Mia's Review: The Comb Hair Studio [Sponsored]

Was absolutely elated when I received a hair sponsorship invite from The Comb, led by Creative Director, Rina Kil, who has worked with celebrity boyband and models such as ZE:A, Lee Jin Wook and Akira Kim

I would love to take a better picture of the shop front, but in the afternoon when I reached, a male customer with cling wrap around his head (super unglam moment) was standing right outside, smoking and when I left, a car was conveniently parked outside. 

Oh well, just not my day for phototaking. 

The salon is kept minimalistic and chic with a single, long stretch of white chairs with brown laminated mounted table. It seems like housekeeping is also one of their top priority as you can hardly find any trace of hair on the floor and all their hair gadgets are kept in an organised manner, lined up side by side on the shelves.

The best part about The Comb is that they actually do have a printed menu, listing not only all their hair services but also their choice of beverages available for their patrons while waiting for their hair to be done. 

And of course, I took a coffee! Those chocolate candies were yummy too, by the way.

And of course, I chose to dye my hair again (wanted to try a perm but was advised to save my dying ends first). My best ally against my ever-greying hair. 

The senior stylist, Henry, was really patient while I was being indecisive with the choice of colour. And eventually, I went with a pink tone and Henry decided to 'ombre' it with red ends to give it a more vibrant look.

 

And as usual, my long and thick mane almost gave their junior staff a mental breakdown. While helping with applying the hair dye cream, their jumbo hair clips couldn't even hold my hair up properly.

And while helping to wash and blow dry my hair, he eventually blurted out, "Can I ask, how do you maintain this?"

 

His exasperations aside, my hair was still well taken care of and nicely 'ombred' by applying different shades of hair dye in 3 steps. A brighter pink tone to my black roots, the exact shade of pink tone I've chosen to the middle section of my pre-dyed hair, and a shade of red to my hair ends.

 

And to make up for my disappointment of not being able to perm my ends, Henry offered to style my hair after the haircut and gave me pretty curls!

-picture taken by Henry Lu-

I have to say, T absolutely loved this. He was so disappointed when I told him the curls will be gone by the next day and agreed without a 2nd thought when I said, "You want these to be permanent? Give me $300!"

 

Not forgetting to take a picture with Henry before leaving.

 

And of course, The Comb is currently having an awesome promotion right now if you're looking to colour, perm, rebond your hair, or pamper your tresses with a treatment session.

 

But first, let me take a selfie. :)

 

 - credits to The Comb -

 

Promotion does not have a limitation on hair length, and tentatively ends in July, so do call them beforehand to confirm when you're planning to make your way down.

 

For more information on The Comb, do visit their website HERE.

 

Till then,

Mia Foo

 

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Mia's Review: Palmer's Rapid Moisture Spray Lotion Instant Cooling [Advertorial]

Always heard that cocoa butter is the 'superfood' for your skin, but never knew how it came about? 

First up, let Palmer's tell you how.
 

Founded in America more than 170 years ago in 1842, Palmer's has become one of the world's leading names in skincare, a brand that women around the world have grown up with. Their unique heritage and commitment to quality has stood the test of time. Generations of families have loved the fantastic moisturising qualities of Palmer's skincare range, and millions of women around the world agree, making it one of the popular skincare brand.
Today, Palmer's is still committed to creating affordable products that really do work, growing to provide a Palmer's product for every skincare need: hand and body care, facial care, stretch mark care, hair care and personal care.
In addition, Palmer's is against animal testing and all of their products are cruelty free. Majority of Palmer's products are also free of parabens, phthalates and sulphates.
 

The three ingredients you'll always see in Palmer's skincare products are always Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, Shea Butter, and here's why.

Cocoa Butter: a rich natural moisturizer that leaves skin soft and silky, transforming even the roughest, driest areas into buttery soft skin. 

Vitamin E: a powerful antioxidant that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and imperfections on the skin, giving a more even and toned appearance. 

Shea Butter: deeply moisturizes and nourishes to leave dry soft and radiant.

And they've also gotten the Taiwanese Goddess, Sonia Sui, to star in their latest advertisement for the Rapid Moisture Spray Lotion!
Sonia Sui has been a lover of Palmer's products and is currently their brand ambassador.
 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Rapid Moisture Spray Lotion provides deep moisture in an instant. This non-greasy formula sprays on easily and the RapidSorb® Technology, which is non-aerosol based and uses no propellants to deliver fine sprays, allows for quick absorption, leaving skin soft and smooth with 24 hour moisturisation and is also paraben and phthalate free.

This new age moisturiser in a can is crafted for use 'on the go' and comes in 3 variants as follow:
Palmer's Rapid Moisture Spray Lotion (Cocoa/Shea) - For deep moisturising
Palmer's Rapid Moisture Spray Lotion (Aloe) - For instant cooling
Palmer's Stretch Mark Spray Lotion - For reducing appearance of stretch marks

For best results, hold can 3-4 inches from skin and spray in a continuous motion and rub gently into skin.

Do not hold it too close to your skin as you spray as it'll end up as a glob of mousse. The closer you hold it, the oilier it'll feel as you rub the lotion into your skin. But ultimately, it'll still get absorbed well and leave your skin feeling smooth and refreshed with no greasy feeling at all. Scent wise, it's the usual distinctive cocoa buttery smell of Palmer's well received range of moisturising products.

And now, please pardon my fat and hairy legs. Been lazy to do hair removal recently as I've been only wearing pants and there's really no need to waste time and my hair removal cream. Heh!
 

I've been using body moisturiser diligently on my skin recently due to extreme dryness so my before picture really doesn't look so bad (dry and crackly) now.

See the sheen on my right shin? That's the 'oiliness' I'm talking about when you spray the lotion closer to your skin. But with just a few more rubs, it'll still get absorbed in so it really didn't matter to me. Plus I also get a stronger cooling effect that way, so YAY!.
I'll rather get a better 'aim' and making sure all products get onto my skin than risk some of the lotion getting sprayed onto the floors and making it slippery. And because this product sprays on transparent, the latter might be a little tricky to clean up.

 

You can now get Palmer's Rapid Moisture Spray Lotion (RTP $17.90/200g) at Watson's, Guardian, NTUC Fairprice, BHG, Robinsons, John Little and leading cosmetic stores.

 

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: Win Win Food Snacks [Sponsored]

All thanks to Win Win, it felt like Christmas came early for me!

Win Win Food is a leading manufacturer of delectable potato crisps, cereal crisps, corn snacks, wafer rolls, chocolate sweets and a wide range of other delicious biscuit and cookie products.

With its state-of-the-art fully-equipped factory located in Malaysia, Win Win produces a repertoire of food products for distribution in Singapore, Malaysia and throughout the Asia Pacific (including China, Japan and Korea) and the Middle East. Over the years, Win Win has invested substantially in infrastructure, equipment and manpower, adopting the latest technology food processing equipment to produce its tasty and mouth-watering morsels. And to prove its driven dedication to quality, Win Win has obtained both HACCP and GMP certifications and is an ISO 22000 Certified Manufacturer. All Win Win Foods products are also Halal certified.

To meet the health conscious demands of today’s consumers, many of Win Win’s products are completely vegetarian. Win Win’s tasty snacks are packaged in fun, bold and distinctive wrappers, and most importantly, have that Win Win taste.

 And I'm definitely going to rave about this (or these)!

Mini Pockets (Chocolate and Vanilla flavours)

These mini pocket snacks are absolutely addictive! I could easily finish one whole bag by myself while watching TV because I just can't stop popping them! The pockets (I kept thinking they're called pillows because they sure resemble one) are of the same (if not better) crisp, light and flaky texture of the usual wafer roll sticks (or some call them love letters) and the chocolate filling within was smooth, rich and soft (for I kept them at room temperature). As for the vanilla flavoured ones, the filling was not overly sweet, and has a strong milky fragrance.
It's just like a yummy wafer roll with a flakier, crispier 'shell' that comes in bite size, which gives you no messy crumbs-dropping problem.
Can this get any better?

Moroll Wafer Rolls (Vanilla & Chocolate)

Tasted like those mini pockets, but in stick forms. The thicker rolls of the wafer biscuit made crunching into one less crisp and flaky as compared to munching on a mini pocket, but it still taste equally awesome.

Potato Crisp (BBQ, Sour Cream, Vegetable and Tomato Flavours)

I got the BBQ, Vegetable and Sour Cream flavours.
These crisp has the texture of a potato chip meets wafer biscuit, and is lightly flavoured with a hint of potato that slowly dissolves into a buttery biscuit flavour. My favourite has to be the vegetable flavour as it goes extremely well with the potato and wafer biscuit tastes.

Cornbis, Sweet Corn Crackers (Cheese and Original Flavours)

I only got the original flavour, and just like their potato counterpart, it has a crisp cum wafer biscuit texture and has a sweet corn fragrance at first bite which gradually turns into a sweet, buttery biscuit flavour.

Happy Moo (Chocolate and Butter Flavours)

Frankly speaking, I have no idea why these biscuits are called Happy Moo (I was expecting cow faces) but they're indeed cute, smiley faces that popped out of the bag. These mildy flavoured, bite sized buttery biscuits are the perfect mid-afternoon treat in the office with a cup of coffee. 

Lover (Chocolate and Vanilla Flavours)

These sandwich crackers comes in 3 layers of crackers with 2 layers of cream filling, and is a perfect choice to fill a growling tummy in between meals. I'll personally prefer the vanilla flavour over the chocolate flavour, as the combination of chocolate crackers with vanilla cream filling gives a taste with more complexity rather than chocolate on chocolate. 

Lastly, Win Win also sent me one of their latest product launched recently.

 Nutri 5 Cereal Crisp (Original and Chocolate Flavours)

The cereal bits are actually a lot finer than shown on the picture of the packaging, make it really easy to chew and swallow. The chocolate ones are really yummy and apparently, we can also prepare it as a hot cereal drink just by adding it to hot water!

To find out more about Win Win snacks and try them out for yourselves, visit their online store HERE
Otherwise, you can also find Win Win snacks at NTUC, Giant, Sheng Shiong, and even Watson's and Popular Bookstores.

Till then,
Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: Dermagold Miracle C+ Serum [Sponsored]

Previously in my post on Hadara Sparkling Eye Therapy, I've briefly mentioned about this award-winning Dermagold star product Miracle C+ and here is my full review of this serum after 1 month of using it.

-credits to dermagold-

 Dermagold Miracle C+, 15ml: $69

Touted as Dermagold star product, Miracle C+ is a silky smooth, high performance concentrated 18% vitamin C Ester serum that is manufactured in the USA. It is a multi-functioning product with anti-oxidant, anti-aging, anti-pigmentation, anti-inflammatory and anti-wrinkle properties. Formulated in a base of hyaluronic acid to boost, protect and restore skin, this paraben free star product also helps to balance our oil secretions.



The packaging comes with a convenient pump dispenser and each time I use only about 1.5 pumps for my entire face. 

This product can also be used on the neck and décolleté, but since I use a separate, rich anti-wrinkle cream on my neck, I decided to skip the serum.

The serum is extremely light, and spreads across my skin effortlessly with no feeling of stickiness or oiliness at all. Instead, it gives me a refreshing after-feeling as the watery serum gets absorbed into my skin, leaving it feeling hydrated and smooth to the touch.

 

And after 1 month of using this product, I find my skin more supple and at the same time, less oily. My skin oils up tremendously in a short time, especially in the day time as I work under the hot sun. However, after starting on Dermagold Miracle C+, I find that my skin stays relatively matte for at least half a day or more, with exception of my nose, which is still oilier than the rest of my face. My skin has also turn visibly brighter and I have, on multiple occasions, left my house for work in the morning with no traces of make up on except for a dab of undereye concealer.

So ladies, invest in skincare, not make up. You can't go wrong with that.

 

 Dermagold is currently stocked at Hadara Aesthetics Boutique – the 1st beauty boutique in

Singapore to carry Dermagold skincare and facials.

 

23 Lorong Telok #01-01, Singapore 049035

Tel. +65 6969 3022

Mon-Fri: 10am – 8pm

Sat: 10am – 2pm

Closed on Sun and PH

 

 In addition, quote “Molly Mia” to enjoy the following special deals, valid till 31st Aug 2015.

1. Buy Dermagold star product Miracle C+, get Premium White Mask (worth $10) free.

2. Buy minimum 5 Dermagold products to enjoy 8% off.

 

For more information on the full range of Dermagold products, visit their website HERE

 

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: gobuylah.sg [Advertorial]

Very recently, I was introduced to this new locally based online shopping mall, gobuylah.sg, with a pretty wide variety of items, ranging from beauty & health, baby products, home & living, IT & electronics, fashion, and also food & beverage with a MaMa shop!

From popular make up brands like 3CE, Miss Hana...

To health food like organic food products, honey, and propolis...

To home appliances like fans, vacuum cleaners, irons etc...

And even frozen food!

The list goes on, and the variety is huge, so you better drop by and check it out for yourself. There's also a hot deals section that offers discounted price for certain products from all categories for a limited time period.

And so, I went on a crazed shopping spree and just kept adding items into my cart, and finally checking out when I realised I've hit about 20 items. 

And did I tell you that you get a $5 off your first purchase, with 500 reward points given at sign up? And subsequently, with every $1 purchase, you'll earn 1 reward point and accumulating 100 points will give you another $1 off!

And I know the exasperation when you finally found the product you've been searching high and low for online, was so eager to click purchase and then you realised, the e-store uses a courier service that doesn't do night delivery (yes, happened to me) and there's absolutely nobody around in the daytime to receive the package for you?

GoBuyLah got you covered, allowing you to choose your preferred day and time of delivery that stretches from 9am to 9pm. The best part? Delivery is absolutely free with no minimum purchase! And as you can see I made my order on 21st (Tuesday night) and the earliest delivery time is 23rd morning! 

Well, I wasn't at home in time to receive the package personally. But I was truly surprised to find that my orders were packed separated accordingly to type/category instead of having everything packed together in a huge box. 

And here's a sneak peak of my GoBuyLah haul! Other than some necessity like my stock of morning coffee (old town and owl!) and my hair care supplies, I've also picked up some beauty items because they look so cute!

Cutest packaging for some organic teabags I've ever came across. 

And look at these cute faces on the packaging! It's so adorable that I don't even care if they work or not, I just feel super happy having bought such cute stuff. Heh!

But yeah, do expect reviews on part of my haul in time to come. 

You can find all these products I've hauled, plus many more, on gobuylah.sg. 

And gobuylah.sg is also extending an additional $5 off for all my lovely readers, on top of the standard $5 off for new members! 

Just key in MIA05 in the discount field and enjoy $10 off your first purchase! Discount code is valid for 2 months from now.

So what are you waiting for? Hope over to gobuylah.sg right now and start shopping!

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: Meditrina Deep Ocean Mineral Gel [Sponsored]

Thanks to Herine, I got introduced to Meditrina Deep Ocean Mineral Gel (DOM Gel). The DOM gel is a macro mineral and botanical approach to muscle relief by using transdermal delivery system; a method of delivering nutrients to the body through the skin, the largest organ of the body. Through this system, the gel deliver minerals to the muscles as needed by the body to repair our muscles and nerves.

The DOM gel is formulated with the highest concentration of ionized Deep Ocean Minerals (DOM) concentrate to be used as a self-application or massage gel, to relieve muscle aches, cramps and pains. It also helps to maintain proper muscle function and calm overactive nerves. Ingredients such as Butcher's Broom and Centella help to reduce inflammation, water retention, edema and varicose veins while English Marigold reduces muscle spasms. The Ionised DOM Concentrate also helps to reduce symptoms of chronic muscle aches, pains and tension, while Panthenol smooth and hydrates the skin. DOM gel is also made from the mineral rich deep seawater, kept pure and unpolluted being protected at 2200 feet deep in the Pacific Ocean off Hua Lien Coast.

Using it is easy with a pump dispenser. Just dispense a few pump, spread it over your hands and massage into the localised area experiencing tensions or aches. The warming (or cooling) sensation is mild and comes a while later after massaging the gel into the body, and actually leaves a slightly oily and sticky feeling as it is designed to stay on the skin rather than getting absorbed in. This is attributed to the deep ocean minerals when dissolved in water at high concentrations.

I got this product for a while and didn't have a good chance to try it until I kind of overworked myself in pilates classes and ended up with aching arms and legs the next morning. For a muscle relief gel that gives only a slight warming (or cooling) sensation (unlike most others who give you this immediate icy/burning sensation to numb off the ache), it actually alleviates the aches much quicker than those 'quick fix gels' I've tried, which require at least 3 days of applications, taking it only 1 night to significantly reduce my aches.

The fact that it is designed to stay on the skin, leaving a slightly oily film, makes this gel an awesome choice as a massage gel as it doesn't get absorbed quickly into (dehydrated) skin, making it easier to massage without tugging on the skin or using excessively large amount of oil or cream. So other than being a good choice for those with bad backs or chronic pains, who will need frequently diy massages at home, the DOM gel is also a good choice for wellness service providers, as its unique formulation provides excellent results in massages that involve tissue manipulation, such as deep tissue massage, tui na, sports massage, trigger point therapy, shiatsu and reflexology.

Meditrina DOM Gel retails for SGD $48 online and at Meditrina authorised beauty salons.
To purchase online, simply register as a member HERE and make your purchase HERE.
You will not only enjoy free delivery within Singapore, but also able to accumulate 1 point for a $1 rebate for your next purhase with every $10 spent!
For more information, visit Meditrina's Facebook  or Website.

Till then,
Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: Coast to Coast’s Outback Skin Brightening Red Clay Mask [Sponsored]

Drawing on the wisdom of indigenous plant knowledge and combining it with the very best in modern science, Coast to Coast is a range of pure and authentic skin, bath, body and hair care products, which deliver optimum results using powerful natural ingredients from Australia. It is a product range that embodies the beauty and purity of the Australian landscape.

Coast to Coast firmly says 'NO' to artificial colours, fragrances and animal testing, ensuring their range is worthy of our trust. They use natural and organic ingredients that have been grown, harvested, handled, processed and stored without the use of any pesticides, synthetic chemicals, phosphates, growth stimulants or antibiotics. The results are products formulated to simply reveal naturally beautiful skin.

Coast to Coast has a very interesting concept, and that is to divide their range into 3 collections: Coastal - For normal, dry or sensitive skin

Outback - For dehydrated, dull or uneven skin

Rainforest - For oily, combination or blemish prone skin

And I'm glad to be able to try out one of their outback range products, which is meant for dehydrated, dull or uneven skin, to give a luminous complexion.

Skin Brightening Red Clay Mask (Quandong & Kakadu Plum) - $39

Quench your skin with this vitamin packed Australian Red Clay mask, which combines the potent antioxidant properties of Kakadu Plum, Desert Lime and Desert Quandong to improve devitalised & tired looking skin. Contains iron and essential minerals to even-out skin tone, replenish dry skin and restore radiance.

Using it was simple and quick, just spread a generous layer onto the face, avoiding the eye and mouth area, and wash off after 10 minutes.

A cute toy bunny to make this selfie a little less scary looking....

Even though it's just a clay mask, I actually felt a strong warming sensation as though it's a self-warming mask. Apparently, it's because my skin was really dehydrated hence the warming sensation. And true enough, after a few uses, the warmth gradually gets cooler. 

Washing the mask off might take a while, depending on how generous you were with the application, and the immediate results for me was an unbelievably smooth skin and visibly brighter complexion.

For more information on the mask, and other awesome products by Coast to Coast, check out their website/e-store HERE

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: Neutrogena Suncare [Advertorial]

As you all know, blogging to me is actually more of a hobby and I do hold a proper, full time job, working as a C&S Engineer at construction sites.

And while you may think that I'll be looking like this on site, with perfectly styled hair, clean faced, and spending most of my time in air-conditioned temporary site offices...

The truth is pretty much the opposite, as I usually end up sweating like a pig, standing under the hot scorching sun at the hottest time of the day, overseeing the site works.

New friends who heard that I'm a C&S Engineer based on site all commented, "Oh, but you're hardly tanned!"

Oh well, they have no idea how quickly I go through my sunscreens.

And I was definitely more than happy to be able to work with Neutrogena this time round, not for any other products, but specifically their suncare products!

While choosing a sunscreen, it is important to make sure that it offers long-lasting and stable protection against UVA and UVB rays. The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and the PA rating measures the protection against the UVB rays (what causes you to get sunburned) and UVA rays (what causes you to get skin-aging and cancer) respectively.

Hence, a good suncare product should not only have a sufficiently high SPF, but also sufficient '+' for PA rating to give you the best protection against both harmful rays.

For example, SPF 30 means it will take 30 minutes longer (than usual) for your skin to get burn, and PA+++ gives higher UVA protection than a PA+.

Neutrogena is the #1 dermatologist recommended suncare brand in USA and is one of the few brands in Singapore that has suncare protection for both the face and the body.

To protect our skin from the harmful effects of UV lights, Neutrogena has introduced the revolutionary Helioplex technologu that contains FDA-approved sunscreens covering the full UVA and UVB spectrum.

Though many sunscreens offer protection from UVA rays, this protection starts to break down when our skin is exposed to the sun. Helioplex prevents this from happening by stabilising the UVA protection so that even under highly intensive sunlight, we can be assured that our sun protection does its job more effectively over a longer period of time (up to 5 - 6 hours).



First up, the Ultra Sheer UV Waterlight with SPF 50+ and PA+++ for Face.

With a extremely light and watery consistency, this spreads onto your face effortlessly and may feel just a little bit sticky at first but will quickly dissipate upon absorption, making it perfect for usage under our daily make up!

Next up, there's the Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch with SPF 50+ and PA+++ for Face and Body.

Compared to Ultra Sheer UV Waterlight, the Dry-Touch is of a much thicker, creamy consistency and hence I'll personally prefer not to use it on my face, for spreadability is much lacking in comparison to the waterlight lotion. 

The first few moments of spreading was a little worrying as the thick cream felt as if it's not going to absorb/dry off well. But with a few more rubs, the cream quickly settles onto my skin and dries off into a clean, smooth and matted finish. It's no wonder this product is named the Dry-Touch. 

And did you know that Neutrogena also has a sunscreen body spray that allows you to apply directly onto wet skin? 

The Ultra Sheer Wet Skin with SPF 50+ and PA+++! 

This will be an awesome product to use for 'top up' times after an exercise session out in the sun, as there's no need to wait for the perspiration to dry out before application of the product.  

Can't wait to get one for myself and try this out! 

And did you know about the following?

1. Protecting your skin during the first 18 years of life can reduce the risk of some types of skin cancer by up to 78%. 

2. Severe sunburn during the first 15 years of life can double the risk of skin cancer. 

3. You can get sun damaged even on a cloudy day!

4. Up to 80% of the sun’s rays can penetrate light clouds, mist, and fog.

So what are you waiting for? Find out more about Neutrogena's suncare at their website HERE

Till then,

Mia Foo

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