Always one for trying out new facial tools, following an interview I did a few weeks back now with Jeweller Caroline Wong and Antonia Burrell, I felt compelled to try out facial cupping - an alterative therapy that uses suction cups to stimulate skin and muscles.
This practice, when paired with my Super Natural Oil proves a relaxing skin rejuvenating technique for the face, not least the jowl area, which, let's face it, when we reach a certain age can begin to lack tone and tautness.
So what is facial cupping?
It has its roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been referenced in other Eastern alternative healing practices for centuries, including Tibet and Korea.
In the face, we have 43 muscles who knew! and facial cupping works a bit like any other workout, in that it improves blood circulation. Think of it as a workout for the face. Good news is this practice is safe* and requires minimum time, effort and is an inexpensive way of improving muscle tone especially in areas like the jowls that can lose collagen and start to droop over time and obviously and I hasten to add more importantly, facial muscles are needed for expression and gestural language, eating - in both chewing and tasting food, speech and facial structure. I think we can all agree, they deserve a workout! For more on facial muscles click here.
As well as improving blood flow, the practice of facial cupping stimulates the lymphatic system whilst also boosting collagen production - collagen fibres are responsible for giving our skin flexibility, toughness and youthfulness. In reality, it is actually very relaxing and when used regularly I think based on my fairly limited experience has the potential to help contour the face, jawline and neck.
*A word of warning, it must be done properly so you will want to spend some time honing your technique so as to avoid bruising - which can be happen if you leave the cup in one place for too long. The idea is to constantly move the cup until the suction is naturally released. More on how to use it shortly. It is also advised not to use on any areas of broken or inflamed skin.
It involves pressing a cup onto the skin to pull in the surface layer of skin without any intense dragging. Word is don't do this any more than 3 times a week.
Here's some steps to help you try out at home:
You can add a high quality, affordable silicon facial cup to you bag here
1 After cleansing, lubricate the face sufficiently well to enable the cup to glide still allowing for a light suction action. As explained, I have been testing this with the Skin Elixir Super Natural Oil using 4 drops.
2 Start by squeezing the cup tight between your thumb and forefinger. While pinching it closed, you press it to your skin which creates a seal you then let go to create a vacuum that sticks the cup to your face, which picks up the skin underneath.
3. Then, you lightly drag the cup along your skin in a pattern - moving the cup from the centre of the face outwards or from the bottom in an upwards motion (shown in the diagram to the left, below).
4. Change the position of the cup after each stroke, being mindful to always keep the cups moving to prevent bruising and not dragging but gliding to stimulate the massaging action.
For a good instructional video click here
For me I prefer the other tools in the collection as they feel easier to use and just more luxurious and without the potential for dragging the skin, however, I really like the cup as it definitely stimulates blood flow, and I can certainlt feel some muscle tightening, the trick I think will be short bursts of consistent use (up to 3 times per week, some experts would say less than that so as to avoid any potential trauma to the skin's underlying tissue) targeting a specific area of the face. So far, it definitely makes the skin feel plumper immediately afterwards and depuffs skin and gives it an immediate brighter glow. I'm thinking consistent use could definitely have a less temporary sculpting result. I will do this once or twice a week now week.
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