Facial Massage Routine by Lisa Eldridge

Do you massage regularly on your skin? My favourite beauty guru, Lisa Eldridge does, as she have seen how it helps her mother's skin. Her mother does a face massage daily, while watching television and she has no fine lines or wrinkles at all, as proclaimed by Lisa Eldridge.

She truly believes that a good facial massage routine and sunscreen are the best anti-aging skincare remedy.

How about you? Do you have a favourite massage routine to share?


Source : Lisa Eldridge

Video Massage For A Fresher And Firmer Skin

If you are jet-lagged or tired and need a quick fix, try the massage as shown in the video. Not for those with sensitive skin or broken capillaries though.

It is a good example of the Ice-Cube Remedy which is further explained with a massage video by the famed Lisa Eldridge.

5 exercises to smooth facial lines and wrinkles

Here's an excellent article on how to smooth facial lines and wrinkles which I presume all, if not most of us would be interested.

Exercise 1: The Scowl-Line Banisher

Step 1
Take your two forefingers and place them one on each side of your scowl line. Pull your fingers gently apart if you need to smooth out the line.

Now pull your brows together, but make sure you are not making the line again (look in the mirror to make sure). You are just working those muscles. Hold for a count of ten.

Step 2
Now move your fingers apart so they rest in the middle of your forehead, approximately above the arch of each eyebrow. Now think about pulling your corrugators towards your fingers and your temples—you are counteracting the pulling-in movement with a pulling-out movement. Feel that vertical line being smoothed away.

Exercise 2: Palming  (soothe the eyes and the optic nerves, and help reduce puffiness)

Step 1:
Rub your palms together until they feel warm.

Step 2:
Cup palms over your closed eyes so that the heels of your hands are resting directly on your eyelids. Push gently against your eyes

Exercise 3: Upper lip smoothie

Place your forefingers on either side of your mouth corners to anchor the muscles. Stretch your top lip down and over your top teeth and towards your mouth corners at the same time. Your upper lip should be completely smooth, no puckers.

Hold for a count of five, then release. Repeat three times, holding for a count of ten each time.

Exercise 4: The Carp Curl

Step 1:
Place your two forefingers on either side above your mouth, along the nasal-labial folds. This anchors the area as you work on your orbicularis oris.
Without making lines in your upper lip (stretch it as in the upper lip smoothie above) stretch your top lip forward and up towards your nose.

Step 2:
Curl your lip up and out, as if you were a fish sucking in water. Curl it ten times, then relax, then curl it ten times more, this time a little faster

Exercise 5: Advanced Carp Curl

Step 1:
Place your forefingers on either side of the nasal-labial fold and curl your lip up towards your nose as in the previous exercise.

Step 2:
Now stretch your lip down over your teeth (as in the Upper Lip Smoothie).

Step 3:
Alternate the two movements so that you resemble a fish. Repeat 10 times. Relax.

Repeat this three times. Each time you do it, make the alternating movements a little more rapid, while trying to maintain a smooth rhythm. When you are done, relax. Wiggle your mouth around to relax the muscle (without making lines!)

Source : Mvblog

DIY Eye Massage

5 tips from Ms Teri Tay, Education Manager for Dermalogica, to a DIY eye massage:

1) Always have an eye cream or eye masque that gives you a good glide to start off the massage.
But if you're on the go and have no access to a ready eye cream, you can always apply eye pressure. Point massage can be done, anytime, anywhere.

2) Massage all around the upper and lower eyelid area in slow, circular movements, without dragging the skin. Use outside-in or inside-out movements to stimulate eye muscles, which are circular.

3) Pressure points are actually sore areas around the eye socket which can be easily found. Move along your socket bone and exert slight pressure with your ring finger.

When you reach a spot that feels sore, hold for a count of three, release the pressure and move on to the next spot.

Repeat for a few minutes, several times a day to ease the soreness. The more tired your eyes are, the more soreness you will feel.

4) Regularly exercise the eye muscles by blinking. Try blinking 100 times in a minute.

5) Always end a DIY eye massage with a hot masque or gel pack if you suffer from dark eye rings, and end with a cold pack if your eyes are puffy.

Source : Diva

Eyeing The Problem

Dark Eye Rings

Fix or Cheat:

• Get enough rest.
• Drink enough water to curb dehydration.
• Use cool tea bag compression as the caffeine in tea helps in skin microcirculation.
• Place slices of raw potato over your eyes as they contain catecholase, an enzyme with skin lightening properties.

Ingredients to look out for:

• Vitamin K - Inhibits bruising in broken capillaries
• Kojic Acid, Vitamin C or Licorice extract - Natural skin lighteners
• Haloxyl - Flushes out pigmented blood

Puffiness

Fix or Cheat:

• Get enough rest.
• Watch your sodium intake.
• Do not drink large amounts of fluids just before you sleep
• Sleep with your head propped up so that fluids do not accumulate in your eye area.
• Massage your eye regularly to flush out excess fluid.
• Place chilled cucumber slices/cold spoons on your eye area to constrict blood vessels, diminish the flow of fluid into tissues and reduce swelling.
• Limit yourself to just one cocktail during drinking session. Drink water before and after. The effects of alcohol can contribute to swelling and puffiness, especially under your eyes.
• Use chilled eye pillows. The slight pressure will help to firm up the eye bags.

Ingredients to look out for:

• Caffeine - Shrinks blood vessels, draws out water and deflate puffiness
• Retinol - Firms the skin to prevent saggy eye bags
• Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) or Vitamin C - Tightens skin
• Eyeliss - Increases lymphatic drainage

DIY Massage for Puffiness

Step 1
Apply cold compress on the eyes for 5 mins. Chilled slices of cucumber or cold tea bags are ideal as they contain natural enzymes that will help reduce puffiness. Store eye care products in the fridge for emergency. They work well in such time tight situations. If you are using chilled eye mask, do not wash off the ingredients left on your eye area (wipe away the cream eye mask with tissue). Pat lightly to increase the absorption of the leftover ingredients

Step 2 
Apply a small amount of chilled eye gel around the eye area. Gel based products have a better instantaneous tightening effect. By using your middle finger, use a patting motion to spread the gel out. Apply slight pressure while patting. It helps to loosen out any congestion around the eye area.

Step 3
Do a quick mini massage to ease the puffiness around the eyes. Starting from the bottom of your lower eye lid, use your middle finger to sweep inwards towards the nose bridge then to the upper lid and back to the starting point. Repeat this action for 20 times for each eye. This action promotes circulation and also helps the product to be absorbed thoroughly.

Saggy Eye Area Fix or Cheat:

• Placing cucumber slices on the eye area can tighten skin and reduce puffiness.
• Tea bags, with its high tannin content, on your eye area helps to maintain the tautness.

Ingredients to look out:

• Vitamin E - Keeps the skin healthy and youthful
• Ceramide - Strengthens skin's moisture barrier
• Retinol or Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) - Promotes collagen growth
• Cynergy Tk or Eyeliss - Helps to plump up and tighten the eye area
• Astaxanthin - Improves fine lines and wrinkles, skin elasticity and moisture

Fine Lines

Fix or Cheat:

• Drink more water to keep hydrated.
• Apply egg white or unscented castor oil to nourish and plump the skin.
• Eat a diet full of antioxidants for good blood circulation and hydrated cells.
• Apply mashed banana or avocado to tighten and hydrate the skin.

Ingredients to look out for:

• Retinol or Alpha Hydroxy acids - Promotes collagen growth
• Antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Kinetin and soy - Strengthens collagen matrix
• Natural botanicals such as sea algae and chamomile - Firms the eye area
• Hyaluronic acid - Hydrates the skin
• SPF protection - Protects against the sun's collagen depleting rays.
• CoQ10 - Repairs collagen damage and promotes skin cell growth

Source : Beautymap

Home Facial

The phrase " What you do on a regular basis is more important than what you do occasionally " rings true for many things in life, like your studies, work, sports and even skincare.

The monthly facial to your beautician will not bring you flawless skin if you do not take care of your skin on a regular or daily basis.

So other than my own monthly facial to the beautician, I do my home facial twice weekly as I skipped some of the steps below.
I enjoyed facials because I feel its a ME-time, a time for me to relax and rejuvenate.
If you follow all steps below, its recommended to do once a week.

Steps For Applying Home Facial:

Cleanse : Remove make-up with your regular make-up remover and eye make up remover, followed by your regular cleanser. This is to remove dirt and impurities. Use gentle, upward strokes and rinse off with lukewarm water.
Its important to start with a well-cleansed skin.

Exfoliate : This is to get rid of dead cells for better penetration of skincare products as well as to reveal radiant skin. Exfoliate your face with a gentle face scrub. You can use a grain-based scrub, the finer it is, the better. Rub in a circular motion. You can concentrate more on the nose area since thats where most blackheads accumulate. Rinse with lukewarm water.

I skip this step as I have sensitive skin but most people whom I came across include this step as part of their home facial routine.
Steam : With a towel on the head, lean your head towards a basin of warm water and allow the steam to cover your face. This is to open the pores, hydrate skin and loosen any leftover oil and debris on the skin.

Steaming the face helps to loosen debris that may be embedded into the skin and is also considered as deep cleansing the skin.
When steaming the face the pores are widen and soften , hence extraction will be easier.

I also skipped this step
Extraction : Use a tissue paper to gently press on areas where blackheads or whiteheads form. If its not ready, do not stress on it. Move on to other areas.
Alternatively, some pharmacies sell blackhead-remover but I would not advise you to use it unless you are a professional as it may result in broken capillaries if you do it incorrectly.

I skipped this step
Facial Massage : If you know how to do a facial massage, by all means, go ahead. Its can be quite stimulating. Avoid a facial massage if you have a breakout as it may cause an even heavier breakout due to the stimulation.

Mask :This my favourite step. Choose a hydrating mask for dry skin or clay-based mask for oily skin. Avoid the areas around the eyes as its a very sensitive area. Allow the mask to set for 15 minutes or the time specified on the product’s directions. If its a sheet mask, I usually have it on for 30mins. After the stipulated time, rinse the mask thoroughly with warm water and pat the face dry with a towel.

Using facial mask helps to stimulate blood circulation, smoothens and relax the facial features. it revitalizes and replenishes skin's optimum moisture.

Choose a face mask that suits your skin type and apply it once or twice a week after exfoliation.
There are a wide range of facial masks out in the market, depending on your needs.
Whitening mask to brighten and brings a glow to your skin.
Firming mask to firm up the skin
Hydrating mask to hydrates your skin.

Moisturise : Followed by your favourite moisturiser.

Tips :
(1) Don't push/pull the skin. Always be gentle to your skin, even when applying your skin products
(2) Do not neglect the neck area which usually is the first area to show the first signs of aging. If you do not want to get a separate neck cream for the area, just use your normal moisturiser. I will usually use whats left over after my face application to use it on the neck and stroke upwards.