In some non travel related news...

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It's Sunday lunchtime in Shanghai and as I type, I'm experimenting with yet another Chinese skin care remedy. I was really worried about my skin this trip - we're eating out a lot and I really have no control over what's going into my body. I even asked Shum to bring over a few boxes of cup a soups for me, so that if it did get bad I could just live on them for a few weeks. However, being away has actually been really good for it. My skin is looking better that it has for months and I've even consented to having a few photos taken! I really don't know what's working for me now, maybe it's because I'm on a higher dose of roaccutane, or - as I prefer to think - I'm just reacting really well to all the junk food we've been eating here 😊

While my skin is a lot better, it's still really red so I thought I'd try something that's been recommended a few times. Shum and I went to a Pearl Market and I bought a packet of powdered pearl. The transaction was carried out in Chinese so my understanding may be a little flawed, but I'm currently sat with a mixture of the powder and a bit of egg pasted to my face. It's a funny grey colour and very, very tight but not uncomfortable. I need to leave it on for another 15 minutes then wash it off, and repeat twice a week.

Talking of beauty treatments, I also had my first ear massage and candling. The girls were going for full body massages but I am a wimp and generally get more pain than pleasure from the pummelling of the Chinese masseuse so opted for this candling thing, and it was divine. Firstly, she massaged my head for about 20 minutes, which 、I love. Head massages are my mum's favourite thing, so maybe I inherited it from her...Anyway, she then lay me on my side and held a candle in my ear. From what I could understand, the candle was supposed to balance inside my ear, but some part of mine is too small so she had to hold it with one hand. With the other, she gently massaged my back and shoulder with oil, then turned me over to do the same to my other side. I couldn't really feel the candle or any warmth to be honest, but it was a lovely experience, very relaxing and oddly enervating.

We're going to try and fit in one more treatment each, and a manicure, before we all leave on Tuesday. Ladies of leisure, eh?

I'll update about Shanghai when I'm back in Tonglu, and add photos too.

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