Reviews Archives - Motherkao

Remaining a speckie (ft. Essilor® Stellest™ myopia correction lenses)

July 27, 2021

So this one is kinda still not ready for Ortho-K. No matter how I persuade, cajole and bribe, he remains firm that he wants to continue to be bespectacled.

What about trainings? I ask. What if you perspire and your specs fall off? And… oh, your degree increased again, shall we just try Ortho-K now that you are 9 going 10?

No, is still his answer. Since I’m never one to force, and always believe that we can only support our children when they are ready, here we are with this dude and a slight increase in his myopia after a year with the kids’ trusted Uncle Brian from AeroV.

Brian from AeroV has been caring for the Kao Kids’ eyes for many years now, and we go to him for all our eyecare needs.

Thank God for myopia control lenses in the market. I can live with things going up by 50 degrees every year.

Nat with his new degree for both eyes captured in his Essilor card

This year, we are trying out a new lens in the market. Calling itself “a game changing innovation in myopia control”, Essilor® taps on its exclusive breakthrough technology to design Stellest™, myopia control lenses consisting of a constellation of invisible microlenses to correct and control myopia by sending a slow down signal that helps prevent eye elongation.

When using myopia control lenses, you need to look at the centre which is the focal point

With more near work using digital devices (especially for this one who loves his devices), I am more assured when he has such innovative lenses on instead of the traditional ones.

At least I know wearing these will actively help to slow down myopia progression, which can accelerate at a very exponential rate at his age.

Nat wearing his new Stellest™ lenses with a spanking cool black frame

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(Self) Examination Reviews

Stepping into the Big 4 (Part III) with IDS (ft. IDS)

May 31, 2021

So I entered the Big 4.

Did things immediately go downhill as people have warned me?

I do feel my metabolism slowing down a fair bit since last year and my observations are that if I lack sleep (which I really do), it really shows from my dark undereye circles and if I am not treating my body right with exercise and a balanced diet, my pores do break out in some gunk for a few days.

And for some reason, the peels on my lips are back with a vengeance even though I moisturise copiously. Ugh, no thanks to the mask-wearing.

IDS reckons it may be time to get laser treatment started. If you remember, a while ago I was recommended a Pep.Blue Deep Treatment which helped my face glow for a couple of weeks and showed very satisfactory results for a non-invasive treatment.

Visiting IDS Flagship at International Building and consulting for my skin condition

During my consultation, IDS noticed my skin drying out a lot more than when she last saw me and decided to order the BroadBand Light™️ (BBL) treatment to target the hydration issue and the pigmentation and dark spots near the undereye area. I was informed that there may be obvious dark patches and scabbing for a few days post-treatment before I can see brighter and firmer skin, to which I was completely OK with.

I was more concerned about the pain level — after all, I had to apply numbing cream and wait out its effect for about an hour — but I was relieved to hear that the BBL treatment works like a very advanced form of IPL and would not go beyond that for the discomfort level.

So after the numbing cream was applied and waited out, IDS handled the treatment swiftly and efficiently – a special cooling gel was applied to my face prior to the BBL shots and I later learned that the BBL system features a chilled sapphire that is applied to the skin before light energy is discharged. It’s an added safety feature to prevent burns to the skin and decreases the discomfort of the procedure.

A chilled sapphire is applied to my face before the BBL

My lip area — which is super sensitive — gets some TLC from the BBL

There was targeted emphasis on the skin tags surrounding my undereye and the pigmentation all around my upper face, plus a few more shots to treat the chapping on my lip area to increase the hydration, with almost no pain experienced at all. In no time, I was out and on my way home.

The tightening is immediate, and although I experienced some redness, it quickly disappeared after an hour.

About 5 days later, with very minimal makeup (just S3 and a bit of blush) and no lip balm at all, I could head out with the pigmentation and skin tags largely gone and a more hydrated face.

Very happy with my #IDSJourney thus far, and really loving the treatments and products recommended to accompany me in navigating the forties.

Disclosure: Results from treatments differ and all opinions here are my own.

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Product Reviews Reviews

A smart desk for a small space (Review of Minidesk & Melody chair)

April 19, 2021

Omnidesk was clearly preaching to the converted — it was as clear as day for us the moment they launched the Minidesk that that height-adjustable electric kid-version of the Omnidesk would have to be in Becks’ room.

We’ve always loved what we got out of the Omnidesk which we very quickly ordered the moment we went into lockdown mode a year ago — the fact that it was pretty, non-toxic (no formaldehyde, VOC, toxins and odours) and lets both Fatherkao and I work on the same table because of its height adjustment features were WINS on every count. And when they launched a minier version for kids, we couldn’t be happier.

Because you see, the Minidesk would be perfect for the smaller room in the new house that Becks would be occupying and it really would be great for this one who loves to design and draw in her free time.

Becks’ new room is long and can’t have the luxury of a full study desk space.

And when it arrived, it came with an entire ecosystem: the height-adjustable electric desk designed to grow together with your child complete with a child-safe touch screen controller (so anyhow press also never mind, it’s pretty easy to figure out) that’s formaldehyde-free powder coat and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)-free; an ergonomic chair called Melody engineered to provide lumbar support and foot stability that also grows with your child; and a desktop organiser called Hestia that can be attached to the Minidesk to accessorise your child’s workspace – very cool indeed.

Ecosystem complete: Minidesk, Hestia Organiser and Melody Chair

Personalising her desk space has never been more fun than this!

I super like that my kid who spends many hours drawing and using her laptop and iPad for design would get good and comfortable back support with Melody plus the option of adjusting the height of her table when she wants to stand and draw/paint/write/whatever instead of sit.

Desk space all set up! She is awaiting the bookshelf I ordered so she doesn’t have to put things on the floor. The Minidesk is 100x60cm so you can’t scatter a sea of books on the table.

Also the desk is smart enough to hurt any kid if the desk is lowered too much. Any slight touch is enough to make it stop its descent. The Minidesk is not just functional, sleek and space-saving, it’s safe and very stable (read: very heavy also). A complete guide to set it up can be found here on their website.

And best of all, it fits nicely into the smallest room in the house and yet will be able to grow with Becks as she exits from Primary to Secondary – and pretty much still suit her taste and preference.

One of the things she enjoys doing is designing on Canva and she gets the option of sitting or standing with the Minidesk

Cool white smart table, yo. What’s there not to like?

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(Self) Examination Reviews

Stepping into the Big 4 (Part II) with IDS (ft. IDS Aesthetics)

March 30, 2021

To me, turning 40 is a big deal.

Everyone tells me it’s downhill from here. Your weight goes up, your skin sags, and your metabolism will be non-existent. Cellulite will pile and your fine lines will increase. So until I come to 50, which is a bigger deal, I’ll do everything and anything to de-auntify myself.

I recently tried Pep.Blue Deep Treatment at IDS Aesthetics because I really need to see my face lift and my collagen stimulated. A while back I thoroughly enjoyed (and still am enjoying!) trying the IDS Skincare range recommended to me by Dr Michelle Wong from IDS and I couldn’t be happier to be back at her clinic again to let her know that the RC and IM really worked for my dry, constantly-masked skin and to hear her recommendation for a facial treatment I should try

Here I am, back at Dr Michelle Wong’s office at Innovative Dermatological Solutions (IDS) telling her that I need help with some fine lines below my eyes.

And so a Pep.Blue Deep Treatment was what Dr Michelle recommended – and in a jiffy I was shown to a calm, quiet and nice-smelling treatment room to await my therapist.

Getting ready for deep cleansing and treatment

Her nimble hands gave me a good deep cleanse before she applied IDS’ proprietary Pep.Blu Serum and then starting me on a micro-current-like deep massage of the serum in my face, which I later learned is called ‘Non Invasive DEEP Electropration Technology’.

What it really means is that there’s intense prickling for a while, somewhat like a lot of needles just vibrating through to your skin, delivering the serum deep into where they should go.

Unlike traditional permeation machines, this one from IDS creates channel openings in the skin to allow permeation of solution to be absorbed.

For sure, it’s not the typical relax-and-close your-eyes kind of facial but hey, the results made me want to bear with the microcurrents running from that machine:

What a difference half a treatment makes: my right is more lifted and looking less dull than the left side!

After the electropration, I did have a close-your-eyes-and-sleep kind of facial when the Pep.Blue mask was applied under LED light. Caught 40 winks, which was not too bad. I thought the light would affect me but no, I was totally relaxed.

Time to get some rest after the electropration!

I would definitely recommend this treatment if you have dull skin, need a lift for sagging areas and desperately want some help with fine lines. I walked out feeling fresh and ready to conquer the world – till my next treatment, at least!

No makeup, all lifted, and feeling fresh

Loving my #IDSjourney so far and always feeling #IDServe it with their pampering.

Disclosure: All opinions here are my own, including all the apprehension about turning 40. Your experiences may be different but if they are similar, IDS is a great place to turn to!

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(Self) Examination Reviews

Stepping into the Big 4 with IDS (ft. IDS Skincare)

February 16, 2021

2021 is the year I’ll have to click a different range of age category, and I’ll be writing the number ‘4’ for the first digit of my age.

While it’s quite evident that my metabolism is slowing down a fair bit, makeup and concealer are still helping me hide a couple of things. Skin tags. Fine lines. Eye bags. Flaking lips. In addition to all these, ever since the mandatory face-mask wearing started, I also started developing red patches around the area below my nose.

Just last Christmas alone, I received many skincare and wellness gifts well-meaning friends thought I ought to have: lip balm (I received MANY kinds), eye cream, hair tonic, eye masks and moisturisers. I think everyone was seeing these two things on my face: red and dry, and clearly wishing for my sake that I should do something about it.

Thankful for friends who care, for sure. But I was even more thankful to be invited by Innovative Dermatological Solutions (IDS) to embark on a skincare journey with them. I’ve read a little of this homegrown brand while flipping magazine pages, and I’ve always been curious on what they really offer.

And so I paid a visit to the IDS flagship at International Building earlier this year to acquaint myself with their offerings and services, and to see Dr Michelle Wong from IDS Clinic for my skin issues.

The IDS Flagship is located at International Building.

Dr Michelle was empathetic in listening to my skin woes and without hesitation, ordered a range of skincare products for me to try – all to address the issues of enlarged pores on my T-zone, my fine lines around my eyes, my eye bags and eye rings, and the flaking around my lips.

At the doctor’s office, ranting non-stop

What happened subsequently was a rattling of a whole bunch of letters of the alphabet and numbers — T2, C2, IM, RC, etc… which was a little baffling at first but I soon realised IDS adopted a really simple way to name their products by using the first letters of the product and a number code for each skin type – oily, normal, dry. How easy to understand!

The IDS skincare range – PLENTY of options, all developed locally and extensively tested.

A rundown on what I got for my skin to be used in this order: C2 (Cleanser for normal to sensitive skin) > T2 (Toner for normal to sensitive skin) > PF (Pore Formula) > C+ (Vitamin C serum for the eye bags and dark rings) > RC (Rejuvenating Complex for the fine lines) > IM (Intensive Moisturiser for the flaky skin) > S3 (Tinted Sunscreen with SPF 50 PA+++)

It’s been close to two months now, at this point of writing, of using C2, T2, PF, C+, RC, IM and S3 in my daily skincare ritual and I’m really happy to report that I am blown away by the efficacy of this Made in Singapore line. The dry skin around my lips and the peeling lips have completely disappeared within a week of using RC and IM religiously twice a day, and I see visibly shrunk pores and fewer fine lines. The dark eye rings are still a battle (pretty much also genetic as I have always believed), but other than that, I have very moisture-ful, supple skin from the beginning to the end of the day and needing very little makeup and concealer after using the prescribed range from IDS every day.

In fact, I hang on to this for dear life now before I head out and rarely use any other kinds of makeup:

A special mention of this tinted sunscreen: I have been searching for something light, non-sticky, tinted, water resistant and chemical free. Bought a couple of them from my last Japan trip but found them on the cloying side.

This S3 just MELTS into the skin. AMAZING.

And this is the before and after of how my skin is looking – with zero filters used.

On the right is the patchy, red, flaky dry skin I started having since face-mask wearing, and on the left, is after a day’s work which is not super oily and with zero flaking after using my prescribed IDS skincare range.

Can’t be happier with this result and loving the local brand that is IDS. And more stoked that this is only the beginning of my IDS journey!

Disclosure: All opinions here are my own. I only do honest reviews – including reviewing how much HELP I need for my own skin.

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Family life as we know it Reviews

Clutter Shifting FTW (ft. Storefriendly Clementi)

January 5, 2021

We’ve moved two months ago and will move again in another two months. Moving is hard for a neurotic mom like me who cannot live with clutter. For the weeks leading to our shift from Holland to our temporary place at West Coast, I hyperventilate on a daily basis seeing boxes packed and piled. Soon those boxes blocked our ways around the flat so much, I had to imagine levitating across the house.

And when we finally moved, it didn’t make sense to open up all the packed boxes (cos’ we will be moving again) so they stacked up over two meters high in every corner of our temporary place and again, I felt the neurotic urge to scream at all 80 boxes of clutter.

Need. help. immediately.

So we looked around to look for a storage unit nearby that would fulfil these criterion, more or less:

(1) I can stop hyperventilating every time I enter the house

(2) I don’t need to pretend things are not there

(3) Anyone in our family can have access to our stuff 24/7, rain or shine

(4) We don’t have to worry about things turning mouldy ( I had vacuum sealed many of my dresses, bags and shoes and need them to be in good condition when I finally see them again in March!)

(5) We don’t have to break the bank paying for it

We found the perfect spot at Storefriendly Clementi, a quick 8-minute drive from our place. When we arrived there and was introduced to two potential spaces, we were won. The location and the storage space (we picked the 36 sqft one) checked all the boxes — easy but secure access, 24/7 availability, free parking, fully sheltered facility PLUS they provided a free move-in service upon signing up.

Storefriendly Clementi is located at 1 Clementi Loop, #03-06, Singapore 129808

This unit was our choice: an elongated 36 sqft one

I needed those boxes moved in since yesterday, and I couldn’t wait to confirm taking it up. So we arranged for the boxes that didn’t make sense to unpack — from fragile glassware and our pots and pans to clothes, books and stationery — to all go PRONTO to our storage unit. All it took was a phone-call to liaise with the Storefriendly’s team of movers, and wa la, our stuff magically reappeared nicely stacked at our Storefriendly Clementi unit.

And my clutter shifted, from one place to another!

After the movers moved our clutter, we made a few more trips — which were fast and easy, anyway — to put what we didn’t need and take what we needed as and when we needed. The storage is a lifesaver for space-starved peeps like us who stock up a fair bit to squeeze out a little more savings (penny-wise) for our big family. Think buying our supplies in bulk and keeping our kids toys and games and books so that the one that outgrows them can pass them on. I also like the fact that beyond the various sizes of storage units, Storefriendly also has 4×4 locker options which would be great once we settle into a permanent place, and perhaps each child can have one locker each for their keepsakes.

Until our next move, we are glad to have found a facility that meets our needs and have been shuttling in and out now, even more. Because with this additional storage space, we’ve been happily ordering fixtures and furnishings from Taobao (someone at home is expert already) in preparation for renovation, taking advantage of all the 11.11 and 12.12 sale *cue contorted happy dance*

Disclosure: Motherkao received a happy, fair discount for sharing this post, cos good things must share, and many moms are triggered neurotically by clutter, like me.

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Nat Kao Reviews The Kao Kids

Officially three speckies in the house (ft. MiyoSmart lenses)

November 13, 2020

So the last child has officially joined the fray of spectacled beings in the Kao household.

Three sighs for the three kids with myopia who now needs correction for their eyesight.

I’ve put the older two under Ortho-k lenses with Brian from AeroV and I’ve shared much earlier in the blog back in 2017 how Ben went through the process rather seamlessly. In 2017, he was only 8 then. But well, my firstborn being my firstborn was a sensible and adaptable child. Becks followed her brother’s Ortho-k footsteps when she was 9 after two years of spectacle-wearing and adapted quite readily.

We recently discovered how Nat’s myopia deteriorated quite quickly during Circuit Breaker (for the uninitiated foreign readers, this period was our local version of a lockdown, no thanks to Covid) and it wasn’t a good sign at all. Of course never a good sign with this one – we should have seen it coming because this was one child that loved the screen and playing Minecraft more than anything else in the world. When he returned to school after the lockdown, this one complained frequently of not being able to see the board clearly and we knew we had to go to Brian (Uncle Brian, as the kids now affectionately call) and get his eyesight sorted.

We were quite ready to put him on the Ortho-k path when this one cried out he wasn’t ready and we were quite at a loss on what to do until Brian introduced us to a new revolutionary lens that does pretty much what Ortho-k does for the eyes while the wearer is sleeping as he is awake wearing them.

Introducing MiyoSmart lenses, a revolutionary, international award-winning spectacle lens, based on a Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments Technology or ‘D.I.M.S. Technology’ which helps in myopia management and slows down myopia progression.

The MiyoSmart lens (top) has a patent protected D.I.M.S segments creating a myopic defocus effect which helps to reduce myopia progression

So no choice, right – since this one expressed clearly that he wish to remain bespectacled for the time being. It seems that putting him on MiyoSmart lenses is the best and wisest idea for now. Nat did take about a few days to get used to the various de-focused points in his new MiyoSmart spectacles when he received them but was good to go thereafter.

This was Nat on the day he collected his MiyoSmart. The markings show the focus point while the rest of the lens were defocused.

We are due for a checkup soon and I’ll update here on his myopia progression. Fingers crossed for this one!

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Food, glorious food! Reviews

Crabby cravings concluded during CB (ft. 8Crabs)

June 30, 2020

So during the time of being in our country’s lockdown (also known as “CB” aka Circuit Breaker), we were really well-fed.

If you’ve followed my IG, you would know that my husband was cooking up a storm all those two months. I figured out baking bread from scratch, made a ton of puffs from frozen prata and churned out a few banana cakes.

We also had our crab cravings settled, all thanks to 8Crabs. The chilli crabs were da bomb; the Kao kids also absolutely adored the salted egg version. So much so we ordered the same thing twice.

Our dinner by 8Crabs: chilli crab (large), salted egg crab (large), coffee ribs, drunken prawns and mantou

There’s really nothing not to love since we would gladly order them again – the crabs were fresh and reasonably priced, the mantous fried to perfection and the drunken prawns were a hit with the kids, although the coffee ribs were relatively untouched, probably because it unfortunately was outshone by the crabby guys on the table.

So well-fed, I am officially, well, FAT.

Disclosure: We were partially fed by 8Crabs. All opinions here are our own.

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Family life as we know it Reviews

First BBQ success [ft. Shepherd’s Pies from shepherdspie.sg]

September 21, 2019

We’ve never done a BBQ ever with the kids and every time we walked down East Coast and smell the waft of food coming from the pits, we always said, let’s do it someday.

And life went on and how busy we got and how quickly my kids have grown. And we decided to plan a family BBQ just for the fun of it.

And so we did.

Probably won’t do again. Hurhurhur, because the husband started the fire, the husband (and later on, the sister) did the cooking and I only could manage occasionally fanning and it was EXHAUSTING.

We didn’t really even plan the menu except some marinated wings, frozen squid and prawns. My MIL had to walk to the supermarket because the realisation that there were no corn cobs nor sweet potato was too unbearable.

But thankfully, Rachel from shepherdspie.sg came to the rescue and sent us her medium chicken pie and two mini beef and chicken pies which we could warm up over the fire very conveniently.

And those were the carbs for the night. The smoothness and creaminess of the mashed potatoes warmed us all, alongside the cheesy top and the slighty spicy filling.

Our hearts were full at our first family BBQ. But will have think hard if we want to barbeque again.

~~~

If you’d like to order some of these lovely homemade pies, the code to use “ELIZABETH10” for a 10% discount from now till 15 October 2019.

Shop your pies here: https://shepherdspie.sg/shop/

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Motherkao loves... Reviews

Full facelift, without surgery – Results out from Halley Medical Aesthetics

September 2, 2019

So a while ago, I blogged about how this quick fix is a godsend for a time-starved me.

Yep, I am talking about having gone for Ultherapy at Halley Medical Aesthetics, which, in my opinion, is one of the most beneficial and rewarding aesthetic treatments ever invented.

I mean, what’s there not to love? No need for needles nor scalpels nor knives. Just ultrasound energy with pin-point accuracy directed at three specific skin depths on your face and neck area to stimulate collagen.

Not to mention completely non-invasive.

Plus Halley Medical Aesthetics deliver the promise of 800 lines.

Three months after my Ultherapy experience, I headed back to Halley Medical Aesthetics to meet with Dr Terence Tan to await my results. I could already feel significantly different the same day I did Ultherapy, and as the months went by, it only got better.

Skin felt tighter on Day One, face got smaller by Week 2, and best of all, zero outbreaks during PMS every.single. time.of. the. month.

Awesomeness, I will tell you.

And it’s even more incredible to see the results pictorially, because though you do not see magical transformation like in the case of a plastic surgery, these little improvements actually mean so much to me.

Ok, don’t laugh at this mugshot, was not supposed to smile but pls see how dry my skin used to be at the cheek area

See how my face is smaller, tighter and my eye bags are less pronounced

See how the jawline is quite defined now. Sumpah here no photo-editing AT ALL!

Eyebags were horrible and now, because of the collagen, my undereye has some LIFT!

These, to me, are HUGE improvements, considering Ultherapy is completely non-invasive. You don’t need to break a bank to see such good results, and it really is a worthwhile yearly investment.

Think no outbreaks, natural collagen stimulated (they tell me the peak is at 6 months and this is only the 3rd month!) and best of all, if you have no time for masks, facials and squeezing your zits, Ultherapy takes care of this because you absolutely don’t need to do those things anymore for ‘maintenance’!

Kinda no wonder I was smiling ear to ear at Dr Terence Tan’s office when he showed me the before & after pictures

I can’t recommend this enough – if you are time-starved, need a quick fix, go get your 800 lines of Ultherapy done at Halley Medical Aesthetics. Dr Terence Tan is extremely experienced in delivering the micro ultrasound shots and it’s one hour at his Halley clinic for one year of not having to worry about maintaining your face.

Cos’ the stimulated collagen takes care of it all.