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.

As the saying goes, "You are what you eat." Which is why over the years, I've been more aware of what goes into my mouth and even to a certain extent, what comes out (no constipation etc).

I must thank the BBC for being the constant reputable source of my documentary 'addiction' and I just watched this one on food! The title caught me..."The truth about food: How to stay young and beautiful". Now, who wouldn't want that? Moreover, knowing BBC, there will definitely be interesting scientific tests to prove or disprove popular claims about diets etc.

I'll summarise a few key takeaways but I do recommend that you watch the documentary in its entirety.

1. Eat more tomatoes
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene which is an antioxidant that helps your skin from getting burnt so easily! The study done by the University of Manchester over 3 months showed that people who eat tomatoes have an average 30% less damage from UV. Time to load up on that juicy fruit. Oh, it also makes a great facial mask as Su Lee mentioned during our "Beauty Secrets From The Kitchen" workshop at Beauty Week.

2. Eat more berries
Just like tomatoes, berries such as strawberry and blueberry contain loads of antioxidant. Besides the skin, the antioxidants in berries are shown to greatly help slow down the degeneration of the ocular muscles. As we often are staring at our computer screens, I do suggest eating a cup of berries everyday to prevent any eye problems when we hit our 60s or 70s. If you have trouble getting the actual fruit, try Unicity's Probionic which is a supplement that contains both berries and probiotics to support a healthy gastro-immune system.

3. Detox diets are a myth
Alas, despite how many people say that they feel energised/ lighter/ slimmer etc after going on a detox diet, the controlled experiment clearly showed that our bodies' natural detoxification organs work just fine. No real improvement or efficiency in the detox department after going on a detox diet.

4. Drinking extra 2L of plain water a day is not necessary
I was a bit shocked about this one. Turns out that all we need is to consume 2.5L a day and this comes from our foods and any sort of beverages. This isn't to say that we shouldn't drink water when we're thirsty, just that your coffee/tea/soups do count into your daily intake!

Nonetheless, if your current diet and health regime makes you feel tip top, don't think too much and just carry on! However, if you think that you need help, we have a whole directory of fitness locations for you to choose from or get in touch with our Wellness Coach to get you on track!

Entrance to StralaYoga's studio

Beauty Week ended on a high with 2 days of the 2 things that Pásshen loves - skincare and fitness!

Alex from HAACH presenting on best pre and post workout routines

We were very thankful to have HAACH speak about best pre and post workout routines to our attendees on both Fri and Sat. Most of us knew about removing make up before we worked out but did you know that if you were going for a swim, you should slap on moisturiser? The chlorine in the pool will severely dry out your skin so it's best to apply a layer of moisturiser before heading into the water.

HAACH brought along their fancy equipment to test the moisture levels of the skin. Thus, one would be able to know whether you're applying the right amount of moisturiser or the right type of moisturiser for your skin type!

Alex from HAACH also introduced their latest and best seller, the Phytopeautic Facial which uses stem cells from a rare type of Swiss apples to help rejuvenate skin cells and diminishing wrinkles as well as age spots which therefore, enables one to look more youthful. Pásshen members are able to book this award winning facial at a bargain for only $50 (usual price is $288)! Click here to book your slot today.

Attendees queuing up to get their skin tested

After learning more about their skin, we went into the yoga session that evening with StralaYoga's ENERGIZE session. Those unfamiliar with Strala were treated to their style of yoga - relaxing with modern music playing in the background.

Su from Strala leading the Fri yoga session

ENERGIZE was really aptly named as all of us broke into a sweat during the hour! For Sat's session, Jo (Director of Strala Singapore) included more advanced poses like handstands to really push and challenge the participants.

Jo supporting one of the students into a handstand

After the yoga session, all the participants were relaxed but also feeling really full of energy and ready to continue for the rest of the day. For those interested to attend yoga at Strala, you'll be glad to know that Pásshen is offering each class at $22! No packages and you only need to book each class one week in advance. To book your class and to see Strala's schedule, visit this page.

If you've seen this ad on YouTube, especially if you're Singaporean, you might immediately be interested in this product as we get a lot of sun (ie. super prone to dark spots) and we don't really like patches on our skin. My mum definitely falls into that category! She's been complaining about brown spots the older she gets and these spots are also often called 'age spots' as they only show up years after the UV has done it's job on your skin.

Here comes 2 of Palmer's latest products from their White & Even series. The one on the left is a CBB cream, meaning that it is a combination of a CC and a BB cream. I like that it has SPF15 so when I wear it, I can skip my usual sunblock after putting on my moisturiser.

Let's review the Dark Spot Corrector first and I'll review the CBB cream in a separate post. The formula is supposed to contain concentrated amounts of advanced pigment-perfecting ingredients, with the key ingredient being Japanese Songyi Mushroom Extract. Great thing about this is that it's meant for all skin types and doesn't contain any parabens or sulphates so if you have sensitive skin like me, you can use this without woes.

The formula comes out like a gel-serum like texture that is light and doesn't smell like either it's signature cocoa nor like mushroom, although it still contains cocoa butter. It's surprisingly fruity...to a certain extent. I passed this to my mum to try as her age spots are a lot more obvious than mine.

Before Palmer's Dark Spot Corrector

As you can see, my mum has quite a lot of freckles and age spots on her cheek. These are not moles ok...they're spots caused by UV after sun exposure over the years. Nonetheless, there are people who also get such spots due to change in hormones or acne scarring.

1 week after using Palmer's Dark Spot Corrector

After using it everyday for 1 week, the above is my mum's cheek. The age spots are still rather visible but I reckon that 1 week is really too early to tell. However, I do notice that her skin looks a bit more moisturised and her crow's feet are a little less visible. Thus, the short term benefit is that it does help fight signs of aging pretty fast but you'll probably need to use it a little more regularly before you can see the full effects.

Well, it's so typical of everything when it comes to our bodies. Quick to be damaged but a long time to be repaired. At least there's a solution! I'm using it too...as I've seen through ClearSK's scan that a few years down the road, I will see them age spots popping up...so if I want to lighten them, I must start now!

The Palmer's Dark Spot Corrector is really affordable at S$29.90 for a 30ml bottle and you can find it at your nearest Watsons, Guardian, BHG, Robinsons, John Little, Essentials Pharmacy, Nishino Pharmacy, all leading pharmacies, departmental and cosmetics stores.

However, when I posted this on my Instagram 2 weeks ago, 1 of my followers was unable to find it at her nearest Guardian. Hopefully it's all stocked up now!

That's me chilling with an eye mask. Not just any eye mask, but Kao's latest "Eye Steam Mask"! I managed to get a sample of their lavender eye steam mask and I was really intrigued by it because you do not need to heat it up with water or crack anything. Also, with the name "Eye Steam", I really wondered whether there would be any steam coming out from the mask although I really do not want my eyes to be cooked by hot vapour.

It opens up like this and as you can see, there is a patch in the middle which is the part that is infused with the scent (if you get the scented ones) and the heating element. It is written on the box that this eye mask contains iron, so please do not use this if you're allergic to iron compounds.

This mask opens out into the eye mask as seen on my face and you sorta tear out the elastic bands located in the middle. The elastic bands are to be hooked on your ears so as to secure the mask.

How does the mask feel? Really warm! It is stated that the mask can reach temperatures of about 40 deg C so if you find that too hot, do the eye masking in an air-conditioned room. I found the eye mask quite relaxing and the lavender scent was quite pleasant. Interestingly, the mask tightened a little after a while and I realised that it's because the heating caused the centre patches to bloat.

Would I use it again? Probably. It really is quite relaxing and it's not too expensive as you can get a box of 5 for S$6.90 at Watson's.

I was very privileged to be given complimentary V-Face Shaper treatments, which is the signature treatment at ClearSK! These treatments come at a very timely manner because after hitting 28, the skin around my neck is starting to sag and *gasp* I feel like I'm developing a double chin. So yes...I need my V-Face back ;)

If you're wondering what a V-Face is...you can see it from the image above and as the banner reads, ClearSK's V-Face Shaper treatment is non-surgical so there is absolutely no downtime.

What I liked about ClearSK off the bat is that it is not just a spa but it also has medical doctors available for consultation (by appointment only). It does make me feel a lot better that these therapists weren't talking pseudo-medical terms without knowing what they actually mean.

I went to the branch located at Novena Square and I liked that it was bright and clean while the Service Officer, Princess, at the reception was really friendly. She also explained to me that the V-Face Shaper treatment is painless, non-surgical and does not have any needles (good for those with phobia of needles). It works by using Bi-Polar RF (Radio Frequency) to agitate and breakdown the fats located around the jawline. After this, they use another RF to tighten the skin because after you breakdown the fats you wouldn't want sagging skin right?

Before going for the treatment, I was taken to a consultation room to get my skin analysed by the funky looking machine at the bottom.

I call this 'dormant' stage

When it's lit and ready for your face to be placed inside

Ready for my face to be analysed!

The machine 'rates' your face based on the roughness, pores, spots, wrinkles and brown spots (UV spots) which are under the current skin layer but will show up in years to come.

After evaluating all categories, the machine concluded that the age of my skin is 30.55. I don't know whether to feel happy/sad/neutral because it means that my skin is only half a year younger than my actual age. Mmm...I am taking care of my skin but I guess not as intensively as I should? The main aging factor has to do with my laziness when it comes to sunblock.

See the above categorical report...99% UV spots that a 30 year old should/could have. Ok...I geddit. Sunblock it shall be.

After the skin analysis, I was made to wait while the previous customer finishes up (they only have 1 machine there). After waiting for about 10-15 minutes, I was led into the treatment room which has a very nice fluffy and warm blanket that reminded me of my personal comforter. Snug as a bug. I would've fallen asleep but I was woken up by an angry customer who was told that her appointment was delayed due to a shortage of therapists. I agree with the customer that someone should've called her to inform but I disagreed with her tone because we're all humans and we all deserve to be spoken to with some level of respect unless he/she really messed things up.

Anyway, I had to wait for another 10-15 minutes before the therapist came and shut the door (no more interruptions) before proceeding to cleanse my skin and starting the V-Face Shaper treatment. The cleansing process is similar to most spas and when the 1st RF procedure started, I could only feel the gentle probing of the machine against my jawline and there was a high pitched buzzing sound along with it. This is where the stubborn fat cells are being encouraged to reduce its size.

The skin tightening RF procedure was also painless but it did cause a bit of warmth to radiate across the skin so the therapist did warn me about it before starting the procedure and told me to inform her if it became too uncomfortable. I could feel the rollers going across my face and it was like a very firm facial massage. Can't complain because it was soothing and the thought that my skin was going to be tightened and firmed up just made me relax and go to lala land (I really fell asleep during my 2nd treatment). After the RF procedures, the therapist proceeded to put a mask on my face. Mind you, this mask not only covered my face but also my neck!

The above is just before my 1st treatment while the pic below is just after my 2nd treatment.

As you can see, the protruding start of a double chin on the left side of my face (look on your right) is gone! I'm quite impressed because I did feel a tightening around my jawline after my first treatment but the reduction of the double chin wasn't so obvious till after the 2nd treatment.

Another great side effect of the V-Face Shaper procedure is that my pores are now tighter! Thus, my blackheads are less visible and this is something that all my pore packs and face masks have been unable to do for ages. A lot of other facials too, now that I think about it.

I highly recommend this treatment if you are concerned about your double chin as you will see results almost immediately. The therapists recommend doing it every week to really reduce the double chin and maintain the V shape. Ideally, one should have 6-12 sessions in total. Best thing? Nobody would think that you've had anything done because it's non-invasive and has no downtime!

Do visit ClearSK at any of their current outlets located conveniently at:
Novena Medical Centre
Novena Square, Velocity
Orchard
Toa Payoh
Tampines

Hotline: +65 6100 6868
Website: www.clearsk.com 

As a lazy and exhausted office worker, the last thing you want to do when you come home is spend more than 5 minutes to wash off grime, dirt and make up off your face. I was a bit skeptical when I read the Biore's Uru Uru 2-in-1 Instant Foaming Wash claims to be able to remove make up while cleansing your face at the same time! As far as experience goes, only oil cleansers do the trick for me.

Let's put it to the test. As instructed, 3 pumps of foam:

The foam isn't as dense as Ettusais' 3-in-1 Foaming Mousse but that's probably because Biore's uses an air pump while Ettusais uses a pressurised can.

I have on CC cream, blusher, brown eye liner, a little white shimmer on the underlid and waterproof mascara. I'm not going to use my Clarisonic here because I need to remove my eye make up. So I gently rub it across my wet face (stated that it can be used on either wet or dry skin) and after a few gentle massages around my face, it was rinsed off with ease.
Although they do not claim to be able to remove waterproof mascara, it actually did! Worked better on my waterproof mascara compared to some other oil cleansers, which amazed me. It did not leave my skin feel dry, which is very important to me. I wouldn't mind switching to this daily. Easy to use and removes all of my make up with no fuss!

If you want to win a bottle of Biore's Uru Uru 2-in-1 Instant Foaming Wash, head on to their Facebook page and Instagram account. 'Like' the pages and 10 lucky winners will win a bottle each! To get a bottle as soon as possible, you can go to Watson's to purchase your bottle as it is exclusively sold there at S$14.90.

Warning! This post contains a potentially disgusting photo which may make you squirm before cursing and swearing at me.  Others may react differently with fascination.  No matter what...you've been warned.  Scroll down at your own discretion.

Now, for those who use this product regularly, you'll recognise that this is a pore pack to remove white and blackheads.  That's a heck of a lot of blackheads that I've never seen before on my fortnightly pore pack ritual.  Moreover, A LOT of large blackheads were easily removed by the pore pack!  I stuck a pore pack on my chin too and I garnered a similar effect - more blackheads/whiteheads removed than previously. I wish that I had a photo of a pore pack before I started using Clarisonic but alas, I forgot.

This has to be the power of the Clarisonic.  It must've loosened up the heads and made them easily extracted.  In fact, a loathsome HUGE blackhead is finally out!! I'm sooo happy about that.  I can already see that my nose looks a lot less like a strawberry and more like a smooth apple. 

After extracting all these blackheads, I followed up with a serum and face mask. Very important to ensure that the pores tighten properly and not get clogged up with dead sebum again!  So far, the changes in my skin are still subtle but I think I like the direction it's going in!  My T-zone is surprisingly less oily than usual too!  Yay...I think I will really save money in the long run because I might not need facials anymore.

So, above is my face after using Clarisonic after a week and with make up on.  I must say that my pores have tightened, although I still feel a lot of white heads on my chin.

The most amazing thing is that my make up lasted for a VERY long time.  The photo above was taken 7 hours after application of make up!

The face is still oily but it's really not as oily as before.  Nonetheless, I feel that my skin has hit a certain plateau. It's not improving anymore.  Either that or my hormones is wreaking havoc on my skin and no Clarisonic will help.

So...that's my face after 3 days of using Clarisonic.  My nose itches everytime I wash my face thanks to the vibrating bristles.  Ok, I shall not digress.  I must say that I'm quite impressed.  Why? My whiteheads on my chin have significantly reduced.  I no longer feel that it's that bumpy when I run my fingers across.  Appearance of blackheads on my cheeks have reduced a bit too.  Most impressive thing that happened is that the uneven skin tone on the side of my cheek has started to even out by a shade!  Something that all those moons of facials have failed to do!  Other than what I've pointed out, face is still not in its optimum condition and the cheeks feel a little dryer than usual.

So, I caved in and bought the Clarisonic Mia 2 facial sonic cleanser after reading and hearing rave reviews.  This cost me S$215 from Sephora and comes with a 2-year warranty.  It's only S$20 more expensive than if I had bought it via Amazon but I save on having to get another adapter AND I am assured of a warranty.

I intend to save money in the long run because a make-up artist claimed that he didn't need any facials after using Clarisonic.  So, I'm going to use this baby every single day. I'm not changing my usual facial cleanser nor my moisturisers nor my weekly mask regime.  Only change is that I probably will not be using my scrub once a week.  Perhaps once a month or so.
 

Day 1 - used the Clarisonic for the first time.  As you can see, my problems are enlarged pores and a bit of uneven skin tone.  That said, the first wash with the Clarisonic has helped clean a bit of the blackheads at the tip of my nose.  So far, so good.  I can still feel the whiteheads on my chin and my upper lip felt a bit roughed up when being cleansed.

The sales assistant said that her blemishes lightened after she started using Clarisonic...so let's see how this skin journey continues!

Yes...I've done it again...changed my blogskin!! I must say that I'm not completely thrilled with this new one...but then I haven't really played with Blogger's new design template thingy to fully customise it.  I reckon Blogger should learn a thing or two from Weebly.  I love Weebly!! I used it to build Oct 1983's revamped website and I love how simple it is to navigate and you don't even need to preview anything because you view the 'preview' as you build it! Simple as that!! Ok...I'm not advertising for Weebly...but I'm just sooo glad that I found it. :)

Collagen in coffee? Apparently, that is possible.

Nescafe follows the current collagen fad and adds collagen into its 3-in-1 coffee mix. Managed to get a sample (love this try-vertising concept) and verdict is: not very exciting.

Haha..how can coffee be THAT exciting right? Well...it tastes normal. Do I believe that consumption of collagen is beneficial to the skin? Not really. Its a protein (do correct me if I'm wrong) and over consumption of it will mean that you'll convert it into fat. If your skin gets better from downing collagen pills/ drinks...it might mean that you're not consuming enough proteins. No harm in eating it for sure. Unless you're allergic to seafood. The collagen used in these drinks are normally from fish. What sort? No idea. As such, you better avoid it if you're allergic to particular types of fish.

Another source of collagen that I love is from Tonkotsu ramen! I'm sooo happy that Ippudou is going to open in Singapore in October! YAY. The second time I went to Fukuoka, I made my friends bring me to Ippudou and we reached the restaurant at 11am and there was already a queue. Amazing but yes, it was GOOD.

I think I eat lots of collagen whenever my mum cooks pork trotters babi ponteh style (you Babas and Nonyas will know). Mmm...yumm....