalp Treatment, SWAG Guide is happy to say that we've managed to get a special price for you!

Book your trial Scalp Treatment for only S$48 (w/ GST) instead of S$138 here.
You can also book your appointment with the trichologist at S$91.60 here.

It's free to join SWAG Guide as a member to enjoy these promotions and say 'YES' to healthy, beautiful hair!

I have finally ended my parasite cleanse! I can't believe that it has been a month since I've started on this cleanse and it is amazing how many things have happened to my body since then. Nothing significant has happened since last week but I do realise now that alcohol hits my system a lot faster than before. Chilli also tastes a bit spicier. What is 'worse' is that my body now rejects junk food and makes me pay for it the next day by depositing the junk in the harshest manner. Not diarrhoea. Just whoosh....plus cramps. I can feel my intestines doing it's job.

There was an interesting conversation that I had with someone over Facebook though. I was tagged by a mutual friend on this lady's (let's call her OC) post because he knew that I had gone on this cleanse and OC is quite sure that she has parasites because her boyfriend was diagnosed with it. She and her boyfriend were losing a lot of weight suddenly while feeling fatigued, which led her boyfriend to go see the doctor and he was finally diagnosed with having parasites.

OC was a bit conflicted because although she knew that she had parasites, she wanted to get rid of all of them but the prescribed medication from the doctors only killed a few types. Moreover, the testing required for all the parasites plus the medication would be a very hefty sum. Some of her friends advised her to do natural healing and herbal remedies.

What's my take? I told her that since it's quite obvious to her that she has parasites, she should go to the doctor and get those medication quick. Kill them fast and then use herbal detox to cleanse out all the endotoxins built up by those parasites as well as caused when the parasites die.

Hearing her story made me more convinced that even in our clean society, these little buggers are still around and surviving well. Thus, I will do this parasite cleanse once a year. In the meanwhile, I also happen to receive a free bottle of garlic supplements so I'll eat those from now so as to prevent more parasites from growing before my next cleanse. Yup...those critters hate loads of garlic!

To learn more about the 30-day ClearStart or Paraway Plus, go to: https://shop.passhen.com/collections/unicity.

It has now been three weeks since I've embarked on this parasite cleansing journey...which means that I've also gone beyond the half way point! 10 more days! So, what interesting things happened this past week?

That, my dear friends, is not a rash under my armpit. I suddenly spotted it one day after my shower and was wondering what that was. It didn't hurt nor itched. I suspected that it's my lymph nodes flaring up and when I did some online research as to the positions of lymph nodes, I did hit the nail on the head.

My skin on my arms are still itching and I see more rashes coming up, which isn't fun. The most irritating thing that has occurred so far is the mucus production in my sinuses. I've always had sinusitis and now I can feel a lot of drip back to my throat but my nostrils aren't clogged up. Weird. However, this is affecting my sleep. I've started to snore instead of my usual heavy breathing and I'm breathing through my mouth while I sleep, causing a very dry mouth in the mornings.

Again, all these are typical detox features. Flaring up incredibly since it's my first real detox/cleanse.  Good news is that I haven't noticed any more critters in my stool during my trips to the loo. That probably also explains why the symptoms of the cleanse are now mainly on my skin and sinuses, because the herbs are now taking effect and helping to get rid of residual endotoxins.

What I find the most interesting thing now is that my appetite has gone down. I no longer crave for oily, fried foods such as fried chicken and french fries. Both of them used to be my biggest indulgences but during the week, I did buy a fried chicken wing and when I bit into it, it no longer tasted as wonderful as I thought it would. Also, I find that I'm eating less than my usual and that's helping with maintaining my weight loss. I'm half surprised but yet rationally, I was expecting this to happen. Why? Parasites feed on your food and they are known to be the ones sending signals to your brain to eat more sugar and oily foods because that's what they like to eat. And in large quantities. Now that I've finally gotten rid of them from my body, I don't have these aliens telling my brain to feed my body with junk food. Furthermore, the hormones controlling the signals of sugar levels in the body etc can now work properly. Thus, I'm eating the amounts that I really require.

A lot of doctors and nutritionists poo-poo detox programmes saying that the body will naturally detox itself. Which is true. However, the body doesn't naturally get rid of parasites and that is why after  starting this parasite cleanse, I've been recommending people to do it. Another problem with the modern diet is that we eat too much processed foods and then there's also external pollution that's messing with our skin. There's just a lot for the body to process and it's natural for the body to just detox as much as it can without overloading itself. What a herbal detox does is that it helps the body deal with the daily detoxification process. Best to think of it as banging down the previously small doors of the detox centres to become floodgates. Whoosh! Suddenly the body is processing a lot more toxins a day than it normally does and when it comes to a parasite cleanse, the body has to deal with extra endotoxins released from these dying parasites.

What I'm trying to say is that all these cleanses and detox programmes are a bit of a misnomer. The herbs or juices aren't really the ones cleaning out the waste from your bodies. Your body itself is. What is going on is that these herbs and teas are supporting your body's natural detoxification and allowing more toxins to be processed. Should you then go on a detox programme or parasite cleanse? It's really up to you and what you're comfortable with. If you do choose to go on one, do note that you'll need to stick to it for at least 3 days to see any effects. It may not be easy the first time you do it but if you press on and carry on, the results are worth it. 1.5kg and counting!!

To learn more about the 30-day ClearStart or Paraway Plus, go to:  https://shop.passhen.com/collections/unicity.

It has been 2 weeks since I started my parasite cleansing with Paraway Plus and the healing crisis is hitting me really bad.

As mentioned in last week's post, I developed a fever and a bad sore throat. It got so bad that I went to see the doctor last Wed and was put on a course of antibiotics, paracetamol and anti-inflammatory meds. I started feeling really good until day 10 of my cleanse where I had to up the number of pills from 2 to 5. On Day 10 itself, I started having a sore throat in the evening. On Day 11, I woke up with my throat more swollen and I even had a mild fever in the afternoon. This meant more paracetamol and anti-inflammatory meds going into my system. Moreover, I had such bad insomnia that I did not sleep till 6am the following morning. I was soon up 2 hours later and that's when I messaged Su Lee for advice.

This is the full symptoms of my healing crisis:

• fever
• sore throat
• semi-blocked sinuses with drip back (probably causing the sore throat)
• pimples
• raised goose pimples on my arms
• slight itching on my arms
• thicker coating on my tongue
• body aches
• diarrhoea (only once)

Su Lee confirmed that it was a healing crisis and told me that if I stopped the cleanse for more than 3 days, I'll have to start from scratch all over again. Thus, I'm pressing on with loads of chlorophyll water as suggested by her. She also suggested taking probiotics as the released toxins may also cause an increase in bad bacteria in the gut so the probiotics will help combat this. Killing two birds with one stone, I mixed the chlorophyll powder with my yoghurt drink and had that for lunch since I wasn't up to swallowing any whole foods.

As per research online, Su Lee mentioned that a detox or cleansing healing crisis will cause underlying conditions to flare up more than before as they haven't really been cured. It's no wonder then that I have blocked sinuses and itching on the arms since I've had sinusitis and eczema since young. Since this is also my first proper cleansing, my body is probably not used to the sudden flood of endotoxins which explains how bad my symptoms are.

Trips to the loo have been some sort of exploration session for me as I tried to look for wriggly stuff or white things that resemble seeds. I 'complained' to Su Lee that I haven't seen any but now that I think about it, I did pass out some parasites. Instead of white ones, mine were dark brown ones! I did find them unusual and was wondering whether it was due to the spinach salad that I had the day before but then I went to do my research and I think its a type of rope worm. I did not take any photos of my stool (I think that's a little gross) but here's a photo that I found online which closely resembles what I saw in my toilet bowl.

On Day 13, I saw quite a few white things in my stool that resembled the size and shape of rice. I thought back to what I ate the previous day and the only thing that I could think that resembled that would be the brown rice that I ate plus okra. But okra seeds are smaller and rounder than those. Plus I've been eating brown rice for years and they've never come out whole like that. They didn't wriggle. Conclusion:  another type of parasite.

I'm hoping that I've gotten rid of as much as possible but from what I read and think, the increased dosage may mean that I'll be seeing more of such parasites in my stool in subsequent weeks. Oh well, better out than in!

I'm still in shock over how much parasites are in my system. Sadly, having parasites in your gut is more common than you think as these little buggers are on vegetables, grains and other types of foods. I'm just glad to be able to get rid of them. Although I really do not like going through the healing crisis. A good side effect is that I've since lost 1kg!

To learn more about the 30-day ClearStart or Paraway Plus, go to:  https://shop.passhen.com/collections/unicity.

I've been down with the flu for the past 2 weeks and it has been quite miserable with the blocked nose and sore throat. This flu is my healing crisis from my parasite cleansing and when one is sick, one reaches for comfort and for me, one of that is tea.

 

Since Hi-Tea has a special blend of teas called "Health Series" I thought that it would be perfect to drink it while I'm under the weather. I love how each bag is individually wrapped so as to maintain its freshness. This is important because Hi-Tea teas are all natural and made with dried flowers and fruit with no preservatives.

As they come in bags, it's so easy to pop one into a mug, add hot water and let it steep for 3-5 minutes before sipping the brew. The Health tea is made with jasmine, lemon grass and dried lemon which is why the resulting brew was both refreshing in terms of taste and smell. Love how it was mildly sweet, which I was not expecting since there's lemon inside. It really helped to clear up my sinuses and relieve some of my sore throat. If you want, you can add honey to the tea and it'll be a naturally sweet and healthy drink.

For bulk brew, I used a tea pot and as mine is pretty large, I added 2 tea bags and steeped it for 5 minutes. In this case, I brewed Hi-Tea's Beauty blend. This is a blend of French Rose, jasmine flower and apple flower.

Beauty tea blend

The dried flowers themselves look so pretty so hopefully drinking the tea will help maintain my youthful skin...after all, roses are supposed to contain vitamin C. As with most flower teas, the taste of the Beauty Tea was very light, with the dominant rose flavour and ending with a subtle green apple note.

Left to right: Relaxation series, Health series, Beauty series

What I really like about Hi-Tea is the design of the boxes. I could open up the lid, bend it back and now it's like a having a tea display in my kitchen! Don't you think the teas look so pretty on my kitchen counter top? Now I know exactly what the boxes contain and can easily pick up a sachet whenever I feel like drinking a cuppa. Two thumbs up for brilliant design!

Since it's going to be Chinese New Year, I can't wait to just display the teas on my dining table so that my family and friends who are visiting can just choose whatever tea they'd like. Personally, I can't wait to try out all their flavours because they do have quite a few others to choose from:

• Fruit teas (peach, apple rose & blueberry)
• Anti-aging
• Slimming
• Relaxation
• Stevia
• Lemongrass
• Peppermint
• Flower teas (chamomile, chrysanthemum, ginseng flower, osmanthus, rose hip, rose, lavender and French rose)

To view and purchase any of these delicious and natural teas, head onto  http://shop.passhen.com/collections/hi-tea

When I posted this photo on Instagram and Facebook a week ago stating that I was going to get rid of (unknown) parasites in my body, I was really surprised at the response I received. A lot of friends and family members started asking me questions about why I was doing this, whether the Paraway Plus was a laxative (no it's not) as well as what this whole Herbal Body Cleansing is all about.

Let me start with the easy question: Why am I doing this?
Su Lee invited me to her talk on detox seminar where she showed a few videos about parasites and how all of us living in 1st world countries often think that we're parasite-free but it may be a fallacy. I found the following videos by Dr Oz which I prefer over the ones that I watched during the seminar as Dr Oz comes from a more scientific but yet natural approach to dealing with medical issues.

Be warned that some of the images are quite disturbing.

As you can see, parasites are commonly found even in so-called 'clean' countries and if you eat raw foods or have pets, your chances of getting parasites are increased. In addition, after Su Lee's bit, a few of the audience members started sharing their testimonial stories about going on this 30-day detox programme where they found either moving worms or the eggs in their stool! Su Lee herself told me months before this talk that she had gone on the cleanse and found 1 moving worm in her stool.

If you were me, wouldn't you get paranoid too and want to go on a parasite cleanse? Those who know me also know that I love my sashimi and sushi, not to mention that I'm eating a lot more salads nowadays. Yes, there are alternatives like eating garlic or papaya seeds mixed with honey but I decided that for my first cleanse, let's do this in a slightly more 'instant' method of just popping pills.

Paraway Plus is actually part of a 30-day Detox Programme called "ClearStart" but I chose to only take the parasite cleansing one because I don't really believe in detoxing (that'll be explained in another article).

What I like about Paraway Plus is that it's made up of herbs such as Garlic, Peppermint, Chamomile and loads more. Because of the herbal properties, it does not kill the parasites but stuns them so that they release their jaws from your guts where you naturally pass them out through your bowels. If you're having constipation, you might want to do ClearStart instead because it will go hand-in-hand to resolve your bowel issues.

Instructions state that I have to take 2 capsules a day for 10 days before popping 5 capsules for the next 20 days. It has been 7 days and I think I've undergone what is known as a 'healing crisis'. What's a healing crisis? When you're suddenly getting rid of parasites or other toxins from your body, or when bacteria dies within your body, these parasites/toxins/bacteria start releasing  endotoxins into your blood for filtering and natural detoxification by releasing through your urine or stool. However, by going on a plan to really eliminate these parasites and bacteria, it is suddenly a lot of waste for my body's lymph nodes to cope.

What happened next? I fell ill with a fever last Sunday and started having a sore throat. On Monday onwards, my sore throat got so bad that when I looked into the mirror, I didn't need a torchlight to see how my throat was so swollen that the entrance of my oesophagus was half its usual size. I took paracetamol which helped the fever but it came back with a vengeance on Tuesday evening, which was when I went to see the doctor for antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds.

Besides the flu, I noticed yesterday that my skin was also started to itch and have bumps. Apparently, this is quite normal and some people experience breakouts too. I was talking to Amanda Koh, a yoga instructor, and she said that one of her friends had all his lymph nodes swollen and breaking out into pimples while he was detoxing. Whoa...I really hope that THAT doesn't happen to me when I start onto the 5 capsules a day regime.

Trips to the loo have proven to be quite interesting. I've always been looking out at my stool to observe its size (mainly because my mum had colon polyps so I'm genetically susceptible to it), colour and whether it floats or sink (float = ate too much fats; sink = been eating good). But after going on Paraway Plus, I do scrutinise my stool a little longer for signs of parasites or eggs. I did see some whitish seed-like things which make me then try to think whether I have been eating nuts/seeds.  I'm sorta happy to say that it's currently inconclusive because I do recall eating some seeds on those days but there were days where I really do not recall eating anything resembling seeds.

Su Lee told me that from experience, I'll probably not see anything for another week or so. This was further confirmed by Amanda who told me that natural detox (eg. juice fast) would normally show signs in the 5th week or so. Hmm. I'll keep you guys updated on a weekly basis.

To learn more about the 30-day ClearStart or Paraway Plus, go to https://shop.passhen.com/collections/unicity.

I treated Ming to a screening of "The Danish Girl" and the movie was his choice. I wasn't surprised that the topic was about transgender and the film tells the remarkable story of Einer/Lili Wegener (played by Eddie Redmayne), the first transgender person to undergo reassignment surgery. The movie is based on a fictitious book by David Ebershoff which was loosely inspired by the lives of Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener.

The film was very picturesque, alluding to the whole idea of a painting and it seemed like there was a constant filter throughout the whole movie. I'm quite sure that this movie will produce some awards this year as Eddie Redmayne as well as Alicia Vikander put up very strong performances as the leads.

I'm very impressed with Redmayne and how he was able to subtlety portray the confusion, then distress followed by determination as he went through the acknowledgement, denial followed by acceptance of how he has always felt like he is a woman. Some critics have slammed the movie for casting a non-transgendered actor in this role but I feel that these critics ought to shut up because it does not matter whether the actor is transgendered or not. What matters more is whether he can act and Redmayne did a splendid job.

It is easy to just see the film as a vehicle to support transgendered people, which is truly is, but what I found more interesting was about the complexity of human gender and sexuality.

In the beginning of the film, we see how in love both Einer and Gerda were, where Einer couldn't keep his hands off Gerda. It was only revealed later that Einer's fondness of dressing up as a girl started when he was a child but this was obviously suppressed by his family and society. However, the love between Gerda and Einer/Lili did not falter throughout this whole transition. Sure, it evolved from romantic love to something else but it definitely was not pure platonic love.

That is the thing which kept me thinking. There are so many transgendered people who have married and have children, while still loving their spouses or ex-partner once they've transitioned. But I could not understand was, assuming that these transgendered people were 'straight', how could they marry someone of the same 'sex' , love their spouses romantically and have children? I would understand if this were 50 to 100 years ago where arranged marriages were common but we're talking about people like Caitlyn Jenner.

To make the whole idea of sexuality more complicated, there was one episode of Oprah that I watched where she interviewed transgendered people and there was a transgendered woman who had been always sexually attracted to women so she concluded that she's lesbian.

Then that brings me to another stream of thought: would you accept a transgendered person as your partner? I asked Ming (who is gay) whether he would accept a transgendered man who is gay. His reply was, "Not really. It would still think that I'm with a woman or lesbian or..." However, I did see a YouTuber who is a transgendered woman and she has a boyfriend who is straight. As for myself, I'm really not sure because intellectually, I think transgendered men would probably be more emotionally vested than straight men but when it comes to raising a family, having a relationship with a transgendered man would mean that I'll not have his biological child. I think to some, it isn't a very big deal but...I can't say that I have very strong opinions/feelings about this.

As you can tell, the movie really got me thinking about how gender/sexuality is actually a spectrum rather than dual but this spectrum is definitely not linear. Regardless, the film's important message was that what was more important is about being true to ourselves and having supportive, loving relationships.

If you're wondering how can a facial cost $800, you're not alone. Another thought that probably popped into your head was, "What's inside? Gold? Caviar? Diamond?" Well...you're not too far off. Perhaps you're also imagining some fancy schmancy science stuff or tools that are involved.

HAACH has recently launched its latest luxe professional facial - the Diamond Age-Defying Marine Miracle (90 min). When I was given the chance to try it out, I naturally jumped at it. Who wouldn't? Especially when the tagline is to make your skin "Shine Bright Like a Diamond".

The facial was held at HAACH's new concept store as well as Singapore's first seamless curation of both beauty and wellness. Called HAACH Curation, it is conveniently situated in Wheelock Place and houses both their chiropractic, physiotherapy as well as spa services under one roof. The overall feel of the place is comfortable and pleasant.

Front view of my face before the treatment

Left view

Right view

How timely this facial was! I suddenly had a pimple that popped on my nose so it was a plea for some professional intervention.

The beautician explained to me that for this Diamond Age-Defying Marine Miracle facial, there are no machines involved because all the natural ingredients used will help to exfoliate gently, lock in moisture, rehydrate skin and encourage the strengthening of the skin's elastin and collagen. In other words, it's a lot of massaging of my face with their advanced skincare products.

After cleansing came the exfoliating. Instead of a normal scrub, a serum-like gel was used. The gel contains nano-fine diamond powder that helps to remove the dead skin cells while the rest of the ingredients will help to pull the dead skin cells together until it clumps together.

Doesn't it look like I suddenly have dust over my face or dandruff? Anyway, the beautician said that my skin is quite well taken care of (thank you Clarisonic) and although I have quite a bit of dead skin, it's not dark coloured. Ladies, please remember to scrub your face at least once a week. Otherwise, please invest in a face cleansing tool like Clarisonic or HAACH's equivalent, which costs only S$60 and the brush head is made up of super fine hairs (even finer than Clarisonic's). Do remember to ask the HAACH ladies about it.

Once that gunk was removed, my blackheads were removed and after which, came the mask part! That's where the Marine Organisms, concentrates and seaweed extracts that are rich in vitamins and minerals come in! In addition, there are 20 herbal extracts (each with its own skin healing properties and one of them is called the Melissa plant *wink*) in this power packed mask.

For every person, one such tube is cracked open just before the mask is applied. This means that the product is fresh and all the vitamins are still active.

The marine and herbal mask

I could smell the algae!!! Add that to the intense wet herb smell and my nose was completely offended. Brain had to tell the nose to bear with it. Beauty comes with a small dose of sacrifice. After letting my skin soak in the concoction for a few of minutes while I received an awesome shoulder and décolletage massage, a gel mask with the diamond powder was soon placed over it.

Herbs used in HAACH's Diamond Age-defying Marine Miracle Facial

Beauty Tip: when you open your gel/paper mask, keep the excess liquids first. Apply some more onto the mask as this help you push out any bubbles as well as to massage the liquid in a little. Then, massage that excess liquid over your neck and décolletage. It is a moisturiser after all, so good to rub it into areas that are usually neglected but are sure signs of your age. After a few minutes, there will be areas that dry up faster for sure and the top up from your excess liquid would also be rather beneficial for your face.

After 20 or 30 minutes, the masks were removed and TADAH:

My face definitely was cleaner and brighter than before the facial! It felt quite moisturised too but that would be quite natural after a facial, no? I'll tell you later why you can push aside the cynicism.

So how does a $800 facial feel? Perfectly normal - relaxing (awesome massage) and moisturising. What you're paying for is for the sheer quality of ingredients used in the products. The proof in the pudding came only a day AFTER the facial. Remember that red spot that you saw on the left side of my nose? Normally, it would take a few days for it to heal and disappear but because of the facial, I was pleasantly surprised that it was completely healed the next day!

The beautician warned me that due to the strengthening of the elastin and collagen as well as the  natural healing properties of the mask, it is normal to see white and black heads popping up the next day as they get pushed out of the pores from within.

I can only imagine that with prolonged usage of such quality products, one's skin will definitely get smoother and nobody will be able to say that you look old!

If you'd like to go for the Diamond Age-defying Marine Miracle treatment, HAACH is offering a special trial price of $99 for my readers! You can either book through www.passhen.com if you are a member or quote the promo code "PASS_MM" when you call HAACH's outlet directly for an appointment. For those who would like something a little more affordable, Pásshers get special prices off selected treatments that have also won recent awards in Harper's Bazaar! To find out more, click here.

Look at the wall of ear buds!! Was invited to Happy Plug's launch in Singapore held at the luxury boutique hotel Klapsons and what was immediately noticeable about this Swedish brand is the simplistic but yet fashionable way of packaging simple ear buds.

The candy colours scream out to you and you just want to hold the box containing the ear buds and wonder why nobody else thought of packaging earphones or ear buds this way. If monotone bright colours aren't your thing, they also have the more 'wild' versions:

I love how they have the full matching set for your phone, tablet as well as ear piece! As you can see, Happy Plugs are positioned as a fashion accessories brand rather than pure electronics. It's quite funny that the brand started when the founder, Andreas Vurul, spray painted his girlfriend's plain white ear buds pink. I hope for the girlfriend's sake that she's now the wife or she's cashing in on this some how. Hahah!

I managed to get a pair of Happy Plugs ear buds and I can't wait to try them out for sound. But as Happy Plug's tagline goes..."What is your colour?" I shall wait until I feel orangey to try them on.

Happy Plugs definitely wins hands down for best packaging. Look at how cute their cables are packed! Mind you, it may look short but each cable is 2m long. I don't think you can tell from the lighting but this series comes from their latest metallic range and I love it!

However, the main event was the real launch of the brand's latest flagship products – Sound Piece and Sound Piece Mini.

The brand story and the launch of the latest flagship products was presented by Hermine Bonde, Global Sales Director of Happy Plugs. She explained how the Sound Piece and Sound Piece Mini have grills that could be changed to suit either your mood or to blend in with your interior decoration.

Marble top

Hot pink

Leopard prints anyone?

Gold!

The various grills that you can purchase separately

I love the idea of changing the grills to suit your decor because that is a problem with a lot of electronic equipment. They either come in white/black/grey but your furniture in your home/room comes in a lot more shades than that.

Sound Piece Mini with the Rose Gold grill

Lime Green limited edition grill on the Sound Piece in another room

Luxury boutique hotel klapsons was aptly chosen as the launch venue as all 17 rooms in the hotel, each uniquely designed, have been outfitted with a set of Happy Plugs Sound Piece Mini speaker for guests to enjoy as part of the tailor-made klapsons’ experience. Just like each room at klapsons is uniquely designed, each Happy Plugs Sound Piece Mini’s front grill is customised to match the room’s interior style.

Besides the look of the Sound Piece, it has to be good as an actual speaker, right? Check out the short video that I took with the Sound Piece Mini playing Adele in the outside jacuzzi (yup, klapsons as an outdoor one in their executive suite).

I was impressed by the quality and I love how compact it is! I was sold and I really bought a mini for myself. I can't wait to get it next week and I also am getting the rose gold grill so that I'll have a classy piece to match my room's decor! It's my Christmas present to myself.

The Happy Plugs Sound Piece ($329) and Sound Piece Mini ($139) are now available through the Atlas e-store and selected resellers island-wide. For more information, visit www.soundpiece.sg