My Journey with Braces #1

Hi everyone, it has been so long! I couldn't really blog as I have been busy, and I have ............................... *cues music* started my braces treatment!!!

Deciding was the hardest part. To go ahead or not? After thinking a loooooong time, I decided to go ahead. It's been half a year since and here, I just want to share with my dear readers the experience thus far.

Pre-braces

I said that the hardest part was deciding, and it really was. Cos it was not about deciding one day, let's go to the dentist and have the braces fitted. Due to overcrowding of teeth, I had to have four teeth extracted! I cannot even remember the last time I had a normal extraction. All I could remember was my wisdom teeth removal and the experience was .... best left as a memory.

However, with the support of my family and on the advice of the senior consultant, I decided to go ahead.

DISCLAIMER: 
All these photographs are original and not photoshopped. They are also my property and for reference only. All opinions expressed are mine and do not serve as substitutes for doctor's advice!

Before commencement of treatment

This is how my teeth looked like before any extraction or treatment, They look quite bad in this photo cos I think I was trying to show as many teeth as I could! LOL

Then came the extractions which were scheduled a week apart. The extractions were done by another doctor. I think it is quite a common practice since the doctors are all experts in their chosen specialisations but that didn't mean that my orthodontist was free! You'll see why in the next photo.

After the first extraction

You will see that here are blue objects in between my teeth, They are called 'separators', and they were inserted just before I went for my first extraction to space out my teeth and prepare them for the braces. I didn't realise the implications until I got home and wanted to eat. I found out I couldn't really bite on the biting surfaces normally anymore cos those separators were hard! It is a little hard to describe cos normal people won't have this kind of thing in their  mouths but it felt like biting on plates? Smooth but very hard. 

In case anyone wants to know how the extraction process is like, here it goes. The doctors first explain the risks to you and gets you to sign a letter giving them the go-ahead to extract your teeth and that you have understood the risks involved. Then comes the part which I dislike infinitely. Dislike x infinity. The anesthesia shots. These are the worst. The feeling of the anesthesia travelling through your blood vessels and making your cheeks swell. However, the doctors were really very good and skillful. Both times, they assured me and got the teeth out quickly enough to reduce my misery. The recovery process was normal too. Nothing to take note of very much, except a little soreness where the extractions were done.

After the second extraction

Do excuse the blood. I think I tempted fate by opening my mouth wide to take this photo, but it was really all right! No issue at all.

In the third week, I was finally ready to have my braces fitted!

Ta-dah! My braces are on!

Braces 1st Month

Very uneven and tortured viewing for the reader. But it was normal according to my orthodontist. The brackets couldn't be place on one of the teeth as it was 'rotated' but my doctor assured me that once it was straightened, the bracket (metal thing) would be fixed on. That was about six months ago, and since then, the tooth has straightened out sufficiently. Will give you more details in my next post!

whynotearlier says:

If you are hesitant about getting braces due to the extractions, don't be! Although my doctor may be different from yours, the doctors in Singapore are all well-trained and know their stuff. As one of them told me post-extraction, "Scare yourself for nothing, right?" And I had to agree with her! (Incidentally, all the doctors who did my extractions and my orthodontist are all female! How's that for GIRL POWER?) The extractions are necessary to give your mouth and teeth more space to accommodate the existing teeth so don't feel like it's so sayang to extract perfectly good teeth.

Trung Nguyen Coffee

Where to go for authentic Vietnamese coffee in Singapore? Trung Nguyen Coffee is the place that you should head to right away! It has a cosy environment, with sofas as an option. Rather quiet place for chilling out if you are in the Clarke Quay area.

Front counter

They serve cakes too but on the day I went, I had coffee on my mind! I'm sure lots of us have tasted civet cat coffee but have you tasted any from wild weasels? The Legendee, which is the one I ordered is from wild weasels!

Legendee

The restaurant touts it as having "earthy" flavours and I must say I quite agree! I drank it on its own, without any milk or sugar and it packed a punch! So if you are not a frequent coffee drinker, go slow and easy to savour the small but rather pricey cup of coffee.

Address: Liang Court, 177B River Valley Road, #02-34/36, Clarke Quay
Nearest MRT station: Clarke Quay (5 min walk)

For beginners: The secret to young, clear and bright skin

Recently, I spoke to a young girl in her late teens who was envious of her friend who had, according to her, 'young and smooth skin'. I thought, 'Wow, really? But both of you are of the same age!'

I have seen her before, but not her friend and I think she looks young (well, she IS young) and her skin is not bad. Maybe not perfect (Whose is? In this day of photoshop and make-up magicians, it is sometimes hard to tell.), but definitely not as bad as she had made out to be.

I am relating this incident because of the recent social experiement by Dove in which a FBI-trained scientist drew women twice, first based on their own descriptions, then the second based on the description of a person who knows them. And in many cases, the latter was found to be more pleasant and more close to the woman's actual appearance. Now, this 'social experiment' has received a lot of flake for how it tries to appear scientific when it is not. For example, the artist knew the aim of the experiment. Apparently, to avoid bias, it should not be the case. In addition, no backtracking was allowed to ascertain if the artist had interpreted the verbal descrptions according to what was actually meant. However, based on the anecdote I related in the beginning, I am inclined to think that sometimes we are just too harsh on ourselves. How many of us are like that, thinking the worst of ourselves when others see us in a much better light?

One of my best friends has really good skin. So good until you cannot tell if she has foundation on (or not)! Really envy her! And today, I am going to share with everyone her basic routine. The word to take note of is, basic. The foundation is always the most important. Get it wrong, and everything becomes shaky like this!

 

 

So before aiming to look younger, start looking your age. Before aiming for pimple-free skin, aim for clean skin. Then the rest will fall into place and good skin will come naturally.

 

How to get it right? I suggest this friend's routine as a good base, which is to cleanse, tone and moisturise.

 

I hear you saying: I know this already! or What? Are you kidding me?

 

But  this routine is not as simple as it sounds. There is an art to this routine. First, are you able to answer all the following questions? What is your skin type? What is your budget? Do you have any skin allergies? If you can, you probably shouldn't be reading this post and you should proceed immediately to the post for advanced readers (which has not been written yet and may never be written). If you can't, you are at the right place and your next goal should be to get hold of the answers. Finding out the answers to these questions takes time (and sometimes a lot of trial and errors, research, visiting of beauty counters, talking to friends). This step is important as you have to select the cleanser, toner and moisturise that are JUST RIGHT for you. That's right, no more, no less. Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  And if you think about the zillions of products out there, suddenly, it does not seem so simple anymore.

 

So I suggest to all who read this, if you want young, clear and bright skin, get the basics right before piling on the serums and creams, or exfoliators. For those who are curious, the girl I spoke to just used cleanser and I suggested that she should add on toner and moisturise to her routine. I hope she does so as I truly believe that the three-step routine is essential.



OST Original Pure Vitamin C-20 Serum Review

Sponsored

When the courier guy showed up at my doorstep with the O.S.T. Original Pure Vitamin C20 serum from Wishtrend, I quickly opened it to find it lovingly wrapped with bubble wrap and encased within a sturdy box to ensure that it reaches me in tip-top condition.

The basic facts

According to the Wishtrend site, the OST Original Pure Vitamin C-20 Serum was the best selling item of 2012 and was even ranked the best selling item in Singapore No.1 commerce (2012)! There are also many benefits listed, like how it can tighten up loose skin, can whiten or recover trouble scars, and remove blackheads.
Volume : 30ml
All Skin Types
Made in Korea



Who is Wishtrend?

Wishtrend is the hub for Korean beauty secrets! It believes in sourcing the best cosmetics for its customers, not just those that have huge distribution networks and marketing budgets. So all those products that cannot beat the Chanels and Estee Lauders but work as great or even better can still get to us! SUPER-like!



To cater to the Singapore market, Wishtrend sells its products through Qoo10. I checked it out and was awed by the HUNDREDS of positive reviews about the company and its products. You can have a look here.

Why pure Vitamin C is important for our skin

We all know collagen is very popular in beauty products, but did you know that one of the key ingredients in collagen is actually Vitamin C? Without a steady supply of Vitamin C, collagen production is unstable, which opens doors to wrinkles and uneven skin tone!



First impressions

O.S.T. Original Pure Vitamin C20 serum comes in a chemist-like bottle, which looks very different from the usual beauty products which come in different pastel shades. There is, of course, a very good reason for it. Want to make a guess?
It is actually to maintain the efficacy of the Vitamin C! The dark-coloured bottle blocks out light which otherwise will cause the Vitamin C to oxidise and lose its effectiveness. After opening, keep it refrigerated so that it will continue to work as well.

Crunch-time

Upon opening, you will be welcomed by a nice citrus fragrance. Very refreshing and not artificial at all! I guess it is due to the high percentage of Vitamin C – 20% - no stingy manufacturer here!



The serum feels a bit gooey, but it is not. In fact, it trickled down the back of my hand while I was trying to capture its consistency on camera. It was easily absorbed by my skin. A plus point, what is the point of applying something if it cannot be absorbed right?

I really like how it comes with a dropper so that the serum remains uncontaminated even after repeated uses. Sometimes it is difficult to keep a product as pristine as it was when you first opened it, especially if you use it over a period of time. Plus, it means you can share with other people in a hygienic way! Thumbs up!

After opening, I am at a loss at first as the instructions are all in Korean! Although I love watching Korean dramas, the wording is beyond me. So I did a bit of research on the WIshtrend page to find out the basics of this product.

I tried it out for about a week. I was starting off with a relatively clean face as I had had a facial the day before. For daily application, start with a cleansed face which has been applied with toner. For the whole face, you will need about 2 to 3 drops. At first, I felt a biting sensation on my skin, but it went away after a while.

Results: One thing I noticed after the use of the serum was that it slowed down the formation of blackheads on my nose! There are so many products which remove blackheads but slow down its growth? Definitely a bonus as prevention is definitely better than cure. I also received comments that my face seemed brighter after trying out for a few days.

Want to get one for yourself? Check it out here. Get a 3USD discount by entering this Voucher Code ----> RFXLSCOZ. (Able to combine with other vouchers, with a minimum order of over 20USD). The code only expires at the end of 2013 so share it with all your girlfriends!

Lastly, remember to like Wishtrend Singapore here ----> https://www.facebook.com/wishtrend.sg

Post-note: Wishtrend Singapore is giving away THREE bottles of the OST Original Pure Vitamin Serum on its Facebook page as part of its Mother's Day giveaway. They will be picking the winners on 12 May, so what are you waiting for? Be a fan today and remember to check out more of its awesome products on its Qoo10 page where they have special deals with Deal.com for the serum and the Elishacoy Always Nuddy CC Cream.