If you’re anything like me, you don’t know the first thing about contouring with makeup. My makeup routine includes a bit of concealer to cover my mask-ne and enough bronzer to make sure I still look alive. The issue isn’t because I don’t love the look of makeup, I just suck at it! I was always so envious of girls with awesome cheek bones and contoured faces until I stumbled across the perfect solution.
Two words: Gua Sha.
A gua sha is a tool that you use to massage your face while giving it a bit of a workout. It is considered an ancient Chinese healing technique that aids in a lymphatic massage which improves your circulation (basically, it makes you look *snatched* without having to perfect the art of bronzing and highlighting).
Improving your circulation leads to decreased wrinkles, decreased puffiness, decreased headaches, and decreased inflammation (bye bye mask-ne!)
One of my favorite things to do in the Q was give myself a nice facial steam and a gua sha massage. If I’m being honest, I thought it was a bit of a hoax. I was really only doing it because it was another online purchase that I made. But boyyyy oh boy I was beyond wrong. I have seen such a difference in the puffiness under my eyes and the contour in my cheek bones in only a few months!
Basically, everything I know about Gua Sha I learned from Lauren Evarts Bosstick, but you may know her as The Skinny Confidential. The easiest way to teach the best gua sha technique is by linking her youtube video here.
If you don’t feel like watching the video (it only takes 5 minutes), one of the two things you have to remember is always massage out and up. Dragging your skin down can lead to wrinkles and just a sad droopy face. Next, it is SO important that you gua sha after your put a serum on. It can put unnecessary stress on your skin if you massage it while it’s dry. Personally, my favorite oil to use is Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Antioxidant Face Oil, but any serum will do!
Here are 3 different options for a gua sha ranging from most expensive to most affordable. I personally have the one from Ulta and love it!
Happy Gua Sha-ing!