Together with wellness coach, Chong Su Lee, and consultant, Natalie Turner, I've organised a luncheon entitled "Effortless Beauty On The Inside Out". During this workshop, we'll touch on the following:

• What to eat to get better skin
• How to portion size according to your lifestyle
• New technologies in skincare
• Proper skincare regime
• Demonstration on 2 volunteers

Attendees will get the chance to see this make-up essential to say 'bye bye' to wrinkles and eye bags!

To add, all attendees will stand the chance to win a D'Arts Jewellery box which is handmade from chicken eggs! Each unique box is worth $80 and is a piece of art on its own.

The ticket price is to cover the cost of lunch and we're not making any profits from this but we're just sharing our knowledge to like-minded ladies. After all, it is a journey to look good and feel great!

To register, click here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/effortless-beauty-from-the-inside-out-tickets-22978324788?aff=melfann

In my quest for more hair, I was given the chance to try out Philip Kingsley's treatment for all hair related issues. The store at Palais Renaissance is the only one in Singapore and is fronted by their trichologist, Lornica.

Trichologist, Lornica, giving us a tour of the salon

Philip Kingsley uses hair products manufactured in the UK and is based on trichological remedies.  They were established in London, with over 40 years of history treating hair health in the most customised approach. What I liked about them is that all new customers will have a consultation with the trichologist in order to get a personalised treatment. This is important because every individual is different and you definitely need some form of consultation and process to keep track of your progress.

Similar to the new hair treatment centres, Philip Kingsley is salon-based and it is quite a cosy corner where busy clients can relax and even request for additional service such as pedicures (at an additional cost).

I was given the general treatment and two of the attendants separated my hair and applied a cream which was supposed to help cleanse the scalp and invigorate the blood circulation through the mint inside. After the cream was applied directly onto the scalp, they sprayed another type of solution onto the hair and it is supposed to help with the elasticity of the hair strands.

I was pleasantly surprised that one of the attendants actually knew what HairMax is! I've mentioned this many times to a lot of other salons but none of them did not seem to have heard of it or of cold laser helping with hair loss.

Next, it was steaming my whole head. I do notice a pattern here. Most hair treatments I get seem to make me feel like a steamed chicken and I bet that there'll be some roasting going on later.

After steaming, it was onto the wash area to rinse off the products and next was...see...roasting. Ok, it's not a roasting per se but it's infra-red lamps that help to kill off any bacteria and it's also supposed to help with the blood circulation to the scalp.

After the infra red session was the blow dry and I had the best blow dry ever! She seemed to know exactly why my hairdresser gave me a fringe and how to blow it such that it covers all my thinning areas.

The whole process seemed quite usual but the more important matter should be the products' efficacy. I liked that when the products were applied, there wasn't any strong smells but oddly, after the blow dry, my hair smelt as if I just coloured by hair. You know what I mean? That very strong chemical smell. Furthermore, my hair did not feel soft but a bit stiff and towards the end of the day, I could feel a bit of tangles starting to happen plus my scalp was slightly itchy. Nevertheless, my scalp was slightly less oily the next day, so I think the cream did do its job in eliminating the oil.

Would I go back to Philip Kingsley again for more treatments? Perhaps not. Especially when I do know better and slightly less expensive alternative solutions.

Philip Kingsley
390 Orchard Road
#03-08/09 Palais Renaissance

Website: http://www.philipkingsley.com.sg
Tel no: +65 6834 0988

Are you curious to learn about the body's detoxification process? Find out how what we consume and how our lifestyles affect the way our bodies get rid of toxins. Also, learn about the recent popular detox and cleansing programmes to understand what really works and what doesn't.

Come and join us for this webinar on Wed, 23 Mar at 8pm to hear from our wellness coach, Chong Su Lee of Look Good Feel Great Always, to learn about how the body's natural detoxification process and how our modern lifestyles and food habits are affecting this. Register below! https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6801776114998311940

Ever wondered why aging occurs and how it happens on a cellular level? Want to know how you can prolong the aging process through cutting edge technology in skincare?

Come join us in this webinar on Wed, 16 Mar at 8pm as we share with you the science behind aging and how you can slow it down so that you remain beautiful and younger, longer.

Register today at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/190339029921911044

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!

Did you know that Singapore has a natural hot spring which is open the public? I didn't know that either until a Japanese acquaintance (trust the Japanese to find out about hot springs) wanted to go there. I merely tagged along.

Apparently, my parents knew about this place too but they've never been there nor did they bring me and brother there when we were younger. Looks like I'm the only one in the family who loves hot springs and soaking my feet in warm water. Yup...no wonder I'm into spas, right?

Located at Sembawang, this hot spring is very nondescript and this is the only sign indicating where it is. I find it hilarious that there's a sign telling you that you're not permitted to wash your laundry there! LOL. Hmm...would washing clothes with water from a hot spring make it cleaner?

Path towards the hot spring

The land is owned by the Ministry of Defence, which comes as no surprise since there is an army camp right next to it. You can tell that they really do not want this place to be some crowded public spot because there are really no signs and when we consulted Google Maps on how to walk there, it told us to walk beyond this gate and to make a huge turn. Hmm. Thank goodness we trusted our instincts instead.

Interesting fact: the hot spring is natural and was discovered in 1908! It was even bottled and sold under several names, even F&N had procured the rights to bottle and sell this water. Again, trust the Japanese to build onsens in this area during WW2 but they were destroyed by the Allied Forces' bombing. Otherwise, we'd probably have lovely working spas here.

Walking towards the taps, we could smell the distinct scent of sulphur. Yup, this was a legit hot spring. My friends and I were wondering how the heck does Singapore have a hot spring when we're so far away from volcanoes? Is the land here particularly shallow, which is why whoever discovered it need not have to dig very far to get to the hot spring?

The hot spring water flowing out from taps

Foot soak anyone?

There are 3 areas with 4 taps each and visitors can bring stools and pails to fill the water up and soak your feet or other appendages. If you didn't bring either, there are some lying around the area which you can grab and use but if it's all taken up, then...too bad.

Do not turn off the taps - By order

The water from the taps are really hot. One of the visitors there told us that it's nearly boiling point. It was quite funny how the 3 of us suddenly went very Japanese and said, "Oh...we should've brought eggs to cook onsen tamago!"

In order to fulfil our need (yes, need) to soak our feet, we had to tarik our water from one pail to the next to cool it down sufficiently.

We only managed to take this one shot before a nice army boy came in to round us out as he wanted to lock the place up. Yes, they are quite strict with the closing hours at 7pm.

On the way to our dinner, I couldn't help but start thinking of what else we could cook in the hot spring water besides eggs. I reckon anything that can be cooked sous vide style would work, wouldn't it? Hmm...salmon, beef...veg...yum!

Needless to say, I'm thinking of another trip to Sembawang Hot Springs for a full on picnic with family and friends! I'm also thankful that this place is free and hasn't been commercialised because although it looks a bit shabby, I like that there are parts of Singapore that aren't that manicured.

How to get there:

1. Take the MRT to Yishun station. 
2. From the bus stop just in front (facing Northpoint Shopping Centre), take bus service 858/ 969/ 811/ 965 and alight on the 4th stop (Blk 118 or opp Blk 115B). 
3. Walk straight ahead, along Sembawang Road towards Gambas Ave.
4. Turn left onto Gambas Ave until you see that nondescript gate on your left.