Clarins, a French cosmetic company with world recognition, has been in the process of making people beautiful for over 100 years. It all began when a young medical student named Jacques Courtin-Clarins opted to treat circulatory problems with a massage. Patients began to notice that they not only began to feel better, but that their skin began to look better. Over the next 50 years, Clarins devoted his life to improving the way his patients felt and looked, and what started of as a simple botanical-based practice became one of the world’s foremost beauty companies.

Clarins has always been one of my favorite skincare brands; their One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser and UV Plus 40 daily sun block have been among my daily staples for over a year. When I heard that they were opening a bigger, better Institut Clarins at the 5th floor of the Rustan’s Department Sore, I knew this demanded a visit. The spa has definitely increased in size, with the familiar Clarins products line the way to your room, tempting you to try them all before even beginning your session. It was suggested that I try the 60-minute purifying facial with a 20-minute additional Pro Whitening Facial Plus treatment to help even out my skin tone.

Clarins believes that poor circulation is the root of all skin problems, especially since circulation slows down with age. They see massage as an excellent way to improve circulation and the health of the skin. Clarins massage techniques are composed of no less than 80 movements. The Institute Clarins pairs massage with their high-gradeproducts to stimulate the lymphatic system and blood circulation. They claim that results on the skin are immediate. The ingredients used on your face were developed by the Clarins research and development team, who travel extensively throughout the world to exotic places such as tropical rainforests in theAmazon, Asia, and other remote locations in Europe to find new ingredients and cutting-edge research that help make skin glow.

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My first visit to Puerto Princesa, Palawan, a few years ago was uneventful, with nights spent daring to eat tamiloc — a live woodworm marinated in vinegar — with beer at one of the local haunts. I had no idea there were plenty other, more worthwhile things to do until a group of us flew there recently to experience The Legend Palawan’s PaX package tour, an in-house tour service that comes with your own van, yacht travel itinerary and knowledgeable guide.

If you already know, Palawan is a wide spread of a province that boasts many pristine islands — several of them private — located in the Northern part. With PaX, however, you don’t need to be marooned in an island resort during your whole stay; you can hit the beach during the day, go snorkeling, have your dream beach wedding, and then come back to enjoy the city’s night life and sleep in the comfort of a first-class hotel.

PaX allows a whole range of experiences. The activities are more flexible for different travelers with varied interests. They have the choice to explore the different interests at their own pace. The tour itineraries can cover a culinary adventure, nature-tripping, wildlife observation, arts and culture tours. As the last nature frontier in the country, Puerto Princesa uniquely offers the variety. This is a modern city in the midst of nature reserves.

The Legend Palawan has standard, premium and deluxe rooms as well as larger suites. The Family Suites allow six individuals to comfortably stay in their own double-deck beds and include a mini-kitchen among its amenities. These special multi-occupant rooms are innovations of the hotel and are attracting a new market of families and corporate groups.

The recent completion of the convention center located within the hotel provides a seating capacity of over 1,000 people. If you’re looking into having your wedding in this place, you can put your wedding bands right in the convention center. But this convention center development aims to attract the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) market to the city as well. The Legend Palawan aims to to contribute to the overall Puerto Princesa business climate. They are selling a travel experience, not just hotel rooms.

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It’s one of the oldest crafts known to civilization — seashells, tusks, antlers, feathers, animal skin and bones were carved elaborately to serve as ornamentation. Today, jewelry takes on a plethora of forms, utilizing an endless array of materials and taking inspiration from just about anything.

I’ve been fascinated not only by precious stones but also the rare geological finds. They are like candies, only expensive. My first-ever collection of jewelry or “Rocks” reflected my love for symmetry and extraordinary cuts. I have my stones cut in unusual yet very architectural shapes. I’m very particular about that because I think these shapes give me funk and character. There’s a lot of bright colors.

My jewelry pieces are for truly modern women — independent, goal-oriented and confident. Gone are the days when a girl wants a man to buy her a ring. There is a feel to my piece that says, “I like this new piece and I will buy it for myself.” Of my newer pieces, the power rings stands out as it utilizes eight round brilliant quality diamonds — among them are the rare and most-coveted black diamond that totals to 20 karats.

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Q: I’m so concerned about my dark spots. I have pimples before, and now that they’re healed, they left blemishes on my skin. What will I do to even-out my skin tone and get rid of ugly spots?

A: Pimples usually leave brown spots once they’re healed. Thus, it is essential that we use skin brightening/whitening products which also act on eliminating the blemishes and not just lightening the other surface of the skin. Choose skin care creams with Vitamin B3 helps erase unwanted blemishes on our skin.

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Q: I have a dark and dry skin. I want to be whiter, and my friends advised me to have skin peeling products to easily renew my skin. But I’m afraid if this will really help?

A: Skin peeling is not the only answer to whiter skin. These are natural alternatives to achieve fairer complexion. There are whitening products with natural ingredients that are very skin-friendly. Do no immediately jump into chemical-based whitening for this might pose a bigger problem in the future. Choose the natural way to a whiter and moisturized skin.

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Q: I read about skin metabolism. What does it mean, and how will it help me look younger?

A: Skin metabolism is the process of renewing our skin cells, the old skin cells are replaced by new ones. Skin metabolism usually takes 14-28 days when we’re young. But as we age, this process slows down. Slow skin metabolism leaves our face covered with flat, rough, and moisture-deprived cells. They mask our natural skin color and radiance. Hence, we must act on speeding up our skin metabolism in order to maintain a toned and rejuvenated complexion.

The Chinese have called in the “Great Treasure”. American farmers have hailed it as Gold from the Soil.  Indeed, protein-rich  soybeans are among the world’s natural wonders.

Whether as oil, milk, sauce, or tofu, a daily serving of soy protein good for your heart, as it lowers blood cholesterol levels. What’s more, soy improves bone density among women, reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

But did you know that more than being a delicious way to better health, one can now make use of soybeans to lighten skin safely? Thanks to the discovery of Essential Soy has proven to deeply penetrate skin to reduce melanin and dark spots for an even and vibrant skin tone.

Essential Soy contains nutrients essential for fair skin:

• Protein softens and smoothens the skin
• Lipids restore your skin’s natural protective barrier, helping it retain much-needed moisture
• Carbohydrates continuously nourish the skin
• Anti-oxidant rich Isoflavones keep skin supple and young-looking
• Saponins deeply cleans the skin

Dermatologist recommended and clinically tested to be mild and safe for everyday use, experience the wonders of Essential Soy right in your own home with the new Fine Fairness Cleanser and Fine Fairness Lotion SPF 15, only from Neutrogena.

Daily use of Fine Fairness Cleanser thoroughly cleanses and washes away dirty, surface oil, and dead skin cells to reveal smoother, more radiant skin in as early as one week!

Fine Fairness Lotion SPF 15 is a daily facial moisturizer that works in three ways: it hydrates and revives dull skin; it shields the skin from the sun’s UV rays; and because it has Essential Soy, it lightens the skin to keep it naturally fair, naturally glowing.