5 tips on choosing the best shapewear this 2021

Shapewear works by improving your figure to make it look more presentable. They're undergarments that compresses, firms, and lifts certain body parts so they appear seamless. With a variety of options, it could be challenging to choose one.  Luckily, you're at the right place. Here are five important tips you should know in getting the best waist trainer belt, body shaper, or undergarment that is suitable for you.

1. Know your size and stick to it

Shapewear comes in different sizes. If you're ordering online. it's important to note what your waist, bust, and hip sizes are to get the perfect shapewear.  If you have time, try on some pieces from a physical store to identify your size. That way you have reference for future purchase.

Once you know your size, by all means stick to it. While it's tempting to size down to get a firmer, perhaps slimmer look, you only risk appearing bigger because of unwanted bulges. It's also generally uncomfortable wearing something smaller. So yes, identify what size you're comfortable with and let the shapewear do its magic.

2. Know your body shape

The key to enhancing your shape is to identify what your body figure is. There are several ways to identify your shape just by looking at your figure in front of a mirror. There are shapes based on fruits: apple, pear, cherry, banana. There are also shapes based on geometry like rectangle, triangle, inverted triangle, and hourglass. Knowing your shape will help you choose the correct structure for your slimming bodysuit.

3. Identify your target areas

What do you want to hide or enhance? Is it your waist, your buttocks, your legs, or your overall body? Whatever your target area is, there is a specific shapewear for that. Check out this FeelinGirl Review to know your options. If you want smooth lines on the upper body, you can go for a torso shapewear. If you want to lift your buttocks or abdomen, you can go for shaper panties. If you want to shape your waist, you can opt for active shapewear like a waist trainer that you can use during workout.

4. Consider your outer wear

Shapewears are designed to complement specific sets of clothing. For instance you don't want to wear a waist trainer underneath a body fitting gown because it's thick and hot. For daily use, go for something seamless and comfortable so you can go about your day with ease. Always take into account what you're wearing outside of your shapewear so you can plan your outfit better.

5. Choose the right fabric

Comfort is very important when donning a shapewear. Most bodysuits are made of nylon and spandex material, which tend to be hot and uncomfortable. It's good for cold weather to keep you warm, but it's not exactly comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Fortunately, modern clothing technology has allowed manufacturers to create shapewear that are thin, light, and breathable. For a more comfortable experience, feel the garment and choose shapewears made of cotton-blend and lighter materials.

[Review] Part 1 of my Wink Laser Studio underarm whitening experience

Verdict: 12 sessions not enough, stay tuned for Part 2.
Part 2 here: [Review] Part 2 of my Wink Laser Studio underarm whitening experience

So! Remember I shared my experience about SkinSation's underarm diode laser hair removal? I got the 8+1 promo package and it was great. It's been over a year and there's barely any hair growth in my ua now. Unfortunately, I'm still struggling with whitening my underarms. After getting my skin cleared of hair, I went to try several products to see if anything would work but to no avail. Napagod lang ako kaka-try.

I tried using Amira whitening cream for a while. It's very mild and it worked for me when I was younger, but now I barely see any visible effects. Either they reformulated or di nya na kaya underarms ko haha.

Then I also tried Fresh Formula's Sgt at Arms, which is all the rave online but still it didn't work. I find it too strong my ua always ends up getting itchy. So pag kumati, di ko mapigilan magkamot, so lalong nangitim ua ko. If you're familiar with Lily's Touch Miracle Cream, sobrang pareho sila ng effect and even the consistency, magkaiba lang amoy hehe. Both hindi ko bet.

So I stopped. I quit trying whitening products and just settled on using Deonat aloe vera tawas deodorant instead. It definitely helped repair my darkened ua, but it doesn't whiten completely.

That's when I decided to go for laser treatments. I was eyeing SkinStation's Axilight procedure for my next step but people online said Wink Laser Studio is better, albeit more expensive. After some deliberation and computations, I decided to get their Laser hair Removal/Laser Whitening package. 

Pricing

Underarm area falls under medium size. I thought it was super expensive at ₱2,500/session but actually one session covers both underarms naman pala. So not bad! And if you get the package price of 12 sessions for ₱22,500 the price per session comes down to ₱1,875 only. Good deal!

If you use BDO or Metrobank credit card pa, you can stretch the payment for up to 6 months with 0% interest.

I only have BPI credit card with me though and it's not eligible for 0% interest installment. 

So with interest and at 6 months term, my total installment amounts to ₱23,849.51. 

That's ₱1,987.46/session. Still not bad considering it's originally ₱2,500/session.

What you need to know about the package

• Package prices are always available, it's not a limited promo thing.
• You can use the 12 sessions for either hair removal or whitening, or both, whatever the nurse suggests after assessing your skin
• You can use the package in any branch
• Observe 4-6 weeks gap between sessions
• You can share it with a friend as long as its under the same category (medium areas)
• As mentioned above, 0% interest for up to 6 months installment is available only for BDO and Metrobank credit cards, but you may still use other cards for installment pero with interest na
• Discounted packages normally have a 5-year validity, but they're flexible naman just talk to them

Sessions and progress

✱ 1st session: January 30, 2021 (Podium branch)

The nurse inspected my underarms first to see whether I could proceed to whitening already or do hair removal first. Since my last underarm treatment is more than a year already, there are still some small and thin hair growth that needs to be addressed. She recommended to do laser hair removal first to make sure no hair growth would get in the way of my whitening. So that's what we did, my first session is a laser hair removal one.

Related: [Review] SkinStation Underarm Diode Laser Hair Removal

After 4-6 weeks I'm to come back for my next session, which is still subject to the nurse's assessment. I can't wait to start with the whitening procedure lol.

Unlike diode laser, the machine they used (Gentle YAG Pro-U) didn't require a cooling gel. It also targets much deeper into the skin so there's less chance of regrowth. There's pain but nothing too much. It's like being pricked repeatedly but the pain doesn't linger and quickly subsides. My underarms were very red immediately after, which is normal daw hehe.

Before the session, to show you the amount of damage they're working with hehe:

Right and left

✱ 2nd session: March 13, 2021 (6 weeks later - Podium branch)

Nurse Lhett checked my underarms and decided we can proceed to laser whitening already, yehey! The machine used was Revlite. There's still some growth although onti na lang like 3 very thin strands on each underarm.

Before the session:

Right and left

I'm showing before pics because it's basically the result of the previous session. No lightness of course since the last session was a hair removal one. The Revlite procedure doesn't show instant results, mga after 1-2 weeks pa daw, so I'm not showing the after pics anymore. The only difference is some redness.

I find this less painful than the hair removal procedure but the pain is different. With the YAG, it felt like I'm being continuously pricked. With Revlite naman it felt like my skin is being rapidly heated one small area at a time. Kakati then hahapdi at times but it's tolerable. :)

✱ 3rd session: May 18, 2021 (9 weeks later - Podium branch)

My 3rd session was 3 weeks overdue because NCR went back to EQC and Wink had to close for some time. The recommended interval between sessions is 4-6 weeks only so I was worried na baka mawalan ng kwenta yung previous session 'cos it's been so long.

Before the session:

Right and left

Not much difference no? This 3rd session was a laser whitening one and it's a bit more painful as they increased the intensity. Baka dahil overdue na nga ako. The nurse assured me that it's okay na medyo late pero I doubt kasi tinaasan nila yung intensity haha baka pambawi? Honestly kung pwede nga iforfeit yung previous session and ulitin yung laser whitening that's good for me, but I'm nore sure if it's good for the business lol. Looking foward to my next sesh. Sana wag na magsara ulit lecheng gobyerno to now they're getting in the way of my vanity?!?! Hahahaa

✱ 4th session: June 16, 2021 (4 weeks later - Podium branch)

Before my laser whitening session. I think there's some progress already? It's not so obvious in the photo but there are areas that are whitening already but it's still pretty uneven so we'll see!

Right and left

✱ 5th session: July 14, 2021 (4 weeks later - Podium branch)

There's definitely some progress here but I had to adjust the lighting to actually see it. It looks darker under warm light. Still not convinced with the progress though, comparing to my very first session but still not losing hope haha.

Right and left

✱ 6th session: October 17, 2021 (3 months and 3 days after - Podium branch)

My goodness this frkn ECQ has terribly messed up my schedule with Wink. I was worried that after such a long gap, the treatment would lose effect so sayang naman binayad ko huhu. I was half expecting Wink to provide a solution for this, maybe reset all my sessions if it's not asking too much, but I know they're also just victims of this frkn government's ineptitude at responding to a pandemic, so I shut just my mouth and hope I didn't waste 20k++ for this servce. 

I never really got a clear answer on whether the 3 month gap would affect the results of my treatment, so I'll just try to see for myself. So here you go, mo najor improvement imo.

✱ 7th session: November 12, 2021 (3 weeks and 5 days later - Podium branch)

I really don't see any difference.

✱ 8th session - December 11, 2021 (4 weeks and 1 day later - Podium branch)

I was transferred to a different nurse cos nurse Lhett went on vacation. Nurse Jec attended to me this time. She applied a stronger setting and focused at the center where all the darkness is concentrated lol. She also went through the sides of my UA with a weaker setting. This session was shorter maybe because mataas yung setting so hindi ganun kababad yung laser sa UA ko unlike before na mahina lang yung setting pero matagal yung treatment. She says higher setting is used to treat chicken skin and lower setting is used to treat pigmentation.

I just noticed that my photos are not consistent but when I look in the mirror feeling ko pumuputi naman sya HAHA. We'll see.

✱ 9th session - January 28, 2022 (6 weeks and 6 days later - Podium branch)

Right and left

Got Covid so I had to move my sched. My left UA is definitely getting lighter. Both still have some chicken skin. Machine used is Revlite. I got 3 sessions left and I'm not confident it's enough to really lighten and even out my skin. What do you think? XD

✱ 10th session - February 26, 2022 (4 weeks and 1 day later - Podium branch)

Right and left

I think it still needs a lot of work. I'm nearing the end of my sessions and I'm still not that pleased lol. Still Revlite. Used different settings for each arm as they're uneven. Hopefully it gets better. I can only confirm that this is effective if I can confidently wear sleeveless clothes already, but so far not yet haha.

✱ 11th session - April 2, 2022 (5 weeks later - Podium branch)

Goooys! I see progress finally! Took me a while to realize that my underarm is actually improving. I just need to see it in a better light, literally haha. Here's a photo I took a day before my session around 3 in the afternoon, facing the window. Such a milestone haha. I never really noticed it improving cos every time I look in the mirror it's always overshadowed by something. Yeah, lighting is key.

And here's a closeup taken from the clinic, the light is pretty warm in the room with only the ring light providing contrast.

Left and Right

I must say, the changes are pretty significant already at this point. There's still pigmentation present but only at the center. I'm not sure yet if I'll purchase another package with Wink. Part of me wants to continue the process until I get it really smooth and even. After all, the sessions are transferrable to other body parts in case I'm already satisfied with my underarms. Maybe I can do my elbows next haha.

What do you thiiink?? This is good progress right?? XD


✱ 12th session - April 30, 2022 (4 weeks later - Podium branch)

Sorry I forgot to take a photo in the clinic so I just took a photo the following day. It still shows the progress anyway... which, in my opinion is significant, but not enough. Sadly 12 sessions isn't enough to fully whiten my underarms, so I purchased another package. 

So yeah, I guess we'll see in another year? I'll try to take better progress photos, maybe similar to this one I have cos the lighting is better and it's easier to see the difference. I don't think there's much difference between my previous session and this one. It's not lightening so much, but at least it's not darkening so I'm good with that. Yun nga lang this is very expensive for me I don't even know if I made a good choice repurchasing. Good thing Citi, BPI and Metro credit cards offer 6mo / 0% interest so I was able to split the package price into easier installments.

I'm not sure if it really takes this long to whiten underarms when I don't even think I have very dark armpits. I think it depends on the lifestyle too? My underarm routine has always been Deonat tawas spray (the aloe vera variant), I also wash my underarms with ponds facial wash in the shower and it helped soften my UA. I never wear sleeveless tops so baka laging may friction sa kili-kili. Idk. I asked the nurses how many sessions does it usually take before the client is satisfied and they can't give me a straight answer. I understand naman otherwise you'll end up complaining why ang bagal ng results sayo lol. So I'm guess they know 12 sessions won't cut it. But still, it would help if they can at least assess how much more you need given that they have your progress photos.

Anyway, I'm wrapping up this post by saying I'm only 60% satisfied with the outcome but I'm repurchasing to see if it's gonna get better.

There's definitely going to be a Part 2 to this to document my 2nd availment so stay tuned! My next schedule is on May 28th. Here's a collage of the progress photos...

I'm not happy with this because I couldn't get the photos consistent per session and I only lately realized that it's better to take photos before every session, at home, under consistent lightning, with ME taking it because the nurses take photos differently and the lighting at the studio is too warm. 

Alright, see you on the next blog! :)

  UPDATE  

Part 2 here: [Review] Part 2 of my Wink Laser Studio underarm whitening experience

[Review] New normal staycation at Shangri-La hotel at the Fort

Heya! We recently stayed at Shangri-La hotel at the Fort, BGC and here's what I think of it! I also uploaded a tour on YouTube so feel free to check it out.

Rapid Antigen Test

Protocol says we are to present a negative COVID test before we're allowed to check in so that's what we did. Shangri-la has an onsite testing facility that offers RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen tests. 

My husband and I took the Rapid Antigen test for ₱1,800 each and waited 10 minutes for the results. It's our first swab test, thankfully it wasn't painful!

We both came out negative, thank God! The results are emailed to us and a copy is also sent to the front desk.

I have to say, this is the most posh place we've stayed in. Everything looks so elegant and high-end. The location is perfect as well. They're facing high street, there are tons of food options around, malls here and there. It's an urban paradise, if you dig that kind of scene. 

Deluxe King Room

Here's our room, a Deluxe King Room at the 26th floor.

I thought it was gonna be small because it's their cheapest accommodation. But at 45sqm, it's really spacious! Heck it's bigger than our entire home haha.

I love everything in this room. The 49 inch TV, king sized bed, the desk and sofa, and most specially the wide windows with the sheer drapes and blackout curtains.

Hotel rooms are pretty much my dream master layout. There's storage everywhere, and switches and outlets are positioned conveniently. Oh to live in a room like this.

There's a care kit for guests too, containing alcohol, wet wipes, and surgical masks. Surprisingly there's no branding here. I thought Shang would be conscious about that. When we transferred to a different room the tissue is from Sanicare and the alcohol is Watsons hehe. No biggie.

Oh right. We requested to be moved to a different room because our toilet didn't have a bidet. I actually just learned about it now. Meron naman palang rooms na may bidet. Ask ka lang. Unfortunately, it's the type that's attached to the toilet seat, not the handheld one. I wouldn't have bothered you know but I have my period and I'm wearing a cup and a handheld bidet is just more convenient to work it. Anyway, since that didn't work out I just used empty water bottles as my tabo hehe.

Oh yeah, knowing it's my husband's birthday, they welcomed us with fruits and cake!

If I had to pick one feature of this room to magically appear in our house, that would be the shower system. Oh my goodness, the pressure, the heat, the spotless Grohe chrome fixtures, aaargh. I could spend a whole day in the bathroom.

Breakfast at Samba

Breakfast was good. Complimentary set breakfasts are served at Samba restaurant daily. No buffet. For day one I got the Filipino plate. Not a fan of their coffee hehe. The fruits and pastries are good though!

Samba actually reminds us of Balesin Islander restaurant at The Alpha Suites Makati. Especially the outdoor area with the pool view. Maybe it's because of the Filipino theme!

The next day I got a traditional breakfast and I super loved it even though the crust of the rye bread was so tough hehe. I could look forward to this everyday hehe. Sausage, bacon, eggs, potatoes, fresh fruits, hot cafe latte, aaaahhh.

Jeckie got avocado toast one morning, it's the healthy option. It's our first time tasting this, after all the hype! haha Masarap naman pero ang healthy haha. Their greek yogurt is delicious!!

Kerry Sports Manila

Finally, Kerry Sports Manila.

We took a look around. It's super spacious and has a looooot of exercise equipment. It has a ton of space for you to do drills. I especially liked this buddy over here. Such a unique punching bag. Every part is numbered so you can make your own sets. Looks so fun! Unfortunately I got too lazy to hit the gym during our stay.

Kerry Sports has a lot of amenities. There's a basketball court (indoor and outdoor), tennis court, swimming pool, squash courts, and dance studio. The place is 2 floors big and all the equipment are spaced far enough for you not to worry about social distancing. I mean there aren't a lot of people in anyway. You can watch our tour of Kerry Sports Manila here.

Finally

We really enjoyed our stay at Shangri-La hotel at the Fort. The customer service is superb. The amenities are great. The room is super clean, spacious, and functional. A couple of notes:

• Yup they accept leisure bookings now
• We stayed during quarantine season so expect the rules/prices to change
• Deluxe King Room costs  ₱6,950/night that time, not including taxes and service fees
• Negative Rapid Antigen Test is required before check in and it costs ₱1,800/person
• The contact tracing app they use is Stay Safe PH so make sure to download beforehand
• No buffet breakfast. Set breakfast is served at Samba every morning.
• Use of pool and gym is by reservation only. You can book via QR or at the front desk.
• To limit contact you can download the Shangri-la app to manage your bookings there. You can check-in and check-out from the app itself. Just collect your key cards at the front desk.

That's it! Hope to be back! :)

What's uuup

Nothing, just random updates...

✱ I'm excited for the weekend but I don't wanna jinx it so you'll just hear about it! Clue: it's Jeckie's birthdayyy

✱ For the past few days I've been contemplating on getting a Skillshare premium account but heck I just joined right now after noting how the rate is different on my phone vs on desktop.

I noticed that I was offered $99/year on the website, but on my phone it only says ₱1,190/year and that's after the one month free trial. The $99 rate only comes with 7 days free. How cool is that? If I didn't notice the difference I would've waited longer.

I feel like a subscription will push me to create more projects on Procreate and finally learn the darned thing. I bought the ipad mini because of it and it's about time I make use of it right? I mean it's almost a year hahaha.

Look, I made this project last week after finishing a free class on Skillshare: 
How to paint food in Japanese watercolor style and create digital sticker pack in Procreate 

Isn't it cuuute? It's the first Procreate tutorial I joined and I'm really glad how it turned out. It's not perfect but it's something!

✱ I need to get an appointment with an ortho soon. My back is killing me. I got a curble chair in hopes of correcting my hunched posture but it only gave me more pains. It does work to straighten your lower back though but because of my sad excuse for a spine all the tension just went upwards and now I have a sore upper back. And my lower back feels a different kind of pain. Sure it could be a correcting process but I'm probably a more serious case and needs more help? Urgh.

✱ By the way I'm finally monetized on Youtube! Hooray! That said I'm laying low on all enrichment activities like w2w or sub2sub. That's how I got the numbers honestly, on top of organic views naman. I wouldn't have bothered rushing it if I wasn't getting anything organically. But some of my videos are getting quite a number of views so I thought it would be a waste if I wasn't earning from those. So yeah, the goal was to really just get into the partner program then mellow down. I don't have a lot of reviews in the pipeline, but I'm consistently uploading my Weekly Monotonies! Yep, the boring bits of my channel haha.

✱ Oh I finally got my driver's license updated with my married name! Finally! After 3 years! When I renewed my license after getting married I was told that I had to process my married name at LTO main pa. Sobrang hassle naman so I kept my maiden name na lang and just waited for the opportunity to go to East Ave. After all my license is good for 5 years pa so no rush. 

Then LTMS (https://portal.lto.gov.ph/) rolled out the revision of records feature where I could just apply online instead of going to the main branch! I just filled out a form, uploaded the required docs (marriage and birth certificate), set an appointment at my preferred LTO branch, and paid through GCash. IT WAS SO EASY. After sending in my application I just went to LTO to get my new driver's license. I didn't have to bring the original docs with me cos everything was already uploaded. The LTO guy still asked me to email him my docs though so he could print it daw but no biggie. It's just weird though cos he could've just downloaded them from my online application, but oh well.

✱ Good news, we're finally done paying our car ammortization! What a relief! Yeah, but then we just bought two studio units for investment so there goes our budget! Haha

Alright, that's it! Hope you're doing well! :)