Thursday, July 9, 2015 :: My Beauty Trail in Orchard Central (with Kenko, Pink Parlour, Haach & Superberry)
I can never say no to a beauty trail when it is at one of the malls I am familiar with, so when I was offered this opportunity, I just couldn't say no to a day of pampering like a body massage, facial, manicure and shopping!
At Orchard Central (OC), there is a good mix of retail stores, F&B dining outlets, beauty and wellness salons. I frequent Orchard Central often for its interesting mix of carnival vendors at its atrium (well, it's just next to 313, and I pop by to get my hair done with John!).
On my ME-TIME alone at OC for a beauty trail, I first started off with a Kenko signature body massage (deep pressure) where I was given a veryyyyy good kneading for my tight muscles. It is very hard to find a good masseuse in Singapore who has great manual dexterity and can be in total control with smooth maneuvers that maketh a good massage ;) All I can say is, I had a very good sleep that night!
Stepping into Kenko is a picture of calm, serenity and a cosy ambience. The feeling is so...zen that I felt like I was transported to a place without any stress or worry in the world.
The massage gave me a deep sense of relaxation as this signature massage harnesses the best of different massage strokes to allow the smooth flow "chi" in my body. I left the shop feeling so light and my spirits were lifted - well I do appreciate that because I am usually so stressed up with work by mid-week that my muscles will be extremely tensed. I definitely see myself going back again! Why didn't I discover Kenko earlier? Used to think they only offer fish spa but hey, they have been in the business for more than 20 years providing quality massages! Now, who's up for a mid-week massage with me at Kenko? ;)
I was toying with the idea of the fish spa but I chickened out in the end because I am THAT ticklish. Yes, I do consider tickling a form of torture.
Kenko Reflexology & Fish Spa
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
#04-10
Singapore 238896
Tel: 6509 0303
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Since Orchard Central has all the shops to complete my pampering experience, I decided to visit Pink Parlour for a classic manicure and to freshen up my nail color. It is such a pink and sweet place with a grand entrance to boot! You CANNOT miss this shop. If you have not heard of them, they are one of Singapore's leading hair removal specialists offering treatments from waxing, IPL hair removal, spray tanning to even manicure and pedicure services.
The manicurist who attended to me was very professional and friendly. Most importantly, throughout my entire time there, she did not try to upsell anything to me - which is easily one of the factors that trigger a bad experience for me with beauty spas. I was given the peace that a pampering experience require and I do appreciate that ;)
One more thing I was very happy about is the hygiene of the place and manicure process. My excess cuticles were also removed very cleanly and pushed back properly to see my pretty white crescents.
Opt for a french manicure with thin white tips and nude base!
There's a promotion happening between 1 July 2015 to 31 August 2015!
For just $50, customers can purchase (either one)
Gel manicure in red and white
Brazilian Wax
Boyfriend's Brazilian Wax
Snow White Brazilian
*Terms & Conditions apply.
Applicable to all outlets
Valid till 31 August 2015
Discount is applicable to all customers
Not valid with any other promotions, discount voucher or gifts.
Pink Parlour
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Rd #03-19/20/22
Singapore 238896
Tel: 6100 8266
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I have long heard about the award winning facial treatment by HAACH known as Phytopeautics Everlasting Youth which has raving good reviews online! So I included a facial into my beauty trail as well after seeing the directory and finding HAACH salon on the third level!
HAACH's Phytopeautics Everlasting Youth uses only cultured phyto-stem cells and powerful botanical actives so you can be sure it is completely free of paraben and other harsh chemicals commonly associated with facials. The formulation contains a unique anti-wrinkle peptide which actually lifts up your face and removing lines. My therapist was very excited to show me its effects immediately after the facial with a mirror and oh my, I am a convert for this facial.
It was such an invigorating experience with myself waking up after 60 minutes to a head and shoulder massage. In just an hour, my dull skin was exfoliated, dead skin cells were removed, facial lines were all plumped up removing my ageing lines on my face and neck, and hydration and elasticity were restored revealing smooth, supple and intensively hydrated skin. I woke up hoping the facial could have last longer - I was properly taken care of by my therapist and in a fantastic setting with ambience, it is just so easy to just fall asleep..
Definitely coming back again for this facial!
Yet another promotion available now!
Pay $39 instead of the usual $288 for Phytopeautics Everlasting Youth Facial when you call 62380123 and quote my name "Tricia" when making an appointment!
*Terms & Conditions apply
Valid for 21 years old and above
Singaporeans or PRs
Applicable only at Orchard Central #03-10/11
Prior appointment is required.
HAACH
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road #03-10/11
Singapore 238896
Tel: 6238 0123
Opening hours: Mon to Sun 10am to 9pm
Opening hours: Mon to Sun 10am to 9pm
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Having the mall divided into several clusters, serving different establishments at different areas such as salons for pampering, fashion and F&B, it gives Orchard Central a very good mix of tenants. You can be sure to be able to do shopping, pampering, food then dine at a cafe for desserts all in a day's fun - just like what I do one day each month ;)
I will set aside a day every month for a day of pampering and grooming. It usually starts with a quiet lunch at Milagro Spanish Restaurant then right after filling my yum-tum, I will scoot off to my full body IPL appointment with Datsumo. That will take about 2 hours and by the time I'm done, I will usually need some desserts or hot tea haha. I will either head down to Level 1 for a hot cuppa at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf or the swanky new dessert cafe - Lady M. It will be about 4.30-5pm when I am done with my tea break then I will do my shopping n Orchard Central.
For this day, I checked out Superberry, which is a concept store housing more than 500 products from over 30 brand innovators all over the world! Over here, I discovered a highly edited selection of the best beauty products and some very well-kept beauty secrets ;) Walked out of the store with 3 purchases and I can't rave enough about those three babies! Oh, did I mention? There is a GSS promotion at "Buy 1 and get 1 at 50% off" till the end of July so hurry hurry down!
If you were to see the store, every corner you turn to, it is jam-packed with loads of skincare products and makeup! I am sure you will spend AT LEAST 30 minutes in there just like I did. Shops like Superberry.me has got to be my heaven...
The shop is equipped with a team of trained beauty advisors who provide customers with knowledge and products best suited for my personal care needs. I was introduced to human+kind brand by the beauty advisor seen in my photos below, and learnt that Superberry.me is the exclusive retailer for Human+Kind range of products. A look at its ingredients revealed Human+Kind formulations are all made using natural healing and restorative ingredients which is perfect for sensitive skins.
My eyes are always drawn to products with award-stickers on them. And yup, I got two products from human+kind namely the Wash Off Cleanser (which comes with a deep cleansing cloth) seen below with a Cleo Beauty Award Winner sticker and All-In-One Body Oil for my face, body and hair. I have been looking to get a all purpose body oil mainly to try it out on my face together with my foundation ;) Remember my meeting with korean star Yoon Eun Hye at her hotel suite previously? I learnt that her dewy skin is achieved by using an all-purpose body oil mixed in her foundation to achieve the healthy looking glow koreans are famous for! Okay, now I have let everyone on this secret... I will leave you to discover it yourself with human+kind's All-In-One Body Oil!
Gaya Mineral Blush which is made with 100% minerals and is an eco-friendly makeup and skincare brand. It is 100% natural, hypoallergenic, inorganic, non-comedogenic and most importantly, they do not test on poor animals!
I also found Re'skin V Lab Whitening Collagen Mask which I had previously purchased from Korea!! This is extremely good if you have dry and rough skin. The collagen mask is pretty hydrating and it replenishes moisture back into your skin and plumping it up so your skin will look supple.
Found Blinc as well in the store! If you do not know, this brand is a cult favourite amongst Hollywood celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Lopez. I walked away purchasing the Ultra Thin Liquid Eyeliner Pen below! Heard about how this brand offers the world's thinnest brush with a precision tipped at 0.009mm from a makeup artist previously but did not get to try it! Knew I had to get it when I found in Superberry and my verdict is, it is definitely worth the $47! The brush is sooooooo thin that it allows exact and precise application with the right amount of liquid dispensed from the brush. It is NOT easy to make mistakes with this eyeliner. And best of all, it does not budge even after a longggg day.
Happy camper with my purchases which I got at a steal ;) Psst, this was also my post-facial skin from Haach without any makeup on (yes because the therapist convinced me to step out without makeup and just healthy looking skin) - the facial actually removed tired lines, lifted up my face and live up to its reputation for its anti-aging benefits!
Superberry
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road, #03-29
Singapore 238896
Tel: 6835 9288
And...this marks the end of a glimpse into a day of my life spent for pampering myself! These places I visited are one of Orchard Central's best kept secrets haha.
Labels: Haach, Kenko, Orchard Central, Pink Parlour, Superberry
With Love,Tricia
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Sunday, July 5, 2015 :: All About Beauty - Graceous & Datsumo Labo
(Before I begin my blogpost, can y'all see the tuft of baby hair growth sticking out like a sore thumb? Hehe on my next round of scalp treatment, aminexil and densifique treatment for hair fall control and more hair growth!)
My favourite places to go for my beauty touch-ups every month have to be Salon Vim, Graceous, Datsumo Labo and bimonthly, IDS. I make it a point to set aside 1-2 days a month to do at least a treatment on my hair, fix my lashes and have IPL done on my body. The significance of beauty to me is to make myself feel confident and good about myself - and that starts from having healthy hair, glowing skin and accentuating my eyes (which I consider as one of my favourite features). On hindsight, this post can be perceived as a superficial blabberish but really, I take it as a form of respect to myself that I take time out for self grooming. It is all about improving my own self-image and esteem.
On a lighter note, after working with Graceous for nearly 1.5 years now, I am so happy that they have now opened their second outlet at Bugis (Purvis Street to be exact)! Gone were the days when you call in just to find out that the next available appointment is 3 weeks away!
Graceous has really graceful techniques in attaching individual lashes to your real lashes such that it does not hurt your real lashes nor cause any irritation to your eyes. I have been on eyelash extensions for the longest time! Two good things about eyelash extensions - Firstly, with eyelash extensions, I do not rub my eyes when I feel sleepy (yes I actually have a habit of doing that last time and it's quite bad! You get lines from rubbing and tugging at your eyes!) and secondly, I can totally skip the step of eye liner as fuller lashes means and illusion of a full lash line!
Bugis Outlet *New Outlet*
26A Purvis Street
Tel: +65 8799 2454
River Valley Outlet
9 Mohamed Sultan Rd
#03-02
Tel: +65 8699 6045
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A recent beach holiday experience with a group of girls have prompted me to sit down and write this post as we are now entering the bikini season which means more women will be booking their waxing appointments and I need to be quick about what I wish to share about.
With how fast technology is advancing in our time, I am surprised there are still women out there doing hair removal via waxing. Other than it being so unbearably painful, you actually worsen your hair growth and make your hair thicker. A common consensus that came up in our conversation during HTH talks over the beach holiday is waxing actually increases your hair growth AND the area of hair growth. Let me be explicit here. Two of the girlfriends experienced hair growth creeping TOWARDS their thigh from the pubic region after years of waxing appointments - with the hair growth and the thickness/coarseness of hair not being reduced as promised by who else, yes your usual therapists.
I personally experienced this as well in the past. And each girl thought it only happened to herself. But no, so many of us have experienced the same issues with waxing. Even if it may not happen to you, the fact remains it is happening to others. The switch to IPL is the one decision I never regret after 3 years of waxing experiences and empty promises that "your hair growth will be drastically reduced" and "you need to do more waxing sessions to see the results" blah blah. Let me not go into the science behind why waxing WILL NOT reduce your hair growth because it involves scientific jardon like how the disulphide bond that forms between keratin causes your hair to thicken and curl. Yes I told you I am a very "science" person haha. And my point here is, go for IPL. It is better for you and your skin in the long term. You can prevent a sagging pubic region too in time to come - just imagine the wax strips tugging at your most delicate areas month after month. The result? I guess I leave it up to you to figure that out.
I personally experienced this as well in the past. And each girl thought it only happened to herself. But no, so many of us have experienced the same issues with waxing. Even if it may not happen to you, the fact remains it is happening to others. The switch to IPL is the one decision I never regret after 3 years of waxing experiences and empty promises that "your hair growth will be drastically reduced" and "you need to do more waxing sessions to see the results" blah blah. Let me not go into the science behind why waxing WILL NOT reduce your hair growth because it involves scientific jardon like how the disulphide bond that forms between keratin causes your hair to thicken and curl. Yes I told you I am a very "science" person haha. And my point here is, go for IPL. It is better for you and your skin in the long term. You can prevent a sagging pubic region too in time to come - just imagine the wax strips tugging at your most delicate areas month after month. The result? I guess I leave it up to you to figure that out.
At Datsumo Labo, I frequent the branch at Orchard Central where my favourite therapist, Janice, is! I go for monthly sessions for IPL removal at these areas - Underarms, brazilian area, full legs, full arms, back. I am intending to achieve completing an almost full body hair removal by my wedding day. I know I am referring to some beauty standards here but I honestly find body hair beastly and just not attractive.
I have been visiting Datsumo Labo for close to a year now and ever since I experienced how hair removal can lighten the look of my skin (because beastly black hairs actually makes your overall skin tone look even darker than it actually is) coupled with IPL which helps to lighten and brighten my skin tone (especially underarm and bikini areas), I AM SOLD.
Not to be misleading, IPL is not completely permanent. Baby hairs still grow from the follicles but the hair growth is sooooo fine you almost cannot see it. Well, I can't fault that ;) On some areas, you may completely eradicate hair growth (which I truly appreciate especially on the brazilian areas heh) of course, with the proper amount of treatments and most importantly, A GOOD THERAPIST.
Up till now, I have achieved close-to-permanent body removal on some parts of my body which makes me feel confident when I don a bikini - I'm referring to places like my full arms, full legs, brazilian areas and stomach.
On a mission now to achieve full body hair removal when I don my gown for my wedding. I am looking at...probably a backless gown like those from Galiahav so....we shall see! Usually you will need 3 years to completely remove all body hairs but Datsumo Labo only requires 1 year due to their unique treatment periods and of course, the efficacy of their treatment machines ;)
Datsumo Labo
Orchard Central Shopping Mall
181 Orchard Central
#04-16
Singapore 238896
Tel: 6884 6482
Orchard Central Shopping Mall
181 Orchard Central
#04-16
Singapore 238896
Tel: 6884 6482
Labels: Datsumo Labo, eyelash extension, Graceous, IDS, IPL, Salon Vim
With Love,Tricia
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