The inspiration for Dee bags - Meet Desti and her passion for colour

Look at dee bags and you will see a rich fusion of inspirations- colour and the icons of Asia being among the strongest. Desti Saint explains how she came to be designing bags and what influences her.

About Desti

“I’ve lived in Asia most of my life, I love being surrounded by the colours, the culture and the people. It all influences me. I love contemporary Asian design; keeping up with current developments as well as referencing the past with its traditional icons and symbols.

My early career was in finance, working with the usual blue chip names. I loved the pace of the work, but knew that what I needed to do in this world was beyond the computers and figures of the trading floors. Becoming a mum brought with it new perspectives and the opportunity to make a change.

My life had, has and always will be about colour and looking on the lighter side. Loving and laughing….and of course enjoying plenty of handbags.

Doing what’s important to me feels fabulous. I surprise myself constantly. The family and I, including a collection of dogs, left Hong Kong in 2008 and now live in, and love, Singapore.”

“Be yourself…everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde

The story of the bag business

“I started out wanting to find the ‘right’ colour gold handbag. In the end I found myself with a handbag business. It all began in Hong Kong, the year 2007. After an unsuccessful shopping trip I decided to make the bag I had pictured in my head.

After weeks that included trips to many different leather suppliers, I had my bag complete with hot pink lining. The bag quickly developed a fan club. I was looking for something new to do with my life and here was the thing – my own handbag label.

It’s still all about creating the bag in my head, finding the right fabric and the perfect adornments. The materials get the biggest reactions, we’re known for clutches people love to hold. But it’s not just how they look. I’m pretty practical and grounded - the bags have to work as part of everyday life. They have to fit women's lives and be enjoyable.”

To see the latest range of fab Dee Bags in Singapore just visit Cayen boutique at 54A Club Street, Quintessential at #02-01 Pacific Plaza in Scotts road or browse and buy on line at www. destisaint.com

Losing that baby weight takes discipline- working with a Personal Fitness trainer really helps

Karine, owner of Body Temple works a lot with ladies who are looking to lose their baby weight. Shona Sanosi had twins, Alfie and Ella, and decided she did not want to still look pregnant at the twins’ 1^st birthday party. So she started working with Body Temple.

Her results : In only 3 months she lost 11 kgs and 3 dress sizes !!!

Shona shares how it all happened :

Shonas biggest success? : “I have many! First one was fitting back into my wedding ring that I had to remove when I was 3 months pregnant, throwing away my horrible maternity underwear and being strong enough to bathe my babies and hold them both at the same time without worrying my back will give way!”

Tips for other women: “ Find the time! I had every excuse not to exercise as a working mum with my own business and twin babies. However, with a little bit of forethought and juggling I managed to squeeze in an hour at lunch after seeing clients and still be home before the babies woke from their lunchtime nap (this was important for me). In addition to this I now walk and run at the weekends with the double buggy and my husband and I really love that time together.

Additional info: Just to let you know that I hated exercise and I still don’t like it much, but I can see the HUGE benefits that I have achieved and Suzanne (her PT) makes it as pleasant as possible (most of the time!) I now know the importance of being strong and that I am a much happier and confident person because of it and with this I am a better wife and mum!

Visage has the answer to the dreaded 'frizz'

Any Caucasian moving to a humid climate will experience the dreaded 'frizz '. It becomes the bane of our lives and other than wearing a hat or loading your hair with product there isn’t much we can do about it . So, many of us end up with our hair permanently clipped up to avoid looking like a walking birds nest.

But ladies – don’t despair. Help is at hand. Dominic Seow from Visage the Salon has found a great new treatment that solves our problem - and what good news that is!

Dominic was trained at Vidal Sassoon in London so has had a huge amount of experience with Caucasian hair and he understands only too well that it needs special treatment, especially in this humid climate.

He calls it his 'anti-frizz' treatment and, as the pictures below show, it makes a big difference to the hair's texture.

Well, it certainly seems to do the trick. So what is it? Well, it is a revolutionary new process that softens shines, straightens and makes the hair healthy. It penetrates the hair repairing internal damage and coats the hair preventing further damage. The result is smooth, silky and straight hair. It is not a chemical that restructures the hair like re-bonding. It is a replenishing treatment that reconditions and protects the hair from water and heat damage while enhancing it's natural shine.

This anti-frizz treatment uses Keratin, a natural substance which makes up around 88% of our hair so no harsh chemicals. It merely coats the hair with a smooth coating of 'liquid hair'.

The treatment is excellent on all types of chemically treated hair (bleached, hi-lights, coloured, permed, relaxed or previously straightened. It is excellent for getting rid of curly, frizzy, damaged, unhealthy, dull, mistreated hair.

The treatment is not permanent; it does naturally fade out of the hair and the wave or curl will gradually come back in about 3 – 4 months. The hair will stay soft, shiny and healthy looking. The more you do the treatment the more the condition of the hair improves. The treatment also makes the hair very manageable and it will require less blow-drying time.

**Free consultation before booking of appointment. Takes from 2 to 3 hours from Shampoo, treatment, cut to blow dry.

Price from $400 onwards (Including a Hair cut and a return Wash and Blow dry)

So call Visage for an appointment on 6733 0933 for an end to those bad hair days!