BIG BRAND CONMAN SKINCARE PLACE

context: i was looking for facial treatments online, and found a trial promo for a hydrating facial that was around 15% of the original price.

it was by a big local brand that uses local artiste as ambassador and i rmb seeing their ads on tv local channel regularly many years ago when i was a kid (i stopped watching local channels since many years ago too so idk if they still running ads on tv).

before booking an apt, i checked their google reviews for various outlets, naturally i looked at reviews starting from most recent, all were v good! given the big long-standing branding n good online reviews, i booked an apt. the facial was rly bad, my skin is actly v good (im 20 n take good care of it, i just wanted to treat myself to an occasional facial). it’s been days after the facial, and IM BREAKING OUT n my skin is so itchy.

I suspect either their tools were dirty or beautician didnt do extraction properly so its causing some aftermath. perhaps they purposely made my skin bad so they could keep me going for their treatments??

anyways, after the breakout, i started researching online even more, instead of starting their google reviews from most recent, i used the start from “lowest” function. oh god, that was where i found their “real” reviews! people were voicing the same experiences as me (unethical and aggressive hardsell, post-facial breakout, non-effectiveness of treatment, bullying by consultants, etc.) i then realised the numerous 5star reviews for all outlets were written by users with only 1 or 2 reviews! is the same thing for their sister brands under same big company. im a student (u can obviously tell from my looks n i told them also), when they wanted me to sign a package of few hundred dollars, they constantly pushed this pay-in-instalments app called “Atome”…. basically, their msg is: if cant pay in full now, just sign package, pay in instalments! i was reading their google reviews, another student echoed how when she said she has no xtra $ cuz a student, salesperson were asking her to use her pocket money! (we’re talking few hundred dollars here, hello students get allowance to buy FOOD n sch neccessities).

rn im so scared. i have read reviews that they were scarred (literally, on the face) from the horrible blackhead whitehead extractions during their treatments. im just wondering: yes we mostly know phone scammers, but how can we protect ourselves (esp women) from these kind of con places?????? they r a big local brand, advertises on traditional platforms w our mediacorp artistes, and have hundreds of 5star (highly likely fake) google reviews regularly posted to give themselves high google rating… but people r being hardsold in small little rooms (i wish i could expose the brand names so yall can read all the horrendous posts on google review, hardwarezone, tripadvisor, mummy forums).

pls dont laugh at me or these other women, most of us just want to take good care of our skin but these swindler corporations take advantage. plus, it seems to hv bountiful resources to do massive marketing to paint a good but false image of themselves before unsuspecting consumers. ps: if i say their brand name, as long as u r a sgporean who walks around sg malls, u confirm see before.

is there smthg we can do to expose their unethical methods?? buy multiple packages, will go up to tens of thousands of $.

My ex-boyfriend’s mother kept on asking about my 1 yr old daughter

I got married and gave birth last year, me and my ex broke up on 2019 and both him and his mother have been occasionally sending me messages asking me how I’m doing and coping since the breakup.

I have been ignoring their messages but I do read them.

My marriage was a mistake to begin with, and I do not know how I can reply them especially when his mother kept on asking about my daughter. About who that baby is and when did I gave birth etc.

Keep in mind his mother do not have dementia or any illness, she would sometimes randomly call me as well.

I do appreciate them checking on me after so many years and even when I got married. My marriage is not great and how could I possibly let outsiders know what I’m going through.

Do I miss my ex and his mother? Yes I do but I have to move forward to working a better future for my daughter and leaving my husband because of abuse.

Here are what netizens think:

• Have a clean break from both families and focus on what’s best for yourself (retirement) and your child (good education and environment till adulthood).

• U better have some money save up. If u want to get away from family abuse.. unless u want to tahan it till the day u go into ur grave. Life is short. Better make it every day a happy event. Good luck girl.

• Better not to cut off. You nv know her true intentions. Don’t wait until too late and regret

• you never know what people’s intentions are. focus on your kid n bettering your future without both men n their families.

My partner (35m) and I (31f) have an argument and I am not sure if I am at fault. My MIL who is from Malaysia (50-something) wants to visit after she has been in our home for a week in April this year.

After she left I made it clear that next time she will be staying elsewhere but my partner disagrees now.

So I (19M) have a dual bank account with my mom (36F) that she set up for me when I was around 16.

this dual account allows for her to take money out at any time to spend on whatever she wants (usually groceries or other needed things).

The issue isn’t that she is using the money for these things my issue is with the idea that she can take my money whenever with little warning. She usually will text me telling me that she’s taking money, what she’s using it for, and when she’ll pay me back, but this can be at any time of the day no matter if I’m sleeping, working, or doing other tasks.

Whenever I confront her about how her borrowing money bothers me she throws it back at me with the usual “you act like I’m not going to pay you back” or “I pay for this stuff for you without even asking you to pay me back”. I try to explain to her most times that I mostly take issue with the lack of consideration that I may have plans for my money and it usually ends up with her arguing with me about it.

The thing is, the money in the bank account is 90% all mine.

It is the money I put together from working part time since I was 16 and I use it mostly to pay for my school fees and transport.

Should I just open a new bank account and transfer all my share away?

I don’t want to look like I am a bad person either.

My (F21) parents forgot my age and keep cancelling on my birthday. It hurts being the lesser loved kid and I dont know what to do to make the hurt stop.

My birthday was this week on Tuesday, I just recently turned 21. What was supposed to be a happy day turned into a rather hurtful one, I guess. Toward the evening, my parents called to congratulated me on my 22nd birthday, separately. Both of them forgot my age.

A week before that, it was questioned what kind of present I’d like to get for my 22nd birthday, to which I replied that I was turning 21, not 22.

I get that people can forget birthdays and ages as time passes but… come on. I told them a week before, how could they forget this fast? I guess I expected a little too much, being the oldest sibling I should have known better.

Whatever, right?

Did not change the fact that I still wanted to see my father and mother, as well as my little sister (17) on my birthday. Due to previous disagreements I moved out now live on my own. A day before I called a restaurant and reserved a table for six; parents, sister, her boyfriend and mine.

Two hours before they were supposed to come, they called and cancelled. My Dad didn’t feel well. Alright, nothing you can do about it, its fine.

So I wished him well and we reschedueled to Thursday. Well, time passes and I get yet another call. They won’t be able to make it because my sisters boyfriend (sbf) is still at work and my Dad still lies in bed with a sore throat. Not wanting to have sbf uninvited and feel unwelcome they collectively agreed on rescheduling again, adding in that my dads sickness plays a role, too.

So here I was, cancelling the table AGAIN. As ridiculous as it sounds, I felt like crying on the phone. Perhaps reality had set in that my own parents gave a damn about their clingy daughter just wanting to see them on her own damn birthday.

My dad now leaves to see his Uncle and Cousin. My Aunt and grandpa both join him and apparently it was planned a few months ago.

Why can he go and see them despite being sick but not me? I have tried not thinking about it, excusing it, not feeling like a burden, but I can’t anymore. My little sister always gets a nice birthday, cake, some gifts and everyone celebrates. Its not her fault, I know that, I really really know that, but it makes me feel so bad about myself all the time. It makes me resent her and I don’t want to do that.

I don’t know if it is because Im supposed to be the “independent” or the “adult one”. Maybe I just keep telling myself that to avoid accepting that I will never be loved the way they love her, really.

I hate being the older one, I didn’t ask to be born first.

So, I guess after all this I just want to know what Im supposed to do now. I don’t know how to deal with those feelings, I just want them to go away.