Book Review - The Doctors' Secrets to a Lifetime of Clear Skin

I've a confession to make. I'm a bookworm. Yep, not just any book lover but a bookworm. Like to the point that I won't sleep until I've finished the book kind of bookworm. I read novels, educational books, and even self-help kind of books. You know the saying Knowledge is Power? I believe that reading books has helped shape me to what I am today. LOL. Well I did gobble up books like candy when I was in high school and college. I'm not that of a bookworm anymore unless I stumble upon a really REALLY good book! 

Good thing I didn't have to pull an all nighter when I got my hands on The Doctors' Secrets to a Lifetime of Clear Skin. Oh boy I was hooked! This is indeed one very cool informative book that I wish I had even way back when I was a teenager. Like I've mentioned before, my war with acne has been in existence since puberty. And if I had read this book when I was teen, I think some of my fears, worries, and expectations would have been put to ease thanks to this book. Most of our self-image or self-esteem issues stem from this period of time in our lies. We face a society that takes value of our physical appearance. Whether we like it or not. Yes its not fair. But what do we do? We deal with it. Same with Acne. We have to learn how to deal with it. And this book definitely would help both me and you who have to face the trials, horrors, and despair of Acne. (haha, ok drama much sorry.. may pinaghuhugutan?!)

The Doctors' Secret to a Lifetime of Clear Skin is written by Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields two of the world's renowned experts on giving people with acne their best opportunity to enjoy a lifetime of smooth, clear, healthy-looking skin. Yes as stated at the back cover of this book, it is FUN-to-read and has a SHORT-and-sweet style. If you quickly scan this booklet, you will see 30 vital "nuggets" of skin-care knowledge that will guide you throughout your life without acne. The booklet (it is smaller than it looks on the photo!) has only 67 pages. It is a  light read. In fact you would probably be done with it an hour or less. 

I would like to quote what Drs. Rodan and Fields said in their introduction. "In your fight against acne, KNOWLEDGE is a key weapon." So here's a small sample on what kind of "weapons" you will be stocking up with this book.

The book doesn't really have any chapters. For each "Nugget" of skin-care wisdom - the book has assigned two pages on it. And it is delivered in a very down-to-earth and in a matter-of-fact tone. It is not an intimidating scientific read. Anyone can relate to it! Most of the popular acne-related questions are answered in this book. Myths are also disproved. It also addresses some major concerns like what you should and should not eat. Yes my dears, you can now tell your chums and your parents that chocolate DOES NOT cause Acne. Hehe.  

It also warns you on what you should NEVER do. Listen to your mom kids. Do not pop that zit. Seriously. And of course it  also gives you encouragement and reassurances that you aren't alone and that acne can be controlled. Its not the end of the world. :) 

Another thing I liked about the book is whenever a medical term is used -- it is explained in layman's terms! You have no idea how grateful I am for that. It is practical talk and easy to understand. And I'm sure teenagers would find this very enlightening! Well who wouldn't want to be assured right? As obviously stated in #14 - A Pimple is Not Simple. 

At the end of the book, this reassuring statement and challenge is given -- "The key to your success will be staying committed... and staying with your routine once you are clear". With all the advise shelled out in this book, it is still up to you if you will act on it in order for you to have a lifetime of clear skin.

So Coffeeholics do I recommend this booklet? YES YES and YES! I've learned a lot and you will too! If you are battling acne or maybe have a score to settle with pimples, well this book is for you. This books is indeed life changing. And it would be a great gift for Christmas too.

About the Book

The Doctors' Secrets to a Lifetime of Clear Skin by Drs. Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields comes FREE with every purchase of Practiv 30-day or 60-day kit from Watsons, SM Department Stores, Proactiv mall kiosks, and Proactiv door-to-door delivery. The book is included in the kit. 

For more information, do visit the Proactiv Website or Proactiv Facebook.

SM Accessories - Unleash The Power of Style

SM Accessories - The Fashion Accessories Authority

I'm a huge fan of accessories and that's mainly because my mom is fond of them too. So I'm very pleased that I was able to see the progress of SM Accessories and how it has grown to become the fashion accessories authority. Last year, SM Accessories collaborated with the SUPREME FOUR - ANNE CURTIS, RICHARD GUTIERREZ, GEORGINA WILSON, AND XIAN LIM - some of the hottest celebrities and style icons.

Well this year, SM Accessories decided to branch out more by introducing its TEEN ROYALTIES - ENRIQUE GIL, JULIA BARRETO, KATHRYN BERNARDO, AND DANIEL PADILLA. These teen "royals" showcase the brand's young, fun, and carefree side, reaching out to a whole new generation of fashion accessories authority. Plus of course with Xian Lim, Georgina Wilson, and Anne Curtis -- SM Accessories has really came out with a strong turn out so far!

Bongga diba?! Fierce na kaagad ang stage!

So I was able to watch the launching of SM Accessories' Unleash The Power of Style at the New MegaTent at Libis. Though getting there was such a pain (hirap pag commuter promise! haha) still it was worth it! I love the stage, the roominess of the place, and the overall effect of the catwalk na may "pond" pa sa gitna. Sosyal! Haha. Galing! You gotta see it to believe it! Here are some of my photos (thanks to my phone.. haha. hopefully when I get my hands on a Sony Xperia Z1, photos will be better!) of the event.

DJ Nina supplied the beats to the fierce rhythm of the event!

 

Xian Lim for SM Accessories

Georgina Wilson for SM Accessories. Yes, metallic angel wings ang peg!

Enrique Gil for SM Accessories

Julia Baretto for SM Accessories. Love her outfit!

 Kathryn Bernardo for SM Accessories

Daniel Padilla for SM Accessories

TEEN ROYALTIES Enrique Gil, Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, and Julia Baretto
unleashing their style for SM ACCESSORIES!

 Ang totoo ay ang habol ko talaga dito sa photo ay yung super cool background FIERCE FELINE (Tiger nga ba din yung white?) panaroma sa stage. Galing galing noh? LOVE IT!

Eto yung water effect dance chorva - they were dancing on this "pond" or huge puddle of water. Buti na lang wala ako sa pinakaharap. Baka natalsikan ako ng tubig nyan.. hehe. 

ok.. BOW ako kay Anne Curtis! She's soooooo fierce here! Yes you could hear the "roar" hehe. She gave new meaning to the word CATWALK. haha. Yes nag cat pose sya with her hands.. huhu just when I snapped the photo, someone's cam blocked the view so bummer. :P

Yes bongga ang attire and accessories! 

And there you have it. SM Accessories has gone into fierce feline mode. :)

Congratulations to this batch of Fashion Accessories Authoritiy!

Yay that was fun! Here are some other photos that I took during that time. 

 

With Keigh and Bec! <3

With Aie Corpuz

with Keigh! Yay so happy to be able to hangout with you again! :)

                                                               

Dress - Thrifted

Shoes - SM Parisian

Belt and Cuff - SM Accessories

Bag - Forever21

Di kinaya ng lights sa background ng Cellphone Cam ko. Wahaha. Sorry naman. I have a decent photo but its on someone else's cam. I don't have the copy yet soo.. :) Anyway coffeeholics, I will now leave you with a sample of SM Accessories new lovelies for us to gush over! Check them out yourself at the SM Department Store nearest to you. Have an awesome week!

Dazzle Dosage Collection

These are the SM Accessories New Collection - Dazzle Dosage, Minutes to Midnight, Off the Boat, Urban Military, and The Arts of Highlights.

Dazzle Dosage plays with the simplicity of geometrics by adding the luxury of embellishment bringing an aura of elegance to the Ladies Accessories line. 

Minutes to Midnight highlights exquisite jewel tones - magentas, purples, and blues for stylish ladies

Off the Boat makes waves with nautical colors for the Men's Accessory line.

Urban Military brings barracks style to the streets with leather, bronze and antique gold hardware as well as a green, blue, gray, and black palette.

The Art of Highlights is a play on dark tones with red, blue, or tan stripes.

Sleepless Rust is all about merry metallic-bronze, matte silver, and rust. 

 

Like | Follow | Connect

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The Asian Massage Experience

I know I've been a bit scarce these past few weeks, especially last October. I was quite busy with my students as I was training/coaching a lot of them for a national level competition in various areas. So finally it was over and done with by the end of October (yep we won! It was worth all the hard work, puyat, and no blogging muna hehe) and I couldn't wait to finally treat myself out for a job well done. Yes, I promised myself that I will pamper and treat myself out to a massage. It's my one sure way to get rid of stress. So when I was invited by Asian Massage to check out their massage I just couldn't wait to try it out!

Asian Massage at Ortigas

At first I feared that getting to Asian Massage located at Greenrich Mansion, Pearl Drive, at Ortigas would be difficult. But thanks to my trusty Google Maps, I found out that its super easy to get there. Landmark? Its at the back of Richmonde Hotel. :)

Asian Massage is open for 24 hours

The Asian Massage actually houses not just the Massage area itself but also the Asian Clinic and Asian Salon. For those interested only in Massage, well then Asian Massage is open for 24 hours! To make sure that you have an available masseuse, it is best to call them up to set up an appointment.

Upon entrance you will find the reception area and waiting area. You may book for the service you like immediately. Since the massage service is available 24 hours, walk-ins are acceptable. For the salon or clinic service, they are open only up to 7 or 8 pm. So it is best to inform them in advance.

Asian Massage already decorated for the holidays!

So first stop was of course, the massage! Asian Massage offers a variety of massage services. Their signature massages are the following:

1. Seomyeong Massage using Japanese Moguza (120 min) which is recommended for clients who suffer from pain. This technique helps clients with dyspepsia, gastroparesis, slow motility syndrome, constipation, and colic.
2. Asian Massage Signature with Indian Ear Candle for stressed people. (120 min)
3. Asian Massage Signature (120 min) - you have a choice from 4 kinds of Massage oil: Peppermint with eucalyptus, Floral Lavender, Lemon, and Green Tea.

Other services offered are Acupressure Shiatsu Massage, Refloxology Hand Foot Massage, Thai Massage, Hilot Massage using Virgin Coconut Oil, Pregnant/Baby Massage, Massage with Special Oil (Whitening, Herbal, Rosehips, & Slimming Oil), Hot Stone Massage, Ventosa Treatment, and Promo In House Massage.

 

I was offered the option of a 30 minute massage of either the shiatsu massage or the hand-foot massage. Since I had been so looking forward to this, I decided that I will pay an extra hour for a full body shiatsu massage and get the 30 minute hand-foot massage. Yes.. pamper kung pampered.. haha. I later found out that they had an ongoing promo so instead of the 1 hour massage costing me Php 400 naging Php 300 na lang. I was definitely pleased with this affordable price!

After finalizing my massage treatment, they took my sandals and gave me slippers. Then one of the therapists politely pointed me to the massage room area. Here are my insights about my Asian Massage Experience:

1. Ambiance. The lighting was dimmed. Soothing therapeutic music was playing. And the faintly twinkling lights on the ceiling was just enough for me to see my surroundings.

There were several massage "cubicles" in the massage room areas. I call it cubicle because the area for the massage was small enough to fit the massage bed. Each cubicle had just these thick curtains to "separate" from each other. The good thing about the curtains is that if you want it to be a "couple room" experience, all they had to do was push the curtains aside. The down side is that you can definitely hear the other occupants in the area if they are the talkative type.

2. Amenities. They had a CR but not in the immediate area. So make sure you take a leak before going in. They also had a some type of cabinet under the massage bed which is a plus for me. I think it would have been better though if they had offered this with an actual lock and key. I'm not sure if they have a padlock. If they had it wasn't offered to me. Anyway as you can see in the photo above, upon reaching the bed you are offered a shirt and shorts to wear. So depending on the type of massage, you wear the appropriate attire.

3. Massage. In my previous massage experience, normally before it starts, I would be first asked to have my feet either washed, wiped with a wet towel, or something similar. I was surprised that this service was not offered. I would definitely recommend them to do that! So I ended up wiping my feet with my wet wipes. (yeah I'm a bit picky like that). After changing clothes I finally got to my most awaited massage and oh boy was I NOT disappointed! I already had an idea how the shiatsu would go so I was very happy with the way massage went. I'm a big fan of hard massage (yes hagod kung hagod... haha!) and the therapist did it just right. The acupressure was basically a lot of hand presses (which I loved!!!) and the shiatsu part was wonderful. The therapist spent a lot of time on my back though I think if you want it to not be too focused on the back, you just have to inform them. I applaud the way she massaged the legs and foot. Usually based on experience, the massage treatment that I get on my legs is either too much that it causes me cramps afterwards or too little which leaves me quite unsatisfied. This time the pressure was just right and I really enjoyed it! As for the hand-foot massage, I can say the treatment was the same more or less. I believe the price I spent on the extra 1 hour massage was well spent! Afterwards I dressed up and got ready for the next treatment. Again though I would definitely recommend that they could probably present hot towels to the guests afterwards to wipe away the oil. But overall the Asian Massage was really good.

After the Asian Massage, I was able to try out the services offered in the Asian Clinic which specializes in skin care science and slimming center. I was offered the choice of experiencing the KB Dermafirm Treatment for my face or a ten minute Radio Frequency (RF) Treatment (slimming) on the tummy. Well definitely I wanted to try out the RF treatment!

The Asian Clinic RF Equipment

The normal RF treatment time is about 20 minutes. According to the staff in charge of the clinic at that time, for an RF treatment to show its effectivity, you need at least 10-12 sessions (plus of course natural diet and exercise). The most RF treament you can get in a week is only 2 so that means you can see visible results after more than a month. As for the RF treatment itself, yes it was very hot! They would put a special jelly-like lotion on the area where you will have the treatment. This lotion is a bit cold which is normal. You'll be thankful later coz when the RF treatment starts it gets really really hot! Not that hot that it will feel intolerable but just enough to really sense the heat and make you feel and imagine all your fats are slowly melting away (hehe). After the treatment it is advised that you don't drink any cold water after 24 hours. So keep that in mind when you opt for the RF treatment.

 

My before and after pic! 

Now the last service I tried was the Asian Salon. I was given the choice of having my nails done or have a haircut but since I just had my pedicure like 2 days ago I decided to try the haircut. Yes, I did had a haircut! Its not that obvious coz I asked for a trim lang. Obviously I'm not in a daring mode to change my hairstyle (wah scared ako!) so I just asked for a layered cut and some sideswept bangs. The hairstylist was a bit challenged by my thin hair and convinced me to have more than an inch na trim (hahaha sorry naman.. I really don't want to have short hair) so I had it trimmed 3-4 inches na layered. I'm happy with the cut so yeah! This is what I wanted.

So yeah overall I think I really was able to enjoy my pamper stress-free afternoon here at the Asian Massage! And I think it would be the perfect place for gals who want to have this kind of 3-in-1 treatment (massage, skincare, hair and nails) in one place coz they've got all the service you need. The price range I believe is quite fair. Especially considering the area where Asian Massage is located. So coffeeholics, if you are in the Ortigas area and want to have a massage -- do try Asian Massage!

Asian Massage Ortigas/Pasig
103 Greenrich Mansion Building 
(at the back of Richmonde Hotel)
Pearl Drive St., Ortigas Center
6319703 / 0917-8075836
www.asiangmassageph.com