Revealing Beauty Secrets From The Kitchen

Wellness Coach Chong Su Lee with our Director, Melissa Fann

It's Day 2 of Pásshen's Beauty Week and the workshop was aptly named "Beauty Secrets From The Kitchen" where wellness coach, Chong Su Lee, from Look Good Feel Great Always shared 2 types of beauty secrets - food intake as well as skincare.

The event was held at Route 44, a nice quiet cafe at 44 Rochester Park, which also believes in healthy meals and drinks.

The audience was first introduced to the idea of eating for your lifestyle where you should eat more carbs if you're an athlete or reduce it if you're desk bound. Moreover, everyone is NOT consuming enough vegetables. Most people consume only 1 to 3 portions a day (1 portion is about 1 fist-sized) but the daily recommended intake is more like 5 to 6 portions. That's almost 2 portions per meal! Which is why Su Lee said that she fulfils 2 portions at breakfast by drinking vegetable and fruit juice every morning. We'll soon get to juicing later.

 
Su Lee tailored the salad buffet portioning based on the book "Fit Not Fat", which was written by 2 nutritionists. In the book, it clearly states the nutritional and caloric value of things that are often found in salads and not all salads are really healthy if there are lots of dressing or fatty proteins.

Mortar, pestle, cotton wool and some interesting ingredients

After the talk about ratio of vegetables, carbs and protein one should eat in one's diet, Su Lee then went on to talk about how certain items in our kitchen can also be used to improve our skin! With her mortar and pestle, Su Lee showed the attendees how to mash up pineapple and strawberry to make simple facial masks that can help with moisturising and pore cleansing. Some of the attendees were also brave to do an oat scrub on the spot! Attendees that day also took back a 'recipe book' of all these facial masks and scrubs so that they can recreate them at home!

The buffet spread in the midst of being set up

After the physical demo, the audience could finally tuck into the salad buffet spread but everyone was very mindful about portion sizing and choosing the right ratio of protein, carbs and vegetables/fruit in their plates or bowls, depending on whether they wanted to eat a wrap or a pure salad.

For 'dessert' we were all treated to yummy cold pressed juices from Daily Juice. What's cold pressed juice? Unlike conventional juicers, cold pressed juicer does not blend the fruit or vegetables. It literally uses force to squeeze the fruit or vegetables and thus, it preserves a lot more vitamins in the juice and yields more juice per gram of fruit. In addition, nuts can also be cold pressed to yield nut milk, a good substitute to dairy.

As a lot of nutritionists advise, it is preferred to drink your vegetables and eat your fruit. Why? Because fruits are high in sugar and drinking the juice alone without the fibre does you more harm but vegetables on the other hand, are full of vitamins and it is highly recommended to eat more portions but it is a lot of hard work to chew that much veggies. But veggie juice alone isn't that palatable, which is why Daily Juice has concocted several different types of delicious juices that are high in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals.

Pásshen Director, Melissa Fann, with Yunye who won a beauty pass through intheloop magazine

After the event, several attendees said that they'll definitely be more conscious about eating more veggies and drinking more water after listening to Su Lee's advice. All who attended really enjoyed the workshop and were looking forward to more such workshops! We hear ya and will definitely keep this in mind!

Everyone, Eyebrow Makeover!

Day 1 of our inaugural Beauty Week saw a second workshop in the evening entitled "Shape Your Windows To Your Soul". The idea was to learn about different face shapes and which eyebrow shape suits each of them. However, we're all a combination, so it's also about learning which one really suits our face.

It was a very hands on workshop as each participant was given an eyebrow pencil and asked to redraw their eyebrows based on what they think their brows should be. After which, Leticia of Exquisite Aura went to everyone to touch up and correct their brows.

All the participants raved at how they saw marked improvement in their eyebrow shape and it was a really fun atmosphere as we each saw the transformations. Every single one of us couldn't help but exclaim to each other how their eyebrows were looking better than before!

Challenge for us now...to keep up with the brows!

Leticia also brought samples of the Japanese lash extensions that she uses for her clients. They were super soft and felt almost like natural lashes. This is why the lash extensions that she does for clients do not poke the eyes uncomfortably.

Leticia also shared that for her, she glues each extension onto every SINGLE strand of eyelash, which is considerably more tedious than what a lot of beauticians do - glue 1 extension to 2 or 3 strands. Hence, with proper care of these extensions, they can last up to a month without any irritation as the lashes can grow out naturally. Moreover, by gluing individual strands with the extensions, the lashes will not break off easily as they are allowed to grow plus the added benefit is that you can wash your face as per normal! Only exception is NO oil-based cleansers and NO mascara on said extensions.

Another lesson learnt - the difference between Japanese and Korean lashes. The Japanese like the doll-effect and so the lash extensions tend to be longer in the middle and highly curled. The Koreans on the other hand, are looking for the length so it tends to be long at the outer edges of the eyes.

All attendees to Pásshen's Beauty Week were treated to a S$50 voucher for semi-permanent make up (eg. eyebrow embroidery) or 10% discount for eyelash extension to be used when booking made via www.passhen.com. To know more about the services and classes that Exquisite Aura has to offer, please click here.

Demystifying Gel Manicures

We kicked started Beauty Week with the basic gel manicure workshop conducted by The PinkRoom International at 2pm!

It was a very small class of 5 but because of it, all of us managed to really get 1-on-1 experience with our instructor and the overall atmosphere was that of fun and laughter.

Minghui from The PinkRoom International giving us a brief presentation on the school and their various courses

The course officially began and our instructor, Jolene, taught us the difference between gel nail polishes and normal nail polishes. Did you know that gel polishes do not dry out when exposed to air? That is why bottles of gel polishes can last for decades! Gelish is just the brand of gel nail polishes so there's no difference between Gelish and all other gel nails with exception to types of pigments and whether it's a 1-step or 3-step process.

Showing us the consistency of gel polishes

Gel polishes are also naturally more viscous compared to normal nail varnish and for this particular brand, the pigments used are organic and it's only a 1-step gel polish. In other words, no need for base  or primer! Moreover, gel polishes do not stain the nails as the pigments do not get absorbed by the nails after curing under a UV or LED lamp.

Now, onto proper nail care. A lot of us think that gel polishes are bad for the nails but according to both Jolene and Master Educator, Joe Chua, it is actually the knowledge of your nailist and technique. So...let's get a bit educated.

First: Nails are like hair. They're not 'alive'. There's no real need to let them 'breathe' as such but of course, healthy nails are also an indication of personal health. Which is why The PinkRoom kept emphasising on how to care for your nails by first removing the cuticle with a pumice stone if you're not confident to use the metal ones. It's gentle and it is exactly like how you'd remove dead skin from your feet. This also helps to set the nail clean for the gel polish to adhere properly onto your nail bed. They do not recommend using nail files to buff the nails, which is what most manicurists would do to prime your nails for the gel polish. Instead, use a gentle buffer and this would not thin down your nails.

In fact, as emphasised by Joe, a proper manicurist would be buffing away the base coat from your previous gel manicure during this process. If your nails did not have a previous gel manicure, all the more the manicurist should be using a gentle buffer rather than a file.

Soon, we were taught how to apply the layers of gel polish and to cure them in the lamp. LED lamps cure a lot faster than UV lamps and a lot of people prefer LED lamps over UV lamps thanks to all the articles written about UV exposure.

For today's workshop, we were taught how to draw a penguin! We could choose our preferred base colour of our penguin before we went back to our seats to DIY.

Check it out! All of our different penguins! There's an extra pig because I had more time and wanted another animal. LOL.

Master Educator, Joe Chua, doing an acrylic nail demonstration

After we were all done with our penguins, Master Educator, Joe Chua, came in to do an acrylic nail demo. Acrylic nails are considered to be one of the most difficult to do and the nailist's technique can be easily seen from the end product due to the thickness and shaping. Moreover, Joe decided to do a French Tip, which is a classic but also very difficult as the 'smile' of the nail has to be perfect. To show his skill, Master Joe did not use a fake stick-on but a form fitting acrylic.

Sticking on the guide for the acrylic nail. Photo courtesy of PinkRoom

Master Joe explaining to us why acrylic nails aren't that popular

Acrylic nails last very long but they're the least popular among all the various types of nails because it requires a highly skilled nailist to be able to do perfect ones. Thus, the regular manicurist out there will not be able to shape the acrylic nails such that they look natural and may crack easily too.

The finished acrylic nail! Doesn't it look natural? It's the fastest manicure that I've ever gotten too!

Master Joe also mentioned that another reason why acrylic nails aren't popular is because other manicurists tend to overfile the nail before soaking it in acetone to remove. Once again, it is important to find a manicurist who has been trained properly. This is why The PinkRoom prides itself in being one of the few nail schools in Singapore to be able to give their students a proper diploma once they have finished their nail courses!

After the workshop, it was time to shop as The PinkRoom is now having a Clearance Sale!

To know more about The PinkRoom, you can visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PinkRoomNails.PRINA/ or visit their shop at:

10 Anson Road
#06-18 International Plaza

They open:

Mon-Fri:	11:30-21:30
Sat:	11:30-18:00

Bliss Out = Yoga + Live Music = Love!

I'm quite excited to attend Bliss Out which is happening on Sat, 12 Dec! It's going to be Singapore's first mega event combining yoga and music at the wonderful venue of The Meadow, Gardens by The Bay!

I love listening to live performances and if you've been following me you know how yoga has impacted my life in a positive sense so although I'm not as crazy as some of my friends are, I really do enjoy yoga a lot! So...when I heard about Bliss Out and how it has both yoga and a mega concert...my reaction was "where do I sign up?".

The evening will kick off with 2 yoga sessions by renowned festival instructor Sianna Sherman and Official Yoga Studio-Space & Light Yoga. After the yoga sessions will be the PARTY!

It'll be interesting to watch this indie Kiwi electronic band, The Naked And Famous, perform live and of course, I'll be there to support local artiste INCH Chua!

I do know that the tickets seem rather pricey at first:
Yoga + Concert  S$110
Concert only  S$90

But here's the good news. You, my dear faithful readers, can get 10% discount by using my promo code BLISSOUTBLMELISSA! 

To register, visit www.blissout.com.sg and again, don't forget to use my promo code before 12 Dec to get your discount!

Shape Your Windows To Your Soul

They say that your eyes are the windows to your soul but did you know that with the wrong eyebrow shape, it can dramatically change your look? In fact, you can take a look at 43 horrible eyebrows as curated by Buzzfeed here.

That is why Pásshen has teamed up with multiple award winning eyelash and aesthetician, Leticia Loh, from Exquisite Aura Lashes to hold a workshop on Mon, 16 Nov during our inaugural Beauty Week. We caught up with her for a quick update on the workshop.

Pásshen: What can attendees expect from the workshop?
Leticia:  I'll be talking about the different eyebrow shapes and what kinds of face shapes suit which eyebrow shape. After that, the workshop participants will get hands-on and draw those shapes out. By the end of the workshop, they should be able to know how to draw their own eyebrows and shape them properly too.

Leticia and her awards

P: We understand that you're also going to talk about eyelash extensions?
L: Yes, there have been some recent news reports on how eyelash extensions are bad for your eyes and I want to educate the public about it. It's not that eyelash extensions are harmful, it's who you go to and what sort of materials they use as well as how you maintain them that are important.

P: Where did you learn about eyelash extensions and eyebrow shaping?
L: I've always been interested in beauty so when my husband was working in Korea, I decided to take up an eyelash extension course. Soon, I found myself a Certified Eyelashes Extension Instructor by the International Eyelashes Design Association, Korea. I've been doing this for a year in Korea, being promoted very quickly within 6 months to Associate Director due to my techniques and customer service. However, we had to move back to Singapore so now here I am and I've started my freelance business "Exquisite Aura".

One must note that although Eyelashes are Leticia's expertise, she also is a National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology Certified Instructor for MircroPigment and Nail Technology. This is why she also does lip embroidery as part of her service. Do check out Exquisite Aura's listing on Pásshen here as well as register for your ticket to her workshop here.

Review on Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi Electronic Foot File

I was really thrilled to receive the above Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi from Sample Store! If you guys have been following my blog, you'll know that I love doing my nails but I seldom post images of my pedicures...mainly because my feet are terrible!

Look at my cracked heels! Source of my constant woes and complaints from my nail technician. I know...quite embarrassing and that's why we ladies should not neglect our feet. Don't you hate it when the cracked heel snags on your socks and/or trousers? That's where Scholl's Velvet Smooth Express Pedi comes in!

It's an electronic foot file, which means...NO tiring scrubs or pumice stones or filing where you need a tub of warm water to ensure that you remove dead skin and calluses safely. Also, I find that pumice stones don't really resolve the issue of my cracked heels. Despite the amount of moisturiser that I try to slather on.

I made a short video to show you how this Express Pedi works and whether I can finally be rid of this dry cracked heels problem!

As you can see, Scholl's Velvet Smooth Express Pedi really has helped to smoothen out the hard skin on my feet and it felt so soft after I applied my moisturiser.

Look at the contrast of my feet from the 'before' photos!! No photoshop involved!!

I really liked how effortlessly the electronic foot file removed my hard skin and cracked heels. I couldn't show this in the video because I don't have a proper tripod but the roller head can be easily removed, dunked under water to wash off the dead skin cells and popped back. Thus, it can also be easily replaced once a new one is needed!

I went for a pedicure yesterday and for the first time, my nail techie did not say anything about my feet!! Looks like Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi gave me a salon finish without me having to step out of my home in the first place.

You'll be glad to know that this wonderful electronic foot file is only S$49.90 and comes with 4 AA batteries. Where can you get it? If you purchase this is through Red mart with my promo code rmmelfann, you will get a 10% discount!

To purchase, please visit http://bit.ly/1Q0cO1U and don't forget to use my promo code!

2 Weeks Into Customised Health Plan

As mentioned previously, I'm now on a new diet regime where I have to take BiosLife Slim 10 minutes before my 2 heaviest meal. As you can see from the photo above, it's just 1 sachet and 1 shaker cup with 250 ml of water before meals.

The powder smells like orange and it's no wonder that the shake tastes like it. Su Lee, my wellness coach, recommended that I use cold water so that it tastes better.

This is how the concoction looks like after shaking it for about 5 times. Again, I was recommended NOT to shake it too much because over shaking it makes it turn thicker and gloopier, making it harder to drink.

The texture reminded me of phylum husk that has been soaking in liquids. If you've taken meal replacement drinks before, this is really a walk in the park because it is only 250ml of orange flavoured thick drink.

However, unlike meal replacements, Bioslife Slim is not meant to replace what you consume. Instead, it is full of fibre (hence me thinking that it contains phylum husk) and this is what helps to keep you full so that you do not snack in between meals as well as help absorb more fat from your diet.

BiosLife Slim promotes a 4-4-12 eating plan - meaning, 4 hours between breakfast and lunch, another 4 hours between lunch and dinner followed by 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. What I've found to be more practical is 4-5-12. I eat breakfast at 10, get hungry at about 1.30pm then I eat lunch, then I get hungry again at 6.30pm where I eat dinner and then I don't eat again until I wake up the following day.

After the first day of taking BiosLife Slim, I must say that I felt very gassy and was having a flatulence headache. Messaged Su Lee and she said that it's normal because the fibre was reacting to the Probiotics that I was also taking at the same time. My guts were adjusting to a fuller load of fibre too. Hmm...sounds interesting but it was a bit uncomfortable when having company. I also realised that I was drinking a lot more water and helping me hit my 2 litres-a-day goal.

Thank goodness this lightened up after 2 days and everything went back to normal. Well...maybe not quite 'normal' because I did feel lighter! I realised that I was releasing fuller loads into the toilet and the cleansing of the bowels helped me lose about 200g. No wonder Su Lee kept telling me that it is important to do a cleanse/detox and aid the body to get rid of waste.

The downside of this regime is that it was very hard to bring this shaker with me whenever I went out for meals. Bringing the sachets along was definitely not a problem. Also...at a food court, wouldn't it be weird to drink the Bioslife Slim and then wait 5-10 minutes before you can consume the food that you ordered? As such, I must say that keeping to this plan was not that simple.

Solutions:

1. Buy a bottle of mineral water from any stall and pour out some of the water till you get about 250 ml. Pour in the BiosLife Slim and shake. Drink as per usual.
2. Bring along a water bottle so that you can always be able to pour and shake a sachet of BiosLife Slim.
3. Let others buy their food first while you drink the BiosLife Slim. By the time you queue up and buy your good, it'll be just in time.

I'm trying very hard to be disciplined on this. I'll press on!!