Contest - Let Us Help You Fulfil Your New Year's Resolution

According to research, only 8% of those who make New Year's Resolutions are successful at achieving them. We know that it's difficult, so we at Pásshen would like to give you a helping hand.

Here's how you can stand the chance to win more than $200 worth of wellness coaching by Look Good Feel Great Always, a make over , financial planning or even a fitness regime all planned out for you! It all depends on WHAT your resolution is!

1. 'Like' our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter or Instagram
2. Share our contest post
3. Fill in this form to tell us what your resolution is and why you deserve to win

The most deserving and/or creative wins!

Contest runs from now till 7 Jan 2016. Winner(s) will be announced on 8 Jan 2016.

Terms & Conditions:
1. Multiple entries are not allowed.
2. Contest ends on 7 Jan 2016 at 2359hrs.
3. Pásshen reserves the right to amend or remove any terms and conditions without prior notification.
4. Decisions made by Pásshen are deemed to be final.
5. Prizes are non-transferable nor exchangeable.
6. By taking part in this contest, you are giving Pásshen permission to contact you.
7. By taking part in this contest, you are deemed to have read and are agreeable to all these terms and conditions.

Event - Beauty In The Face, Eyebrow Embroidery Workshop (9 & 10 Jan 2016)

HAACH has invited Master Lam Cheung, founder of Hong Kong Permanent Soft Stitch Make-up Artist Association, to Singapore for an exclusive workshop on your perfect eyebrows for your facial features as well as how it will affect even your luck and fortune!

Topics to be covered are:

• The Perfect Pair - importance of matching Brow trends and shape with your face type
• Learn how your brow shape could affect your luck and personality
• How your eyebrows can improve your looks and overall features
• Shaping the Perfect Brow - for your facial features, eye shape, age and career
• Understand the art of eyebrow embroidery - including picking the right colour and technique
• Live demonstration of eyebrow embroidery

Below is an example of Master Lam's work:

Event details
Dates: 9 & 10th January 2016 (choose 1 day)
Time: 2 - 5pm
Registration fee: $28

To register for FREE, all you have to do is purchase ANY trial treatment from HAACH as listed on Pásshen!

Master Lam at a previous workshop

About Master Lam
Founder of Hong Kong (H.K.) Permanent Soft Stitch Make-up Artist Association, Master Lam Cheung is renowned for his expertise and fortitude - constantly bringing innovation to the world of beauty and make-up. Since founding of HKPA in 1998, apart from conducting several eyebrow embroidery workshops in HK island-wide, Master Lam Cheung has brought the art of Permanent Soft Stitch Make-up to Germany, Korea, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and has ventured into the Chinese and European markets too.

How Not to Put On (too) Much Weight This Season

We humans love to eat and any festival or holiday is a sure good reason to FEAST! Needless to say, that may not bode well for our waistlines. Also, imagine the amount of work that we will have to do come January to shed those extra kilos! I know how it is and here are my top 5 tips for surviving the Christmas bulge:

1. Never fill your plate till it's full

This is a good trick to prevent yourself from eating. Its the same psychology behind eating with a smaller plate. It's all about portioning. This also prevents you from looking like that kiasu and greedy Singaporean who has a mountain of food on your plate. Besides, if you have to walk or move to get a second helping, you're burning that little more calories than having 2 servings worth already in 1 seating.

2. Eat your veggies first

Someone once told me that eating food in the right order is essential in weight maintenance. Others have also told me that it's all because of nutrition and how fruit and vegetables should be consumed first so that the body will digest it first etc.

I'm not going to tell you too much hog wash. Simple fact - vegetables are FULL of fibre. Eating fibre first ensures that you're a little more filled up so that you don't eat so much fatty foods and even if you do eat a lot of fatty foods, the fibre will soak up some of the fats so that it'll pass out from your gut.

Please lay off the salad dressing. I normally go for half the usual or none. If there are roasted or steamed vegetables, I'd go for those.

3. Choose your proteins next

Ham, turkey, roast beef, chicken, roast pork...I think you guys know what to choose (lean and less processed). Reminder to hold off on the gravy as most contain a lot of animal fat (drippings) or butter or cream.

4. Watch where your sugars are coming from

If you're drinking wine, you may want to eat less carbs as alcohol does contain quite a bit of sugar and therefore, calories. However, the wine is probably a better choice than the soft drink.

I normally will try to avoid the staples totally during all the various Christmas parties because with the wine and cakes that are bountiful, I do not wish to get a sugar high and then a sugar crash where one will start craving more of that delicious chocolate log cake.

5. Plan your exercise

Know that you'll be having a party that evening? Schedule a workout in the morning or afternoon or perhaps the day before. Got a whole week full of parties? Party hard means that you've got to do more high intensity workouts then (saves time!). If its a potluck gathering and you know what's on the menu, you can also gauge how long you have to hit the gym. Simple input output of calories here.

Also, studies have shown that someone who walks about 90min the day before will have about 30% less fats in their blood stream the following day. Also, general exercise will improve blood insulin sensitivity, allowing you to not get a crash but a sugar soft landing. Makes you feel less guilty about eating that extra slice of cake too ;)

Now that you are equipped with the top 5 tips on how NOT to put on too much weight during this Christmas season, go forth and feast!!

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How Does a $800 Facial Feel Like?

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 Pásshers! You can either book through www.passhen.com 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.

Eyebrow Embroidery 101

Have you ever wondered what is "semi-permanent make up" and "eyebrow embroidery"? Look no further as we break it down for you.

"Semi-permanent make up" tends to refer to "make up" applied onto the eyebrows, eyelashes, eyeliner and even lips that tends to last more than 1 week. As this often involves needles and/or glue, it is highly advisable to go to a reputable therapist or salon such as Highbrow.

Entrance of Highbrow's salon located at Capitol Piazza

Highbrow specialises in hair but not the ones on your head but rather the other parts - eyebrows, eyelashes and hair removal from various body parts (wax on, wax off). For this visit, we shall concentrate on getting the eyebrow embroidery done.

Check out the leopard print blanket in the room! I think Highbrow is one of the few places that I know that can pull off leopard prints without it looking tacky. In fact, the blanket was so plush that I was tempted to bring it home. Very comfortable settings which made you feel at ease right away.

Normal brows before embroidery

The therapist who attended to me was Thai and she was trained by instructors from China as well as Korea so I felt quite safe in her hands. Before anything else can happen, the therapist would draw on the eyebrow shape first so that you'll be happy with it. My problem with my eyebrows were the sparse 'tails' and a couple of spots that were not as full as it should be.

Tada. That's the drawn eyebrows. Looks pretty natural, right? Just a bit fuller. My therapist said that my original shape was already very good (thank you Leticia) but apparently, this thicker eyebrow shape is the current Korean trend and is supposed to make you look younger. Ok...I decided to go with it.

Numbing cream will then be slapped onto your brows for the next 10-20 minutes. Why numbing cream? Now, let's explain the 'embroidery' side of things.

The tip used in eyebrow embroidery is made up of several fine needles. Some therapists use latest nano needles that vibrate like a tattoo machine. In this case, it's done more manually.

Organic ink dye

The therapist then dips into the ink before 'drawing' into your skin where your eyebrows are. I find it quite funny how a lot of people in the beauty industry will vehemently tell you that eyebrow embroidery isn't like tattooing but the needle tips are essentially cutting into your skin such that the ink is able to penetrate the top layer and therefore, last for a year or so. Tattoos just go a further layer under the skin. Same difference.

That's why you really need the numbing cream. Nonetheless, I could feel some of the cuts towards the end of the procedure and because it doesn't go as fast as a tattoo machine, I felt that the pain (when I did feel any) was a bit more shocking to me. Don't be scared. It's really not painful. Especially if you have an experienced therapist who does it in a jiffy.

After my therapist finished, she put some more colour dye onto my brows and left them on for another 10 minutes. This is to ensure that the dye gets into the skin.

This is me just after the procedure. I thought that the brows looked really natural but super dark. I was warned that the colour will lighten within a week. Thus, you wouldn't want to do a light colour at first.

Is this procedure safe? Yes if you go to a reputable salon and make sure that they use a new needle/blade just like what Highbrow does. If you have sensitive skin, you should ask the salon what kind of dyes they use and whether they provide aftercare products.

Highbrow provides 2 types of aftercare products - a Nourishing Essence and a balm that reminded me a little of petroleum jelly. The aftercare is VERY important when you're doing eyebrow embroidery. Your skin has been 'traumatised' so it needs to be soothed so that's where the nourishing essence comes in. Furthermore, it's now going to be a bit more sensitive while it heals. This means no sauna, no swimming, no water and no vigorous perspiring to touch your brows. That's where the balm comes in. It acts both as a soothing agent as well as a barrier to water.

Day 2 after eyebrow embroidery

The day after was the worse because my eyebrows stung but I couldn't scratch it. Plus the whole 'no water' thing? Tough to follow when it came to washing my face.

Day 4 after eyebrow embroidery

Peeling skin with drawn on brow hair

On the 4th day, the peeling started. I was warned that this would happen but I didn't think that it would happen so soon. I don't think the colour has faded by 50% as what the therapist claimed but it is a shade lighter than before (thank goodness!).

1 week after the treatment - perfect looking brows!

I'm overall quite happy with the results and those who happen to notice the difference in my brows have also complimented me on them! I'm also glad that I no longer have to draw on my eyebrows overtime I leave the house. That saves me a lot of trouble for the next year and just in time for CNY too.

If you would like to know more about Highbrow's services or to book an appointment with them, click on this link: http://www.swagguide.com/group/highbrow. As usual, SWAGgers get a slight discount for eyebrow embroidery specifically.

Eating To Look Younger And Feeling More Beautiful

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!

The Importance Of Choosing The Right Fragrance

While wondering what to write for my next blog post, it occurred to me that writing about Fragrance doesn’t always raise a huge interest here in Asia, well unless you throw in big names like Chanel, Dior or Hermès, then eventually you manage to get a few pair of eyes sticking on the page.

Since Christmas is around the corner and some of you may have perfumes on their shopping list, why don't I share with you what fragrance is all about and why it is important to choose the right fragrance. Majority of people believe that the world of perfume is superficial and just another consumer good to have, or not. I strongly believe that perfume is much more than that. Perfume to me is a message in a bottle, it is saying much more than “Chanel No.5” or "J’adore Dior”, it is saying, "this is who I am, this is what I think and this is what I like". When you choose a perfume, whether you wear it or you diffuse it into your home or shop, you are actually using the scent to tell a story, YOUR story. And as you would do if you were to print the story in black ink, you ensure all is true and in agreement with your beliefs, right? So many times I encountered whiffs of fragrances that do not belong to the wearer, that are not telling the truth and it breaks my heart.

Of course, the industry doesn’t facilitate your job, there are more and more launches per year and it gets harder to find your way around (trust me, even for the likes of me!) the fragrances we find in Asia are not made for Asians or adapted to the weather and, cherry on the cake, once you found your Holy Grail, it disappears as it appeared in a space of months or years! Very frustrating indeed…
Luckily, in these days, many possibilities are offered to make your journey in the world of perfume a love story. Start by being accountable in your choices and refuse to wear any gift perfumes that do not speak to your values, by educating yourself and build your culture and learn the language of scents or even by taking the road of DIY perfume and create your own perfume if none are suitable, why not?

Wearing a perfume that matches your personality is increasing your chances to attract a charming future partner, building up your confidence, lifting up your mood and sending out a clear message to people surrounding you so why, in this era of multi media, multi communication, would you want to miss out on this discreet, yet pervasive, communication tool existing for now four hundred decades?
The same goes for business owners. Creating a scent that will match your “clientele” and your brand identity is as powerful as choosing the packaging of your product or the playlist that will welcome your customers. Scents in this instance will enhance the product or shopping experience and reinforce the message you are trying to pass on, that is of course, if you have one!

Indeed, many recent studies proved that our noses are very sensitive to very low threshold of scents that can influence our mood, behaviour and choices we make, that most of the time we are not even aware this is happening and that’s the reason it is so powerful! Who has never been drawn into a bakery or coffee shop right after smelling the scent of hot croissant or brewing coffee?

Of course, you can opt out and make a choice to ignore your sense of smell completely, however there is no getting away from the fact that, behind the scenes, it is your nose that works over time to make you who you are! This one fact that cannot be argued.

This article first appeared in http://www.nosewhoknows.com/the-importance-of-choosing-the-right-fragrance/ and written by Sandy Blandin, founder of Nose Who Knows.

Stop The Hard Selling...Upselling Or Any Selling!

Before my recent trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL) for Murfest, my friend declared to me that she "never cuts her hair in Singapore anymore because the hairdressers keep upselling treatments and stuff" while she's having her hair done. "Plus it's so expensive," she added. She kept on reminding me that she was going to get her hair done when we were in KL.

I listened to her rant on with a quiet smile. I seldom get that sort of treatment at the hair salon because unlike her, I only cut my hair twice a year and I try to go to the same salon JUST to avoid such situations. Nonetheless, I have encountered hairdressers upselling and hard selling to me before so it's not unfamiliar. I feel for her and what she goes through at each hair salon in Singapore is definitely not a unique issue.

Photo credits: dailyvanity.sg

Very often, the constant selling that we get when sitting in that barber/hairdressing chair is enough to scare us off. More so, we have to grit our teeth and grin while politely declining because our hair is at the mercy of the hairdresser! Now, we wouldn't want an 'accidental' slip or rough handling, right? My friend is apparently so frustrated that she has to cut her hair in another country!

Anyway, off we went to KL and I decided to get my hair done too because my hair was in a mess and who wouldn't want to take advantage of the wonderful exchange rate and cut on the cheap? We took our chance at the chain salon Number 76 at 2 friends' recommendations.

Before the cut with my flat and shapeless hair

When talking to the hairdresser about my hair cut, I immediately felt the difference between the service that I get in Singapore and Number 76 in KL (I shall refrain from generalising ALL Malaysian hair salons) because I was having a proper conversation with him about what styles and how best to cover my balding!

I admit, I did hold my breath when I mentioned my balding to the hairdresser as I prepared myself to be bombarded with the usual "oh you should do this treatment/ get this tonic for your scalp". Surprisingly, I received none. The smile on my face started growing.

Throughout my hair cut, the conversation between hairdresser and I never faltered as we talked about how best to add volume to my style through layering, how to blow dry my hair properly, the fallacy known as conditioner (use oils before and after a blow dry, he said) and about perming to create illusion of volume.

I now have bangs!

He did use a tonic at the end and when he realised that I didn't feel any tingling sensation, that's when he said that my follicles are probably quite clogged and recommended their Carbon Dioxide scalp treatment that is supposed to increase blood circulation to the follicles and all that. However, because he said it as a solution to my problem, I didn't feel like he was hard selling it to me. Moreover, he wasn't insisting on me doing it immediately nor did he ask me to book another appointment for the treatment. Thus, I actually felt like learning more about the treatment and possibly do it one day!

Same went for my friend. Her hair was really frizzy from her previous dye job and she was going in for a perm. The hairdresser did immediately recommend a treatment to her but again, no hard selling. She was given a choice and there was proper advice given to her. It came as no surprise to me that my friend did make an appointment to do the treatment and a colouring session the next day!

Do you see the connection between NOT selling and ACTUALLY making sales? As I've learnt, it's when you provide good customer service, quality products and hence, solutions to your clients' problems, that's when you'll actually sell. I remember those days when I've done financial education seminars where clients came up to me after and opened accounts with me because they understood that I was talking about how to improve their investments rather than trying to make them open accounts with me (although I really was trying to make them do so).

So why doesn't the beauty industry in Singapore follow this principle?

Simple reason - profits. Hairdressers are turned into sales people and they each have sales targets. In some ways, you can't blame salon owners as the rent and salaries in Singapore are not cheap. However, it is a very short term gain over long term distribution. These salons' inflow of customers may trickle as they get fewer repeat customers, their brand reputation may be affected as customers spread their hard selling tactics by word of mouth and worse, what could've been potential extra profits (from treatments or products) become null as the turned off customer tunes off. That is why when Pásshen reaches out to merchants, we often tie up only with those who agree to our principle of 'no packages' and 'no hard selling'.

Customers know when you're being honest and authentic. So stop the selling (mind you, I didn't say not market your products/services) and sales will naturally come in!

Get A $200* Hamper When You Sign Up Today!

Great rewards await you when you join Pásshen as a client!
Get a mystery box worth more than S$200* in health and wellness goodies when you join us as a member. This promotion is valid from 21 Sep till 31 Dec 2015.

How to qualify?
1. Sign up as a member
2. Email marketing@passhen.com your username, email address and mailing address
3. Once we have checked your status, we will mail the box to you within 5 working days!

What are you waiting for? Sign up NOW!


*Terms & Conditions:

1. This promotion is only eligible for members who sign up from 21 Sep till 31 Dec 2015, both dates inclusive.
2. Eligible members will get a confirmation email when their mystery box is sent out. The box will be sent out within 5 working days of member registration.
3. Items within the box are subject to change and cannot be exchangeable for cash, credits or other products.
4. This promotion open to all except staff of Pásshen.
5. Each unique user is only eligible to receive one mystery box. 
6. Pásshen is not liable for any lost mystery boxes due to postage.
7. Pásshen reserves the right to amend, extend or terminate this promotion and/or the terms and conditions without prior notification.
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