An Awesome Hydration Toner Within Reach

Today, let me recommend a toner that I should have introduced long time ago. Senka Hoshitsu Toner is not a strange product for Asian consumers. Senka is an affordable range under Shiseido Japan. If you like the Shiseido brand, a big chance you might like this range too. The toner is developed with the Micro-Moisture Manufacturing process (shrinks hydrating elements down to the micro level) to provide creamy moisturizing and hydrating capabilities. There are two types of texture: fresh and moist. I prefer the moist one which is more condense, like a serum. Its texture is designed to not leave any sticky residue on skin while retaining skin elasticity. It contains extra hydrating ingredients such as Double Hyaluronic Acid with integrated Royal Jelly GL to give skin a smooth and dewy quality. 

(More: Why Do I Need to Use Toner?)

As it’s turning to frigid winter now, my skin becomes super dry sometimes. Senka Toner remedies my dry skin instantly. It really hydrates my skins from the within and keeps my skin moist for 24 hours. After using Senka Toner, my foundation is earlier to be put onto and stays longer on my face. 

The Senka Toner is definitely a must-have for girls who don’t like multi-steps of skincare. For my dear friends in Taiwan, go grab one bottle of it at Watsons and you will know what I am taking about!

(More: Hydrating Your Skin Is Always The First)

A Perfect Body Lotion: Sabon Rose Tea Lotion

If you’ve never stepped into a Sabon boutique in New York City, you’ve missed out a great joy of skincare experience. Dark wood, product lined shelves entice you into the back of their store where a rustic basin awaits, along with a sales associate to massage your tired and weary hands with one of their scrubs. This Israeli brand offers a holistic range of luxurious body and bath products. 

I would like to recommend Sabon’s rose tea body lotion. Light and easily absorbed, the body lotion is perfect for everyday use. The nourishing and rejuvenating ingredients leave skin noticeably softer and smoother. This body lotion is absolutely for all skin types and you will definitely love to have it in this frigid winter! With the extremely creamy texture, this lotion is lightly scented with the finest aromatherapy rose oil. In addition, you could also smell the delicate scent of tea, which makes me relax and comfortable. More importantly though, it effectively moisturizes while not being greasy in the slightest.

Honestly, I haven’t got such a perfect body lotion for a long time after I lost my reach to L'ERBOLARIO. If you happen to pass by a Sabon boutique, it’s definitely worth you to step inside and have a delicate skincare experience! Or you can go to their website to take a look. http://sabonnyc.com/ 

Avoid Having Sagging Breasts As A Young Woman

I hate to admit that it’s time to face that our breast is getting sagging. Actually, at any given time, a woman may have issues with the way her breasts look. Simple lifestyle tips that include self breast massage, combined with proper bra fittings will help anyone's breasts look the best they can look.

1. Wear a supportive bra

Wear a supportive bra. The way to look your best and protect the tissue of your breasts is to wear a bra that fits properly.

Look for a quality store which specializes in bras and foundation items. This can be a department store, specialty shop, or foundation store. These stores employ staff who are knowledgeable and stock a wide selection of brands of quality products and bras for harder to fit women.

Never buy a bra in the night market, please!

2. Make sure you are wearing your bra correctly

Put on your bra correctly. Take the proper amount of time to get dressed and be sure your straps are adjusted to your back. Straps tend to move around and get twisted during laundering. Handwash your bras whenever possible.  Allowing them to air dry, rather than putting them in the dryer, will make them last longer. Be sure and shape the cups as they are drying. Lean forward when putting on your bra to ensure your chest is centered and perky. Also, make sure the middle of the bra is centered with your body. Look for the mid-point on your arm and your nipple line should be level with that middle area of your arm. If it is too low you aren't getting enough support.

3. Avoid health-related problems with breasts

The absolute best thing you can do to reduce the potential problems of sagging and fibrocystic lumps is to self-massage your breasts at least 3 to 5 times a week. This does two wonderful things: It releases stagnated fluids in the breasts for optimal breast health. It also can result in re-shaping and lifting them. Use a natural, organic breast massage oil, made just for breasts, for an enjoyable and deeply relaxing self breast massage.

If you are constantly changing cup sizes, the repeating weight gain and loss will inevitably stretch your breast tissue.

Report persistent back pain. You may need supplemental back support or a prescribed custom bra for your needs.

4. Do not go braless

Avoid going braless. Gravity will inevitably cause your breasts to sag. Going without a bra for extended periods of time will further stretch the breast tissue. Do not wear your bra more than 12 hours a day. Studies have shown that wearing a bra more than 12 hours a day may increase breast cancer risk. 

Choose Foods That Maintain Your Body Beauty: Part Two

So let’s keep talking about those foods that maintain your body beauty. Green tea, nuts, cold-water fish, citrus…what else?

5. Rejuvenate your skin cells and keep your body in top form with tomatoes. Tomatoes are full of a red pigment known as lycopene, which appears to act as an antioxidant. This antioxidant helps to neutralize free radicals before they can cause damage and this can benefit good skin health; it can also protect the skin from ultra-violet (UV) stress. Tomatoes are also full of fiber, which also helps keep your body in great shape. Cooked tomatoes can provide access to more nutrients than having them raw but either way, cooked or raw, these fruits will do you a world of good. I cook tomato soup every two weeks. It’s so simple that you can even cook this soup with closed eyes—just throw (literally “throw”!) tomatoes and the other what-so-ever vegetables or meats into boil water, then it’s done!

6. Reduce your sugar consumption. Also known as "white death", sugar isn't really what our bodies have in mind when it comes to good nutrition. Sugar plays an unfortunate role in causing skin to sag and wrinkle; it does this by attaching itself to the collagen and elastin in the skin, causing it to become brittle and to break. Another beauty slam from sugar is the creation of dark, under-eye circles.

7. Reduce skin inflammation with cucumbers. Cucumbers are often used as the base in both commercial and home-prepared beauty products such as face masks, gels, and toners. Cucumbers have soothing and cooling properties as well, and their high water content provides a great source of hydration for skin that leaves skin looking softer and plumped.

8.Boost your immune system. Blueberries, goji berries, and other berries are also loaded with vitamin C and immune-boosting antioxidants that stimulate collagen production that keeps skin smooth and supple.

Be sure to get adequate vitamin K and zinc. These nutrients help your skin to repair itself and zinc is known for its ability to prevent acne and improve the immune system. Oysters are one high source of zinc.

Choose Foods That Maintain Your Body Beauty: Part One

Radiant skin, shiny hair, healthy skin and beautiful appearance suggests health and self-nurture, and gives you a sense of confidence when stepping out. Yet, nothing makes you as beautiful on the outside as feeding your inside with a healthy diet. Being the largest organ of your body, your skin deserves to be nourished with the right nutrients to sustain optimal health. There are a few tips to choose foods that maintains your body beauty.

(Extended reading: Natural Remedies for Dry Skin)

1. Rehydrate your skin and body and preserve your health with green tea. Even caffeinated green tea hydrates you, which helps keep your skin hydrated too. It is loaded with antioxidants (catechins), and these naturally protect your skin from the sun's damage (but you should still take appropriate protective sun precautions as well) and the antioxidants are a basic bodily defense against free radicals that age your skin and body. And green tea can help preserve your mind and slow its aging process, which in turn can help you to feel more beautiful because you're not struggling to remember things or fretting about dementia. I love drinking green tea very much, and I recommend you to get the benefits from it too!

2. Slow down the aging process with vitamin E. Vitamin E is an important anti-aging antioxidant and can help slow down skin aging. It can be found in foods such as pumpkin seeds, dry roasted almonds, other nuts and seeds, and small amounts of quality vegetable oils. I usually put nuts into Greek yogurt with some fruits—the blend just tastes delicious!  

3. Keep in top form with omega-3. Omega-3-fatty acids help to keep your face smooth with their anti-inflammatory properties and your hair shiny and in good condition. Omega-3 can be found in a range of foods such as: cold-water fish (tuna, salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, sardines), flaxseeds, and walnuts.

4. Strive for skin that is more elastic. Oranges contain vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that mops up free radicals, such as those caused by overexposure to the sun, or those coming from the carbon monoxide released by moving vehicles etc. Free radical damage leads to premature aging of the skin and vitamin C is a great way to give your skin and body a boost. As well as oranges, other citrus fruits are a great source of vitamin C or vegetables such as bell peppers.

Wanna know more about the list of foods? Let’s talk next time!

To be continued.

Shar Pei: How to Tighten My Neck Skin?

Q:

I have some wrinkles and fine lines around my neck and chest area. I have used several moisturizers and creams but nothing had happened. The Chihuahua next door rejected my asking for a date because I have a “pleated” neck. She said it looks like I am wearing a “lasagna scarf” on my neck… Please help me! Ruff!

-Shar Pei  

A:

Dear Mr. Shar Pei,

I am glad you are aware of the problem on your neck skin. But… are you sure it’s the only area of wrinkles you need to take care of?? 

Well, back to your question,  as we age our skin loses the elasticity that it had in our younger years, and this causes it to become loose and appear saggy. The best alternative method to tighten and lift neck skin is to do exercises and to try different non-surgical cosmetic treatments which are described below.

Exercise. These exercises are a good mix of stretching and working out your neck and lower facial muscles. They should be repeated once or twice a day, and should become a part of your everyday routine. By doing them regularly for the rest of your life, your neck will be stronger and more flexible.

1. Place one hand on your forehead. Push your head against it without letting it go forwards. You should feel your neck muscles working. Hold this position for about 10 seconds. Then clasp your hands behind your head, and push backwards to create pressure, and again hold for about ten seconds.

2. Sit down with your back straight. Lift your head back so that your chin is pointing toward the ceiling with your lips closed. Next make a chewing motion with your mouth. You'll feel your neck and facial muscles being worked. Repeat about 20 times. 

Avoid sudden weight gain or loss. Weight gain will cause your skin to stretch, as well as this, the neck is one of the most likely places that you'll gain weight, causing a double chin, and will leave you with looser skin if you lose the weight. Sudden weight loss doesn't give your skin time to adjust and will leave it looking and feeling loose. You should lose weight gradually to avoid this. 

Try creams. People tend to neglect the neck skincare while they spend tons of money and time on the face skin. Many different types of skin tightening creams are available. Skin firming creams are often very rich in moisture in order to deeply hydrate the skin, thus reducing wrinkles and preventing further damage. 

Consider surgery. Although many would avoid it, surgery is an option. However, as with all cosmetic surgery, make sure that you are fully aware of the risks involved, get the proper aftercare that you require, that you're going through a trusted surgeon and company, and that you understand your procedure.

I hope you find these suggestions useful. By the way, instead of a Chihuahua, have you considered to date a Miss Shar Pei? I am pretty sure you two could enjoy the time together!

Sincerely,

Dr. Coffeerainy

Hydrating Your Skin Is Always The First

Women tend to spent tons of money on searching effective anti-aging products. However, few among them pay attention on hydrating their skins. Hydration is the foundation of skincare procedure and you should take it as the first step of all.  It’s worth to invest  the same amount as you do in anti-aging.

(Extended read: recommended cleaner and even skin tone products)

As the weather becomes colder, my skin turns drier. I bought a jar of moisture cream from a well-known skincare brand. Unfortunately it’s not as effective as I expect. Since it cost me $42 plus tax, I assumed I could get certain benefits from it in a short period. But it’s not.

In a coincidental chance I tried Cetaphil’s Ultra Hydrating Lotion and it surprised me by its immediate moisturizing effect. Ironically a $16 8oz tube can provide you more than you get from a $42 2.5oz luxury jar. 
  

This lotion is meant for dry to very dry skin types and Cetaphil claims it to be a luxurious lotion specially formulated to provide everyday intense moisture for dry, sensitive skin and clinically proven to hydrate and protect dry skin for 24 hours. It’s non-greasy, fragrance free and non-comedogenic.

I used it after cleansing my face and was surprised at how light weight it felt on my skin. It is smooth and so easy to apply and absorbs into skin completely and with very less effort. My skin felt instantly moisturized, soft and supple.

The best part was that it did not make my skin break out or cause it to be oilier than usual. As I use it on my face I also noticed that it even made my lips feel softer as if I had used a lip balm. It has no oily sheen, stickiness or greasy feel and in fact feels lighter than my other moisturizers that are meant for oily skin types. I used it before going to bed and after I washed my face in the morning.

Choosing a right skincare product which is suitable for your skin type and skin condition is just like what happens in our lives—you strive to get those fancy and costly stuffs, but what you really needs that makes you happy is actually just within reach.   

Try spending some time at the pharmacy nearby, you might surprisingly find a true love for your skin!