It was a great event where we heard testimonials about the product which is made from plant stem cells harvested from criste-marine which grows on the rocky Brittany coast. Why this plant? It was selected as this succulent plant is able to thrive in the most dry and in-hospitable climate, sustaining itself by drawing nutrients from the air surrounding it. On our skin, this organic anti-ageing potion is said to enhance surface skin renewal to reveal smoother, fresher and healthier skin. It is to be used together with your serum, or added to your day and night moisturizer to give a surge of hydration and kick-start the cell repair process. Launched island-wide yesterday, Drops Of Youth is retailing for $58.90 for a 30ml bottle.

Verdict: The concentrate is lightweight and absorbs easily into my skin without any sticky residue. My face feels more supple and does seem more luminous. While I am not looking like an 18-year old adolescent yet, I did get mistaken for a 25-year old recently (I’m actually 35 years old!).

I’ll leave you with some pictures from the Drops Of Youth media launch:

What do you think of youth-enhancing concentrates? Do they work?

Stay tuned next week to find out…

And, there’s no better time than now to do so – Strip has partnered with PETA to offer their signature service at only $40 (U.P. $58) and donate a $1 for every wax done. I’ve always liked being bald down there as on top of looking like a 12-year-old schoolgirl, it just feels great to be smooth (just ask my hubby!). Strip is the de facto place I head to as apart from being anal about their hygiene, it is also “zip zip zip” fast, to coin a phrase from popular TV chef, Rachel Ray. Comparing their wax to food is quite apt here as the waxes offered are yummy strawberry and chocolate. In fact, they smell so good that you will wanna smear it all over your body.

So, go naked than wear fur this Christmas and do your bit to help the animals too! Promotion is applicable for first-timers only and valid till 31 Dec 2010.

Lately, I have become obsessed. Obsessed with living well, eating right and yoga. I live, breathe and eat yoga and you will find me every morning at the yoga studio holding a challenging pose.

Some people ask me if this mindset is a conflict of interest to my work which extols aesthetic procedures to the masses. I beg to differ. To me, they go hand-in-hand as doing aesthetic procedures is all part of looking after yourself – maintaining your looks as much as you can, and giving yourself a boost in areas that Mother Nature forgot or Father Time took away.

In this issue, we offer a more holistic approach to looking good with a special feature on spas as well as a blow-by-blow account of what happens at a detox resort – something I’d highly recommend everyone to do once in their lives. You emerge so much lighter, energetic and with a glow to boot!

You’d also not want to miss our Feel Good, Look Great section which showcases the latest technology that can hold the effects of gravity at bay! As if that is not enough, we reveal the treatments that beauty insiders use to keep themselves svelte and line-free – best of all, they are all within reach!

Also inside this issue:

1. Mane Event – Treatments for fuller, healthier locks
2. The Truth About Cosmetic Surgery Abroad – You’d want to read this before booking your appointment
3. Sexify Yourself – Bootylicious treatments to kick bedroom antics up a notch
4. Beauty Chat with Andrea De Cruz – Find out how this TV personality turned hair guru keeps herself looking great
5. Fillers For Asian Faces – How to correctly enhance your looks with fillers suitable for you

Look out for the magazine at the end of January 2012! In the meantime, ommmm….

Nothing ages a person more than a protruding belly. Need weight-loss help? This will make a big belly difference: Start your day with a high-protein breakfast (think eggs). This shifts your appetite into neutral, where it will idle happily till lunch. Add some fiber to the meal, such as whole-wheat toast, and you’ll curb afternoon cravings. Imagine getting halfway through a day of healthy weight loss without needing any willpower! That’s because having plenty of protein and fiber early keeps you fueled and full for hours.

Not an egg lover? Have oatmeal topped with walnuts or smear peanut butter on your whole-wheat toast. Ready to just grab the toast solo as you zoom out the door? Think again. You’ll be elbow-deep in the candy bowl before lunch.

Block Snack Attacks with Protein

If you don’t get a certain amount of protein each day, but especially in the morning, your appetite shifts into snack-attack mode. Not only do you overeat but you eat high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar snacks – the kinds of foods that go straight to your waistline and make your belly bigger.

Adults usually get plenty of protein, just not in the morning. About half get none because they skip breakfast entirely, which is another reason breakfast skippers tend to put on pounds. They haven’t eaten since the night before, so their bodies get panicky by mid-morning, wondering when/if the next meal is coming. The result? Their bodies start storing calories instead of burning them.

Successful weight loss, which includes not gaining back your hard-lost pounds, is about staying full, not going hungry. Hunger and cravings are your enemies. Feeling full and content are your allies. Morning protein and fiber? They’re your secret weapons.

Inverted poses, like the headstand, can refresh the glandular and circulatory systems, increase circulation and drainage of lymphatic fluid, and stimulate the nervous system. It also provides your face with an instant facelift! In fact, Hollywood bombshell, Eva Mendes admits that she lies upside down on a slant board for about 20 minutes before a photo shoot, or a hot date. She notes that the increased blood flow to her upper body and face brings on a vibrant, flushed-with-youth look.

Besides a radiant and glowing complexion, I also notice that my back feels really relaxed after each 90 minute session, probably because the upside down poses relieve the gravity pull on my spine, giving it a much needed rest.

Other reputed benefits of upside down yoga:

Reduce Gray Hair

Practicing headstands regularly has even been reported to convert gray hair back to its natural color. Although I can’t vouch for the validity of this particular claim, the transformation is supposedly due to the increase in blood supply and nutrients to hair follicles in the scalp.

Increase Sexual Energy

The bottom line is that a regular inversion practice can lead to better circulation to every part of your body, including the thyroid, pineal, and adrenals. This even goes for your sexual organs, which means better sexual health.

Delay Age-related Diseases

The stimulated circulation brings healthy, oxygenated blood flow to the brain, which increases mental alertness, helps to synchronize brain activity, and may help to prevent mental disorders and brain dysfunction.

Upside down yoga is not all about complicated Cirque Du Soleil-like poses. In fact, a simple Downward Dog position where your hips are higher than your head is an effective upside down pose! Who needs fancy creams and other costly beauty products that just add to your consumption? Stay young and youthful naturally.

I’m always excited when I am planning the next issue of Aesthetics & Beauty Guide. Apart from the deluge of pampering treatments to look forward to, it is also extremely gratifying to conjure a rocking editorial list that will give my readers insight into the latest treatments and products available that can make them feel and look better.

After scouring the Internet, online beauty forums and blogs, and speaking to people, here’s a sneak peek into what you can expect from ABG 2012:

- Sexy treatments to add some sizzle back into your schizzle

- The latest anti-aging treatments at top spas

- Age Management aka how to age younger feature

- Everything you wanted to know about breast augmentation

- The truth about cosmetic surgery abroad

- The most powerful treatment for pigmentation

- And, last but not least, we have a secret celebrity gracing our cover and sharing her beauty tips

All you need to start 2012 looking your best and more!

However, if you can’t wait, you can still grab a copy of our July’s issue at news-stands…

If you’ve already blown out 60 birthday candles (or spend too much time online, like me!), it’s time to get extra serious about protecting your eyes from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – by hitting the salad bar. AMD is a progressive disease in the retina affecting people mostly over age 60. It gradually destroys sharp, central vision. But new research suggests that the nutrients you need to prevent it are all front and center at your local salad buffet.

So here are three eat-for-your-eyes salad bar tips you can use today to reduce your risk of AMD:

1. Load up on the carotenoids. At the salad bar, that means lots of carrots and leafy greens for lutein/zeaxanthin and beta carotene – nutrients associated with less AMD.
2. Lay on the omegas. Get your omega-3 fatty acids by sprinkling crunchy nuts on top of your salads. And add a little tuna on top, too. Diets high in fish oils and nuts have been shown to reduce the risk of AMD. Plus, coldwater fish like tuna, salmon, and sardines also contain appreciable amounts of vitamin D3 – another AMD stopper.
3. Look into a supplement. Many AMD studies have used zinc supplements to reduce risk of the disease, but check with your doctor before taking zinc. If you’d like to get more zinc through diet, add sunflower seeds and kidney beans to your green salads. A supplement with B vitamins (folic acid, B6, and B12) may be beneficial as well.

Time to hit the supermarket to load up on these vision-saving foods!

If you have lots of moolah (we’re talking six-figures here!), indulge in this anti-aging programme which utilises Swiss cell therapy.

The Total Swiss Anti-Ageing Programme of Rejuvenation, Revitalization & Youth Restoration is an exclusive cell therapy focused specifically on the renewal of the body, mind and soul. Designed as a 6days 5nights Medical Wellness program at the world renowned luxury resort area of Ascona, Switzerland, the royal vacation includes a series of holistic and integrative medical therapies prescribed according to your personal medical needs.

Offered by MFIII of Switzerland, the programme provides a full comprehensive range of principle diagnostics, modulation, balancing, restoration and detoxification processes. The main therapy in this medical programme is MFIII Fresh Frozen Live Cells (FFC) or Fetal Precursor Stem Cells, and some of the additional quality medical services include:

1. Comprehensive Executive Medical Check-up Program, Diagnostic Methods and Profiling
2. Colonic hydrotherapy for Enhanced Detoxification Process
3. Orthomolecular/Ozone Therapy through Infusion Program
4. Holistic Detoxification and Oxygenation Program
5. Pituitary Gland Hormonal Modulation Program
6. Intravenous Laser Therapy Program
7. Magnetic Field Therapy
8. Professional advice on Proper Nutrition and supplementation
9. Professional advice on Exercise and Lifestyle Changes

The MFIII Anti-ageing Programme also includes the following services:

1. Limousine Service (Return trip between Ascona and airport of Zurich or Milan)
2. Food and Accommodation pre-arranged
3. Boat Cruise on Lake Maggiore
4. A Shopping Excursion nearby Ascona (if weather permits)
5. An optional Facial Therapy according to your facial condition without any charge

Might be something worth breaking your trust fund for! For more information, go to http://www.mf3-antiaging.com/

Colon cleansing involves involves repeatedly flushing the colon out with pure water or organic coffee, removing layers of accumulated toxic debris, taking physical pressure off the abdominal organs. Parasites, candida yeast and other fungal forms are cleansed out as well. This gets rid of belly fat which so often is mainly comprised of the bulk of built-up wastes rather than adipose (fat) tissue. These methods also tone and condition the bowel, getting rid of constipation. Constipation is your complexion’s worst enemy.  When your colon is clogged with waste material, your body tries to eliminate toxins through the skin.  Even if your skin is functioning properly, these waste materials end up deposited in the pores and tissues creating a sallow and mottled complexion. Besides clear skin, each session also leaves you refreshed and energised. In fact, I’ve been as buzzed as a 2-year-old since I got back – and all this without coffee (which I’ve kicked too after the detox)!

Keen to try it?

The Farm is having a special promo “7 Day RAIN CLEANSE Organic Weight Loss Retreat” reflecting 30% discount off the entire programme. This is a time limited offer valid until September 30, 2011 only! Book your spot now