Showing posts with label Wellness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wellness. Show all posts

8 Apr 2016

Review of Bespoke Box April '16

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I am sure many of you are familiar with the concept of monthly beauty subscription boxes like the now-defunct Bella Box; or fashion boxes curated by blogshops such as the Her Velvet Vase Moodbox

What about a box targeted for your PMS? 

This is the first time I come across something like that, and I am thrilled to say the least. I have very bad PMS almost every month alongside excruciating cramps, so I welcome anything that can make me feel better.

Imagine my delight when Bespoke Box sent me their April 2016 box - and so timely it arrived a few days before my next period! :)

29 Jan 2016

Review of Que Origin Shower.Bath + FREE Samples giveaway!

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Health & beauty - Which will you choose?

What if you can choose BOTH? :)

Skin is the largest organ of the body, so we need to take good care of it (I know many of us do neglect it sometimes, guilty-as-charged.) As the skin absorbs the good & bad and eventually all of that goes into our body, therefore we also must take heed of the ingredients that we apply onto our skin, agree?

That's why organic bodycare products are something I personally feel everyone must invest in, regardless of gender; regardless of whether you are into beauty products or not.
THIS IS YOUR HEALTH!!




I am very pleased that recently I was introduced to a new local Singapore bodycare brand - Que Origin. 

Que Origin is a completely new brand started from scratch aiming to provide nourishing body care. The first product to kick start this brand is their Shower Bath which can be used as both body wash and bubble bath. It is formulated with natural oil, infused with botanical extracts and scented with only natural essential oils from Australia. Numerous harmful chemicals have been excluded, and that could make the process of formulation a challenge, but Que Origin did it!

Furthermore, the essential oils they used were carefully selected from Australia and transport them to Korea facilities with GMP for manufacturing. Thus making sure that each and every bottle was made with purest ingredients in an advance facility.

23 Nov 2015

Review of Swisse Hair Skin Nails and Swisse Argan Face Oil


"Beauty comes from within." Cliche as it sounds, it's true.

Hang on a sec, I am not advocating the importance of inner beauty; of course that's important but we shall leave that for another day.

I do believe that if a person really wants to look good, besides the products he/she slaps on the skin, it is pertinent that he/she reviews the stuff he/she puts into his/her mouth. "Garbage in, garbage out" couldn't be more apt here.

When we are in our early twenties, we probably don't give too much thought about what goes into our body, much less to say faithfully ingest a good health/beauty supplement. Now that I have hit my big 3, I am more receptive when people recommend me good health supplements. 

 Swisse Hair Skin Nails+

My hubby is an avid traveller due to his work nature, and he has a special interest in health products. When he first bought me this Swisse Hair Skin Nails+ from Australia about 5 months ago, I was still quite skeptical if it suits me. After reading the ingredients list, I find that it seems no harm giving it a try.



Click to enlarge ingredient list
After trying Swisse Hair Skin Nails+ for a couple of months (1 pill per day), I started seeing the brand's advertisements airing on my local TV. Quite happy to see that Singapore has imported this from the Down Under! Swisse Singapore engaged our local celebrity, Rebecca Lim, to endorse this supplement.


Seeing Rebecca as their ambassador puts my heart at ease - I felt like I could trust her. Haha!

14 May 2015

Zumba For Beginners: FAQ


Zumba has been the hottest in-thing in Singapore for almost 4 years now. I am sure many of my female readers would have heard of it, or even contemplating to try it since forever. LOL.

Below is my feeble attempt to answer some frequently asked questions I get from my friends & family about Zumba.

Disclaimer: I am not a Zumba expert nor a qualified instructor or the likes. I am just a regular person who was trying to lose weight for her wedding, and accidentally stumbled upon the awesome dancelike sport. I made Zumba a hobby since more than 2 years ago. Zumba is the ONLY hobby I could happily upkeep (I am very fickle when it comes to sticking to a particular activity. I get bored with routines easily, therefore I usually give up on a new hobby after 3 months, and that says a lot about how fun Zumba is, at least for me.) :)



Zumba has changed my life and my lifestyle, in a positive way. I wish the same for you!

______________________________________________________________________________
Q1. Is Zumba only for people with a dance background?

A1. No, you don't need a dance background to enjoy Zumba. No doubt having a dance background helps you look more together when you are doing it(except no one actually looks at you, unless you are dancing naked); and people with dance background pick up the steps a tad faster, BUT it is not limited to dancers. Zumba is not too difficult to follow. It is perfectly OK if you can't keep up 100% with the instructor or your classmates. Keep moving & enjoy the music! The key is to HAVE FUN like you're partying!


Q2. Is Zumba a dance or a workout? Why are the steps repetitive?

A2. It is a Latin dance inspired exercise routine (it's an exercise routine, not a proper dance performance, hence the repetitive movements) - so it's a mixture of both dance and workout. You know aerobics? Yeah it's something like that, but 10 times the fun, with sexier music!


Q3. I want to try Zumba, but I am scared I don't have the stamina. What should I do?

A3. Two ways to go about this:  1. Just go for a trial class first. If you feel faintish or breathless, take a break and drink water/isotonic drinks. No one will care if you stop, but your newfound Zumba classmates may freak out if you faint, so please know your limits. 2. Start with a Zumba Gold class and if you think you can manage, switch to a regular Zumba class.


Q4. I want to lose weight. How many times do I need to do Zumba?

A4. Have you heard of the saying "Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym"? I get it that you don't mean you want firm abs, but I hope you get my drift. To lose weight, you follow a simple equation below (over a period of time).

Daily total calories intake < Daily total calories expended

If you need to lose weight fast, a sure-fire way is to keep to 1200 calories per day, and do Zumba every day. But  but but...prior to that, your body must have been conditioned to do sports/exercise on a daily basis. If you have been out of condition for a long time, meaning you haven't been doing sports for a while, DO NOT TRY to suddenly do Zumba every day! Daily Zumba applies more for relatively healthy people with a good medical history. Consult your doctor, dietician, fitness trainer if in doubt.
One thing I am sure is this: if you are unwilling to kick off your bad eating habits or you eat MORE after you started Zumba (or any other exercises), you are NOT going to lose any weight. In fact, the latter makes you put on more weight! Surprise surprise.

Q5. I tried Zumba once/a few times, but I couldn't catch up with the dance steps! I felt so out of place, how?

A5. I'm sorry that you felt this way. Guess what? Many of us felt that too! I didn't know what the heck I was doing when I was in my first Zumba class! I only remembered I desperately downed a lot of water after each song. That being said, I encourage you to keep going to Zumba classes, or try different instructors until you find someone whom you can follow and you like. It is important you like your Zumba instructor's moves - only then you can truly enjoy the 1-hour class.


Q6. I didn't lose as much weight/burn as much calories as I wanted to with Zumba, why is that so?

A6. (Pls kindly refer to Q4. for weight-loss queries) If you meant that each time you do Zumba, you burn lesser calories than the advertised '500 calories & above', then there may be a possibility that you are already quite skinny/small-built. Not everyone will burn 500 calories - it pretty much depends on how heavy you are to begin with. If you are big, yet you burn lesser than 500 calories - another possibility is that you have not gone "all out"/"full force" with your movements; or perhaps you are a newbie still trying to figure out your steps. In the case where you are not a newbie (let's say you do Zumba regularly for a year and you watch your diet carefully) and you are still unable to achieve your weight-loss goals due to your two left feet, sadly, I'd then say " Go try something else!"


Q7. I want to try Zumba, but I don't know where to go?

A7. (Frankly speaking, I secretly rolled my eyes when I hear your question. You cannot Google meh??  Unless you don't have internet access lah.)

Okay I shall be kind and tell you more. I personally attend lessons by 1Fiesta. They cover many locations in Singapore, by different instructors. (You really do need internet access to read up more about how 1Fiesta works, and to book your classes online.) My personal favourite instructor is Ms Farah Fakar. I attend her weekly Tuesday lessons at Yio Chu Kang Grassroots Club. Whenever I feel fat or ambitious, I attend more lessons in a week, either with Farah on Sunday evenings at Waterloo Centre or with other 1Fiesta instructors depending on my schedule & convenience.

My workout buddies & I after Farah's class at Yio Chu Kang Grassroots. Farah, the instructor, on the extreme right.
I have tried Zumba with many 1Fiesta instructors and other than Farah, I enjoy Zumba-ing with Sabrina, Gerald, Shannon and Faiz as well. Besides 1Fiesta, I also like Cyndi's Zumba lessons which are held on Wednesday evenings at 8 on Claymore.

Q8. Do I have to wear Zumba clothes to classes, as in those sports wear with the word "Zumba" splashed across it?

14 Apr 2015

Secret of Anti-aging?

That day I came across an article...
"15 MediaCorp Celebrities Who Have Discovered The Secret Of Anti-Ageing"

Link: http://mustsharenews.com/mediacorp-celebs-anti-ageing/

Catchy article eh?

The article featured fifteen of our local artistes who look as youthful as they did a decade ago, hence the title "secret of anti-aging". In the event you get too lazy to click on the article (which you shouldn't, really.), I'll paste some of their photos here for your drooling pleasure.




Best beauty blogger singapore
Of course that article did not include this pic. #whyohwhy
Btw, I swear on my life NO plastic surgery has ever happened - NO nose job, eyelids job, botox, whatever nonsense. The most invasive thing EVER done to my face was an epic fail mole removal that I paid cheaply for at some tacky home-based beauty parlour , 9 years ago. Gosh, what foolishness~!

OOPS. So..the last one is not a MediaCorp celebrity... Just a delusional blogger who feels like a celebrity at times! #evillaughs

Anyway, jokes aside, I was a tad disappointed when the article did not share with us how the celebrities maintained their youthful looks (sans the cosmetics procedures, if any.) They should really interview these artistes and report HOW and WHY they look the way they do. I WANT TO KNOW. Heh.

Well, judging from my 2005 and 2015 photos, I guess that kinda qualifies me to share my "secrets" of anti-aging? HAHAHA! My hilariously thick-skin tickles me at times. Ahem. (Ok, if you think I am not fit to tell you how to maintain youthful looks, then the 'x' button is right there on your top right. You're welcomed.)

WHY some people look younger than others

1. Genetics
Health issues are often hereditary; so are looks, and so is youthfulness. Sad truth be told, family genes play a large part on how we look now and twenty years from now. Look at your aged mother and there is some telling how you will look 50 years down the road. Rejoice if your mother/aunts/grandmother still 've got it!