Beauty Tips: No to Botox, Yes to Face Yoga and Makeup

I have some friends who get botox and fillers done on their faces. I'm terrified of having poison in my system. Did I ever mention my Glutathione incident? I was trying this lotion with Glutathione from the Philippines to get rid of blemishes. The stuff was so good, I started slathering it on my face.  A few weeks later, I developed what I thought was severe asthma. The situation became worse especially at night. I was literally struggling for breath. I thought I had heart failure. The doctors checked me but couldn't figure out what was wrong. Fortunately, one night as I started to apply the lotion on my face, I had an epiphany that the Glutathione was causing the problems. I stopped and immediately got better. (I Googled and confirmed that Glutathione causes difficulty in breathing for some people.)

I've had other allergic reactions, once to perfume. So I totally rejected the notion of having botox and God-knows-what in my body. Besides, the stuff simply disappears anyway, and I'm not about to get anything of this sort done on a regular basis.

However, I do acknowledge the need for facial care.

I looked into it and here are some things you can do for your face:  facial massage, acupressure, and facial yoga.

Yes, facial yoga. My husband laughed when I mentioned this to him, and he asked if I did the "Angry Dog" technique. He was kidding, but seriously, you have muscles in your face, so why not work them?  We get into a habit of frowning or furrowing our brows for instance, which cause frown lines on our faces. What happens if we train the muscles of our faces to do something else?  Even a smile can light up (and lift) one's face.

Take a look at Tamiko's Faceyogamethod, she has a whole series of them.  They're short and funny.

The other thing I've discovered for the face is Olay Regenerist, the ones with Palmytoyl Pentapeptides. This Olay line is really good for the skin. I also use some products by Olay Total Effects and Obagi. I can't use retinol or retinyl so I have to pick and choose my facial products.

The last thing I want to mention is makeup. I realized that these models and actresses who look stunning are not really that way in their natural state.  They use all the tricks they can to improve their looks: botox, face lift, and yes - makeup!

My young friend, Swapna Pawar, taught me a lot about makeup, introducing me to products by BareMinerals, Tarte, and Naked Palette. Sephora has a huge selection of makeup products and there are people there who can help you. I also use Neutrogena products. By the way, Tarte's lipstick has no lead. Most lipsticks have lead, and even though the FDA says the amount is miniscule, I don't like the idea of swallowing lead.

Yes, yes, I know that beauty is only skin deep, but one can do one's best to take care of one's self, inside and out.

Read also
Faceyogamethod - forehead
Faceyogamethod - non-surgical lift
Makeup by Swapna
Manicure and Pedicure at a Vietnamese Salon
Reflecting on Barbie Turning 50
Images of the Filipina in Literature

This is all for now,
Cecilia