Porcelain, A Skincare Blog

Feb 8 / Anna Teng

Celebrities Skin Care Tips

Molly Sims

Molly Sims (39 Year Old) is an American model and actress. Sims is best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her role as Delinda Deline in the NBC drama Las Vegas. She is also an ambassador for Friends of El Faro.

1. They do it themselves.

Molly Sims make her own concoction. “I mix honey and moisturizer and put it all over my face. It’s a great exfoliant. I leave it on a few minutes and wash it off.” A lot of top Hollywood dermatologists insist that natural and simply way to go. Most of them recommend dry oatmeal as a natural scrub and a simple egg mask.

Check out some of the Home-Made Mask Recipes here!

Jessica Marie Alba

Jessica Alba (31 Year Old) is an American television and film actress. Alba is considered a sex symbol. She appeared on the “Hot 100″ section of Maxim and voted number one on AskMen.Com’s list of “99 Most Desirable Women” in 2006, as well as “Sexist Woman In The World” by FHM in 2007.

2. Celebs know that no matter how exhausted they are, the bathroom sink is their best friend.

You should never, ever, go to sleep without washing away your make up or your face. “There are nights when I’m tired or bust with my daughter, but I do force myself to wash up and moisturize,” says Jessica Alba. In another word, don’t get into the habit of sleeping with your make up on.

p.s this includes mascara because your lases will break off if you sleep with a layer of black goop on them

Kim Kardashian

Kimberly Noel “Kim” Kardashian (32 Year Old) is an American socialite, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is the face of “Kiss Away Poverty” campaign by Fusion Beauty & Seven Bar Foundation.

3. They clean their cell phones.

Here’s a fact you might not know: Your cell phone is a bacteria farm because you spend all day pressing your fingers and/or face to the pad. The dirt and oil in your face embeds itself on the keypad and then you smash that against your face. Once in awhile, take a alcohol swab, not dripping or you’ll spoil your phone, and disinfect.

Don’t harm your skin unknowingly, find out what are some of the factors!

Katy Perry

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (28 Year Old), better known by her stage name of Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter and actress.

4. Go Green Tea!

Katy Perry is a great fan of green tea and products that contain this magical ingredient. In the past it’s no secret that the young singer struggled with acne. However, the ingredient managed to cleanse her complexion from zits. During the summer it is extremely important to consider the condition of our pores. In order to keep them clean and free from dirt and oil excess it is highly recommended to use a tonic that has this beneficial ingredient.

Find out more on how Green Tea is beneficial for your skin!

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Mary Kidman, AC (45 Year Old) is an Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian.

5. They avoid staying under the sun

Nicole Kidman is famously afraid of the sun. We can’t totally stay out of the sun, but she tries to stay out of it at all cost. In fact, many other celebrity simply avoid the sun by wearing hats, and slathering on sunscreen. Everyone knows that sun is the #1 cause of premature aging.

Find out what is the difference between Sunscreen & Sunblock.

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Joanna Aniston (43 Year Old) is an American actress, film director, and producer.

6. Simple Tricks

She has her well-defined beauty routine, Jennifer claims that the secret to beautiful and kissable lips lies in a simple beauty trick. Every morning the actress puts half a teaspoon of sugar on her toothbrush. Pouring some water on it and scrubbing her lips with this mixture, creates a glamorous effect. Jennifer Aniston also swears on the ice pack method to refresh her complexion. After she wakes up she places these little bags on her eyes, keeping them for 10 minutes. A quick trick to hide dark circles and puffiness.

As I did mentioned in my post here, taking good care of your skin today is going to benefit you not only for now, but for the many years to come.

Sharon Stone

Sharon Vonne Stone (54 Year Old) is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model.

7. Diet & Habits

Does Sharon even look like she’s in her 50s? No! The first thing you notice about Stone is that even without makeup, she appears preternaturally youthful for a woman about to hit the midcentury mark. “Not in that I’ve-had-my-entire-head-Botoxed way that so many women in Hollywood do, but like someone with enviably good genes who doesn’t smoke or drink coffee and probably does Pilates.” says Sharon.

Find out what are some other do’s & don’ts.

Jan 27 / Inez Quek

Common Skin Care Mistakes

Skin Care Mistake #1: Over washing your face
Many of us have the misconception that if you have oily skin, washing it more often will solve the problem as the oil will naturally be washed off. But please get rid of this misconception from now on, because excessively washing your face can do more harm than good. Whether you have dry or oily skin, over washing is simply harmful. This is because it dries out your skin, and your sebaceous glands respond by overproducing oil, so you will end up with skin that may be severely dehydrated but appears oily on the surface. This is why many of us are caught in this vicious cycle of over washing our faces and ending up with dehydrated skin while thinking that it is oiler than before. Continually doing this will cause your skin’s pH level to be unbalanced and will lead to poor texture and breakouts. Hence, over washing is an absolutely no-no!

Skin Care Mistake #2: Choosing harsh products that may not suit your skin at all
I understand that many of us are eager to see results in our skin care regime and we want to see it fast, but that does not mean you should always choose skin care products with the maximum strength. Sometimes, stronger just does not mean better, especially when it comes to skin care. I know many people with acne prone skin will tend to fall prey to such incorrect usage of products such as buying the pimple cream with the higher strength benzoyl peroxide thinking that it’d definitely be more effective. But please bear in mind that the high strength version is also more likely to irritate your skin and cause dryness which might even lead to your skin peeling. Hence, choose the strength that your skin requires, nothing more, nothing less.

Skin Care Mistake #3: Changing your skin care products frequently
There is an array of skin care products out there which looks very tempting to buy. Thus, many of us simply buy mindlessly without taking note of what constant changes in our skin care products can do to our skin. As much as changing your skin care products can satisfy your desire for wanting to try something new, it can also harm your skin and throw off your skin’s pH level and moisture balance. So if you feel that your current skin care products are not doing what they should do for you, try to eliminate them one by one and replace with new products gradually.

Skin Care Mistake #4: Switching your skin care provider too often
Many of us go for facials once every few months and we end up with different skin care providers every single time just because we want to find ‘the best one’. At the end of the day, we will also find that these skin care providers are just not producing results that we hope to see. We want clear, radiant, flawless skin, but it is just not happening! As much as we want the skin care provider to work wonders for us, this is simply not how our skin works. Our skin takes time to heal and we will need to be patient. Skin care is long term and you need to find a skin care provider that you can trust to hold your hand throughout this entire process.

Skin Care Mistake #5: Not applying sunscreen daily
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of sunscreen. So please remember to apply them you are out. UV rays can cause damage to your skin and if not taken after, it will lead to dull, uneven skin tone, as well as pigmentation. I’m sure we all do not want this to happen. So, invest in a good sunscreen and apply them daily.

Jan 16 / Inez Quek

Know Your Skin Care Ingredients!

In the previous blog post, I mentioned that it is important to choose the right products by understanding and researching on the ingredients that it contains. In order for you to make a more informed decision, this post will cover various harmful/good skin care ingredients that you should try to avoid/look out for when looking for a good skin care product.

Harmful Skin Care Ingredients:

Harmful skin care ingredient #1: Mineral Oil
Mineral oil is a byproduct of petroleum production. Mineral oil is a common ingredient used in many skin care products as it is inexpensive. Sometimes, even expensive skin care products and cosmetics can contain mineral oil. It is, however, important to note the harmful effects mineral oil has on your skin. It is likely to clog pores as it prevents the skin from breathing or eliminating toxins.

Harmful skin care ingredient #2: Sodium Lauryl
Sulfate Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is used mainly in products like concrete floor cleaners, engine degreasers, car wash detergents, and almost every soap and shampoo on the market. In the same way it dissolves grease on car engines, sodium lauryl sulfate also dissolves the oils on your skin, which can cause a drying effect and lead to skin irritation. Hence, it is especially important that those with psoriasis, eczema or other skin conditions to avoid or at least limit the use of skin care products with SLS.

Harmful skin care ingredient #3: Synthetic Fragrances
Cosmetic fragrance is made with cheap synthetic chemicals which replicate the natural aroma of products which exists in nature. These fragrances can be harmful as they cause skin irritations. However, many companies still use them to mask unpleasant smell in the products because it is cheaper than using the natural scent. This ingredient often is listed as “fragrance” or parfum on labels.

Harmful skin care ingredient #4: Isopropyl Alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is a petroleum-derived substance made from propylene and is found in hair color rinses, hand lotions, after-shave lotions, fragrances and many other cosmetics. Isopropyl alchol is a very drying and irritating solvent and dehydrator that strips your skin’s natural acid mantle, making you more vulnerable to bacteria, moulds and viruses. Additionally, it may cause premature aging of the skin.

Good Skin Care Ingredients:

Good skin care ingredient #1: Antioxidants
We can’t mention enough the importance of antioxidant for your skin. Antioxidants are substances that neutralize the effects of free radicals, which are unstable compounds that can attack human cells and their DNA, ultimately leading to aging. Hence, antioxidants is a good anti-aging ingredient which will help you achieve smooth and youthful skin. Infused with powerful antioxidants and skin conditioning agents, the Hydro Cleanser protects your skin from internal and external damage. It is Paraben and Sulfate free, and is an ultra gentle cleanser containing 82% Aloe Vera Gel. It is also enriched with 6 natural ingredients to cleanse, hydrate and calm your skin.

Good skin care ingredient #2: Aloe Vera
Once again, it is important to note that aloe vera has very good anti inflammatory, healing and antiseptic properties which will help calm dry and irritated skin. It is also suitable for people with skin allergies, eczema, acne-prone or sensitive skin. With Aloe Vera as its main ingredient, the Aloe Recovery Gel is a feathery –light, ultra soothing gel that heals and hydrates the skin, eliminating breakouts and easing irritation. Specially formulated with pure aloe extracts, it is able to soothe the skin after dermatological procedures and shield it from environmental aggressors. It pampers and calms stressed skin, making it suitable for even the most reactive skin types.

Good skin care ingredient #3: Beta Hydroxy Acid/BHA
Beta hydroxy acids have a larger molecule than alpha hydroxy acids. The larger molecule size keeps BHA on the surface of the skin allowing it to more effectively penetrate and exfoliate within the pore, making it an ideal exfoliant for use on acne and acne-prone skin. The larger molecule size of salicylic acid also produces less irritation than alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), making it even suitable for sensitive skin. BHA is effective for getting rid of acne, blackheads and whiteheads, giving you softer and smoother skin. The Botanical Treatment Tonic contains Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA) which has the ability to penetrate deep into the pores to remove any excessive sebum and dirt which the cleanser has missed. Encouraging delicate exfoliation of dead skin cells, Pure – Botanical Treatment Tonic is able to smooth away dullness to reveal tighter pores, brighter and fresher skin.

Good skin care ingredient #4: Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is a valuable active ingredient in cosmetics, which regulates the moisture balance of the skin. It has extremely high capacity to retain moisture and remains effective even in low humidity. As hyaluronic acid is a large molecule, it does not penetrate deeply into the skin. Instead, it forms a highly moisture-retaining film on the skin, which is permeable to light and air. It is not sticky and does not obstruct the skin’s ability to breath. Hence, Hyaluronic acid is an excellent hydrating agent which helps keep the skin smooth and supple.Made up with 50% Sodium Hyaluronate, a natural substance with the ability to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water, Balance Essence has super hydrating properties without over-moisturizing your skin. This is because it helps your skin locks in its own moisture at the cellular level, thus preventing excessive moisture loss and at the same time, provide a strong defense against aging and environmental damage.

Now that you know your skin care ingredients better, please remember to use your knowledge when selecting your skin care products so you’ll be able to make better and more well-informed choices and prevent your skin from being the victim of wrong product usage.

Jan 9 / Inez Quek

5 Skin Care Myths

Skin Care Myth No. 1: Expensive skin care products work best

This is absolutely not true. In fact, there are many mass market products that are better than expensive ones. This does not mean that expensive products are not as effective. It’s just that you might be able to get something similar at a cheaper price. So do not let the price affect your evaluation of the product. Rather, try to understand your product by researching on the ingredients and find out what it does for your skin.

Skin Care Myth No. 2: It’s better to pop your pimple and remove the pus

Even though it feels really good to pop your pimple and remove the pus, improper handling of it will lead to further inflammation and might lead to scarring. In a worse case, further inflammation might spread under your skin and cause another pimple to pop up within the next few days, close to the first one. Hence, you should bear in mind not to squeeze or pop you own pimple. Rather, you should turn to your professional skincare provider to do it for you. They are equipped with the right skills and equipments such that it will not leave unsightly scars.

Skin Care Myth No. 3: You don’t need sunscreen on a cloudy day

Even on a cloudy day, UV radiation from the sun reaches the earth’s surface. Hence, it is important that you apply sunscreen daily, whether rain or shine. Invest in a good sunscreen which has SPF 15 or above and protects your skin against UVA and UVB rays. This way, you will be able to prevent your skin from aging and having pigmentation or uneven skin tone.

Skin Care Myth No. 4 : Hypoallergenic products will work well for any skin type

What causes allergies for one person may not necessarily have the same effect for another person, so the term “hypoallergenic“ is rather ambiguous. Instead, to ensure your skin stays clear from allergies, observe which products lead you to have breakouts or skin rashes and remove these products from your skin care regime. Ultimately, taking care of your skin is about choosing the right products and having a good skin-care regimen which you follow diligently. Only then, will you be able to achieve the desired effect.

Skin Care Myth No. 5: Scrubbing your face will keep your skin healthy and free from acne

Many people feel that scrubbing your skin makes it cleaner as it has undergone exfoliation, making it feel smoother. But in actual fact, you’re taking off some of the protective oils and barriers, which may lead to a more sensitive and irritated skin. Hence, when your skin is already feeling inflamed, you should avoid scrubbing it too often. Instead, use a gentle cleanser followed by a moisturizer or sunscreen. Remember, do not scrub your face more than once or twice or week. Anything done in excess will not do your skin good.

Now that you know about the skincare myths and the truth behind them, you can make an informed decision about how to care for your skin. You are now a step closer to achieving clearer, smoother and more youthful skin!

Dec 2 / Anna Teng

X’mas Surprise!

How It Works

Tell us how much you love your best friend by writing a short note on our Facebook Wall. Porcelain Team will select the winning entry based on creativity. If your entry is selected, we will surprise your friend with your participation and courier the gifts to their doorstep. Different prizes to be given out weekly so tune in to this space for more!

Different products to be given away weekly! Here comes the prizes!

Prizes

Week 2 – 9th December 2011 to 16th December 2011

1 x Quintessential Facial + Pure, Botanical Soothing Gel

Quintessential Facial Treatment

90 to 120 minutes, worth $380

Our Quintessential Facial has been voted as the winner for CozyCot’s Favourite Skin Perfecting Face Therapy. It is the best selling Deep Pore Cleansing Facial in Porcelain. It is fully customized to cater to all skin problems starting from dull/uneven skin tone, severe acne/pimple problems, acne scars, age spots all the way to pigmentation and even sensitive skin! There is no ‘one size fits all’ in skin care, that’s why all our facials are fully customized.

About our Pure, Botanical Soothing Gel

50 ml, worth $98

Made from natural Aloe Vera & a special blend of herbal extract, Pure Botanical Soothing Gel has proven anti-inflammatory & healing properties. Used to calm irritated skin, it is also highly effective in treating acne, eczema, and other skin problems. Naturally soothing with a refreshing scent, it can be used as daily skin conditioner for both face and body.

Key Benefits

Conditions skin
Heals skin naturally
Calm and soothe irritated skin
Anti-inflammatory

Nov 18 / Inez Quek

3DEEP™ Technology

3DEEP™ RF Technology

It is a multi-source, phase controlled radio frequency energy that is safe and effective to use. It is the latest generation of all RF-based professional skin treatment devices.

Using an array of multiple RF sources and a sophisticated software, it is able to effectively control the phase of the energy flowing between the hand-piece and electrodes.

3DEEP also controls the delivery of power and depth of RF energy to the skin, making it different from other devices in the market today.

Monopolar RF

RF energy flows uncontrolled through the body. It requires intensive skin cooling during the procedure.

Bipolar RF

RF flows superficially and is less efficient. It requires cooling to protect the skin.

3DEEP RF

Deep, controlled and targeted energy flow. No cooling is required.

Hence, the treatment is safe and eliminates concerns about any potential side effects or downtime. It is effective for skin tightening and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

3DEEP™ RF Fractional Skin Resurfacing

3DEEP Fractional Skin Resurfacing is specifically designed for the treatment of skin roughness, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and scars.

3DEEP FSR

The FSR handpiece contains a matrix of 112 tiny electrodes, allowing simultaneous fractional micro-ablation of the epidermis, together with volumetric heating of 100% of the dermis, which reaches the collagen fibers causing an immediate and long term tightening effect.

This technology also provides the capability to differentiate between micro-ablation and dermal heating, making it an optimal multi-layer treatment to improve aging skin and atrophic acne scars. It treats all layers of the skin, helping you achieve a smoother, brighter skin surface.

Before

After

Nov 3 / Anna Teng

5 Fun Facts About Your Skin

1. Skin Is The Largest Organ

Skin covers all body surfaces. The skin of an average adult weighs 8-10 pounds and has an average area of about 22 square feet. The purpose of this outer covering for the body is to protect against injury, infection, heat, cold, and store water, fat and vitamins. The human skin is rejuvenated about once every four weeks.

Thinking of your skin as an organ, rather than something that we can use and abuse, puts things in proper perspective. Your skin is a wonderfully resilient organ and for the most part can survive virtually any form of punishment. The skin is the body’s boundary, tough enough to resist all sorts of environmental assaults, yet sensitive enough to feel a breeze.

2. Your Skin Is Made Up Of 3 Layers

Your skin has three major layers – epidermis, dermis and hypodermis.

Epidermis is waterproof, preventing unnecessary loss of water across the body surface. The skins rich abundance of blood flow and sweat glands regulate the loss of heat from the body, helping to control body temperature.

Dermis is the second major layer of the skin. It is a strong, flexible connective tissue. The dermis is richly supplied with nerve fibers and blood vessels. The blood vessels of the dermis are so extensive that it can hold 5% of all blood in the body. When organs, such as exercising muscles, need more blood, the nervous system constricts the blood vessel located in the dermis. This shunts more blood into the general circulation, making it available to the muscles and other organs.

Hypodermis is also called the subcutaneous layer. It consists of both areolar and adipose connective tissue, although the adipose tissue normally dominates. Besides storing fat, the hypodermis anchors the skin to the underlying structures (mostly to muscles) and allows the skin to slide relatively freely over those structures. Sliding skin protects us by ensuring most blows just glance off our bodies.

3. Dust In The House

A large amount of the dust in you home is actually dead skin. Your skin loses about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells from the surface almost every minute, even though you do not see it happening. This is why exfoliating is so important to keep that healthy glow! It sheds a layer of these dead cells every 24 hours and renews itself about every 28 days. Unfortunately, this process slows as you age.

4. Heavy Skin

The average person’s skin weighs twice as much as their brain. After the skin, here are the five heaviest organs in the body:

Intestines – 7.5 pounds (4 pounds for the large intestine, 3.5 pounds for the small)
Lungs – 5 pounds (2.5 pounds each)
Liver – 3.2 pounds
Brain – 3 pounds
Heart – 0.6 pounds

5. Skin On Your Lips

The skin on your lips is 200 times more sensitive than your fingertips. It is true that lips are high on the chart of sensitive body parts. Receptor cells in your body give your brain information — about the world around you and about what’s going on inside of you. Each type of receptor cell is able to give you a different type of information.

So, the greater the number of receptors a body part has, the more sensitive it will be. It is also true that the lips do have many of these touch receptors. When scientists list the top areas of the body in terms of sensitivity, the lips and fingertips are often ranked as the areas with the highest concentrations of receptor cells.

Oct 24 / Anna Teng

How To Achieve Healthier Glowing Skin

Taking good care of your skin today is going to benefit you not only for now, but for the many years to come. Here are some tips to a healthier, glowing skin.

Drink a little bit of honey water each morning. Honey can benefit your skin. Try changing your morning caffeine to honey water and it will help make your skin appear shiny and keep it smooth.

Are you a smoker? Research shows that smoking will eventually make your skin look older. To achieve healthier looking skin, a key step is to stop smoking. Smoking constricts tiny blood vessels near skin’s surface and hence, causing decreased blood flow. Thus, smoking ages the skin and causes wrinkles. Smoking dries out your lips and eventually your skin.

If you’re looking for matte skin, follow these simple steps. Firstly, start off your day with a facial cleanser than has sulfur as one of its main ingredients. This will keep oil at bay during the day. Secondly, spot-treat your oily T-Zone with over-the-counter blotting sheets. These oil-bashing tips are especially effective during summertime.

Another important role of taking care of your skin is dealing with the food you eat. Staying away from oily foods will help prevent breakouts from occurring. The oil in the food that you eat can seep into your pores and cause blackheads and acnes to form.

Opt for sunless tanning. Using self-tanner or bronzer instead of sun tanning can reduce the risk of skin cancer and premature ageing. Stay away from tanning pills as there is no scientific proof that they work and most are not approved by the FDA.

Oct 17 / Inez Quek

Work Your Facial Muscles!

Like any muscle group in the human body, our facial muscles need to be exercised. The difference is, while the muscles in the rest of our body is attached to bone, facial muscles are attached to the overlaying skin. As a result, when they start to deteriorate, they are no longer able to support the skin, causing your face to look saggy and tired. Hence, it is important for us to understand our facial muscles and stimulate these delicate muscles to prevent it from deteriorating.

The basic 43 face muscles that we possess are those around the eyes, across the forehead, cheeks and around the mouth.

The diagram above indicates to us the different muscles on our face.

Occipito Frontalis is the muscle at the forehead, pulls scalp forward while raising eyebrows or wrinkling forehead.
Nasalis is the muscle at the nose, it compresses and dilates the nostrils. eg. flaring nostrils
Orbicularis Oculi is the muscle around the eye and and helps actions like closing eye
Levator Palpebrae Superioris is the muscle at the eyelids which allows us to open our eye.
Masseter is the muscle we use while closing our jaw
Obicularis oris is the muscle we use to purse our lips
The Risoris muscle helps us draw our lips into a smile
Depressor labii lowers the lower lips
Depressor anguli oris lowers the bottom corner of the lips
Zygomaticus is the one which draws lips upwards and outwards
Mentalis is the one which pulls the chin down

Without taking care of your facial muscles and allowing it to weakened, you may see the following signs of aging on your face:
1. Droopy eyelids
2. Eye puffiness
3. Saggy jawlines
4. Nasal Labial Lines
5. Saggy chin/double chin
6. Sides of mouth turning down

I’m sure all these signs scare you. But not to worry, this is something that can be prevented with regular facial exercise. Similar to exercising, which tones and tightens the muscles of your body, facial exercise is a good way to achieve a more youthful appearance and shapelier face.

Facial Exercises that you can do daily to look more youthful:
Basic Facial Exercise
Benefits: Stimulates all facial muscles
Steps:
1. Hold back teeth lightly together.
2. Place your index fingers above the corners of your mouth.
3. Smile using your cheek muscles, extending towards your temples.
4. Complete the smile incrementally, using a 6 step ladder, lifting each muscle as your smile lifts.
5. Hold for 5 counts and return to the start in 6 movements as well.

Eyelid Exercise
Benefits: Tones and lifts upper eyelids to prevent droopiness
Steps:
1. Look straight into the mirror while doing this exercise.
2. Place index fingers under eyebrows
3. Raise eyebrows while still holding against the bone
4. Close your lids in 5 small downward movements
5. Hold for 10 counts then release.
6. Open lids and relax for 3 counts.
7. Repeat exercise.

Double Chin Exercise
Benefits: Prevents or reduces double chin
Steps:
1. Hold chin upwards
2. Place your middle finger and index finger against the back of the chin where it runs down to the neck.
3. Hold this position while keeping your back teeth tightly together.
4. Press the tip of your tongue against the gum line of your lower front teeth.
5. Increase pressure with a count of 10 and hold at the maximum pressure for 5 counts.
6. Gradually reduce the pressure with a count of 10.
7. Relax and repeat.

Forehead Exercise
Benefits: Reduces Frown lines
Steps:
1. Relax your eyebrows and place your index fingers firmly along your eye brows.
2. Lift your forehead by moving against the resistance of your fingers.
3. Hold for 10 counts.
4. Slowly relax your muscles by gradually closing your eyes.
5. Repeat this movement.

For best results, try doing these facial exercises once a day. If time is a constraint, do it once or twice a week. You will definitely observe a more youthful appearance.

Oct 10 / Anna Teng

Your Skin Loves Oat

Oatmeal

You may be surprised to learn that oatmeal; yes that wonderful cereal we enjoy for breakfast, (or maybe not!), is one of the best natural treatments for dry skin. Plain rolled oats, can be used to make a gentle and very effective natural skin cleanser, facial scrub, and soothing facial mask. An excellent multi-purpose skin care treatment, oatmeal helps to relieve dryness, restoring natural moisture balance to aid in healing minor irritations due to the many causes and sources of skin sensitivities. Minor skin irritations can be caused by sensitivities to the ingredients in skin care products, exposure to chemicals found in household cleaning products, exfoliation with the wrong product, excessive scrubbing or rubbing during the exfoliation process, and many other factors. Cleansing the face with oatmeal helps to soothe skin irritation and reduce discomfort.

Oatmeal, when used as a skin cleanser, actually absorbs and removes surface dirt and impurities while providing very gentle exfoliation, leaving skin smooth, soft, and clean, without soap. As a facial mask, oatmeal deep cleanses pores without irritating and drying out skin. And as a facial scrub, oatmeal gently but effectively removes dead skin cells, to reveal softer, smoother looking skin. In addition, cleansing and exfoliating with oatmeal provides the bonus of a natural, healthy glow.

To enjoy the beauty benefits of oatmeal skin care you will need:

- Rolled oats (not instant) found in the supermarket cereal section

- Blender or food processor

Directions: Grind oats in blender or food processor until oats have the consistency of flour. Pour into a jar, cover tightly, and use as follows.

Oatmeal Facial Cleanser & Scrub: Pour a small amount of ground oatmeal into palm, and add a little water to make a paste. Apply to face and throat and massage onto skin. Rinse. Follow with moisturizer.

Oatmeal Facial Mask: Pour a small amount of ground oatmeal into palm, and add a little water to make a paste. (For a more moisturizing mask, use milk instead of water.) Apply to face and throat and leave on skin for about 5 minutes. Rinse. Follow with moisturizer.

Oatmeal Lemon Facial Mask: Add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to oatmeal and make a paste. Apply to face and throat and leave on skin for 5 minutes. Rinse. Follow with moisturizer. Weekly use of Oatmeal Lemon Facial Mask can help to bleach dark spots and freckles naturally. Lemon juice contains citric acid and vitamin C that functions as natural alpha hydroxy acids to help dissolve dead skin cells for brighter, more even toned skin.

Caution: Fresh lemon juice can cause a tingling sensation that may become uncomfortable. For sensitive skin, dilute lemon juice with an equal amount of water before mixing into oatmeal and applying to skin. If tingling becomes severe, rinse skin immediately with warm water.

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