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Reviews

I Went For a Full Facelift, Without Surgery [Review of Ultherapy at Halley Medical Aesthetics]

July 4, 2019

These days, I am looking for quick fixes.

In my time-starved world, I need anything and everything that’s efficient and saves me time. And I was so thrilled that Ultherapy will do just that for me in terms of stimulating collagen, lifting my face and smoothening my skin – because, eh, where got time to go for facial every month?

So what I hear about Ultherapy is this: you spend about one hour to get a non-invasive facelift for tighter and better skin which will last for about a year. That’s all, yes.

Sounds good! This is the quick fix I need for my life RIGHT NOW.

I recently headed to Halley Medical Aesthetics to find out more about Ultherapy from Dr Terence Tan, the same doctor who froze my fats a while earlier this year and made the cellulite on my thighs disappear. Dr Terence Tan is someone I fully trust, because after having experienced CoolSculpting at his clinic, I am convinced that it’s needful to be under the care of someone experienced and who knows what he’s doing with the technology that’s available to use.

Dr Terence Tan sharing why delivering 800 shots of micro-focused ultrasound energy for my full-facelift, with upper neck – no less – is important to him. It’s about dedication and commitment to his customers!

It’s the face we’re talking about here afterall; nobody wants a botched job!

Dr Terence Tan explaining how Ultherapy treats the different layers of the skin

Dr Terence Tan introducing me to Ulthera® – the machine responsible for delivering micro-focused ultrasound to stimulate collagen non-invasively

Back to Ultherapy, which I’ve heard so much about, being non-invasive, needle-free and all. BUT I’ve also heard about the discomfort it can cause, and so I needed to go for a consultation to understand what this all means. Quick fix doesn’t mean just go for a process blindly, right.

So here’s what it is, and what it means to undergo Ultherapy, and this treatment specifically at Halley Medical Aesthetics, summarized.

Ten Facts You Need to Know About Ultherapy at Halley Medical Aesthetics:

Ultherapy is the only non-invasive skin tightening treatment that’s cleared by the US FDA. This means that it’s backed by numerous robust clinical trials and is very safe and effective. There is no downtime, no surgical incisions made.
Ultherapy uses micro-focused ultrasound energy to bypass the surface of the skin to stimulate the body’s collagen.
With Ultherapy, doctors are now able to direct ultrasound energy with pin-point accuracy at three specific skin depths (1.5mm, 3.0mm, and 4.5mm), to trigger lifting of the skin from within, a process that will develop over a period of 90 days. Tissue laxity is largely the result of structural weakening in the skin’s foundation (called SMAS) which is only accessible during a surgical facelift before Ultherapy came about.
It is the only non-invasive treatment that has real-time visualization capability which allows doctors to see precisely what layer of tissue they are treating. This enables doctors to target exactly where energy will be delivered, and to avoid structures such as bone and blood vessels.
The body will start responding to Ultherapy right after the treatment, and the skin will become tighter and more lifted over time with results most obvious three months after treatment.
Medical evidence shows that the lifting and firming process continues even after three months.
Ultherapy can be used to treat the whole face or it can be used to target problematic areas on the face like the cheeks, undereye, forehead, jawline, and upper and lower neck.
Halley Medical Aesthetics (Halley) follows the Amplify™ Protocol recommended for Ultherapy. This protocol advocates that doctors deliver approximately 800 lines (or shots) of focused ultrasound energy for an effective, long-lasting full-face and upper neck lift. This means you can go elsewhere to do this but you may not be experiencing the full 800 shots! which Halley promises.
Halley also gives patients doing the full-face and upper neck lift treatment an Ultherapy patient record that details the number of lines delivered to each part of the face. This is to provide them with transparency and peace of mind that they are receiving the optimal number of focused ultrasound energy needed to lift different parts of the face.
Halley has also won two “Golden Record Awards” for their commitment and dedication that the clinic puts into delivering Ultherapy to its patients.

Halley has won 2 records for Ultherapy

So what about the discomfort? Any google search will inadvertently show up results of people talking about some pain they experienced. And I definitely need to have my fears allayed about this, and what level of discomfort to expect.

What I really appreciate being at Halley is that nothing is glossed over thoughtlessly if you had a concern. You get very honest answers here and yes, Dr Terence Tan says, there will be some degree of discomfort experienced because the device is directing micro-focused ultrasound energy into structural layers of the skin and such penetration will cause a certain level of discomfort. To minimise the discomfort, Dr Terence Tan recommended a combination of oral painkillers and numbing cream application.

And, that is ALL that will be experienced DURING the treatment. Some people may feel soreness on the jawline for a day or two, but other than that, it’s not going to last.

Oh well, for someone who’s walked an entire day without realising her foot was fractured, pushed three babies out naturally, did a hair transplant (will blog about it soon!), and lived with horrible cramps two days a month that sometimes induces fainting, I think I can live with this “pain” of some sort.

Ok la, let’s go for it!

TREATMENT DAY
On the day I was scheduled for Ultherapy, I showed up an hour early, took painkillers provided by the clinic and had numbing cream applied on my face and neck. I was a little nervous nonetheless but was quickly calmed by the ever-funny Dr Terence Tan who would tell me jokes and ask me riddles. I think he’s found a way to calm his patients’ nerves, since he’s probably done this for so many patients.

Numbing cream applied to my face and neck after cleansing

When it was time to start, Dr Terence Tan constantly checked in with me to see if I was feeling ok and would adjust the energy level if I wasn’t. The discomfort was also greatly alleviated with a fan blowing cool air next to my face, such a brilliant idea.

The fan blowing cool air to my face was such a relief!

Getting my shots on the right cheek

The Ulthera machine visualization screen which shows Dr Terence Tan my skin tissue depth, and also show how many lines (or shots) that have delivered to my right cheek

So the areas where it’s more boney and has lesser flesh were the parts that you could feel a zapping sensation that’s more pronounced than the rest. It was a momentarily sort of shock-zap that would disappear quickly. It was like maybe, 5 seconds of a burning sensation combined with a sharp pinching feeling of your skin.

Ultherapy on the forehead

Ultherapy on the left cheek. I’m smiling here cos’ there really was minimal discomfort and Dr Terence Tan kept telling me jokes

Ultherapy on the upper neck – double chin be gone!

I had two foam bears to squish and that helped with those bigger, sharper zaps that came in the undereye and jaw lines. Other than that, it was really interesting to watch Dr Terence Tan work with the Ulthera machine, experienced as he is, in adjusting the energy level according to how ok I feel, and at the same time, counting down the 800 shots he promised to deliver

Skillful hands at work!

He would place the device on the different parts of my face and activate the shots – all very deftly and skillfully within an hour.

POST TREATMENT

Any change? Yes! My double chin area instantly felt tighter!

After I was done, I felt a little sleepy from lying down for a full hour, and some aching sensation on my jaw. Almost immediately my face felt tighter. The next few days, I felt my face becoming tighter, my double chin becoming smaller, and my jawline becoming sharper.

I kid you not, it was that obvious, that fast.

I was so amazed when I looked in the mirror that I exclaimed to my husband that this is probably an investment I need to make every year.

Apparently, results will only be obvious 90 days later BUT I already felt a significant difference a few days after the treatment. I actually also felt my skin was more supple by the third week, and that it was absorbing facial products a little more readily than before.

I think there will be more surprising finds in the weeks to come, and I can’t wait. Feeling a huge difference already with collagen stimulated naturally, and I am pretty sure it hasn’t reached its peak yet. Another post to come after my 90-day review.

Evidence of my 800 lines, recorded in detail: cheek & jaw area for the 4.5mm depth

Shots delivered at the 3.0mm depth

These are the 1.5mm depth shots at my undereye and forehead area

My picture captured in a recent event, post-Ultherapy 2 weeks!

It’s $3900 to get 800 lines done, and I reckon this has been one of the best quick fixes ever. This price tag is for every 1 -2 years which your face would need this non-invasive lift. With this, you probably don’t need monthly facials, plus it goes a longer way than surface-only masks and scrubs.

Time for me to start saving up! Meanwhile, if you want to see what I went through for Ultherapy at Halley, watch the video below:

If you are interested to try out Ultherapy at Halley Medical Aesthetics, here’s where you can look for Dr Terence Tan directly for a consultation:

Address: 277 Orchard Road, #03-15 Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858

Contact Number: (+65) 6737 8233

Email: info@halley.com.sg

Here are some quick links for you to check out the details for yourself:

Disclosure: All opinions here in this post are my own, including how desperate I am to have tighter skin in record time. Because, VAIN.

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(Self) Examination

2019

January 7, 2019

I started this blog back in 2012 when I was done with having three kids back to back as a means of finding a solace because motherhood was insanity then, and I needed an outlet to purge all the madness from my system.

I also started the blog as a gift to my children, hoping that some day they will be able to read what life was like raising them. And that I loved them through the rainbow days, and thunderstorm days.

This is the year 2019 and the years are indeed short. Ben is 10 this year. Becks, 9, and Nat 7.

I have officially transitioned from mothering preschoolers to primary schoolers this year, with the last child entering Primary 1.

And increasingly, it is becoming difficult to blog and chronicle my sentiments, reflections and musings raising them. They have become aware of the concept of self, and this concept of self is growing. As they are more keenly aware of who they are in their cultural, school, family and social contexts, they are also not so pleased for too much information to be shared.

Now they would ask me: Are you posting this on Instagram? Will this be on your blog?

Hurhurhur.

So, I’m at this inflexion point right now where I have SO MUCH to write about them but so little permission to, that I would have to increase my capacity to remember all our memories together.

In 2019, Motherkao blog would now be more about ME than them, and perhaps what’s it like living life at the brink of my 30s turning 40.

To possibilities, potential, and beyond. Happy 2019!

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Happy days Holidays!

Finally Seoul

May 7, 2018

We’re finally headed to Seoul this summer.

Like finally.

I’ve waited so long for my kids to be ready, specifically in the food department; and I am proud to say after so many years of training them to enjoy kimchi, gochujang-based soups and spicy food, they ARE ready.

I know that at ages 9, 8 and 6 we can do a great deal of walking in Seoul. Without much fussing and whining. No way was I gonna lug toddlers to Seoul.

And after so many years of watching Running Man, this trip will finally make sense to them, now that they are older.

Having finite resources, I kept in mind to plan an epic Seoul trip that would be both memorable and awesome – for me and the family . I think travelling with the kids at these ages are great – we can engage in so much conversations, and they actually remember things. Our London and Scotland trip last summer was epic too and till now, we still speak fondly of all the places we’ve seen from the museums and the zoos to the places we chilled at and the things we ate.

And I also had a personal goal way before this trip was made reality: I wanted to learn the language and be at least conversationally fluent and able to read some basic Hangeul before going. I got that going for almost a year prior to this coming trip.

So, Seoul for a good 16 days – what say we!

Our motto for our family holidays has always been IMMERSION. Hang out, chill, take our time. Enjoy the sights and scenes and soak in the culture and soul of that place thoroughly.

And I am hoping this is immersion enough!

Kao Family 16D15N in Seoul, Korea

Day 1:

Arrive and settle, chill and be completely present

Day 2:

Myeongdong and Nanta show in Myeongdong

Day 3:

All day Jimjilbang at Siloam Sauna

Day 4:

Children’s Grand Park

Day 5:

Insadong & Dongdaemun: check out Tapgol Park & Poo Cafe!

Day 6:

Cultural Learning Day: Gwangwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon Hanok Village + Gwangjang Market for dinner (yep, I planned the trail in this order!)

Day 7:

Noryangjin Fish Marekt and Yeouido Hangang Park; do the Hangang cruise at night if we’re up for it, if not just watch the Rainbow Fountain at Banpo Bridge

Day 8:

CoEx Mall and Gangnam – shopping! And maybe Kimchi Museum?

Day 9:

Explore Hongdae Day: go to Ewha and Hongik, then cafe-hop and check out Thanks Nature Cafe (see sheep), Molly’s Pop (try exotic flavours ice cream) and Meerkat Cafe (see meerkats)

Day 10:

Free and Easy – revisit what we didn’t get to do or do something we enjoyed a lot and can’t get enough of. I am guessing maybe go to Children’s Grand Park again or stroll along Cheonggye Stream

Day 11:

Same as Day 10, maybe do CoEx Aquarium (feeding programmes are from Tuesdays to Fridays)

Day 12:

Day trip to Nami Island and Petite France

Day 13:

Namsan Day: go by cable car and head to observatory; chill

Day 14:

Explore Yongsan and do the muesums – War Memorial Museum, National Museum of Korea, Children’s Museum; stop by Yongsan Electronics Market

Day 15:

Free and Easy – shop, eat, pack in this order

Day 16:

Have breakfast in the neighbourhood, go early to Incheon Airport and explore!

===

I’m hoping this is immersion enough! Share your experiences if you’ve been to Seoul, and hit me with recommendations, if any!

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(Self) Examination

OMG when was the last time

April 15, 2018

It’s been a while.

I loved this quote about writer’s block I saw recently.

I couldn’t write because I was busy with all forms and fashions of being, living, working and mothering that writing became the really last thing on my mind. I needed to find reprieve, of course – when the going got tough – but where once upon a time I sought solace in writing, today I found it through yoga, hanging out with girlfriends, going on date nights or simply taking walks alone and praying.

Ah, the different seasons of life.

Motherhood has transformed beyond what words can describe and being a mother feels different now compared to when I first started this blog in 2012.

But I’ve always maintained that this piece of existence in cyberspace is my present to my three children. Because some day they will read my thoughts, my reflections and my journey.

Someday I want them to know Mama loved them enough to journal and write about life with them and what it was like being their Mama.

So this space will always be about that. What it was like to be Me and what it was like for Me to be their mother.

I’m back and I will, as best as I can, update this space as often as possible.

I will and should write, if I can. Whenever I can. Thank you, Sir Hemingway, for the reminder.

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(Self) Examination Motherkao loves...

This year, I will… support local, go sustainable and back social

January 4, 2018

Today I opened my eyes and the year is now 20-18. Amazing how time flies, and how quickly we lived through yet another 365 days.

As reflections are made of the outgoing year and resolutions for the incoming, most of us want to start the year right. I do a few things as a way of envisioning and setting the tone for how I want to live the next 365 days.

This year I want a lifestyle change with what I spend my money on and how I spend my money. This year, I want to shop with a conscience.

And it’s gotta be these three things for the consciousness in shopping: local, sustainable and social.

Increasingly, I am in the position of meeting and working with local businesses, social enterprises and people with businesses that promote sustainable living. So many of these people I’ve met in the course of entrepreneurship have inspired me to go slow, find out who makes my stuff, and where my money goes when I spend it, and for a while in 2017, I started looking out for local, social and sustainable businesses to support whenever I needed something new be it a a new bag, a new pair of shoes, or new clothes.

I want to continue doing that this year.

Last year, I had the privilege of being a part of a panel organised by DBS where I met a whole lot of social enterprises, all ready to take their businesses to the next level. What I realised then was that even though there were so many, and I mean MANY, social businesses out there that’s innovated something new, offering something different and even serving a very worthy cause fulfilling a real need out there, these businesses were not out there. Many people still don’t know who they are, and what they do.

A while ago, last year, sharing with social enterprises how to engage their consumers in the digital world with fellow panelists, Cheryl from Rock the Naked Truth and Beatrice from Klarra. I put on many hats that day – as a business owner of Trehaus and as mom blogger and target audience for many products ranging from kids and education to lifestyle and travel.

For social entrepreneurship, the ones who do have the visibility and also gotten the word out are really the ones who’s tapped on social media well, I must say. Many of them engage KOLs and audience-specific influencers, and then go on to fill their socials with beautiful visuals, captivating videos and purposeful content. They know their target audience well and understand how to position their cause to their advantage.

And most of all, they are authentic and believe wholly in what they do. I love that for all these businesses that are local, social and ethical, they are also truly passionate about their causes.

Here are some local, social and sustainable businesses which I love:

Matter, a local brand I have grown to love for its cause and its championing of slow fashion in its own steady, quiet way.
Coopita, a social enterprise and e-shop that preserves craftsmanship and showcases artisans from around the region. I recently bought a new tote bag weaved entirely out of upcycled plastic as part of the Coopita PLASTIC SWAP movement, and am loving the bag totally.
The Missing Piece, where every piece is elegantly handmade and nothing is mass produced by a local mom of three.
Twin Within, based locally but supporting single mothers through a peace organisation in the Philippines.
Another Sole – love their shoes and the #buyonefeedone cause where part proceeds feed the hungry

There are so many other brands to love and support, and you can check them out here, and here. Hopefully, more of the social enterprises that participated in the panel discussion I participated can harness the powers of social media and get their stuff out there as more awareness is generated about the social cause.

In really comfortable #matterpants and my favourite plastic bag – this hugea** tote I am carrying is made of upcycled plastic and handwoven by artisans from Aarohana EcoSocial Developments who was recently represented by Coopita, one of my fave social enterprises in Singapore

~~~

This year, I will go slow, find out who makes my stuff, and continue to champion conscious and ethical living.

Share with me your favourite local and ethical brands, or social enterprises that you love!

Putting my best feet forward! With Another Sole 🙂

Disclosure: I was invited to share my thoughts about social enterpreneurship and social enterprises I love by DBS. All opinions here are my own.

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Family life as we know it Invites & Tryouts The Kao Kids

Getting ’em organised and all ready for a new school year (ft. #ikeahacks)

December 25, 2017

[Sponsored – this post is IKEA-inspired]

When you have three kids and a really small living space, you got to make the space work very hard for you.

So when we moved into our new flat a few years ago, the bulk of the renovation cost went to carpentry. We fixed up a platform and bunker bed with six huge compartments under for the Kao kids’ toys, and then custom made their wardrobes and study desks.

The kids share one room in our current living space. At least from now till our next move.

With all custom-made things, it has been very difficult to get proper storage solutions to get organised. We can only admire but not buy organisers or beautiful trays like these:

From IKEA: SKUBB Box with compartments

RAGGISAR stackable tray from IKEA

So we very much end up with internal chaos like this…

Ben’s personal drawer – obviously he keeps photos he treasures safe in here, and Kidzos, pouches and knick knacks

this…

Becks’ drawer: of mozzie patches, card collections, hairbands and wigs and all sorts of bags and hair-ties

and this…

Nat’s drawer: the most chaotic of all. Clearly he loves his masks (Spidey & Bumblebee), inflatable globe,s tickers, sketch book, pencil case and toy spider too much as to keep them away from his siblings

My kids have an amazing to hoard, stuff and shove. I don’t know what’s in all their personal drawers but I don’t think the things stuffed all the way in there get any attention at all.

Drawers transformation

I can’t readily find a quick fix to get these drawers organised neatly because they are custom made to fit an existing wall space, but I am so glad I found these from IKEA such that I can put them in good use:

VARIERA Box: 24x17cm

VARIERA Box: 10x12cm

GESSAN Box: 10x10x10cm

GODMORGON Box with led: Set of 5

GLIS Box with lid: 34x21cm

I got a couple of these VARIERA boxes in the above two sizes in colours red, black and green, as well as a couple of GESSAN boxes plus 1 set of GODMORGON.

I also got one GLIS box to see if anyone would opt to use this to try to work their drawer space around.

The instructions for the kids were simple: empty your drawers, take as many of these boxes as they can fit into your drawers and fit them all in as neatly as you can. Then fill the boxes by deciding what you can fit in and what you wish to keep or throw.

This drawer-organisation project took half a day. And this was what the kids came up with:

I like it that these boxes from IKEA lets the kids still keep their drawer personalised but gives them a clear idea about how much space they have to keep their things organised.

Ben’s drawer transformed

Becks’ drawer transformed (love it that now her photoframe that has a picture of me & her plus Cinderella is now in sight!)

Nat’s drawer transformed

~~~

Study desk area transformation

On our last shopping trip at IKEA, Fatherkao was fascinated by this metallic knife rack:

GRUNDTAL Magnetic Knife Rack

I love my husband for the fact that he sees what I cannot see, does what I cannot do, and makes magic happen. This man singlehandedly removed all the random hooks and decals the kids pasted on their study area wall, wall-puttied and painted it to a smooth finish, then installed two of these magnetic racks (who says you can only use it for knives, LOL) – and at eye level somemore! – for the kids so that they could magnetically stick their notes and notices (every so often the school gives us notices which our fridge has no more space for) more systematically and neatly.

He even got the RIMFORSA tablet stands so the kids can use them for their iPads, spelling lists and reference books whenever they sit down at the desk.

I can’t believe this was all conceptualised and done within half a day by their very competent father. I love that their study space has gotten neater as compared to using blutack to stick on notes in the past.

Love it even more that the first reminder that Ben stuck on this new metallic rack was a reality check: school starts soon and it’s time to pack his bag. LOL.

Speaking of bags, they have also been organised neatly, thanks to these which we found at IKEA:

These FIRRA Boxes (we used them without the lids) are great for keeping the kids’ school bags and can be rolled out with their wheels. The plan is to have the kids put the bags in these boxes after school, and roll them out when it’s homework time, tuition time or pack-your-bag-for-the-next-day time.

~~~

In the spirit of getting organised, the kids also helped to think of ways for room improvement, and this was what they came up with, with their LEGO DUPLO blocks:

Love it that they have been inspired to look for solutions all around!

Truly, small things can make a big difference when it comes to getting organised, and I think the Kao kids are ready to start the year right, now that the mess they had once lived with is now put completely away.

~~~

Disclosure: This is the second of three in a series of collaborative work with IKEA. IKEA sponsored all the hacks we’ve used in this post. All ideas here are our own. #IKEASG#ad#sponsored#incollaborationwith #IKEA

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(Self) Examination Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids What to Expect... As a Mother

The sadness when you are done having babies

August 3, 2017

This always hits me around the months of August and September.

This time round it hit much earlier, and I have begun to feel this way by the end of July.

An overwhelming sense of sadness.

Recently I read this article and it described everything I’ve felt for two years now, usually at this time of the year – this time of the year when ALL birthdays are officially over. My boys celebrate their birthdays in February and Becks celebrates hers in July.

The first time I experienced this sadness was right after Nat’s third birthday. By then I already knew. I knew in my heart after he blew out his three candles, that I was really done with having babies, and that he would be my last.

My babies are officially no more and what I have in the brood right now is an 8-year-old, a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old who are smarter than me, sassier than me and stronger than me.

At least this is what they think, and what I let them think.

Life every day with them is filled with both frustration and fun. Depends on the perspective you wish to adopt, hurhurhur.

You listen in to a whole load of stuff; they talk about a whole load of stuff; and a whole ginormous load of stuff is learned and picked up and discussed and explored and thought about and squabbled over every friggin’ waking minute.

It’s exhilarating and exasperating at the same time.

Now that I am done having babies, this is my area to grow as their mother – to handle the exhilaration and exasperation all at the same time and to savour it all while at it.

To cherish them as they are growing up, to tune in and work out the patience bit every single waking moment.

Yet, I can’t help but to reminisce and cry sad tears every night looking at this…

And this…

And these…

And at the gazillion photos and videos of them as little beings (thank God for technology!).

Every night while they sleep, I’ll be scrolling the hundreds and hundreds of photos we’ve taken of them since 2009, watching old videos from the family cloud drive, and planting hundreds and hundreds of kisses on every sleeping child’s cheeks, and breaking down into a childish wreck squealing ‘my baby, my baby, my baby, you’re my baby’. I know, this mother has gone bonkers.

So much so that sometimes the kids tell me to get a hold of myself and pull myself together. ‘What’s wrong, Mum?’ they’d ask. ‘I am not a baby anymore’, they’ll declare in their waking moments.

Goodbye, babies. Hello, big little people.

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Invites & Tryouts Motherkao loves... Reviews

Eyewear coolness. Because vain. – Review of Ottica.com

June 24, 2017

Just like you never say no to one more bag or a pair of shoes, you never say no to one more pair of sunglasses.

Because?

Because vain.

I recently had the opportunity to find my perfect pair on Ottica.com, and by golly, the perfect pair I did find. All in the comfort of my home, in front of a screen, without having to take off, put on that trial pair of sunglasses – and repeat a hundred times – to find what fits my face.

It was online shopping at its best! So stoked that technology has made that all happened.

All I needed to do was to go to Ottica.com, and start browsing each tab.

I went to Sunglasses, then to Gender, selected Female, and then a whole new world of choices opened up from colours, to shape to frame size.

You can choose to see what’s most relevant for you from size and shape to colour and brands

I keyed in my frame size, following the current pair of sunglasses I have with the best fit, and then the search was filtered further. When I clicked on any choice of sunglasses, a section on the right allowed me to upload my own photo to see how I looked.

You can key in your frame size by looking in the insides of your current frame that fits best

Uploading a profile picture

And then, SHOPPING BEGAN!

I tried my Raybans, I put on Tory Burch and Michael Kors and fitted Carolino Lemke and Versace cat glasses just for the fun of it. I got snapshots of myself in aviators, with round rims and oval ones and got the kids to do a poll for me.

I could even get an overview of what I tried, just to do more comparisons.

All very good fun.

When I finally narrowed my selection to getting sunglasses from Coach, I could further choose between brown and black lens, rotate the sunglasses frame to see what I get on the sides and how it looked.

And then, it was down to these three in black lens – with frames different – which was then put to a vote by the kids.

You can imagine how long this process took. But at least I got to “try” every possible choice possible. Without needing to put on/take off like a gazillion times, which I imagine would be laborious and might likely result in me making decisions in a haste, if I were in a physical shop!

When it was time to check out, all I needed to do was to choose the type of lens type and thickness I’d like to have, and then check out through the payment link after keying in my shipping address.

Fuss-free, easy, convenient at my finger tips.

I loved that I had FULL control of what I am getting, and I probably will never buy sunglasses any other way again; or glasses for that matter of fact, since Ottica also provides for prescription.

I got the sunglasses in a matter of days – I think it was less than a week – and wala, it’s been lovely having it for company while I was on holiday.

Chic, cool and chosen by my kids.

All in the name of vanity.

~~~

Disclosure: I was gifted credits to experiment and review this website by Ottica.com. All opinions here are my own. I’ve been looking for a website like this for the longest time and this is a timely collaboration opportunity for a time-starved mother like me!

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Invites & Tryouts Product Reviews The Kao Kids

Add surprise to your shopping – Lazada GSS Sale: 3 more days to go!

June 3, 2017

I’ve been a mother for the last 8 years which also means one thing: I’ve been shopping online mostly for the past 8 years too. It’s amazing, the amount of browsing and “screen” shopping I do while tucking the kids in bed.

I’m super thrilled to learn that Lazada Singapore is having one of our biggest sales of the year in June and to celebrate the annual Great Singapore Sale, they’ll be bringing back the “Surprise Boxes” which received overwhelming response during their Birthday Sale earlier in March.

I got my firsthand experience receiving the Lazada x Beautiful Me Mum & Bubs Box lately, and by golly.

It was a surprise, alright; it was a huge one!

Each surprise box consists of a range of exciting products from brands such as Maybelline, Logitech, Laneige, Blackmores, Philips Avent, Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Sennheiser and Nature Republic, just to name a few. Each box is customised to who you are and your choice of preferred lifestyle, so to speak – are you a health and beauty junkie? a gaming couch potato? a techie? a parent with young bubs? – and features a specific category of products.

No surprises here, what my choice of category was.

And my little reviewers picked and chose what they like from the nine items we received from the “Surprise Box”. Love it how they have a mind of their own now, and are helping me to partially reveal what you’ll get in a Lazada x Beautiful Mums & Bub Box.

Aveeno Baby Lightly Scented Natural Oat Extract Wash & Shampoo

So the little girl loves anything that would prettify her. She picked the Aveeno Baby Wash & Shampoo that’s soap-free, tear-free, paraben-free and allergy-tested. She lathered it on her hair and skin for a gentle wash and came out smelling fresh and fragrant, like any girl who loves a good bath and hair wash would.

Loved it that a brand like this cares for sensitive skin. First time hearing of Aveeno Baby, though definitely not the last if I can be ordering it from Lazada.

Blackmores Kids Fruity Fishies

Fish oil is something I can never get my kids to eat. They say they hate the aftertaste if they burped.

The packaging with the cute fishy face and the capsules in the bottle looking like cherry tomatoes managed to convince Nat to take it on as its reviewer.

Well, he was a little apprehensive at first, when I told him something’s gonna burst in his mouth, and had to calm his own nervousness with his fidget spinner (hurhurhur). But as soon as the burstable capsule released some orange-raspberry flavour, he was all smiles and said it was yummy. Yay!

Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids are essential for healthy development in children but too many kids these days don’t eat enough fish to get sufficient omega-3s from their diet (tell me about it – fish is expensive here ok). One burstable capsule contains 500mg of concentrated omega-3 triglycerides-fish oil, and is naturally-flavoured and tooth-friendly,

Happy to be giving one to every kid since it’s passed the test of taste with the youngest!

Bioglan Kids Smart Vita Gummies

I make the kids eat elderberry supplements often but I never knew this was available in the market as a gummy. Black elderberry is an excellent immunity booster and the kids have been taking them in chewable tablet form every time I sense a cough and cold coming.

This was much loved by everyone – who wouldn’t like chewy gummies that would pack a punch of zinc, vitamin C and elderberry juice?

The kids wouldn’t be saying no, for sure, and they loved it that the Bioglan elderberry gummies were found in the “Surprise Box”.

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With participation from so many awesome brands, there’s bound to be a “Surprise Box” tailored for everyone. We hear that this GSS, there’ll be flash deals every 2 hours and items going for up to 90% off. If you’re a mum with bubs like me, you can go straight for the Mum & Bubs box, and go find out what else awaits you besides what we’ve revealed. I’m sure the health & beauty or gaming or home & living boxes wouldn’t disappoint too in terms of surprises, and you can definitely look forward to shopping with a twist this GSS from 6 – 8 June 2017 for your surprise boxes!

Gonna be upfront here too, to suggest that you use my affiliate link so I can get some good stuff from Lazada too, heh. And if you’d like more discounts, check out with this voucher code*: GSSLIZ18 so you can get more for less!

Happy shopping, this GSS!

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More details:

During the GSS, each Lazada Surprise Box consists of items worth a minimum of $100 and goes for $29 nett. The voucher code GSS LIZ18 is applicable from 6th to 8th June for new customers, 18% off capped at $8 with no minimum spend required.

Disclosure: We’ve been invited onboard the Lazada Affiliate Programme, and received this box courtesy from Lazada Singapore. No monetary compensation was received and all reviews done by the Kao kids are feature our own honest opinions.

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(Self) Examination Becks Kao Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

It’s dark.

May 19, 2017

If there’s a Dark Ages to my history of motherhood, this should be it.

It’s now looking like the darkest ever. The toddler and preschooling years were pretty manageable. Exhausting but manageable. There were poopy diapers to change, dirty mouths to clean and lots of bedtime stories to tell but looking back, except the fact that you hit the sack every night bone tired, those years with 3 kids at those milestones were pretty much OK to navigate through.

Now that the kids are older, the challenges that I am facing are mentally and emotionally exhausting. Besides schedules, learning needs, progress follow-ups in between sassy retorts and juvenile arguments, there’s also the middle child and her difficulty to cope with changes and transitions smacking me right in the face.

I wished I could document in detail the pain and heartache and challenges and horrible days I go through managing her but I have decided against that and am learning to emphathise from a child’s perspective – that it can be both embarrassing and difficult, and I should park the details at some recesses of my memory somewhere where it wouldn’t hurt her. Suffice to say, there’s a lot of stuff going on from January till now, from learning needs and anxiety to lack of confidence and disastrous meltdowns. They are all now rolled up into one giant mess ball, coupled with my initial inability to handle her at her point of need (I was harsh, firm, upset, hysterical, critical, judgmental and having my own meltdown with every meltdown she had) and we pretty much have a bad situation right now, bad enough for me to call it the Dark Ages of my gig in motherhood.

I told myself I wouldn’t write.

I would deal. I would learn. I would press on.

And until I have found that little success, that aha-I’ve-overcome! moment, I would not write or rant for fear that it would cause more damage. Because you know, people would tell you ‘It’s ok, you’ll be alright’ and ‘Don’t worry, you’re doing a good job‘, and I know for a fact that IT’S NOT OK and I AM NOT DOING A GOOD JOB.

Because if I truly have any ability to reflect, I really can be better.

I can be better at…

…being consistent – and not swing from extreme to extreme, one moment encouraging and the other moment turning into a monster and screaming at the kid

…empathising – hey look, Mama, she is having a hard time too, and I shouldn’t be the only thinking that I am having it hard

…riding the tantrum /meltdown out – because a tantrum is technically not a tantrum but a “a good, deep work on fear” which can be deep-rooted and needs lots of emotional work.

I’ve been reading a lot and finding comfort in the advice and articles on this website, Hand in Hand Parenting, and taking heart that I am not alone going through this; that probably a thousand has gone before me.

I’ve also learned to ask God boldly for patience, wisdom and peace, every single day, every single moment of having to go through this.

And most of all, I’ve learned that motherhood is about change. Because the person that you’re mothering will never stay the same.

Tis’ true, the saying: that the days are long but the years are short. I so miss those bubbly, happy tods in my brood and wish so much I could baby them over.

But hey, change is needed now, and onward I go – to soldier through the Dark Ages.

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