Dealing with Pulmonary Embolism - Part One

Three weeks in hospital, and this was how it happened...

It was a usual Saturday evening resting in bed when I realised I had pain at the back of my neck, of which I thought was just a tired/sore neck from improper posture or tiredness. Nonetheless, I went to sleep, though during the night, I woke up several times from feeling discomfort/pain in the left side of the body. I woke up the next day and noticed pain in my left shoulder. I thought I had slept wrong or pulled a muscle. I also noticed that I was always short of air, and always needed to take deep breaths, but whenever I took deep breaths, the left side of my body, including the neck, shoulder, and chest (the middle of my left lung) started feeling tight and painful. I thought I had strained something. At this point, I wasn't really concerned, and I wasn't into seeing a doctor, though I did call my usual GP to see whether my symptoms needed any medical attention, and he said that if was really worried, I could see a doctor, but just by the mere symptoms, he said I should be fine.That morning, I stayed at home.

Some time in the afternoon, I started coughing like mad, and when I coughed out the phlegm, there was blood. This happened twice, and it got me a little worried, though still not enough to make a visit to the doc's.  I started googling my symptoms, and came across this term "Pulmonary Embolism" - many people who had taken Yaz or Yasmin ended up having this, and had similar symptoms. I had been taking Yaz on and off since giving birth to my oldest son, and suspected it may be the cause of my discomforts. In the U.S., there have been many filed claims against Bayer, the company that produces the birth control pills, Yaz and Yasmin, and Bayer even "agreed to set aside almost US$57 million in a fund to settle Yasmin and Yaz claims outstanding as part of a multidistrict litigation program in Illinois federal court, and Yasmin/Yaz lawsuits that have been filed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California state courts. The settlement, which was announced August 6 [2015], will resolve arterial blood clot claims including heart attack and stroke". I figured that I really needed to have a check-up, but since it was Sunday family day, I decided to postpone my doctor's visit till the next day.

That night, we went out for dinner with the kids, and I didn't have much appetite. The pain on the left side of my body had increased, and even the back of my lungs had started hurting when I took in deep breaths. After sending the kids home, hubby suggested that I see a doctor, since the pain would not let me get a good night's rest anyway. Off to the doctor's we went, and after telling him my symptoms, by first glance, he suspected that I had Pneumothorax (the presence of air or gas in the cavity between the lungs and the chest wall, causing collapse of the lung), but needed to do tests to see what was really wrong with me, so he referred me to the Accident & Emergency Department (A&E) at the hospital. With the referral letter from the doctor, I was admitted into A&E immediately, and they set up an Electrocardiogram (ECG), and had me stay the night at the hospital, where they had my blood tested as well as having a CT scan early the next morning. I was off food for the night, and was given a sodium drip. After the CT scan, I was feeling a dizzy and short of breath again, so I was given a nasal cannula for extra oxygen intake.

I was surprised to see my doctor by my side as I was being pushed back into my room after the CT scan - he obviously had some bad news to tell me. He looked very worried and was slightly hesitant to tell me what was wrong. He told me that there were blood clots in the left and right side of my lungs, and needed to refer me to a specialist to see what they could do. A few minutes later after settling back in my room, the specialist came, and I was very surprised to see her - she was the doctor I saw when I was admitted into the hospital back in February, when I was down with Norovirus. She showed me my CT scan results, and said that there were blood clots in both sides of my lungs. As I was staying at a private hospital, she suggested that I transfer to a public hospital where they could monitor me 24-7, otherwise I would have to stay at the Intensive Care Unit (around HK$30,000 per night, excluding the doctor's fees, medical fees, etc) for around 2 weeks, and yet, it still wouldn't be as safe, as there isn't a specialist doctor at the hospital 24-7. I was instantly transferred to the closest public hospital via an ambulance.

Nonetheless, off the nearest public hospital I went. With the referral letter from the private hospital, I was admitted into the A&E pretty quickly, and after having done the ECG, I was taken up to the Medical Ward. They put me in the bed that was placed directly in front of the nurse's desks, and continued with the sodium drip and nasal cannula. Before the actual reports from the private hospital even arrived, I was instantly given a Clexane injection on the tummy. Who the hell invented injecting into the tummy? It's insanely painful, and the pain doesn't go away instantly either! The Clexane injection is used to stop blood clots from forming within the blood vessels. For the 2 out of 3 weeks of my stay at the hospital, I was given this injection, and my tummy was full of bruises.

As Pulmonary Embolism is VERY UNCOMMON in young Chinese females, the doctors all were very shocked to see my scan results! I was the one who told my doctors that I had been taking Yaz, and I read online that Yaz can cause Pulmonary Embolism. The doctor then went to do some research to confirm my findings, but said that the pills only triggered the illness, and is not the sole cause of PE.

Most people who have Pulmonary Embolism, usually also have Deep Vein Thrombosis, so I also had an ultrasound on my legs to see whether I had blood clots in my legs, but results turned out negative. I was forbidden to walk around before having done the ultrasound, but was encouraged to start walking a bit when they found out that there were no clots in my legs. It had been over a week since I had just stayed in bed, and my legs felt weak, and I needed to hold something or have someone hold me when I walked to and from the toilet.

After I had started walking around again, I noticed that my right leg always felt tingly, and my right hip had felt painful every time I had walked around. The pelvic area became so painful that it had often disrupted my sleep. I had an X-ray on my back and also a CT scan on the pelvic area. The CT scan results showed that there were blood clots in the right pelvic area, and I was forbidden to walk around again.

Two weeks in hospital with most of the time unable to walk around, I had not taken a shower at all! I had my body wiped with a wet towel every now and then, but my hair had started becoming very oily. These two products absolutely saved me - the Foresta Curo Refresh Styling Powder helped to minimise the appearance of hair oil, but it was the Shills Jasmine Damascus Voluminizing Dry Shampoo that really did the trick to make my hair feel non-greasy, looks dry & voluminised, and also smells of jasmine! Even the nurses there had complimented the way my hair looked!

After two weeks had gone by, it was time for me to choose my anticoagulant medication that would help to reduce future blood clotting. I would be required to take this everyday for a period of one year. After some discussions with my dad, taking into consideration of its effectiveness, its known side effects, and whether an antidote existed (in case of any accidents of internal bleeding), I decided to take Warfarin, despite the doctors asking several times why I didn't choose the newer ones. Warfarin has been around since the 1950s (so there have been many clinical tests, and we know of all its side effects already). The Warfarin treatment has several shortcomings though, for one, many commonly used medications and foods (particularly dark leafy vegetables, since they contain large amounts of vitamin K) interact with Warfarin, and its activity must be monitored by blood testing for the International Normalised Ratio (INR) to ensure that an adequate yet safe dose is taken. This means that I have to follow a strict Warfarin diet by eating the same amount of leafy greens everyday, and going back to the hospital for regular blood tests and doctor visits to see whether my INR is stable, and to see whether my medications need adjusting.

Despite still feeling weak and occasionally feeling short of breath, chest pains, and dizzy, I was finally discharged after spending three weeks at the hospital. I have been told to avoid all sorts of exercise for the year, and to take everything super slow.

During my stay at the hospital, I'm so glad to have had these with me...

Protec Blend

After a few days of not taking a bath, I started feeling itchy down there. My solution was to pour some Protec onto a cotton pad, and wiped down there. Protec contains Frankincense, Myrrh, Sage, and Cumin essential oils! Godly blend!

Lavender Pure Essential Oil

A drop of Lavender essential oil on my undies really did the trick to calm the skin, and help avoid any further itchiness down there.

I only use essential oils that are pure and are of therapeutic grade.

This information is provided here for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors who retain copyright as marked.

The information contained on this website is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information represents what I, and Independent Distributor of Young Living Essential Oils, have chosen to do to take charge of my own personal health and that of my family. Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using these products.

REVIEW: Pony Effect Spray Paint Nail Lacquer

Nail polish used to be my thing, though I was never really good at using it, especially when it came to applying it with my left hand. I was also never good at keeping my nails unscratched, so they always looked ugly within a few days. Sometime last year, I started getting gel nails done, and I was so pleased at how pretty they were and how long-lasting they were compared to my own polish-painted nails! This eventually became my monthly hobby, and I would come up with different patterns and ideas for the lady to copy. Soft gel nails usually only last 2-3 weeks, but hard gel nails can usually last 4-6 weeks (of course by 6 weeks, the nails would've grown out too much and would look very ugly). Recently, I've been in hospital, and my nails had grown out so much that I had to get them cut by myself at the hospital. Eventually, two of them fell off by themselves, and that's when I noticed how soft and thin my nails had become - they were like paper! I knew I had to get all the gels removed, and take a break from gel nails.

This was when I came across these spray paint nail polishes! I originally only wanted to order the silver and blue, but then I realised they came in a set, and I could not purchase them separately. I ordered these from www.minikmall.com for HK$328 (US$41.60) for 5 cans, each can costs HK$65.60 (US$8.30). This set took around 2-3 weeks to arrive, because they said that spray cans could not be shipped by airmail, and needed to be shipped to HK via surface mail.

Pony Effect Spray Paint Lacquer Set (HK$328/US$42)

Colours:

#Secret Code (gold/yellow)

#PingPong Game (green)

#Chic Chico (blue)

#Go Play (purple)

#City Roller Coaster (silver)

The set also includes some stickers for you to decorate your nails with.

How To Use:

1. Apply base coat onto nails.

2. Give the bottle a good shake, and hold around 10-15cm away from your finger.

3. Spray onto your finger nail in a downward motion (towards fingertip). Repeat if necessary.

4. Apply top coat onto nails.

5. Wash away the nail lacquer on the skin with water.

To remove the lacquer from your nails, use your usual nail polish remover.

The Packaging:

They all come in a reflective gold cardboard box with a colour label on the top.

The cans look like this - not girly and pretty as such, and you can only see the colours from the front, but if I were to put these into a box, I would've hoped to see which colours I would be taking out on the lid, instead of having to guess the colour of each.

Here is a swatch of the five colours under natural lighting.

All the colours turned out pretty okay, except for the green. Even after a few sprays, the green still appeared to be thin, uneven, and cheap. The silver, blue, and the purple looked pretty good, though the gold was a bit too yellow for my liking. I actually quite liked the silver, as it's quite bold in colour, and it's unlike the colour of other silver nail polishes. I didn't add a top coating to these, as I wasn't planning to have multi-colour fingers. With the exception of the silver, all the other colours washed off pretty easily. I had to use my nails to scratch away the silver, as it wasn't as easy to wash off.

The next day, I decided to make my nails silver and blue. I added the base coat from Missha, the paint lacquer, and the top coat from Missha. The top coat actually makes the nails appear to be more glossy rather than matte. When I tried to wash off the excess paint on my skin, the blue on the nails washed off too (I didn't even rub it with my fingers). Most of the silver remained on my nails, but a little bit chipped off too.

The Verdict:

The idea behind these paint sprays are amazing, but only if the colours had stayed ON my nails instead of having being washed off so easily under water. I wonder what would happen if I washed my hands with soap and water! I also ended up having a blue sink, and I had to rub the blue off (I started off using nail polish remover, but it took too long and I had to literally scrub my sink, and then I started using my Young Living Thieves Household Cleaner, and it got the job done within a few seconds! These were fun to play with and easy to use (even with my left hand), but I would definitely not repurchase again! Will try again using a different brand of base coat and top coat, but I doubt it would make a difference!

If you want to find more about Young Living products, you can go here.

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!

Dealing with Itchy Skin Problems

I've always had near-to-perfect skin, with no major problems, and only 1-2 blemishes on my face each time after PMS. I woke up on Wednesday morning, to find half my face covered in pus-filled red spots, and my face swollen. I literally didn't know what to do! I instantly went to see a doctor (he's my GP, but he also specialises in dermatology), and he told me I had Folliculitis. I asked him whether it was because I had a Lipodermis treatment on Monday, or whether it was the new mask that I had used on Tuesday night, but he said it was neither, as it's only on one side of the face, AND that it had grown in a circle.

He literally stared at my face and jokingly said "I really can't figure out why it's grown in a circle shape. That's really unusual". I told him it might have been my pillow, since I mainly sleep on my left side. He prescribed me with a non-steroid ointment (Fucidin) to apply morning and night, but the results were too slow, as I had a high school reunion on Saturday, and I wanted to recover ASAP. This is what my face looked like, and although it doesn't look that bad in the photos, I was devastated and depressed already by the sight of it! My face was literally SWOLLEN, and of course, I wasn't used to seeing my face so red and eww!

My face felt itchy and irritated, and I was too scared to use anything. I used the Cerave mild face cleanser that the doctor had given, then used the Hydro Intensive Toner and Doctoray Intensive Hydrating Cream from CNP Laboratory, which I reviewed here.

To help relieve the irritations, I decided to create my own mask. I applied this 3-4 times a day.

Ingredients:

Distilled Water (acidic)

Lavender Essential Oil

Frankincense Essential Oil

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (optional)

Cotton Pads or Blank Sheet Masks

I usually add 1-2 drops of Lavender, and 1-2 drops of Frankincense into a ceramic (non-reactive) bowl. I also started adding in 1-2 drops of Ylang Ylang too as I had an inflammation, and wanted too see quicker results. Fill the rest of the bowl with distilled water.

Mix the mixture a little with your finger. Soak the cotton pad or blank sheet mask into the mixture, and apply to the face. If the mask does not adhere properly, wet a cotton pad, and press gently against the bits that are sticking out.

I created this mask to apply to my face 3-4 times a day. On the first day, I only used Lavender and Frankincense, and I found that they were too mild for my condition, like they were soothing as such, but it didn't help with the spots in particular. I must say, I hate the smell of Frankincense and Ylang Ylang, but anything that would help my skin, I would try, and when they were diluted in water, it didn't smell as bad! During the first two days, I used cotton pads as I didn't have any blank sheet masks, and although some cotton pads may not adhere very well, they actually stay wet for longer, and can stay there for up to 1 hour.

Cotton pads usually stay wet for longer, so you can leave it on for 30 minutes or so, or until it dries, whereas the blank sheet mask will dry quicker, so you'll have to remove the mask after 15-20 minutes. You can keep wetting the mask with a cotton pad if you want it on for longer.

After waking up on Day 2, I realised that my pillow must have been the cause, as the spots were redder than they were the previous night, AND I started having spots on the other side of my face too! I instantly put the pillow case in the washing, and used another pillow just in case. I also started using Ylang Ylang on Day 2, and sometimes, it would sting my face, but I read online that it's just doing its anti-septic job.

I cheated, and replaced the Fucidin with Hydrocortisone 1%, since the Fucidin was too mild for me. I continued to mask my face 3-4 times a day though. On Day 3, I was able to purchase the blank sheet masks from Miniso, and the fitting was terrible! The blank sheet masks were made of cotton, had a slightly different shape each time, and required lots of folding down and touch-ups. Putting the masks into the water was quite entertaining though, as they reminded me of the tampon-in-water experiment we had at high school. The only good thing about my DIY masks, is that I know I used quality ingredients in the making of the mask!

By the end of Day 3, I could see that the spots had become less bumpy. I also went to purchase a new foundation and concealer to cover it all up the next day!

By Day 4, the day of my high school reunion, the spots had subsided significantly, and the spots on the right side of the face were nearly gone!

A quick photo while heading to the reunion! The spots were still slightly visible, but were definitely much easier to cover, and were barely noticeable to others, unless they stared at my face!

A happy girl heading to the reunion!

I usually use the leftover mixture as a toner as well - I just soak cotton pads into it, and then use it to wipe my face. If you don't want the mixture to go to waste, you can either pour it into your diffuser, or add some Himalayan Salt, and make a foot bath.

My friend started having a spot "down there" that felt itchy and painful, and she remembered what I had said about using Frankincense and Lavender to mask, so she stuck (literally, using tape) a cotton pad soaked with the oils onto that spot. She continued doing this consecutively for a few days, and the spot magically disappeared. She was so happy, and so was her wallet!

I really like how the products from CNP Laboratory are fragrance free, and are even suitable for the most sensitive skins. I soon found a sample cleanser from CNP Laboratory (also from the Hydro Intensive line, which is used to hydrate and soothe skin), and started using that instead of the one that the doctor gave. I also started using the CNP Laboratory Mugener Ampule and Mugener Deep Soothing Pack recently too.

Things have gotten much better, and now there are just three faint pink dots on my skin, which will hopefully go away soon after using some peeling products. I now change my pillow case every few days, and I'm still sticking to gentle (fragrance-free) products for now. Sometimes I will add a few drops of Frankincense Essential Oil to my toner, so that my skin can recover faster.

The doctor told me not to apply any essential oils to my skin, but I didn't listen, as I knew I had the most trusted essential oils at home. All the oils I used are therapeutic grade, and are from Young Living.

If you wish to order any Young Living essential oils, you can get them here. 

If you have any questions or need help enrolling/setting up your account, please e-mail me at geniesfavproducts@gmail.com

This information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors who retain copyright as marked.

The information contained on this website is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information represents what I, an Independent Distributor of Young Living Essential Oils, have chosen to do to take charge of my own personal health and that of my family. Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using these products.

That's probably enough for today. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!

My Winter Skincare Regime

GENIE IS BACK!!!

It's been SOOO long since I've blogged - I did become a little put off by the fact that one of my blogposts was suddenly deleted without my consent, and RSS Feeds stopped working anymore. Since then, I've been really busy with my life with the two kids, trying to find a job, my severe back pain, and MaskGenie. Most importantly, I just lacked the motivation to blog, especially not being able to find something that I really wanted to blog about and something that was worth blogging about.

In this blogpost, I'd like to talk about the products that I'm using now, after having switched to products suitable for the super dry winter climate.

Since November, I've been slowly incorporating richer products into my skincare regime. I've been using products from CNP Laboratory since summer, and it has really helped to boost the water level in my skin. During the home care facial that I had at Shiseido's as a part of the birthday special they offer for VIPs, they used a special device to check my skin, and they found that my face was highly hydrated (all thanks to the CNP Laboratory products I had been using), but my skin slightly lacked collagen.

When winter was approaching, I realised that CNP products were not moisturising enough for my skin (even after switching to a heavier face cream), so since then, I have been incorporating Shiseido products into my regime, though the first night I started using them all (I was too excited to try them all), I broke out on my forehead. This didn't stop me from continuing with Shiseido products though, but I did stop for a few days before slowly adding them back in. During the days that I broke out, I used these products:

CNP Laboratory Hydro Intensive Toner

LJH Tea Tree 90 Essence

CNP Laboratory Dual-Balance Waterlock T/U Serum

CNP Dortoray Intensive Hydrating Cream

I also used a few Dr. Morita masks to help calm my skin and soothe the breakouts.

After recovering from the breakouts, I slowly added the products into my regime, sometimes adding the emulsion, sometimes adding the toner, until my face felt stable and okay with adding them in.

I'm currently using up a random cleanser from Memebox - Awesome Aqua Whip Hug Foam Cleanser. Nothing special, doesn't clean very well and quite drying for the face especially in this weather. Will not repurchase.

 Currently using up another Memebox toner - Tosowoong Timeshift Skin Toner. It's more like a gel rather than a watery type of toner, not so moisturising, but it cleans very well and makes the cotton pad brown after swiping it on my face and neck. Will not repurchase. During the days after my Lipodermis treatment, I use the CNP Laboratory Hydro Intensive Toner instead, as my skin is very delicate then. Will consider repurchasing since this is very moisturising and gentle.

I don't always use an essence anymore (I used to use the IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning religiously, but stopped during summer), but when I remember to, or when my face reminds me that it's extra dry, I'll use the DM Intensive Hydrating Essence. The essence itself is great, leaves a slight sticky feeling, but the pump sucks. My sister-in-law gave this to me, but I don't know if I'll repurchase since it is kind of pricey. When my face is super dry, I'll apply the IOPE Essence before applying the DM one. This is my second bottle of IOPE Essence, but I'm not sure whether I would purchase a third one, since I don't use it as often anymore.

When I know I'll be putting on makeup the next day or when my face really needs that extra water boost, I'll use the Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate before using my usual serum, followed by the Ultimune Eye for the eyes. I realised that my makeup does adhere better, and my face is less dry after using the Ultimune line, but they are kind of pricey, so I'm not sure whether I would repurchase. I don't use these everyday, so I'm hoping they'll last me for a while before my next repurchase.

As for the serum, I have the most expensive serum that I've ever purchased - Shiseido's Vital-Perfection White Circulator Serum. I started with a deluxe sample, but finished that, and opened up the full size. I use two pumps of this on hubby's face, and his face reacts very well to it (did I mention that he breaks out using most products but not this one?), but I did break out on the first two times of use. I use 1.5 pumps on my face, massage it into my face, and a few times more on my cheekbones (where the hyperpigmentations are). May consider repurchasing but I'll need to save up for it.

I admit I've been lazy with eye creams lately, I think it's because CNP Laboratory products can all be applied around the eyes, so I've been too lazy to apply other things, but seeing it's winter, that's when lines start to appear, so I decided to do something about my dark eye circles and fine lines. I was looking for Christmas presents at Fresh when I decided I want something for myself too, so I got a Christmas Set that came with a Black Tea Eye Cream, a Black Tea Cream, and a Black Tea Sleeping Mask. Despite it being an eye cream, it's very light and easy to blend. It doesn't cause milia. The full-size product is really expensive, so I'm not sure whether I'll repurchase, but if it does do something for my dark eye circles and lines, I will consider saving up for it. Before I started using the eye cream from Fresh, I tried a sample of an eye cream from Shiseido that was really rich, but felt nice and smooth after blending, and really did seem to do something for fine lines, but I bet it's really expensive just by looking at the packaging.

 

As for the night cream, first off there's the one from Shiseido - Vital-Perfection Sculpting Lift Cream. It is rich and moisturising, not oily, but its perfumey scent is really strong. After realising that my face was okay with using such rich creams, I decided to take out my long lost favourite, the IOPE Super Vital Extra Moist Cream. I used to love this cream, but there was a time after I gave birth to my second child, that I couldn't use anything heavy on my face, otherwise I would breakout. I tried it again, and my face loves it again. The only problem with this cream is that if you take too much of it, it does feel a bit oily. I now use the little spatula I got from CNP Laboratory to scrape the top layer of the cream a few times to get what I need, and this ensures I don't get too much, because you really don't need a lot! Out of the two creams, I think I prefer the IOPE one, as it's actually more moisturising, and the scent is more acceptable. As for the price, Shiseido is more than double the price of IOPE! Plus, I still have two more deluxe tubs of the IOPE, so I won't need to repurchase in a while!

I also have another cream sample that I use - A-True Darjeeling Black Tea First Anti-Wrinkle Cream, but because it is actually quite light, so I use it in the mornings instead. Light in the day, heavy at night. The A-True cream actually smells like black tea which is really nice and relaxing. Probably won't repurchase though, since Memebox products are quite hard to source.

Every night, I apply the Fresh Sugar Lip Serum Advanced Therapy followed by the L'erbolario Shea Butter Lip Balm. I absolutely cannot live without this lip balm - this is my second one! I used to have serious flaking lips, and nothing would help except this lip balm! They recently ran out at the shop, so I got their Natural Glossy Lip Balm as a spare, but it's nothing like a lip gloss that you normally think of, nothing in the cosmetic sense, instead it's like a tube filled with different essential oils, and is super moisturising to the lips! It has a slight flowery-herbal scent, but nothing synthetic.

In the mornings, I keep it simple. I wash my face with cold water. That's it, no cleansers or anything, just plain water. Then, I follow with my Tosowoong toner, CNP Laboratory Waterlock T/U Serum, Shiseido Vital-Perfection Emulsion, and CNP Doctoray Intensive Hydrating Cream or A-True Black Tea Cream. The CNP Laboratory Dual-Balance line is my absolute "go-to" for summer - I used the toner, serum, and cream from the same line during summer, whilst hubby uses the A-Clean line!

Next, I apply my CNP Doctoray Real Perfect Sunblock which has a UVA PA+++ and UVB SPF 50+, AND it has a slight tint to it (I blogged about the summer edition before, but that's the post that got deleted), but I really can't tell you enough by words how much I love this! My face is matte and oil-free all day long!

If, for some reason, my skin feels dry during the day, then I'll use a mist spray - I swear by the Recipe By Nature Spray Essence Water, but if I'm wearing makeup, I'll use the Recipe By Nature to prep my skin before applying makeup, and the CNP Laboratory Quick Soothing S.O.S. Mist over makeup. I've lost count of how many Recipe By Nature mists I've used, but it's definitely a lot, and the great thing is that it's free from mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, synthetic dye, triethanolamine, and parabens! The S.O.S mist is great as not many mists can be used over makeup, and this one can because the particles are very small, and won't leave droplets over your face after spraying. The S.O.S mist also smells of rose, but it's not overwhelming or annoying.

Other products that I use every now and then:

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner
I actually like its predecessor more (I blogged about it here), but this one is still pretty good and convenient to use. Not suitable for sensitive skin.
CNP Laboratory Deep Enzyme Powder Wash (click here for the review)
Absolutely love this powder wash - it's very gentle, yet it cleanses and minimises pores.

CNP Laboratory Anti-Pore Black Head Clear Kit (click here for the review)
I absolutely swear by this blackhead set, and would definitely recommend it to others! After using the first mask, all the impurities really float to the top, and it doesn't require much effort to squeeze out the blackheads using a blackhead extractor!

Fresh Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask
Started using this recently. There's no need to apply night cream before using this mask, only requires a thin layer, and leaves face feeling super moisturised - probably will not repurchase due to the high price tag.

I also use lots of different masks - sheet masks, sleeping masks, and wash-off masks.

That's a lot of CNP Laboratory products as well as the newly added Shiseido into the family! I must say that my face really does look flawless and has a glow after incorporating Shiseido products into my daily skincare regime! I also have a Lipodermis treatment done every 3-4 weeks, and I've noticed that my skin is back to being flawless, as well as my pores being slightly minimised. The only downside to these treatments is how painful they can be - it's like a facial scrub, but much more intense, and much more painful! Will talk more about them later in another post.

I used to be reluctant to use and eat products made in Japan, especially after the radiation leak, and having heard several stories from friends and families about the side effects and things that happened to their close friends after visiting Japan and everything, but nonetheless, one day I decided to try some of their makeup products since I've heard many good things about their products, and that's when I received some of their skincare samples to try, and I absolutely fell in love with the results! By the way, I love their makeup products too, but those will have to wait for another post.

As you can see, the Shiseido products that I have are mainly in sample sizes. Shiseido gives out many samples to try, and I have yet finished them all, so I haven't purchased anything in full size other than the serum. The only thing I don't really like about Shiseido's products is probably the perfumey smell and the high price tag to them, but other than that, Shiseido is awesome and I'd definitely recommend this brand to friends and family! Shiseido always comes out with these trial packs, and they're a great way to be able to try everything! Shiseido HK also has a VIP programme, so that's even more samples to try, as well as having birthday treats and discounts! What's more is that they even have samples for loose powder and other makeup items! Look below at the photo where the tub on the left is the loose powder in its full size, and the one in the middle is the deluxe size, and the deluxe also comes with a small puff inside the container! This loose powder is the best I've used, like seriously!

Okay, so that's a fairly long post with lots of products and lots of photos. I hope to see you guys soon in my next post, which hopefully won't take another 6 months to write.

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!

If you guys have any questions about the products, please comment below :)

REVIEW: GINSENG HEALTH PATCH (KOREA)

So I've been really lazy with blogging recently, but I thought this deserved its own post here, because it really works!

Some history about me...

I injured my back from ice skating over 10 years ago, and I guess it never recovered properly. Back then, I couldn't even sit properly at school unless I used a cushion! I saw both Western and Chinese medical practitioners, and I thought I recovered, as I didn't feel anymore pain. The pain suddenly hit me a few years later when I was in New Zealand, and it was so painful that I couldn't even walk properly.

 I've sought all kinds of medical help, including acupuncture, Chinese massage, acupressure, Chinese medicine, physio, yoga, and other pain relief patches (Tiger Balm's warm plaster does a good job to relieve pain temporarily), but nothing had really done any long-term change. Having constant back pains has disrupted my sleep, and it's one of the main reasons why I joined yoga, but even so, yoga only gives me temporary relief.

I suddenly came across this product whilst looking for masks for MaskGenie, and I decided to try it. There were a few reviews on this product, all saying how good it was.

The product that I'm going to review today, is the
Ginseng Health Patch from Korea.

The idea of the patch is it stick it onto a part of the body which feels painful or tired. I forgot to mention in my review on Instagram that the patch feels slightly warm after application.

Each patch is like a thin sticky piece of paper that smells strongly of ginseng, and has many small black dots in the patch. Each patch is 9.5cm x 13cm in size, which is not particularly large, but I managed to stick it on the most painful part, and it still worked for me. It is recommended to use the patch each night for three days consecutively, even if your body doesn't feel painful or tired anymore.

On the packaging, it shows the places (acupressure points) where you can stick the patch.

The patch is very thin, but it adheres to the skin very well, and the corners do not roll up. It's not obvious under clothing unlike other pain relief gel patches. After taking my shower at night, I waited for 30 minutes before sticking on the patch. There is a Chinese belief that you need to let the "wetness" (濕氣) inside the body out first, otherwise the "wetness" will just build up, and cause even more discomforts.

I couldn't understand any of the instructions on the packaging (and there's not much information online), so I assumed that I had to peel it off in the morning (after 8-10 hours) like any other pain relief patches, but I just realised it does say "24 hours" on the packaging, so perhaps you're supposed to leave it on all day. When I peeled it off, a little of the plastic had stuck onto my back, and I had to rub it off.

After the first night, I felt that my back wasn't as painful anymore already, but I continued to use it for two more nights to get optimum results! My skin isn't super sensitive, so after the first night, my back didn't feel itchy. By the third day, I was really amazed to see that my back was not painful at all anymore, and I've never felt so good before! My skin, however, did start to feel slightly itchy after using the third patch. It's been one week since using the patch, and my back still feels perfectly fine!

I did, however, try the patches on my thighs which had muscle aches (from an intense yoga session), but the patch didn't seem to be effective at all.

I'm super satisfied with the results, and I hope they're not temporary, but even so, I'm a happy girl again, and I can finally get some good night's rest!

Rating: 9.5/10

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!