Friday 17 July 2015

Review of eye define at Browhaus, Tampines1

Purchased the eyeliner tattoo session at $428 and went for the treatment this afternoon. I had to postpone the session to today because previously I had eyelash extensions which would reduce the effects of the numbing cream on my eyelids.

I was very worried about the pain factor because I wasn't sure how effective the numbing cream was going to be. The therapist first drew an outline of how the end results will look like before starting. Those who had seen me with my regular makeup would know that I usually line my eyelids with a thick line of eyeliner. However the therapist advised me against having such a thick line tattooed as this is semi-permanent after all. Henceforth we went ahead with a thinner, more natural look. 

She first applied the numbing cream which will take 15mins to take full effect. When she started, not only did the buzzing sound from the tattooing device send chills down my spine, I was also quite shocked to feel the tattoo device stinging my eyelids (isn't it supposed to be pain-free?). This is turning into quite a nightmare it seems. The therapist then applied a 2nd layer of numbing cream before continuing. 

The whole tattooing process was very uncomfortable to say the least, not to the extent of painful yet but just imagine how sensitive the eye area is and having ink jabbed into the skin multiple times? That is certainly not a soothing nor comfortable procedure at all.

At the end of the hour I was just super relieved that I survived without having my eyeballs pierced. Immediately after I could feel the swell in my eyelids and as the numbing cream started to wear off I could feel mild pain in the lids. 

The therapist did inform me of swelling the following day and I should use an ice pack to help relieve swelling. I also purchased the aftercare set ($160.50) to help prolong the lifetime of the eyeliner tattoo. The Build formula is said to repair and regenerate skin cells while the Fix balm is to help heal skin wounds.

Personally I would not recommend this treatment for the faint-hearted, I felt the whole experience was quite traumatizing. Undergoing such torture to save time over makeup is not a worthy trade at all! Had I known that the discomfort level was at such high intensity I would never have bought the treatment session. Nonetheless, each and every individual has his/her threshold for pain. I could undergo brazilian waxing with no sweat, facial sessions with intensive blackhead extractions also with no sweat. But this, tattooing on the eyelids is on another level altogether!

Recovery stages in another blog post soon!


Monday 13 July 2015

Review of laser facial at Refresh Laser Clinic, Tampines Mall

Promotion as follows - Enjoy complete care at Refresh! Three minutes of Deep Laser (Gold standard FDA approved Revlite/Fotona) wash and two minutes of Intense Pulse Light Lift with pre and post treatment care by experience clinic assistant.

3 x Laser Facial at $60

Arrived promptly on a Friday evening for the first session of laser facial and after filling up the registration form, I was promptly whisked away to start the procedure. 

The clinic assistant first helped to cleanse and remove any makeup on my face before the doctor had a quick chat with me to find out my objectives from the laser treatments as it was my first session with Refresh. 

Before starting the doctor did mention that as this is my first session, he will lower the intensity accordingly.

The treatment room had about 4-5 beds and was partitioned by curtains, much unlike the individual private room I experienced at Gangnam Laser Clinic

The laser treatment was administered by doctor and right after followed by IPL administered by the clinic assistant.

The entire procedure took less than 15mins and I was able to book my 2nd appointment with much ease. The promotion I purchased requires the 3 sessions to be utilized within 7days hence the 2nd appointment was on the immediate Sunday evening. I am delighted to find that Refresh accepts appointments as late as 8.30pm on week days and even on weekends the doctor is available for laser facials.

On the 2nd appointment during the laser facial I was a little shocked when the laser facial felt more intense on my skin than before. I figured it is most likely due to the doctor upping the intensity since this was my 2nd session.

On the 3rd and final session, I chickened out and requested for a lower intensity which really felt like nothing on the skin. Needless to say when the laser operates at such lower power, there is not much effect so to speak. 

1st session by Dr David Tan
2nd session by Dr Yau
3rd session by a doctor whose name I can't remember. 

There is no consultation with the doctor nor follow-up offered and every single laser session I had a different doctor treating me. I am still deciding whether or not to take up a package because their prices are comparatively cheaper amongst all other laser clinics. 

Thursday 9 July 2015

Review of Fat Freezing at Only Aesthetics, 25A Lorong Mambong

Purchased a Groupon for 2 sessions of Exilis Laser Fat Reduction for $114 but owing to misinformation on Groupon's website (not again!) and wrong information given by Only Aesthetics' staff, I showed up for my appointment only to find that the Lorong Mambong outlet does not have the Exilis Laser machine.

Nonetheless, the consultant swapped Exilis Laser Fat Reduction for Fat Freezing treatment (Groupon price 3 sessions for $260). In today's single appointment alone, the Fat Freeze treatment administered was 2 sessions. Of course, no beauty appointments are complete without up-selling by the consultant. As part of their ongoing promotion, the consultant recommended CoolSculpting for $588 which promises to deliver results in a single session. Blehhh, I am here to utilize my Groupon and see results from this treatment, not spend additional bucks on other costly treatments.

I went down during lunch and the clinic appeared to be under-staffed, the consultant attending to me was overwhelmed with phone calls and faxes. There was no explanation given to me for the treatment I was having and no explanations on what to expect.

After I rejected the consultant's offer for CoolSculpting and insisted on going ahead with Fat Freeze, the consultant kindly added that Fat Freeze does not produce results in a single session, I will need at least 5-6 sessions to see results.

The consultant applied a gel on my tummy and laid out a cold wet piece of cloth on my tummy before using the Fat Freeze machine on my target area. The overall sensation was a strong suction pressure (similar to vacuum cleaner) on my belly. The 2 suction plates (1 on each side of my tummy) is equivalent to 2 sessions of Fat Freeze.

After 45mins I was done and of course, there was no visible results (abuthen!). Oh well, at least I tried.