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! :)

This sticker alone cracked me up so much! A joke or two sometimes do help to alleviate some PMS pains, yes?

So these were what was included in the April '16 box. Chocolates, cookies and snacks are definitely going to ease those strange cravings of the month!

I am more of a coffee person than a tea person, but I guess tea lovers will enjoy this healthier organic option!

A sweet note was attached and on it included a period tip. Adorbs. I was kinda enthralled by the scarlet coloured tissue paper as I unwrapped those goodies... couldn't be more apt of a colour. LOL.

Can anyone make a clever guess which is my favourite product in this month's box?

But of course.. the Hello Kitty O.P.I Nail Lacquer! Oozing cuteness in such a pretty pastel pink bottle!

Priced at $22 per box (1-time option), and 3 months for $63, 6 months for $120 and a whole year subscription for $228, before discount of 15%.

This can be a thoughtful gift for your girlfriends or for yourself as well, if you enjoy little surprises. It's inexpensive and the total worth of contents is always more than what you pay for! However, a little downside may be that the products aren't always to your liking or expectations, or they may turn out to be something that you won't use. BUT, to resolve that issue, simply pass it to a female colleague or a girlfriend! Share a little love!

To plan a little sweet surprise for yourself or your girl(s), visit http://www.bespokebox.sg/ today!

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.

Que Origin Shower.Bath Lavender 

A very sweet gift!

Que Origin is very sweet to customise a bottle with my name & blog logo on it. Customiseable bottle designs are one of their unique selling points!

My personalised bottle comes in Lavender scent.

Que Origin Shower.Bath Rose

     

Que Origin Shower.Bath Lemongrass

            

SWATCHES

Colourless, light, fragrant goodness in my palm.

My skin texture shown marked improvements after just one use!

MY THOUGHTS

I tried all three scents, and find myself reaching out for Lemongrass the most as it reminds me of a pampering spa experience! All the scents are easy on the nose, and the texture is light & not oily. My skin benefits the most from this shower bath - my post winter parched skin was instantly moisturised after one use! It doesn't lather much yet it cleanses superbly well without any hint of dryness.

Rarely you can find an all-rounded product that makes a perfect & inexpensive gift for others and for yourself. This set really has it all! Major score point is the shower bath are free from many harmful & harsh chemicals:

Sulphates Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS), Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate (SLES), Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate (ALS), Ammonium Lauryl Ether Sulphate (ALES), Soap, Harmful Preservatives, Parabens, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, DMDM, Hydantoin, Mineral Oils, Synthetic Fragrance, Phthalates (often use in synthetic fragrance for lasting scent), Propylene Glycol, EDTA, Alcohols, Ethanolamine Compounds, DEA, MEA, TEA, Animal Testing or by-products.

PROS:

1. Hydrating for the skin - my skin dryness & itchiness went away instantly.
2. Cleanse thoroughly with no oily residue
3. Affordable for daily use
4. Pretty packaging - customised stickers on the bottle
5. Makes a fancy, personalised gift for anyone
6. Cruelty-free (yayyyy!)
7. 250ml bottle awesome for travel and 730ml good for family use
8. It's a Singapore brand - support our local brands!
9. FREE SHIPPING for the first order!!

CONS:

 - NIL-

PRODUCT RATING: 

PRICE: 250ml S$4.90*/ 730ml S$9.80* 
*Discounted price with coupon code FAITHY

Earn Vouchers & Rewards when you purchase!!

SEASONAL EDITIONS (LIMITED)

With Chinese New Year round the corner, Que Origin launches HUATY, THE PROSPERITY MONKEY which is  scented with Sweet Orange Essential oil and mild Rose Geranium.

For Valentine's Day, they have three limited edition sets. Special mention to the unique CHOCOLATE DELIGHT which is made up of Rich Smooth Chocolate, Natural Vanilla Extract and Sweet Rose Geranium. Chocolates! Yes you heard right.

Chocolate Delight (Left) and HUATY (Right) 

Now, design your own bottle and send to your loved ones with FREE shipping (first order)!!

PLUS, $5 OFF for all my readers!! 

HOW TO ORDER?

Click on this link: www.que-origin.com?r=FAITHY

Alternatively, you can visit their website and key in  FAITHY during checkout.

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FREE SAMPLES FROM ME!!

(Whilst stocks lasts)

To receive a free sample, 1. LIKE my Facebook page, 2. Look for the above photo, tag any number of friends whom you think will like this product; 3. PM your mailing address.

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!

MY THOUGHTS on Hair Skin Nails+

The ingredients seems safe and somewhat common - vitamin C, zinc, silica, iron, biotin; with only the exception of St. Mary's Thistle, also known as 'Milk Thistle'; that is not as common but still, it is not unheard of. St. Mary's Thistle is a plant (as shown on the above photo) believed to be healthy for the liver due to its detoxifying properties. Liver breaks down excess hormones. Healthy liver function may contribute to a better hormone balance, thus helping to alleviate PMS symptoms and clear the skin in cases of hormonal acne.

From experience, I find that Vitamin C & Zinc are two key essentials to speed up the clearing of acne scars and lightening of sun spots on the skin. I take Redoxon Vitamin C + Zinc Slow Release on a daily basis. And on the weeks that I don't, it becomes apparent that my pimple scars are not healing as quick, and my skin looks darker than when I am on vitamin C supplement.
 
Iron nourishes the blood, so it is vital we have sufficient intake to remain healthy. With healthy blood, our skin, hair & nails obviously will become healthier too. 

Biotin, also known as Vitamin H is actually a soluble Vitamin B7. Often used to strengthen hair, it is said to do the same for nails and skin as well.

From the list of ingredients used in  Swisse Hair Skin Nails, we can conclude that this supplement tackles the basics and does not have many unnecessary or strange herbs that may pose health risks.

Personally, I find that my hair fall decreased a little and my nails were less brittle while I was using this supplement. I haven't witness any significant improvements to my skin, but my skin weren't causing any nuisance like it frequently does. On the plus side, I also did not experience any health problems after using this.

OVERALL PRODUCT RATING:

Swisse Argan Face Oil

Facial oils are not newbies in the market. Many women use them and rave about them. But because of my combination/acne-prone skin, for the longest time I have an innate fear of putting anything with oil in it onto my face. My facial skin condition is more stable nowadays as compared to some years ago, so I thought why not try using Argan oil - which is in fact meant to reset the skin's oil & water balance and also helps to clear blemishes? My friend gave me a sample of argan oil from another brand and I tried it with no negative side effects, so I braved myself on to try this one from Swisse.

Also made in Australia, this is a certified organic product that can be used on the face, hair & body.

It claims to improve the appearance of skin elasticity, hydration and ageing skin/blemishes. Sounds perfect, no? :)

 

My hubby bought this in Melbourne, together with the Hair Skin Nails+, and we forgot the price! (Opps, sorry!) And I haven't seen this argan oil on the shelves in Singapore yet. If you do, please kindly let me know in the comment box below!

SWATCHES & THOUGHTS on Swisse Argan Oil

I haven't use that many other brands of argan oil to be able to accurately judge how good (or bad) this Swisse one is, therefore I can only say it as it is.

First impression: Lightweight, thin consistency (quite feels watery, not oily) and spreads onto skin rather easily. Absorbs into skin in less than one minute after massaging. Faint scent - definitely not the heavy essential oil kind of fragrant smells though. Skin feels clean and moisturised after application, sans the greasy feel. Skin does look a little glowy since it really do have a thin film of oil on it. I don't normally used it on hair, but I did smooth some of the leftover oil on my palm onto my hair. Didn't find anything exceptional - didn't moisturise nor did it weigh my hair down.

After two weeks of usage: My face looks & feels less dry in air-conditioned rooms. I used this really sparingly at night and only pat on lightly on my face, at the last step of my daily skincare routine. There are times my facial skin looks a little greasy, perhaps after combining with my natural facial oils, the oil oxidizes? I didn't dare to apply this during hot weather, as I believe oil is still oil and oil can clog pores. I also had a few zits like how I normally would (probably due to hormonal cycles); it didn't really improve my facial skin like it (and many other argan oil) claimed.

Light, watery consistency.

Absorbs into the skin totally after one minute!

OVERALL PRODUCT RATING:

On a side note, I do not think that this is a bad product. It may have worked better for other skin types or for people living in less hot/humid climates. I may want to test this out again when I head to London this winter.

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?


A8. You don't have to wear anything you don't want to. I mean, it's not compulsory to purchase the colourful, neon Zumba wear that you see the instructor and the regulars wearing. They wear those because they think the Zumba clothings are nice; they want to look more professional, more Zumbarina-wannabe and honestly, they just want to look like they've got it. Ahem, the "They" includes me. And you know me, I am VAIN. Haha!

For starters, you only need your usual sports wear/ gym attire and your sports shoes. Oh, sidenote: please remember to bring a towel and a filled water bottle. Many of the Zumba venues are dance studios, not gyms. Those non-gym venues do not provide towels or water dispenser. Several locations have F & B places nearby so you can grab your isotonic drinks, mineral water, coconut water(YUMS!) before your class.

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Old pic taken  after Cyndi's class. Christmas season in 2013. (Spot where I am!!) 
May your body be fitter and leaner through fun fun Zumba before Christmas hits this year! 

If you're a Zumba fan in Singapore, and have been reading my blog, come say hi to me tomorrow! I will be at the Shape Glow event 2015 at Zouk!