Sunday 10 May 2015

Review of body massage and premium facial at Beyond Beauty, Tampines

$42 Groupon comprised of -
60-min full body massage (choose 1):
 - Fusion massage
 - Ginger massage
 - Red wine massage
 - Swedish massage

60-min premium facial (choose 1):
 - Micro dermabrasion facial
 - Vita Glow facial
 - Bi Polar facial

15-min bird’s nest eye mask application
15-min royal steam bath or hot blanket treatment

I redeemed my Groupon yesterday, the massage and facial were most basic and nothing to shout about but what was abhorrent was when I checked back to the Groupon deal site only to realise that I've been short-changed! The consultant and beautician did not redeem the 15-min bird’s nest eye mask application and 15-min royal steam bath or hot blanket treatment for me.

As a customer I felt short-changed because I did not get to enjoy what I paid for. This is certainly not acceptable behaviour of a reputable beauty saloon and I have reached out to Groupon, let's see what they have to say.

Wednesday 6 May 2015

Review of PulsedLight Skin Facial at CSK Aesthetics, Tampines Telepark

Upon receiving CSK clinics' pamphlet in my mailbox, I made an appointment with the intention of trying out their laser facial at a promotional price of 4 sessions at $68. But when I arrived the branch manager told me that the doctor on duty has left for the day (??? I did make an appointment to see the doctor for laser facial, didn't I!).

Anyway, my intention for going down to the clinic is to treat my skin concerns (namely, dull skin), not pick an argument hence after my consultation with branch manager Kerlyn, she recommended PulsedLight Skin Facial.

Mention IPL and one would commonly associate it with hair removal treatments. True enough, INTENSE PULSED-LIGHT (IPL) HAIR REMOVAL is an advanced and semi-permanent hair reduction method. Beams of specially filtered light are used to disintegrate hair from the root. New hair growth is delayed and a percentage of hair may not re-grow. (Source: http://www.strip.com.sg/sg_en/m/faqs/faqs-ipl/)

Another application of IPL, which is gaining large popularity in recent years, is actually in facials towards treating skin conditions.

PulsedLight Skin Facial CSK® Clinical IPL makes use of pulses of light to reverse the skin's photo aging process, pigmentation and vascular lesions. It is a comfortable, virtually painless and quick procedure. Our clinical IPL systems incorporates the latest advances in cosmetic IPL - more powerful and yet much less painful. This is due to the “cold touch” technology and combination with thermal RF for better penetration deep into the skin layers. (Source: http://www.cskclinics.com/clinical_ipl.php)

The clinic was running promotions and 13 sessions of said treatment will cost $1,638 before GST. I was not going to put my money down on something new which I have never tried before. Per session ala carte price was $204 before GST. However since I had already made a trip down, I was prepared to shell out $180 for this session which Kerlyn eventually managed to work it out and offered me the treatment at $180.

I must mention that there were a few small acne bumps on my face, just pure bad skin day (plus a late period) because I do not have acne problems so to speak. To which Kerlyn and also the beautician noted and mentioned the IPL facial will help alleviate the acne.

After settling payment, I was brought to the treatment room, the beautician first removes my makeup and double cleanses my face. After which a cooling gel was applied onto the skin before the machine was applied onto. With goggles to protect the eyes, all you could feel were bright pulses of light being applied onto the face in a systematic manner. There was only slight discomfort (definitely more tolerable than laser facial) around the lip and mouth area as the skin was thinner in those regions. After completing the IPL application, a mask was applied to cool down the skin surface. Do note that this a not a full facial so to speak, no extraction, facial & neck massage included.

Immediately after the treatment I did not see visible results, the acne bumps were still there. Hence I left the clinic without signing up for a package.

Monday 4 May 2015

Review of lash extensions by freelance lash artist Julia

My lash craze has continued much to the dismay of my wallet and after hunting down a few saloons to find out about their package prices, below are some of my findings (in order of priority based on my experience with them) -
1. Dreamlash (I called the saloon 11times before someone answered my call, really casted doubt over how easy it would be to secure an appointment with them if I had purchased a package)
Each session comprising of full set extensions + removal
5 sessions - $688
8 sessions - $988

2. Lolita's Lash
Buy 4 touch-up sessions and get 1 touchup free - $396

3. HighBrow (I asked if it was possible to swap the removal sessions into touchups, the kind staff responded with an explanation of how important it is to have proper removal to ensure no glue residue is left behind on the eyelids, now I know!)
Each session comprises of full set extensions + touchup + removal
7 sessions - $660

If you had seen me without eyeliner on, you would know I look perpetually exhausted because of my tiny Asian-slit eyes and literally non-existent natural eyelashes.

Imagine waking up in the morning with a presentable face.

Imagine having semi-permanent fake eyelashes without the hassle of pasting the falsies, without the discomfort of the fake lash weighing down on your eyelids.

These are just some of the benefits semi-permanent lash extensions offer.

In short, the lash extensions really make me look less shitty when I get up in the morning so much so that I can come to office without eyeliner. Which explains my undying love for eyelash extensions. Based on my experiences with both the good and bad, here are 2 factors which I believe determines the level of comfort in the user as well as the lifetime of the extensions -

1. Adherence of the lash extensions - the uncomfortable lash extensions are pasted onto the root/tip of your natural lashes, hence when you blink or close your eyes tightly, the glue residues "bite" into your eyelids causing great discomfort. When the extensions fall off, there is also a high likelihood of your natural lashes falling off together.

On the other hand, the comfortable extensions are pasted mid-length onto your natural lashes. this way you do not feel the extensions at all.

2. Quality of the lash glue and skill of the lash technician - a skilled technician would know the right amount of glue to use to ensure that the extensions adhere well because excessive glue would cause a burning sensation - which was what happened at The Best Beauty - when you open your eyes after the lashes are completed.

No matter how strong the glue is or how skilled the technician is, much depends on how well the user maintains the extensions. Some of the common activities to avoid include -
1. Oil-based makeup removers and mascaras (in fact, with the extensions done you would not require much eye make-up, hence a gentle cleanser should suffice)
2. Swimming
3. Rubbing of the eye area (this is self-explanatory because it causes the extensions to fall off)

In fact when I shower, I try hard not to get water from the shower head directly onto my face otherwise I would have to dry my eyes using my palms, this is deadly for the extensions!

Back to the recent lash extension I did, after searching high and low for reputable saloons offering lash-by-lash extensions, I was thrilled to chance upon Julia's advertisement for home-based eyelash extensions services! Prices were really competitive, what more, she travels to your place at no extra transport charge, Imagine my surprise when the petite lady who showed up at my doorstep is a Korean lady! Upon taking her suggestion I went for the $75 extensions and because my natural lashes are very short and sparse, Julia had quite a hard time fixing the extensions. The whole session took approximately an hour, thanks to her patience, dexterous fingers and fantastic skills, I was very pleased with the end result of the extensions!

As at today, the extensions are already 2 weeks old and I am very happy to say that they are still very much intact and I really recommend Julia's services :) No doubt for first-timers, Groupon deals will be alot cheaper but going long term, as seen from package prices of the various saloons listed above, $75 per session is definitely more affordable :)