Duo Advance Treatment With Slimming 101

Hello Swaggers, it's Rena here today and I had the chance to try out Slimming 101's Duo Advance Treatment at their outlet at Hougang Mall.  

When I first arrived, I was promptly greeted by the therapist, Lynn, and was served a cup of tea. Next, Lynn invited me to change into a robe, put my things into a locker and proceeded to a room to take and record my vital signs, height and weight. After that, I was led into a wet room and she instructed me to sit in the steam room filled with essential oils such as lavender for a couple of minutes. This was really the start to a very relaxing session!

Next, Lynn led me to the treatment room where she explained that she would working on my problem area - ie. my tummy. Soon after that, the duo advance treatment began. During the treatment, Lynn explained every session with detail and what she was working on. 

During the first few minutes, she used this high-tech slimming machine to break down the stubborn fats around my tummy. The machine was emitting a loud annoying beeping sound, but Lynn told me not to be alarmed as the beeps meant that fats have been detected and melted. This non-invasive treatment was absolutely pain free with no downtime and immediate results.  You can even do this treatment during lunch time if you're busy (like me) or after work.

For the next session, another therapist, Maggie, walked into the room and began massaging me using Slimming 101's Signature Meridian Therapy. She applied pressing techniques to specific acupressure points to further break down stubborn fats and increase drainage through the lymphatic nodes. It also helps to promote one's metabolism rate, reduce the size of the actual fat chamber and significantly improves the body contour.

After the acupressure session, an amazing mud mask made with grade premium botanical ingredients such as rosemary, lavender, white thyme, citron fruits, cinnamon leaves, juniper, sage, peppermint, capsicum, black pepper and ginger, was applied all over my body, hands and legs and left for a few minutes. These ingredients help to allow clients to lose excess weight and fats in safe, painless and effective ways.

Cinnamon leaves, Rosemary and White Thyme play a vital role in Slimming 101's treatment procedures. Why? Because: 

• Cinnamon leaves help dissolve cellulite by dilating capillary vessels
• Rosemary  activates lymphatic nodes to enhance drainage and blood circulation
• White thyme acts as a tonic with anti-inflammatory properties.

A few minutes later, Maggie helped me to the clean shower area for a shower to remove the herbs dried on my body, hands and legs.

At the end of the treatment, I was led me back to the examination room again and took my weight and vital signs again. Although my weight remained the same, I lost 0.7cm around my waist, 0.5cm upper abdomen and 0.4cm at my lower abdomen. Overall, I really enjoyed this relaxing treatment and felt so light when I walked out of Slimming 101. You might think that the inch-loss is due to water retention but don't forget, my weight did not change.

Besides it being so relaxing, what I really liked about Slimming 101 was that they used natural ingredients while still utilising the latest technology to help us melt away stubborn fats in a safe way. Naturally, I was advised to have a healthy diet and to exercise but this treatment is really good for those areas that just doesn't seem to want to go away!

If you need to erase inches off your waist, tummy or any parts of your body immediately in a safe way, Slimming 101 is the best place to visit. SWAG guide members will get a special discounted trial rates @ $48 w/GST (Usual Price : $650). Not a SWAG Guide member yet? Sign up and book this service now!

Expert Hair Care With Trichologist

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. She 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, an 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!

Nourish Your Skin With Ligne St Barth (exclusive to SWAG Guide)

What do you do when you have been having dry and itchy skin at my legs recently? Fortunately for me, it was timely that I was introduced to premium skincare brand, Ligne St Barth.

Ligne St Barth's skincare products are made in Saint Barthelemy Island in the Caribbean and their products have been widely used by celebrities who make special trips to the island to indulge in the Ligne St Barth Spa. It was also touted as "models' best kept secret" until recent years.

Besides being a luxury brand with elegant packaging, Ligne St Barth's products are made with natural ingredients that are suitable for sensitive and problematic skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. The bottles are shaped like rum bottles because the local Caribbean women would make avocado oil at home and store them in empty rum bottles. Some of these women gave the founder of Ligne St Barth bottles of aloe vera gel and avocado oil as a cure for his skin problem. The rum bottle shape is retained as a nod to those local women and till today, this family owned business still employs local Caribbean women to produce the range of products.

As mentioned, I tried their Aloe Vera Gel with Mint which can be used for the face, body and hair. I must say that this bottle of aloe vera gel was a skin-saver for my dry and itchy leg rash!

Before trying this product, I have to say that I am a frequent user Aloe Vera Gel to soothe post-pole abrasions; cure itches and insect bites as well as moisturise my legs after shaving. The tinge of mint with the Aloe Vera Gel made this product even better for me not just because I am biased towards anything mint-related, but also because I enjoyed the nice, cooling sensation after application. It really felt like I was soothing my skin!

This product is smooth and gentle and it's also a great for soothing sun-burnt skin. Besides the body, you can use this to hydrate your face, particularly if you have sensitive and immensely dry skin.  You could also use this as a hair serum although I still prefer to use this on the body. 

What I love most about Ligne St Barth's Aloe Vera Gel is the fact that it gets absorbed by the skin very quickly and leaves behind a soft and silky finish. The other Aloe Vera Gels I've used in the past were rather sticky so I had to be extra careful when I applied them right before bedtime but with Ligne St Barth's Aloe Vera Gel with Mint, I'm glad to say that such a worry did not occur. Now that I'm down to my last drop, I am already missing it! 

So... are you interested to try out Ligne St Barth's skincare products?

SWAG Guide is the first in Singapore to exclusively sell Ligne St Barth's products and you can purchase the products on SWAG Guide's online store. Moreover, there's a sale ongoing for Ligne St Barth! The retail prices are S$12 (for 25ml bottle), S$50.50 (for 125ml bottle) and S$90.90 (for 200ml bottle). 

Feel free to sign up as a member on SWAG Guide and refer your friends to enjoy a $5 discount off your next purchase. Happy shopping!

Disclaimer: Reviews are based on personal experiences.

Mood Boosted With Jeunesse RESERVE Antioxidant Fruit Blend Gel

Hi, Bianche here to have a look at the Jeunesse RESERVE Antioxidant Fruit Blend Gel for Beauty which I consumed for a week straight. I am selective about the things which I dine on and the activities that I do - they have to be favorable and wholesome to my health.  I am also consistently vigilant about brand-new beauty treatments or products which may advance my beauty but I'm quite thrilled with this antioxidant gel drink!

Above is how each gel pack looks like and the drink itself has a slight jelly consistency. It's mauve-coloured and chock-full of acai, pomegranate, blueberries, cherries, aloe vera and green tea.

What RESERVE is composed of

It tasted absolutely delicious! The flavour was of concentrated cherry and blueberry: sweet but slightly tangy. 

Raves for the convenient small gel packs! They are light and flat, so you can throw a couple into your handbag which makes it convenient to bring around everywhere! You wouldn't worry about it breaking or not keeping well. It lasted the entire day in my purse before I remembered to drink it. 

When you're having a tough day, drinking this has the power to brighten your mood up psychologically. To me, this is equivalent to consuming Chicken Essence (a quintessential tonic that Singaporeans like to take in order to improve their mental or cognitive performance) although this also has beauty benefits.

What makes Jeunesse's RESERVE so powerful? Undoubtedly delectable and luscious, it's packed with concentrated beauty ingredients - acai, green tea, blueberries and pomegranate which put me in a five-star mood that I was ingesting such super foods and improving my health and my aesthetic appearance daily. Moreover, the antioxidants in the gel ensured that my energy levels were kept high. 

As mentioned earlier, Jeunesse RESERVE has a slight jelly texture which I love. I kept my sachets in the refrigerator because I enjoyed drinking them cold. I drank this every morning when I woke up, during the time I was unwell and even before a photoshoot!  They had the power to cheer me up, give me a confidence boost and generally brightened up my mood for a full day. 

This product comes from the United States and according to the manufacturer, Jeunesse,

Reserve™ helps to:

• Combate free radical damage, which is linked to many health issues

• Release powerful antioxidants into your body

• Make young cells last longer, supercharging health & well-being

• Delay cell aging and premature aging, extending lifespan

• Improve cardiovascular function with anthocyanins

• Aid digestion through essential fatty acids

• Increase metabolism to assist healthy weight loss

• Make nutrients quickly available through bio-available gel

• Penetrate red blood cells and helping to protect against oxidated stress

• Contains only natural fruit that is delicious

Taking Reserve™ every single day results in:

• Radiant skin

• Increased energy levels

• Anti-aging effects

• Nutrition delivered at cellular levels

I took these photos in the week when I was sloshing down RESERVE. Despite feeling sick, I think I still look quite radiant!

It significantly bolstered my disposition when I was feeling under the weather. When you find that you're stretching yourself out thin, safeguard your beauty and energy by taking Jeunesse Reserve.

Healthy, optimises your beauty, heavenly and yummy, I am smitten with this sweet drink! 

To purchase your one-month supply of Jeneusse RESERVE gel packs, visit http://shop.swagguide.com/collections/jeunesse/products/reserve. If you are interested to become a wholesale consumer and purchase it at a discount, do write in to marketing@passhen.com to find out more!

30 Days After Parasite Cleanse

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.swagguide.com/collections/unicity.

Loading Up On Antioxidants

As you know, I was quite ill 2 weeks ago with sore throat and what not. It was only later that I realised that I was having a healing crisis from my parasite cleansing but it was still important to tackle the symptoms of my illness.

I got my box of Jeunesse Reserve gel packs a month ago and have been taking it faithfully everyday.  What I like about it is that it's super delicious and you can taste the fruits used in this blend - cherries, blueberries and grape seed. As we know, antioxidants help repair our bodies on the cellular level. There are many different types of antioxidants but they basically help to combat free radicals and prevent aging while boosting immunity and energy levels.

On normal days, I drink one gel pack in the morning and I do find that it had similar effects on me as caffeine in terms of energy levels. I felt more alert but unlike caffeine, there wasn't a crash or heart palpitations. After one week, I was convinced that the ingredients used were good stuff. So when I started having that bad sore throat, all the more I needed to combat it and support my body's natural defence by boosting it with Vitamin C and antioxidants.

My usual 'cure' for sore throats is apple cider vinegar with honey. This time round, I added in my Jeunesse Reserve to the mix. As the gel drink itself is very sweet, you may be able to add in more vinegar. I used warm water as it was more soothing but you can add in ice if you want it cold.

The eventual concoction is this dark purple drink. It still tasted like cherries, vinegar and honey. It was quite delicious and it did help with the energy levels despite me being so sick.

To purchase your month's supply of gel packs, visit http://shop.swagguide.com/collections/jeunesse/products/reserve or http://passhen.jeunesseglobal.com.

To request for a sample, send an email to marketing@passhen.com with your name and mailing address.

Three Weeks After Parasite Cleansing

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.swagguide.com/collections/unicity.

Get Fit In Style!

We've teamed up with Rumi Yoga Wear to give Pásshen members great discounts! We looove Rumi's  eco-friendly shorts, capris and leggings are made 100% of recycled plastic bottles and are super stretchy. They even have a maternity range with an expandable waistband that can be folded down when baby is born!

Comfy and with excellent wicking, you'll remain cool and dry even after an hour's hot yoga session. We should know as we passed a couple over to Amanda Koh, a yoga instructor, and she used them during her pilates AND hot yoga sessions.

To get your hands on a lovely pair of leggings, head onto http://www.rumiyogawear.com/ and don't forget to use the promo code "PASSHEN" to get your 10% off!

Quite loving these colourful capris from Rumi Yoga wear... made from recycled plastic bottles! Meanwhile my cheapo ikea rug makes excellent padding for headstanding hahaha! @rumiyogawear @passhensg #rumilove #sgyoga #singaporeyogis #yogacapris #cny2016 #inversion #headstand #sirsasana #iloveyoga #yogaeverydamnday #practicepracticepractice

A photo posted by Amanda Koh (@amandakohkalariyoga) on Feb 8, 2016 at 5:25am PST

Two Weeks After Parasite Cleansing

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.swagguide.com/collections/unicity.

A Tea A Day To Keep The Blues Away

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

A Week After Parasite Cleansing

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.

5 Elements Eyebrow Beauty Talk by HAACH

Hello, I'm Bianche, a beauty correspondent for SWAG Guide and I recently graced HAACH's 5 Elements Eyebrow talk held on 20th January.

Master Lam presenting his talk

The 5 elements talk was indeed an interesting talk, conducted by Master Lam from Hong Kong.  It was a rare treat as this is only the second time that Master Lam is giving a talk in Singapore! Youthful, with boyish good looks and dressed fashionably, Master Lam insisted in only speaking in Cantonese to preserve the authenticity of his Hong Kong nationality.

A refreshing change from people who try to fit in by speaking another language, Master Lam brought to the fore his own culture and preserved the full integrity of his unique point of view by delivering the talk fluently and smoothly in his native language.

I've always liked people who are unabashed about their own identity and relish in being who they are, to preserve the integrity of their thoughts. What confidence!

Master Lam gave a very interesting talk about how our appearance can affect our destinies in the amount of confidence and internal self belief that we carry within ourselves. 

If we believe that we are presentable, have a great appearance, we may believe more in ourselves and believe that we have a greater locus of control where we can therefore, plan and dictate our life more effectively towards our deepest dreams. You will be more focused and decisive in carrying out your plans. 

Looking your best doesn't hurt, on the contrary, it may give you more belief in your self-power and self-efficacy, which will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As the oft-quoted line goes, ''when you look good, you feel good''; you will respect yourself more and take your goals more seriously and may even possess an inner peace and stillness, which can be the defining line between success and non-success. It definitely doesn't hurt to endeavour to look your best all the time. as it gives you that invaluable boost of power.

Master Lam's talk elaborated on how the arc and curvature of a brow can parallel the arc of a person's life.

Master Lam's drawing of how a brow resembles a human

Both have a starting point and the starting point should be a good one for both a brow and a person's life.

There is also a steadily ascending slope in our brows and we hope that this represents the smooth path that we will take while we move upwards during our journey in life.

Lastly, there is the ending of the brow which should end sharply and precisely. Its sharp tip resembles the tip of an arrow, which symbolizes the arrow that we shoot to aim at our goals in life. Every person should have a goal for him or herself to work towards to in life. We should direct all our energy to that goal precisely.

Master Lam also mentioned that eyebrows have a certain portion that represents one's 'conscience'. The fuller your brows below your arch, the more ideal. If you don't really have a full back part to your brows, according to Master Lam - such a person might exhibit flakey behaviour.

Master Lam using my arm to represent a brow

I'm impressed at his creativity and his study towards eyebrows. Master Lam even incorporates Psychology into his work, by telling his clients to visualise their dreams and goals while he designs their brows. It's no wonder he's a hit.

All in all, I believe that a chief takeaway from Master Lam's presentation was that how you feel and think about yourself will really affect how you behave and act in life. Even if it's just an aesthetic change, if it may strengthen your mind, it may bring you to new heights.

Belief in yourself is paramount to any success in life.

A very valuable and interesting paradigm to me.

Master Lam's expertise is in eyebrow embroidery and shaping; joining up with HAACH to bring you a special package of eyebrow embroidery together with facials as Master Lam believes that your skin needs to be nourished for your brows to look good too.

If you'd like to get the latest updates on such events and promotions, do sign up for Pásshen's weekly newsletter below!

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Be Instantly Ageless: Discover The Two-Minute Wonder Cure For Tired Eyes

Gazing into the mirror this morning after yet another late night of celebrations, I couldn’t help but notice just how tired my eyes were looking. Partying takes its toll, and whilst immensely enjoyable at the time, it is hard to hide its aftermath - black circles under the eyes.

This is why I was delighted to know that a product I have wanted to get my hands on, for quite a while now, has recently been released in Singapore*. Taking America by storm, this little product is like a miracle cure, literally fading eye bags in just two minutes, and lasting for up to ten hours.  Not only does it wipe out the dark circles, it diminishes fine lines and wrinkles, erasing years off your looks. Hence its name.

Watch this cool video of another late night partyer demo it in action. It really does have to be seen to be believed.

How Does It Work? 

Instantly Ageless contains argireline, a peptide that mimics one of the proteins involved in the SNARE complex, a composite of three proteins that allows the muscles on our face to move.  No SNARE means that the wrinkles around our eyes, or on other parts of our face, can’t form. This creates a temporary tightening of the skin, and, in the process, reduces the look of aging. Like Botox in a bottle without the needles or toxins.

Argireline’s benefits are only temporary. However, a study in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science says that a 10% concentration of argireline, reduced wrinkles by 30% over 30 days. This can indicate that with ongoing use, wrinkles can partly diminish.

The product comes in tiny vials that can be used a number of times. You lightly pat a very thin layer to targeted areas; leave damp on your skin and remain expressionless for 2–3 minutes while the product dries.

So, next time you get up in the morning after a late night out and stare into the mirror seeing your tired eyes staring back, dab on a spec of Instantly Ageless and wait for the miracle to occur.

*Currently only available wholesale, contact us for more details and special discounts. Alternatively, you can visit our Jeunesse website to find out more about the other products.

Written by Natalie Turner.

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.