REPOST: 8 Asian Beauty Secrets to Incorporate into Your Routine

This Yahoo! Shine article shares some steps that American women can incorporate in their beauty regimen.

Some of the biggest beauty trends in recent memory (BB creams, anyone?) have originated in Asia, which is way ahead of the West in the skincare game. "Korean women, on average, use 26-27 steps in their beauty regimen, versus American women who only use six to seven," says Global Aesthetician and Skincare and Beauty Expert for Korean skincare brand Amorepacific, Dana Nicolette. What is it that these women know about beauty that I'm missing? I went in search for some of the best Asian beauty secrets to learn how to incorporate them into my current routine. 

1. Brush your skin. While Francine Gingras, VP Global PR for Elizabeth Arden, lived in Japan as a teen (she grew up in Canada), she learned the importance of brushing her face every day with a soft-bristled brush. Gingras, who continues the ritual even today, says it is responsible for keeping her skin toned all these years. It's also said to help prepare your skin, so the serums and creams you put on actually sink in. It seems Americans have caught onto this trend; now almost every beauty buff owns a Clarisonic or a similar face-cleansing device.

2. Slap it on. Gingras also learned a very specific way of applying moisturizer (today she opts for Prevage Anti-Aging Moisture Cream Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30 ($129, elizabetharden.com)) and makeup. She starts from the bottom of the chin and applies it going up, so her forehead is the last part of the face to be covered. And instead of rubbing product into her face, she slaps it on, another tip she learned from her time in Japan. Most surprising is that Elizabeth Arden herself had a machine with spoon-looking objects attached that gently slapped cream onto women's skin, and that was 102 years ago!

Esther Dong, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Korean skincare brand Sulwhasoo, says that women in Korea also believe in slapping their faces to stimulate circulation and elevate the energy level of the skin. 

"They do this seriously and with considerable consistency," says Dong. "Don't be surprised next time you travel to Korea and see Korean ladies padding their face with force in the washroom. To them, it is so important that it should not be missed, even when they are on the road." 

3. Make SPF a priority. Another huge skin care consideration in Korea is sun protection. 
 "Have you ever seen pictures of an Asian lady with an umbrella under a clear sunny sky?" Dong asks. "Keeping away from the sun is skin care 101 in Asia." 

Whether you use a foundation with built-in sunscreen or you opt for a stand-alone product, like Sulwhasoo Age-Veil UV Protection Cream ($70, sulwhasoo.com), make sure to protect your skin, no matter the weather. 

4. Hydrate throughout the day. "Asian women hydrate often throughout the day, and lightly mist facial sprays over the face to refresh their foundation post lunch," says Nicolette. 

Facial mists are starting to catch on in the US, so try Amorepacific Moisture Bound Skin Energy Hydration Delivery System ($35, sephora.com). It was created with bamboo sap to keep skin hydrated for up to 8 hours. 

5. Make sure to polish your skin. Victoria Tsai founded skincare line Tatcha after discovering a 200-year-old manuscript that described the daily beauty regimen of a Japanese geisha. She based her products on traditional geisha beauty secrets. One example: Instead of cleansing, toning and moisturizing the skin, like many of us do, a geisha's routine would include polishing, brightening and moisturizing steps. Tatcha Classic Rice Enzyme Powder ($65, tatcha.com) exfoliates without harsh abrasives. 

6. What's good for your body is good for your skin. "When you want your body to be healthy, you seek out unprocessed, nutritious and natural foods," says Tsai. "The same goes for your skin." Green tea, ginseng and kimchi are all ingredients that are often infused in Korean skin care. Dr. Jart+ uses these key ingredients in their Detox 02 Cleansing Foam ($24, sephora.com), Renewalist Melting Cream ($38, sephora.com), and their Waterfuse line.
Tsai also points to a home remedy from Japan, in which some women save the cloudy water used when washing rice to wash their faces, giving their skin a youthful glow. 

7. Opt for an oil, instead of a cleanser. While "oil-free" products rule in the US, oil-based skincare is a popular category in many parts of Asia. "Cleansing oils work so well because oil dissolves oil - makeup, sunscreen and sebum literally melt away when you use a cleansing oil," says Tsai. " The trick is to use one without mineral oil so that it doesn't break you out or leave residue that you have to use another cleanser to remove. Had I discovered these earlier in life, I think I would have saved myself a lot of breakouts and dry patches long ago." 

For a cleansing oil that doesn't contain mineral oil, try Boscia MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil ($26, sephora.com). 

8. Don't underestimate a good facial. "Korean women spend a large sum of their dispensable income on facials," says Dong. "Beyond indulging in high-end beauty products that deliver great results, they also go to the spa every other week!" 

The spa tradition in Japan goes back hundreds of years. "Geishas used to use a complex device called an alchemical still to capture the essence of botanicals," says Tsai. "They would boil water underneath beneficial flowers or leaves, then capture the steam on a swatch of kimono silk. This silk was applied to the face for a nourishing mask, long before masks became known to the wider world."

Do you incorporate any of these secrets into your daily routine?

Lift and Glow Pro helps women maintain their youthful glow. For more beauty tips, visit this Facebook page.

REPOST: 5 Skin Care Tips For Post 50 Women

This Hufftington Post article shares Dara Kennedy's skin care tips for women beyond 50 years old.

Dara Kennedy, the founder of Ayla, has 5 skin care tips for post 50 women:

1) Many personal care products contain fragrance, sulfates, propylene glycol and triclosan. While the safety of these ingredients has been called into question, they also happen to frequently irritate dry, sensitive skin. Menopausal and pre-menopausal women typically find their skin is much more reactive than it used to be, so avoiding these types of ingredients can help significantly.

2) Ingredients like parabens and phthalates are endocrine disruptors, which this age group probably wants to avoid given the hormonal upheaval they're already experiencing. It's particularly important where body moisturizers are concerned. Here are two simple products -- good for post 50 women -- that can be found pretty easily at health food stores, some drugstores and online shops: Alba Botanica and Barlean's Coconut Oil.

3) Because their cycles are less regular and reliable, pre-menopausal and menopausal women can find that acne (caused by irregularity of their hormone levels) appears seemingly out of nowhere. Many products on the market are designed for younger skin, and the formulas can be very harsh and drying. It's important to find an effective but non-drying, non-irritating acne treatment to avoid causing further dryness and sensitivity.

4) Women often experience flushing during menopause, which can lead to redness and broken capillaries. It can be difficult to find products that address these issues while at the same time taking care of aging skin. Women facing these issues should choose their treatments carefully so they're not layering too many products on their face at once (which, ultimately, could cause more irritation). Since we get a lot of customers who struggle with this, we've found two products that work particularly well: Red Alert Anti-Redness Serum and 37 Extreme Actives.

5) Wrinkles and a loss of firmness are also often experienced by menopausal and pre-menopausal women; these tend to be the result of their shifting levels of estrogen and progesterone. Retinol is often used to address these two skin concerns, but if skin is sensitive and dry, that may not be the best solution. A good alternative would be an oil-based serum that's naturally rich in vitamin A (look for rose hip oil on the ingredient list) and/or a gentle anti-aging serum that features botanical peptides.

Get your weekly dose of beauty and skin care tips from this Lift and Glow Pro Facebook page.

Aging and delaying its effects: Tips on maintaining the youthful glow

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.” – Mark Twain

Image Source: stylelist.com

Aging is a natural process, and many women admit fearing the day when their skin would become all wrinkly because of it. Aging can’t be stopped, but its signs can be delayed. Women can start employing basic skincare regimen starting in their early 20s to achieve and maintain a youthful glow. Part of this is the four-step beauty routine: cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, and protecting.

However, doing the ‘four-step skincare’ routine does not guarantee an ever radiant skin, especially since there are things women do that actually cause the skin to look old and dry, without them even knowing it. Some of these bad habits include:

Washing the face with hot water. Experts say that hot water strips down the skin’s natural oil. Although cold water may make the person feel chilly particularly when washing the face at night, it’s certainly more beneficial than hot water because cold water tightens the pores.

Image Source: healthcob.com

Rubbing the face with a towel. After washing the face, some women tend to rub a towel on their face to dry the skin. No matter how soft the towel is, rubbing the face with it may cause blemishes to worsen due to the friction, and the bacteria that have bred in the towel may spread to the face. Gently patting the face dry is how it must be done.

Not using a makeup remover. Removing any makeup before cleansing the face is also an imperative. Many women just wash their face with a cleanser without even removing their makeup, an act experts disapprove of. DailyGlow.com shares that the cleanser won’t reach the skin if the makeup is not removed first.

Image Source: webmd.com

Neglecting the eyelids/skin surrounding the eyes. The skin that surrounds the eyes is considered the most sensitive skin in the entire face. Soap or cleanser with a gentle formula should be used when washing the eyelids.

Wearing moisturizer with sunscreen at night. Women are advised to have two kinds of moisturizer: one with sunscreen for day use and one without sunscreen to be used a night. Sunscreen or SPF is damaging to the skin if it is worn 24/7.

Image Source: ehow.com

While aging is an inevitable part of life, women can still maintain their skin’s youthful glow by taking care of their skin from an early age. After all, prevention is better than cure.

Lift and Glow Pro is an anti-aging serum that removes wrinkles, helping its users maintain young-looking skin. For your weekly dose of beauty tips, follow this Facebook page.