ZARA - My go to place for fashion

ZARA has always been a go to brand for me since 2007, right about when I ORD from army. After saving some money during my NS days, I took a sum of money out from my savings to ‘update’ the clothes in my wardrobe since I was moving into uni life.

L and I were recently given the opportunity to dress each other up with the beautiful clothes from ZARA and it was a really fun experience for the both of us. I was pretty stressed up at first as I really didn’t know much about female clothes and how to pair the items up to bring out a particular style.  

Shopping for female clothes is no easy task, that’s probably the reason why you don’t see that happening at all! But I was really sure it’ll be fun..so let the shopping begin!!!

L was really accommodating whenever I pulled something off the rack to try on her. She did give me some hintsevery now and then when she knew that some of the outfits are totally out of her style! But I didn’t care.. It was my chance to explore what really fits her....in my opinion at least..

As for L, she has no problem dressing me up as she has been playing an active role in the clothes that I buy since the first day we got together. Here are the outfits that L chose for me =)

Outfit 1

Palm leaves printed tee: SGD45.90

Pale blue shorts: SGD59.90

Footwear: SGD69.90

As we went to ZARA just a couple of days before our Bali trip, L decided to pick outfits that would be relevant. I love how she matched this comfy palm leaves printed tee with the pale blue shorts.  In the hot Bali weather, I still managed to super feel comfortable in what I wore. 

Outfit 2

Striped Long Sleeve Top: SGD59.90

Cuffed Pants: SGD109.00

If you know me well enough, you’ll know that I love wearing long sleeve t-shirts. L knew that out of the 4 outfits that she chose for me, a long sleeve t-shirt will have to be included. And when she pulled this top out from the rack, I knew that this is a top that I will wear. The fabric is nice and light, suitable for Asian climate. And there’s no better way to complete the look other than a pair of cuff pants.

This outfit was chosen for our dinner on my birthday eve. =)

Outfit 3

Printed Tanktop: SGD49.90

Light Washed Denim Bermudas: SGD59.90

White Sneakers: SGD99.90

How can you not bring along a tanktop when you’re visiting Bali right? And that was what L did! She chose a tank top with a blend of patterns to match this tough denim bermudas. Really love the denim collection ZARA is offering this season! The look was completed with a pair of white sneakers with golden trim. Really giving off the clean yet strong feel.

Outfit 4

White Shirt: SGD69.90

Green Bermudas: SGD69.90

L chose this outfit for my birthday dinner with Chris & Eunice and as we were going to dine in a classy restaurant in Seminyak, Limaran felt that I should have some collar going on. Love the details of the mandarin collar as well as the unique colour tone of the bermudas.

So out of the 4 outfits that L chose, can you guess which outfit I love the most?

Well, if you ask me, I felt that L managed to pick 4 different styles that I am really glad I’m able to pull off. It was a really interesting experience to be able to pick a number of outfits for L. I never knew how tough it was to dress a girl. And I can now totally understand why girls are usually late for at least an hour......too many clothes to choose from!!

L and I had a really enjoyable time shopping at ZARA and if you’re not a ZARA fan yet, it’s time to check out what they have to offer. And there’s no better time to do it than the reopening of ZARA outlet at ION Orchard.

Both L and myself will be there during the store opening (10am – 12pm) and will hope to see you guys there =)

For the latest updates on what ZARA Singapore has to offer, click here! 

Road to better complexion: Venus Viva Treatment (Part 1)

Everyone knows how important it is to give a good first impression to people we meet. And like it or not, your physical appearance actually constitutes to more than 55% of it.

I’ve been running Team Axis for more than 5 years now and I am constantly meeting people. One thing that brings down my self confidence is actually the aftermath of #WHATPUBERTYDIDTOME! 

!!!ACNE SCARS!!!

I have always wanted to treat my acne scars but didn’t know how to go about choosing the right treatment for my skin. In 2012, while preparing for my wedding, I actually went for a number of non invasive laser treatments. However, I did not see any visible results after a total of 6 sessions and so I stopped going for the treatments.

The desire of treating acne scars was put on hold too.

Last year, my friend, Robin, went for Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment and the results were amazing. He used to have quite bad acne scars as well and after a series of treatments, there was a significant amount of improvement to his complexion. However, there was a down side. And that was a long down time. His face looked like it was literally burnt after the treatment.

To be extremely honest, I cannot imagine going through the recovery process and still carry on with work. And as I was participating in Manhunt last year, I couldn’t afford the long down time.

And this year, as I’m not participating in any competitions, it is the best time to finally do something about the acne scars. And I’m lucky enough to be introduced to Venus Viva.

So what is Venus Viva?

Venus viva is a revolutionary, patented, effective and impressive medical device from Israel using NanofractionalRadiofrequency(RF) and a SmartScan technology to treat acne scars, improve skin laxity and facial rejuvenation.

This advanced technology allows deep and uniform penetration of radiofrequency heat energy into the epidermis(superficial) and dermis(deep layers of the skin) to ablate and coagulate the skin resulting in micro-wounds.

Healing of the micro-wounds results in regeneration of new collagen and tightening of collagen to repair the skin and reduce the depths of the acne scars.

My doctor, who used to have bad acne scarring on her face, showed me her very own progress with the Venus Viva treatment.

After the consultation, I decided to give it a shot and took up a package of 6 sessions and will be documenting the progress of my complexion here.

I will be doing a blog post after session 1, 3 & 6. Really hope to see some wonderful progress throughout the 6 months treatment! *WISH ME LUCK*

Pre Venus Viva Treatment Photos

Before every session, numbing cream will be applied and left for 30mins so that the treatment will be more bearable.

30mins later, I was all set to commence my very own journey with Venus Viva.

The numbing cream really made the whole 20 mins treatment very comfortable as I was chit chatting with the doctor throughout the session. There was minimal pain and there was nothing unbearable. And before I know it, the session was done!

There was a warm and tight sensation on my face immediately after the session and I was expecting my face to look pretty red. Here are some of the photos:

Post Session 1 Venus Viva Treatment Photos

As you can see, there’s hardly any redness on my face and there’s no form of discomfort.

Here are some of the photos taken 1,3 and 5 days after the treatment.

1 day after treatment

3 days after treatment

5 days after treatment

As you can see in the photo, I did experience mild redness on my face for the first 2-3 days. But no one asked me what happened to my face during the whole week of recovery. It almost looked like there’s some mild rash due to the weather or something.

As it is just session one, I can’t really tell how the end product is going to be like but I am sure that my complexion will continue to improve. The doctor shared that the intensity of the laser was set quite low as it was my first session and she needs to see how my skin reacts to the treatment. Seems like everything looks normal and she’ll be bringing the intensity a little high for the next session.

But was really obvious is that my skin got slightly smoother and the pores are a little smaller.

If you’re also interested in solving your acne problem, drop by Mint Medical Aesthetics to find out more:

Mint Medical Aesthetics@Mint Medical Centre

01-10 HarbourFront Tower One

1 HarbourFront Place

Singapore 098633

T 87263383 

URL: www.mintmedaesthetics.com

Facebook: www.fb.com/mintmedaesthetics

Email: mintaesthetics@gmail.com

My experience with Hadara Power Facial Treatment

[Sponsored Post]

Whenever I’m tasked to describe myself, I always find these few words popping up at the top of my list: Active, Sporty, Driven, Fitness addict, and the list goes on.....

However, even though the following words aren’t ranked as high (vain, self conscious, etc) I will say that they do have a certain weight age in how I go about in my daily routine.

Having said that, I’m guessing that must be the reason why I got selected to be featured on HerWorld as one of the three ‘spornosexual’ guys in Singapore.

So what is spornosexual?

This new term embodies the modern day man who's often at the gym working on his physique. He's well built, tanned and hot. He prefers to spend his time, and his money, on his physical upkeep. And he doesn't shy away from showing off his results.

Leading a highly active lifestyle, I find that I have to take extra care of my complexion as I’m always sweating and the gym is also not the cleanest place to hang out. I was previously introduced to the range of Dermagold Facial Products just before leaving for my Korea trip last November and I really love the results. And when I heard about Hadara Aesthetic Boutique that uses Dermagold products for facials, I told myself that I have to definitely give it a try!

I have been shying away from having facials for the past 8 years due to bad experiences that I had during my national service days. My mum saw that my complexion got really bad and so she bought a facial package for me. I used to go for my facials every Friday when I booked out from camp.  It sounds really relaxing but what actually happened was the direct opposite. The lady will prick and squeeze every acne that she sees and I always leave with a swollen face. That’s also how I got all the unsightly scars left on my face.

When I checked in at Hadara, I brought all my concerns up to the therapist and she assured me that the treatment that I was going through is nothing like what I experienced years ago. I was recommended the Hadara Power Facial Treatment + Hadara Eye Sparkling Therapy.

Here’s a look at what the treatment include

Hadara Power facial:

1. Cleanse

2. Scrub

3. Extraction

4. Massage/lymphatic drainage

5. Cleopine air--‐spray penetration

6. Mask

As I managed to squeeze in a facial session during my lunch timing, I was really looking forward to a relaxing session that can get be recharged for the rest of the day. 

Here‘s a shot taken right before the start of the facial session. After cleansing and scrubbing, came the extraction part where I had a great amount of fear. Before I mentioned anything, the therapist reassured me that it will not be the same as what I’ve experienced previously. And true enough, it didn’t hurt a single bit! The therapist was really gentle and didn’t force her way through the extraction.

The next step after the extraction was my favourite;the Cleopineairspray!

Cleopine ampoules and air spray are invented by a Korean doctor. It is manufactured using a patented technology and it is FDA approved as a food substance.

Cleopine ampoule is especially suitable for sensitive skin and is penetrated into the skin using a special nano--‐technology air spray.

Cleopine contains:

1. Fermented peptides from mushrooms grown in Korea

2. Nutrients extract from pine trees in Korea

3. High quality mineral salt

Benefits of Cleopine:

‐ whitening

- anti-aging

- anti-wrinkle

- moisturising

- improved skin tone

Complementing the Hadara Power Facial was the Sparkling eye therapy. The therapist shared with me that too much screen time will cause the eyes to look really tired, something that I am very much concerned with. It is pretty significant that my eyes are looking really tired these past 2 years.

The sparking eye therapy stimulates blood flow to the skin, muscles and capillaries in the areas around the eyes, helping to drain excess fluids, reduce sagging areas, tone the muscles and nourish new cell growth. De- stressing the muscles that cause crow’s feet. This therapy also activates the pressure points around the eye sockets to help release tension in the visual system and increase the flow of life energy to the eyes.

90mins later, I was done with the wonderful treatment and my face felt really light and clean. Some sensitive areas along the T-zone have calmed down too.

Limaran and I also managed to grab a quick photo with the beautiful owners of Hadara Aesthetic Boutique.

Quote ‘Jason&Limaran’ for the following offers =)

1.       1) Hadara Special 25% off 1st time trial (ala carte price)

10+10 promo for Hadara Power Facial/ Sparkling Eye Therapy/ Hadara Derma-calm Facial (valid till 31 Mar 2015)

2.     2)  Buy any 3 DERMAGOLD products to enjoy 10% discount (valid till 31 Mar2015)

If you’re looking for a Aesthetic Boutique that uses quality products on you, remember to give Hadara a shot! Dermagold is a home grown brand that is designed for Singaporean skin.

Conveniently located at 

23 Lor Telok #01-01 

walking distance from Raffles Place MRT or Clarke Quay MRT.

The All New Peugeot 308

[Sponsored Post]

Everyone knows that it is not cheap to own a car in Singapore and I must say that I've been pretty blessed to be able to be driving for the past 5 year. And since it's not cheap to be driving in this tiny island called home, make sure you own a sweet ride is you so choose to be driving.

I was really excited when I was invited to the weekend launch of the all new Peugeot 308 on 25 January 2015.

My 1st encounter with a Peugeot was back in 2013 during my honeymoon in UK. Limaran and I decided to do a pure UK trip for 2.5 weeks and so we decided to do a little driving while we were outside London.

I got myself the Peugeot 208 (Manual) as it was rated one of the easiest car to handle and being a driver so used to automatic transmission for more than 8 years, I thought I better not over estimate my driving abilities.

Can you tell that the car is smiling too?? =)

Now back to the new Peugeot 308! Got too carried away as Limaran and I really had a wonderful time in UK!!

Whenever I am handed an assignment, I like to do some background research on the brand. What I found really interesting is that the history of Peugeot goes way back to the 1800s. Peugeot built its first car in 1858 and became one of the biggest automotive brands in Europe.

And as for the Peugeot 308, it was first unveiled in 2007 and has gone through a total of 2 facelift. Peugeot has also shown some really huge technological advancement since 2007.

Peugeot 308 (Year 2007) Photo credit: Carbuyer.com

The all new Peugeot 308 (Car of the year 2014)

I was really in awe when I first saw the design of the new 308 because it really looked awesome! Some of the really cool features of the exterior include:

- Full LED headlights with LED daytime running lights

- Panoramic glass roof – Stretches all the way to the back of the car and provides stunning views

 

I'm in LOVE

Peugeot made some really great changes to the cabin. Called the i-Cockpit Interior, the idea is to give it a minimalist feel yet really easy for the drive to navigate all its functions. 

The steering wheel has also been sized down for intense dynamic sensations, a high- positioned ‘head up’ instrument panel to easily read the information without taking the driver’s eyes off the road ahead, an enhancing high centre console and a large 9.7” touch screen for intuitive driving.

And most importantly, the new 308 has one of the biggest boot space in its class!

I just had to use my beautiful wife for this shot! =)

And of course, after the detailed introduction to the 308 by the Sales Manager of AutoFrance (Peugeot), Jimmy, it was time to take the new 308 for a spin!

I had a total of 4 passengers in the car and was honestly quite worried that the small 1.2litre engine will not be able to take the weight. But to my surprise, the 308 managed to give the ladies at the back seat a shock when I accelerated to counter an up slope. The turbo kicked in and dashed the car forward with ease.

While driving, I had a really clear vision on the road and felt that I was in full control of this mean machine. The 308 comes with a really cool safety feature; a blinking light at the tip of your side mirror whenever there is a car at your blind spot.

My overall experience with the all new Peugeot 308 was really amazing! The drive was smooth yet powerful, big credit to the 1.2L Puretech Turbo engine with its 6 speed EAT6 Gearbox.

It is also very gentle on the pocket in terms of fuel consumption, averaging 19.6km/l. 

And because you'll be patiently reading my blog, it's time for you to win some prizes!

There is a blogging contest going on and all you have to do is to post on your blog your favourite feature of the new Peugeot 308 and why. Stand a chance to win a staycation and a weekend with the Peugeot 308!!

Log on to  <http://blog.nuffnang.com.sg/2015/02/06/peugeot308-blogging-contest/> for more details. It's that simple!

Thanks for reading and do remember to visit the Peugeot showroom for more information!

Fitness Photoshoot with Herworld Singapore

Was called up for a photoshoot last November with Herworld Singapore and here are some of the photos taken. Enjoy!

Final product from the shoot

Behind the scene

A photo with Richmond & Raz

 And finally, Q&A segment video :)

There's a hidden story behind every photoshoot and that's what make every shoot special and unique. As for this shoot, i pulled my back from deadlift just 5 days before the shoot. Went for 2 treatment sessions without the 5 days and non stop stretching. I couldn't do any form of cardio after hurting myself so it was done purely with core workouts and stretching.

I'll remember this shoot for a long long time :)

Till the next post my friends.

MTG ReFa Active Review

[Sponsored Post]

As a fitness enthusiast, I always get excited to try out new fitness related products or services. And today, I'm really happy to share with you this wonderful product from MTG. As both Limaran and myself are selected as fitness influencers, we are fortunate enough to try out ReFa Active & Pao Facial Fitness.

ReFa Active

Full review of Pao Facial Fitness can be found at Limaran's blog (www.limaranagustina.blogspot.sg)

As for me, I'll be doing a review of this product called the ReFa Active.

What is MTG ReFa Active?

ReFa Active is an advanced hybrid massage roller that is specially designed for use on the body and face. This product is designed and manufactured in Japan.The titanium coated rollers and flexible handle replicate the gentle pinching and kneading sensation that an Aesthetician might include as part of your treatment. These actions stimulate your skin and the muscles below and increase circulation.

As I'm someone who's very skeptical when it comes to such products, I really have to try it personally to believe it. We were fortunate enough to have an in-depth product demonstration and got to try out the ReFa Active first hand. I have tried some old school massage roller that look pretty similar to the ReFa Active, just that it is made from wood, so I was expecting more or less the same sensation when using the ReFa Active. But to my amazement, the ReFa Active really feels like having a masseuse treating you. There is a personal touch when the titanium coated roller is moving on the surface of the body. I later found of that it is due to the flexibility of the handle as well as the microcurrent that is generated.

Let's find out more about what ReFA Active actually do:

 When a masseuse is massaging for you, his/her biological current is present during the session. That is why, regardless of how much one can spend on a massage chair, it will never as close as a human touch.


I was given the ReFa Active for product testing and guess what...I hurt my back a few days after. I told myself that there's no better way to test this product than this. Of course I still went to see a chinese physician and all but I used the ReFa Active 2 times a day, working on my lower back as well as the surrounding areas. My back felt loose and warm every single time after using the ReFa Active. With the help of the chinese physician, loads of rehab work and the ReFa Active, my back recovered in less than 2 weeks. I do not want to give full credit to the product because I believe it is just one of the reason why my back recovered. But I'm certain that without the ReFa Active, I may need an additional 1-2 weeks before I reach full recovery.

Now that I'm injury free, I still use it every evening on the muscle groups that I trained on that day. Knowing that it helps to promote good blood circulation and better recovery, I can have 5-6 quality trainings every week. I really like it that I'm able to give myself a good massage with this product and of course, I'll get Limaran to give me a hand for my neck and hard to reach areas. 

Shiokness written all over my face!

For Limaran, the ReFA Active is most frequently used on her very stiff neck and on her legs as she is always standing the whole day training clients. She also uses it on her clients after their workouts, which makes it a lot easier her. 

Dutiful husband at work!

It's been 3 months since we've used the ReFa Active and I must say that I can really feel the rewards from using this product diligently.


Feel free to find out more on http://www.mtg-sg.com and quote “JLnetwork” for a discount of 5% on any product! Thanks for reading and have a great week ahead everyone!