Pamper urself w a MANICURE

Happy Holiday Everyone : )) "Festival of Sacrifice" is celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. A day one ponder of the sacrifices made to be a better Muslim, children, sibling, spouse and a friend.

With that I am sharing some pictures taken of mosques around the world:

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Have you ever wonder what they actually do when you pamper yourself with a manicure?
1) Removal of any nail polish (From the small finger to the thumb)
Nail polish is set by evaporation therefore to remove one, we need to soak cotton wool with nail polish remover and placed it about 10 second on the nail before wiping it off'

2) Place a piece of tissue paper below the hand

3) Filing
Brown (Manicure)
White (Pedicure)
3a) Discuss client's requirement of filing shape.
3b) Hold the filer correctly (4 fingers in front & the thumb behind, as shown below)

3c) The filer should be 45 degree to the nail & filed in one direction with long stokes/ sounds.

3d) Filing is done toward the end of the nail via the two side first before moving to the center section of the nail.
3e) For a good filing, one must be able to demonstrate correct beveling technique, filling technique and able to hold client's finger correctly .

4) Massage & Soak
4a) Cotton bub is soak with sweet almond oil & place on the cuticle from small finger to thumb.
4b) Massage in circular motion using the thumb.

5) Dab dry with towel
6) Apply cuticle cream & massage

7) Orange Stick wrap with cotton wool.
7a) Dip with water
7b) Push in circular motion at 45 degree on the nail

8) Use of Cuticle knife
9) Use of Cuticle Nipper
10) Massage
11) Dab the hand with tissue

12) Vanishing
12a) Base Coat
12b) 1st Coat
12c) 2nd Coat
12d) Top Coat

Correct handling of product, appearance, client care, hygiene and proper sterilization are important for any

Good Manicure!!!

HaLloWeEn CaMe lAtE

Pedicure and Medicure, Me? What a total mismatch!!!

The whole 3 hours was all about varnish and  finishing result:
a) Squeak the nails
b) Application of base coat

c) Application of 2 coats of colored varnish

Simple steps of colour varnish application are :
c1) Ensure the colored varnish form a ball from the bottle
c2) Place the ball 2 or 3mm from the cuticle on the middle of the nail .
c3) Spread the brush
c4) Push the brush up and away
c5) Repeat the same steps for the 2 sides of the nail

d) Application of top coat
e) Only 3 stokes per nail
f) The gap between cuticle & varnish must be 2 to 3 mm away
g) Vanish must be applied smoothly and evenly
h) No evidence of flooding
i) The finger must be correctly supported
j) The product must be correctly handled
k) The finished result must be commercially acceptable

which I failed terribly that when my class mate look at my nails they said it's like Halloween.
This is going to be a long long road for me......... ACHA-ACHA!!!

Recommendation PLS!!!!

I finally found the book "Six Thinking Hats" by Edward de Bono. Recommended by Donald Trump in his interview with Forbes, "Secret of a self made 2009" Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats is the latest book that he read. He quoted that the book thoroughly covers the process of thinking, and it's a way to avoid blind spots if you are thinking alone. He coined the expression "lateral thinking," and this book provides a comprehensive approach to using your brain in an efficient and effective way. Wow with that I can't wait to get started.

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The last facial theory is all about revision and more revision.
In summary:
Day home product recommendation is all about practicality and protection
whereas
Night home product should be nourishing to the skin.

In the day all you need is
1) Hydrating or Anti sensitive cleanser
2)  Hydrating or Anti sensitive toner
3) Hydrating or Anti sensitive Day Cream with SPF 15
Hydrating product can be used for all type of skin but for an individual with sensitive area on the skin an anti sensitive product are much better choices.

At Night,
Different product can be use on the face to target on dissimilar problems especially for combination skin:

1) Hydrating or Anti sensitive cleanser
2) Hydrating or Anti sensitive toner
3) Hydrating anti dark eye / eye bag gel (below 40) or cream (above 40)

4)
# Purifying night cream/ serum for oily area of the skin
# Hydrating cream/ serum for dehydrated area of the skin
# Anti sensitive cream/ serum for sensitive area of the skin (below 40)
# Intensive moisturizing cream/ serum for sensitive area of the skin  (above 40)

5) Mask is to be used only once a week.
# Purifying mask for oily area of the skin
# Hydrating mask for dehydrated area of the skin
# Anti sensitive mask for sensitive area of the skin (below 40)
# Intensive moisturizing mask for sensitive area of the skin (above 40)

6)Scrub is to be used only once a week.
Hydrating or Anti sensitive Scrub

WE ARE DONE yaaaaa!!!!

Moving on Pedicure & Manicure. It will be an interesting outcome coming from a person who has never get her nail done : ))

If I am 28

It's the weekend finally. Today is all about product recommendation
Imagine a 28 year old girl with combination skin (oily t- zone & sensitive cheek)
sooooooo What product should she be using at home?
1) Cleanser/ Toner & Day moisturize with SPF: An anti sensitive product of course!!!!!(due to the water base component) A purifying product is a big no- no for such skin type as it will aggravate the sensitive condition.
2) Night product or better known as treatment product are:
a) Purifying night cream for the T-zone & Anti sensitive night cream for the cheek
b) As she is just 28, an anti dark eye circle & hydrating gel/ cream/ serum should be used. For more mature ladies, eye cream (Rich) is more suitable.
c) A hydrating night cream or gel should be used for the neck area. An intensive moisturizing night cream should be used on mature skin instead.
d) A purifying mask is to be used on the T- zone & anti dark circle eye mask
e) A motorizing with vitamin E anti- sensitive scrub is appropriate than a peel (stronger). It can also be used once a week.

Have you ever wonder what ingredients are mix in your clay mask at a spa parlor?
1) Oily Skin: Kaolin with Orange flower water (Can be used for sensitive skin) / Witchhazel (More stronger due to the alcohol content)
2)Sensitive Skin: Calamine mask with rose water
3) Dry, Dehydrating & normal skin: magnesium carbonate with rose water

Rose water is an active lotion for all skin type except oily skin & orange flower water is for oily skin only.

For a sleeping queen like me, this blog is really the only motivation for me to stay awake now. so hopefully you are enjoying this as much as i zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Time to grieve

I am feeling sad, disappointed, let down, fuming, angry and any other words that can describe the closing of Wellness Village Spa. Had signed a facial and massage package for $1800 & just use up 4 times out of 24 sessions. For a careful buyer that does not spend much on cosmetic products and always on a look out for good bargain, this is so far the worst purchase I had ever made. SUCK MAN !!! for what its worth God is all mighty & I am leaving in his good hand to sentence a punishment just for the Indonesian lady boss ~ LIA MEYRINA... In the meanwhile, I will be following the tread of this case to cut my losses. Wish me luck ya

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This bad investment is all over my face at class last night. Thanks to all my class mates, friends & ever supportive hubby who are all there for me, so now here I am standing up & brushing away all the dirt to share with you some thing interesting I learn on “Home Care Product Recommendation”

Basic Home Care Product Recommendation is categories into four type:
1) Hydrating: Water base product or all type of skin types
2) Purifying: Water base product, sometime with a little amount of alcohol for oily or acne skin
3) Anti sensitive: Water base product for sensitive skin
4) Intensive Moisturising: Oil base product for dry skin only
Advance Home Care Product includes:
1) Pigmentation/ Whitening
2) Anti ageing or lifting
As much as you want to remove all your pigmentation & wrinkle first, a good beautician will solve your basic skin problem before working on your advance problems.
A good home care product for all individual included:
1) A good cleanser for your skin type,
2) Toner
3) Day Cream with moisturizing ingredients & SPF. Try not to put too much product on your skin in the day as it cause oiliness
4) Treatment products for the night. The more the merrier

Treatment products for the night are:
A) Vitamin A
B) Amplues/ Serum
C) Mask
Question: At home why do we put on a mask before moisturizer & at any spa the sequence is opposite?
Look out for the answer in my next upload till than do pound on it

Mask, Mask & more Mask

All done with the clay mask here come the rest….
Peel off mask: made from gel, latex or paraffin wax. This mask insulates the skin causing an increase of the temperature

a) Gel peel off mask: Is it make out of biological ingredients (starches, gums or gelatin) or synthetic non- biological ingredients. The mask can be use for all types of skin but not advisable for excessive facial hair individual as the mask peel off upon drying. To avoid the discomfort on removal a lubricant should be place under the mask.
b) Latex peel off mask: An emulsion of latex and water. As the water evaporates, it will leave a rubber film over the face. More suitable for mature & dry skin due to the tightening effect.
c) Paraffin Wax peel off mask: Blend of petroleum jelly or acetyl alcohol which improves its spreading properties. The wax is heated up to 37c before applying to the skin. Due to its stimulating action, it is unsuitable for greasy skin or sensitive skin but recommended for Dry Skin instead

Thermal mask contain various minerals. The mask warms upon contact with the skin will cause pores to enlarge thereby cleaning the skin. Due to its stimulating & cleaning action, this mask is suitable for normal skin or congested greasy skin with open pores

NON SETTING MASK. The ones that stay soft on application include:

a) Warm oil: Is made out of plant oil (Olive oil or almond oil). Is warmed before application and aid in softening the skin and helps to restore the skin natural moisture balance.
b) Natural masks- fruit, plant and herbal: Mildly astringent and stimulating effect rich with natural vitamin & minerals
c) Cream: the mask have a softening and moisturizing effect to the skin as each mask contain various biological extracts or chemical substances to treat different skin types

Do you know, Honey, Egg white, Avocados & Banana can be use as natural masks?
1) Honey: For toning, tightening, antiseptic and hydrating effect
2) Egg White: For tightening & clearing impurities from the skin
3) Avocados: For nourishing effect
4) Bananas: For softening effect

For all face mask application, we must observe several contra- indications which allergies, claustrophobia & sensitive skins

A good beautician is able to provide product recommendations to any skin types & this is something I am looking forward to learn in my next lesson….

More than a Simple Facial

Its the weekend & here I am picking up from where we left

Combination skin.......
For Combination Skin, we have to look in 6 different areas of the face
1) Forehead
2) Nose
3) Chin
4) Cheek
5) Eyes (Dark Circle, Line)
6) Neck (Fine Line & shaggy)
Same analyses of pores, skin texture, skin tone & muscle tone apply but to be separately look at for each area.

Quick recap of any standard facial process:
1) Cleanser
2) Toner
3) Scrub/ Enzyme Peel
4) Extraction
5) Ampules/ Serum
6)Massage cream/ Oil
7) Mask

& so 2nd in the list is our humble toner (To be use after every cleanser):
a) Provide a cooling effect to the skin due to the evaporation effect
b) Create a tightening effect on the skin because the chemical within the toner called an astringent cause the pores to close reducing the flow of sebum and sweat onto the skin surface
c) Help to restore the acidic ph balance

Likewise there is also more than 1 type of toner
a) Purifying toner: For oily skin
b) Hydrating Toner: For all type of skin
c) Anti sensitive Toner: For sensitive skin
d) Intensive moistoring Toner: Just for Dry skin & a no- no for our young delicate dehydrated skin as it will be too rich.

The main different of toners are differentiated by the amount of alcohol they contain:
a) Bracers & fresheners: The mildest which contain no alcohol & mainly purified water with floral extract (rose water) for dry, delicate, sensitive & mature skin
b) Tonics: Slightly stronger which contain very small amount of astringent (witchhazel) for normal skin
c) Astringents: The strongest with high proportion of alchol and may contain antiseptic ingredients such as hexachlorophener for blemished skin and promoting skin healing. This is recommended for oily skin with no sensitivity & mild acne young skin.

Enzyme peel or exfoliation is necessary during all facial to remove dead skin and soften one skin. A scrub effect is not as strong as a peel and just for your info our skin take about 28 days to renew themselves.

The 3 types of peel are:
1) AHA, BHA, TCA: These are fruit acid peel, the most strongest & most effective peels that will cause redness & skin to peel off after used. 20% is the most recommended
2) Enzyme peel: The most mild & popular peel
3) Lactic peel: A mild milk base peel.

EXTRACTION the most dreadful period of any facial visit : ((
Do you know that after every extraction done, a Cotton wool soak with antiseptics, sterilizing lotion soften or toner need to be use?

With all the cleaning & scrubbing..........OVER

Here come the moisturising parts:
The use of ampules or serum via manual or machine which used 95% ultrasound to penetrate into deeper skin layer. The ampules are categorize the same way as toners purifying, hydrating and etc.

A face & shoulder massage is also given to
a) loosen and shed dead epidermal cells for the skin to appear fresh & young
b) Improve supply of oxygenated blood essential for cell growth (firming & facial contour)
c) Increasing blood circulation to induces relaxation & treat tense muscles
d) Improving blood colour
e) Purify the skin by lymphatic circulation and venous blood circulation
f) Increase temperature of skin to relax the pores and follicles that in turn aid absorption
g) Sensory nerves can be soothed or stimulated
h) Increase the production of skin natural oil and moisture balance
That explain why we limit massaging oily skin to 5 min only (others type of skin: 10 to 15 min)

The 6 types of massage are:
1) Elleurage better known as Swedish message
2) Petrissage
3) Percussion/ Tapotement
4) Vibrations
5) Fiction
6) Knitting

Last but not least: Masking
There is 2 types of mask
1) Setting
2) Non setting

Setting mask come in:
a) Clay packs
b) Peel off mask
c) Thermal mask

Clay mask absorbs sebum and debris leaving it cleansed. It can also stimulate or soothe skin according to the ingredients:
a) Calamine: Light pink powder which soothes surface blood capilaries for sensitive and delicate skin
b) Magnesium Carbonate: Light white powder which create a temporary astringent and toning effect for open pores on dry and normal skin
c) Kaolin: A commonly used cream colour powder which has very stimulating effect helping the skin to remove impurities and waste products used for congested and greasy skin.
d) Fuller's Earth: Green, Heavy clay powder with very stimulating effect such that the skin will show slight reddening & produces a whitening, brightening effect. Only used on greasy skin with sluggish circulation but a no- no for sensitive skin.
f) Flowers of sulphur: Yellow clay powder which has dying effect to be apply only on blemishes.

To activate these masks it is necessary to add liquid (active lotion)
a) Rose water and orange flower water: For a very mild stimulating and toning effect
b) Witchhazel: Soothing effect on blemished skin and use on greasy skin.
c) Distilled water: Used for highly sensitive skins
d) Almond oil: Mildly stimulating & because it is an oil, it does not allow the mask to dry therefore recommended for highly sensitive or dehydrated skin.
e) Glycerol: A humectant which prevents the mask drying suitable for dry & mature skin
f) Vitamin E: Oil base (Avocado is high in vitamin E)

I am not sure about you but this is all I can handle for the weekend. So logging out now.......

Wat Ur Skin type???

Finally with the help of my charming hubby & lovely sis, I am starting my blogging journey. Hopefully with all the posting I intended to writte after every lessons help me in one way or another with my grades & also served as a sharing session of what I called a "Beauty Antidote"

My 1st class started off with the standard facial treatment process. It covers the reception area which are used to provide consultation, checking contraindication condition (condition that the client is not allow for any treatments) which i do not see much of that in the market......., treatment proposed and cost (for every budget, a very important point to remember)

Next stop is the preparation area which intended to make the client feel at ease. Changing area, treatment robe, towel & a locker is an essential.

The basic facial products preparation requires:
a) Cleanser
b) Toner
c) Enzyme peel/ Scrub
d) Extraction
e) Ampules/ Serum
f) Massage cream/ Oil
g) Mask

Do you know that there is more than one type of cleanser? Each cleanser is used for a different purpose
a) Cleansing cream,
It is one of the most powerful oil based cleanser used to remove make up and more suitable for dry skin
b) Cleansing milk,
More water based with very little oil content cleanser suitable for all skins. It can also be use as an alternative from cleansing cream to remove make up
c) Cleaning Gel,
Suitable for oily skin as the oil content is near zero
d) Cleaning Oil,
Do not be fool by the name, the oil is actually water based which liquefied when come in contact with water . It's usually used on sensitive skin & can be very expensive
e) Cleaning Mousse,
It's a no- no for oily skin but can be use for other skin types

Our skin type are usually categorised as
a) Normal
b) Combination
c) Sensitive
d) Oily
e) Dehydrated
f) Dry

& beautician analyse different type of skin by 4 areas:
1) Pores,
Enlarge or Refine, Congested with pimple, comedone ( Just a Fancy name for blackhead) & milia (guess what is mean???? WHITE HEAD)
2) Skin texture
Testing is done by using your 2nd & 3rd finger, smooth or rough
3) Skin Tone/ Colour
Even/ Uneven, scarring due to pimple, pigmentation & redness
4) Muscle tone
Elasticity check. Testing is done below the chin area (Good, average, shaggy/ ageing or double chin)

Normal skin will have refine pore, smooth skin texture without fine line or wrinkle, even skin tone with no pigmentation & firm muscle tone. (Every ladies dream skin)

Oily Skin, a condition 99% of Singaporean is diagnosed with due to our humid weather. Enlarged pore with congestion of pimple, comedone, milia, uneven skin tone with average muscle tone.

Dehydrated skin is usually wrongly associated with dry skin.This perception is totally wrong as dehydrated skin is a condition only for the younger age group (below 30). The condition can be temporary due to harsh product usage, sun tanning, smoking & drinking. A water based hydrating product should be introduce to restore the skin. The skin usually have refine pores, rough texture, uneven skin tone & average muscle tone

Dry skin is due to human aging process (above 40). A high oil contain product is recommend to improve the rough & flaky skin texture, uneven skin tone & poor muscle tone. The pore condition will depend on past indiviual skin condition. Enlarged pores are commonly link with indiviual previous oily skin condition.

Sensitive skin can mirror either enlarge or refine pores condition, reddish skin tone with rough skin texture and muscle tone will depend on the age of the indiviual.

As for Combination skin......This will be cover in my next upload so look out for them
logging off for my beauty SLEEP now : ))