From Nitza, age 53 in Winter Spring, FL
Well, I don't own a Clarisonic Opal so here's what I do instead...and don't laugh... I use the back side of my Sonic toothbrush to help apply my night serum, (different brush head of course). I realize that this is no comparison to the Clarisonic Opal but I'm using what I've got because I know how beneficial it is. So until I get the real thing, this is what I do.
My eyes are a mess
I hate when I dress
In the morning and look at the mirror
The circles are dark
I could practially park
A car in the deep pockets, I fear
Your brush is the best
so the Opal I'll test
to make the dark circles and fine lines disappear!
How many of you cringe at the thought of a "daily skin regimen"? More time added to an already over-full day. Do I really have to take off my make-up every night?
Well, I'm one of these people. For me, less is more! I've always been told I have great skin, but I am aging and I do notice that I don't have the skin of a 20 or 30 year old anymore. I have been using both the Mia and the Opal every day. The Mia is a no-brainer - keep it in the shower or by the sink, add a little cleanser and I guarantee your skin will feel cleaner with the Mia than any other method you have used before. I even noticed my sun-damaged skin and rosy cheeks were less prominent. CHECK - one thing off my skin care regimen. Next, I pull out my Opal and depending on my mood I either add anti-aging serum or a good eye cream. The surrounding skin around my eyes is brighter and my crows feet have turned into dainty chicks feet. But, I also like to break the rules. I use my Opal with some eye cream in between my brows. My eyelids are not as crepey anymore and the frown-lines between my brows are less prominant. That's definately my favorite thing about the Opal! CHECK - one more thing off my list. Add some moisturizer & sun screen and I'm ready to face the day or a good night's sleep!
Friends and family who haven't seen me for a few years just can't get over how it looks like I don't age. They can't believe here I am almost fifty and my eyes don't look older than when I was I my mid-30's!
The fines lines and crows feet I was starting to see creep up around the edge of my eyes 5 to 7 years ago, have been put in reverse, waiting for someone else to claim them. My eyes don't droop and sag, or give that tell-tale appearance of papery, dry skin that makes you think a woman is ""mature"". In spite of what the calendar says, I continue to have that youthful appearance that my friends and family attribute to my ""getting all the good genes"". Yes, I have good genes, but my secret isn't my genes, but rather my skincare routine. Between the Clarisonic cleansing system brush, and the Opal infusion system, my skin looks radiant, and defies my being described as a middle-aged woman!
When I was interviewing again due to a company restructuring/downsizing, everyone I met found it hard to believe I had so much experience for someone so young! So though experience is much sought after, the appearance of it on one's face is not. With the Opal as a part of my skin routine, my age isn't written all over my face, and for that I am very thankful (and often envied).
I had been looking for concealer to cover-up the dark circles under my eyes since early this year. After trying a few very good concealers out, I found out that a 2-dimensional solution (concealer) cannot solve my 3-dimensional problem – eye bags! The dark circles under my eyes are worsened the shadow cast by the puffy eye bags. I also found that the eye bag under my left eye is much less pronounced than the one under my right eye. The reason for this is because of the way I smile. I used to smile with my mouth slightly tilted to the left resulting in the left cheek pushing more upwards every time I smile. This slight difference in facial muscle movement (for 40 years) has helped me to prevent the eye bag under my left-eye. This also told me that moderate facial exercises really help to fight against the gravity.
That's the reason that I turned to Clarisonic products. I purchased the cleansing brush last month. Other than the cleansing property of the brush, I also believe the gentle massage affect of the sonic movement helps to improve the elasticity of my skin. I have used it for a month now and am very pleased with it. I actually bought one more as gift for my sister. I am now planning to buy the Clarisonic Opal Sonic Infusion System. I believe the gentle sonic movement, other than its prime function of reducing wrinkles to improve the absorption of eye serum, will also have a 'side-effect' of toning up the muscles under the eyes via the 'exercise-like' sonic massage movement. Facial exercises can help to create thicker and stronger skin, which acts like a girdle to hold the fatty tissue back, so the eye bag doesn't protrude as much.
I started using my Clarisonic Opal a few weeks ago. I was not loving the lines in between my brows and around my mouth. I used the Opal once a day for 3 days and the "elevens" between my brows were gone! It took 4 days for the vertical lines on my upper and lower lips to disappear. Imagine how fast my results would have been if I used the Opal twice a day!
I don't have an Opal yet; however, I do use a Clarisonic every day, and I absolutely love it. Along with the Clarisonic, my beauty regime includes some methods to keep my eyes looking great.
One thing I really love for my eyes is yogurt! And I don't mean for eating, but that is good to do, too! I take cool, plain yogurt straight out of the fridge and mix it with powdered clay. You can use it without the clay as well, just drain the liquid out of the yogurt (I describe how to do this below). I use about equal parts clay and yogurt to make a creamy consistency. After washing my face, I apply the yogurt all over my face like a mask. Its really important to apply the yogurt all around the eyes. If you have a good consistency, that is not runny, you can get all the way up to your eyelids and corners of your eyes with the yogurt. I wait until the yogurt completely dries off, which is usually when it starts to form cracks. Then, just rinse it off in the shower.
If you haven't slept well and have bags or lines around your eyes, this yogurt mask will do the trick and reduce the lines and puffiness. Also, your skin gets really soft from the yogurt. I do this about once a week.
***To drain liquid out of yogurt, place two layers of paper towels in a strainer. Place the strainer over a bowl. Pour the yogurt onto the paper towels in the strainer. Let it sit for 24 hours in the fridge. Take the yogurt, which will be as thick as sour cream, and put it back in the container and refrigerate until ready to use.
When I was in college I worked at a makeup counter at the mall. One of my co-workers was an amazing makeup artist that had just moved from NYC so I was so excited to learn his tips and tricks. The one thing that he told me that I remember to this day and always share with people is......when applying under eye cream, ALWAYS apply it and blend it from the outside of your eye inwards towards your nose. Why you ask? Well....the fine lines and crows feet that form tend to start out closer to the inner corners of your eye and expand outwards so everytime you put on under eye cream you want to be lightly tapping and blending the cream in the opposite direction they form to make sure the product really gets in there. If you put on under eye cream twice a day that is a lot of pulling and dabbing on the under eye area over time so it's better to be smoothing it on in the opposite direction that they form. I swear this works! I used to have one line in particular that was fairly deep and I would notice it when I would get tan, because it would be white from squinting while I was out in the sun. Since I started applying under eye cream from the outside of my eye towards the inside, my lines have completely and very noticeably smoothed out! For some reason, I had always put under-eye-cream on from the inside-out, which I know a lot of us do, because it seems more natural to apply it this way. It is the complete opposite of what you want to do. I love sharing this trick with people, and I swear you will notice a difference if you try it!
It's never too early to start caring for your eyes. I learned this from my aunt who looks 10 years younger than her sister (sorry, mom!). I didn't need it then, but knew that if I wanted to look as good as my aunt later in life, I needed to invest the time, effort, and money to taking care of myself. I will admit my Asian genes help with the process of aging as well as getting enough sleep. Three simple tips to youthful eyes:
1) Be healthy and clean! That means eat healthy, don't smoke, use
SPF, drink lots of water, and always wash off eye makeup with a gentle
cleanser before bed. Stress and lack of sleep cause aging and wrinkles,
so make it a priority to take care of YOU. Get enough rest and use
techniques to relieve stress like meditation, yoga, and breathing
exercises.
2) Early prevention goes a long way! A long time college
friend of mine started using eye cream in her 30s when she noticed
wrinkles around her eyes. She asked me why I didn't have wrinkles and I
told her I started using eye cream in college. Start early before you
need it and you'll stay youthful looking much longer. Also, don't make
the mistake I did by not sharing these tips with your
daughters/nieces/friends!
3) Invest in quality products that make a
difference. Quality products do not necessarily mean expensive products
either. Test out products to make sure they do not irritate your skin
and ask for samples to find the right product for you before you commit.
If you have sensitive skin, try natural and organic products.
As a young girl, I remember observing my mom as she cleansed her face in the morning and evenings. I look at her now, and I still see the same glow and beauty she had 20 years ago. I could only believe that she was doing something right when she’d lather soap on her face in circular motions, exfoliate regularly, pat dry her skin with a soft towel after washing, tap eye serum with her fingers, and apply moisturizer in an upward motion.
I am now 29 years old, and I follow a similar skin regimen as my mom’s, with the addition of the Clarisonic and some other tips and tricks I picked up along the way. I am not yet an Opal user; however, part of my journey to having beautiful eyes is learning how to take care of myself. Your eyes can reveal your thoughts and emotions, your health, and even your age!
My secret for beautiful eyes is cucumbers, sunglasses, and sleep. I use cucumbers for everything! – Cucumbers incorporated in my meals for nutritional and health benefits; cutting slices of cucumber and putting it in my water to stay hydrated; and placing slices of cucumbers over my eyes to reduce dark circles and puffiness after a long day of staring at the computer screen. Wearing sunglasses is much more than a fashion accessory. I wear my sunglasses to protect my eyes from UV damage and to prevent premature wrinkles from excessive squinting. They don’t call it beauty sleep for nothing! Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. We’ve heard this before, but I make sure that I get at least eight hours of sleep every night, so I wake up feeling and looking restored and refreshed. We all know that there’s nothing quite like puffy eyes and dark circles to announce to the world that you haven’t slept.
The essence of having beautiful eyes is not just cucumbers, sunglasses, and sleep; but also, being appreciative in life.
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