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Natural Remedies

How your Customer Service Job is Keeping You Looking Young!

September 15, 2013
Beauty, Natural Remedies
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Are you in a customer service job? Or doing sales? Or having to meet and engage with people all the time? Here’s another benefit of your job that you may not already have known!

smiling cabin crew

I was in the customer service line years before. I could possibly attribute that to my younger age then, however, I feel I looked better and my facial muscles appeared toner as compared to now, where I just face my laptop and type all day long. Probably it is time to return to the customer service line to save my sagging face!

This seem like a pretty daring assumption for me to comment that being in the customer service frontline keeps you looking young, but if you look at the science and factual counts behind it, I guess it makes a valid standpoint. Imagine an office girl’s job : One who works behind the desk the whole time, and within cubicles given to each employee for privacy, the human to human interaction is highly minimal. One will at most be smiling not more than 30 times a day? If that is already an optimistic figure. Comparing to that of people holding customer service jobs, they probably clock up to 100, 200 smiles a day. (okay, that is provided you smile when fronting customers)

So what happens when you smile?

Out of the 53 muscles of facial expressions, smiling works 12 muscles on your face. They are, for interest sake, Zygomaticus major and minor (4), Orbicularis oculi (2), Levator labii superioris (2), Levator anguli oris (2) and Risorius (2). These smile muscles are the muscles around the mouth and cheeks that cause the lower portion of the face to turn upwards to form a ‘U’ profile when smiling. The same muscles work to draw into a tight lipped expression as well. These help to build up your cheek muscles for smiling and chewing. Tone the muscles on your cheeks and you will have an overall firmer and more toned looking face.

Supplementary exercises to do behind closed doors

Besides smiling as often and as wide (be genuine too!) as you can, here are some other exercises you can do to supplement regular smiling. Work those adjacent muscles to the key ones and keep it a habit to spend some time doing it as and when you can remember. Immediate results may not be prominent, but its the knowing you are doing something to retard the facial aging process that is worth the effort.

  • Alternate Cheek Puff – Inhale a big breath and blow out, holding breath in your mouth like a blown-up puffer fish. Push the breath to the left, then to the right, and back to the left again. Repeat this move until you run out of breath. Slowly blow out through your lips.

facial exercise 1

  • Laugh Line Eraser – Smile as wide without showing your teeth. Press your middle fingers on your laugh lines, using the length of your finger to cover the entire fold, keeping the smile. Gently raise fingers upwards, keeping the smile. Hold for 10 seconds, and repeat 10 times. Now, repeat the same movement, except this time smiling to show your teeth.

photo 1

  • Face Lifter – Put both hands on the sides of the face. Hold it slightly upwards. Be careful not to tug too hard on your face. Smile wide with your lips pursed, and release. Repeat the same for 10 times. Feel the tightening of your cheeks when you smile.

facial exercise 3

  • The Kisser – Smile widely showing your teeth, and immediately go into pointy (fish) lips like that of a kissing action. Stretch your lips as far forward as you can as you do this. Alternately every 1 second. Do 10 times.

facial exercise 4

Here is a link to a video by HowdiniGuru that shows you more Facial Yoga exercises you might find useful. I try to do them as and when I am aware of it.

Extra Tips :

Use lotion or a moisturizer before and after the exercise to re-moisturize the area. Our faces tend to be drier than we think they are most of the time. As some of the repetitive exercises might give rise to folds, replenishing its moisture will quieter the effects. I personally recommend a facial mask sheet and give it an gentle massage all over.

We may not know how effective such exercises are, for we all age differently from one another. A realistic goal could just be to achieve somewhat not looking like our age. Keep it simple, and keep looking beautiful!

photo 2 Thanks for reading.

With Love.

Achieve Radiant Skin with Honey

September 12, 2013
Beauty, Natural Remedies
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Want good skin? Well, my secret is to constantly ‘nourish’ it. I like to ‘feed’ my skin just like how I give food to myself. I believe HAPPY skin means GOOD skin.

Honey

What are some of the benefits of using Honey on our skin?

  • Antibacterial – Honey has antibacterial properties and helps to fight pimples and mild acne, especially that caused by hormonal changes. It also reduces infection and inflammation.
  • Antiseptic – When honey is diluted with water, it produces hydrogen peroxide. This is an antimicrobial agent (fights against microbes, a micro-organism), helps to relieve abrasion and over-exfoliated skin.
  • Good cleanser – Honey is able to soak up the impurities from within your pores and give your skin a good and nice clean feel.
  • Effective Moisturizer – Honey forms a barrier on the skin to help retain skin’s natural moisture and keeping it radiant, supple and moist, preventing drying.
  • Protect Against Harmful Sun Rays – Honey’s natural antioxidant properties help protect the skin from the damage of sun’s rays, supports the skin’s ability to rejuvenate and refresh depleted skin.
  • Prevents wrinkles – Honey is considered a natural ‘preservative’ and it is said to prevent wrinkles, and slows down the aging process.

Natural Honey Green Tea Facial Mask

Here, I used Green Tea powder mixed with honey to achieve a simple yet effective facial mask. Add half a teaspoon of green tea powder into one full teaspoon of honey.

photo 1

green tea honey mask

The green tea powder granules act as a peeling scrub for the face. Apply and leave on for 20 mins on clean face, and gently scrub in circular motions.

thebarebeauty green tea honey maskWash off with lukewarm water after. Make sure you give your face a clean wash to avoid finding ants being attracted to your face.

Green Tea Benefits 

  • Contains antioxidants which are effective against free radicals. Free radicals are formed when skin is exposed to harmful sun rays, that leads to premature aging.
  • Helps safeguard skin against sun damage.
  • Aids in cell renewal process of our skin. Aged cells are energized by the polyphenol compounds in green tea, synthesizes the DNA and prevents premature aging.
  • Soothes irritated and inflamed skin.
  • Helps in acne and pimply skin, as green tea has antibacterial content.

DIY masks are inexpensive yet effective. Though it has not been proven scientifically that applying food topically on your face does anything for your skin, the results I get makes me believe that they do indeed work. I DIY my facial masks once every 2 days, and my skin is kept looking fresh and energized. On days when I religiously do it everyday, I see even better results. Give it a try, but if you have sensitive skin or wants to be sure if your skin reacts adversely to any ingredient, please always start with a patch test on the chin area a day before. This will ensure you do not get any undesired reactions from your DIY facials.

Give it a try today! And let me know your results!

 

DIY Milk Mask – Who is the Fairest of us All?

August 24, 2013
Beauty, Natural Remedies
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Want to be fair like Snow White? Here’s my little secret!

How many whitening products have you used over the years and I bet that would have cost you a lot of money. I have been into natural skincare remedies for a couple of years now, and I recommend that to anyone because it is inexpensive and effective!

In Asia, girls like to look fair. However, as we age, it is not our skin tone that bothers us that much anymore. We start to develop other skin problems with prolonged exposure to sun – uneven skin tone, redness, sun spots, pigmentation etc.

Here is one of my favorite natural remedy. Its fast, easy and inexpensive, and it couldn’t get any simpler than this!

Milk mask helps to achieve a milky white skin tone, moisturizing it to attain baby-soft and supple skin. It helps to reduce irregularity of skin tone, keeps your complexion blemish-free with regular application, and because skin is moisturized, it helps reduce any fine lines and wrinkles that might be starting to form! Did I mention too that is it has wonderful remover and cleansing properties as well?

Imagine feeding your skin like how you will feed your body. The milk offers your skin essential nutrients, like:

  • Proteins – essential for building healthy skin cells;
  • Lactic acid – a natural alpha hydroxyl acid, or AHA, which helps to remove the dead skin cells that block the pores and hamper the skin’s natural renewal process
  • Vitamins and minerals – help to keep the skin healthy and protected from infections and premature aging.

What you need :

  • A clean bowl (I use a special bowl just for my facial mixes)
  • Cotton pads
  • Mixing spoon / spatula
  • Clean facial masks sheet (optional)
  • Fresh Milk

Image

Wash your face clean and pat dry. Soak cotton pads into fresh milk until it is dripping wet. Apply all over your face once in circular motion. You may even find some residue of your makeup that did not get washed off clean before. Repeat until you have covered your skin in a layer of milk. You may choose to soak clean facial mask sheets into milk and apply it as a wet mask onto your face. Either way works well.

Image

Remove the mask by washing your face with lukewarm water. Make sure to wash it clean before you go to bed. I like to use a facial wash sponge for this.  Apply your bedtime skincare before you sleep. I prefer to go less on my products after my milk mask so my skin gets all the natural nutrients for the night!

Now, here’s Cleopatra’s favorite beauty secret for you!

cleopatra-in-bath

Give it a go! And let me know if you like it.

Blackheads Removal – Is it really worth the trouble?

March 31, 2013
Natural Remedies, Skin Problems
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Blackhead removal can be quite a headache, especially for people with oily or combination skin types like myself. Once you spot those blackheads, removing them will become quite an every day affair.

There are many methods and tools to remove blackheads, but it really depends on what works best for you. My beautician always scares me about how I must not squeeze my blackheads because I might scar my face.

I have been experimenting for a while, and trust me, this can be easily done at home…And it promises a much improved condition.

Using food methods :

1. Lemon – (I swear by this!)

lemons
Buy fresh lemon and squeeze out the juice. Dab your Q-tip with lemon juice and dab it over blackhead prone skin. You will feel a tingling prickly sensation when applied. Leave to dry and wash off with water after 30 minutes. Some websites tell you to leave overnight but for me it does the same effect.

Lemon dissolves the dirt stuck in your pores, and helps to remove the blackheads better afterward. It has a tightening effect too, thus “pushing” the blackheads out for better extraction.You can keep the lemon juice in a bottle in the fridge for up to a week or more, but the freezer may be better.

** Lemon has a slight bleaching effect. If you are dark, don’t keep it on for too long.

2. Honey 
Honey is very good for your skin. Apply warm honey on the affected area and wash after 10 minutes. It acts as a natural peel to blackhead affected skin. It can be used all over the face, but be careful it’s not too hot. This helps improve skin condition and gives skin a natural glow.

3. Baking Soda / Sodium Bicarbonate

baking soda 2
Mix equal amount of baking soda with water, rub it on for a few minutes on the affected area. Afterwards, wash off with lukewarm water and the blackheads are removed.

Followed by : My own tried-and-tested favorite method is to use either one of the above, wash off with lukewarm water, and put on a pore pack strip. Remember to look for one that has a cloth-like texture. I personally do not recommend the paper ones as they dry up into hard paper, and does not adhere so well to the contours of your nose.

001-Kosé-Bioré-Pore-Cleansing-Nose-Strips-Pack-Review

My best and favorite brands are Biore, and any of the brands that are  “Made in Japan”. Do not be fooled by those with japanese wordings faking to be made in Japan, when most are not.

Try other methods :

1. Metal Extractor: I do not like this… it seems like I get a scar on my nose every time I use it. It doesn’t work on stubborn blackheads, unless you steam your face enough before using it.

blackhead tool

2. Tea Tree Oil: facial products containing tea tree oil are very good for blackheads.

3. Scrubs: Use exfoliating products with low potency benzoyl peroxide for the removal of dead skin cells.

4. Reduce Oil, More Water: Always remember… we are what we eat. Try to eat less oily food and drink more water. This will really reduce the oil secretion on your skin.

5. Light Squeezing: Make sure your hands are clean. I find it easier to manage than the metal extractor.
*Tip: Always steam or wash your face with lukewarm water to open up the pores before squeezing. Avoid using finger tips or nails — just use your fingers.

Conclude : Personally, I am still using lemon juice for my blackheads. I apply them once every two days and it does reduce the blackheads. I use my nose pore pack once every 5-7 days. Before I use them, I’ll apply lemon juice to dissolve the stubborn dirt stuck in my pores. After washing it off, paste on the strips. Do not leave the pores open after removing the blackheads. I use my egg white mask afterward to tighten, then tone, and moisturize.

How do you remove blackheads?