This is the secret to Meghan Markle's flawless skin and it's pretty weird
Meghan Markle is the envy of many women right now. She's a world-class actress about to have her own fairytale wedding and marry a real-life prince, and she sets a good example for everyone with her various philanthropic and humanitarian efforts. To top it all off, she's a classic beauty with an enviable wardrobe and really, really good skin.
But it's no lucky coincidence that the 36-year-old has such a flawless visage. She keeps the usual suspects on her skincare shelf, such as coconut oil and skin-firming moisturisers, as well as tea-tree oil to remove blemishes and treat things like mosquito bites (important for her work, which is often based in foreign locales). But aside from that, there's one extra "remedy" that the soon-to-be-royal insists is what keeps her skin looking young. And it sounds pretty strange, if you ask me...
The thing she swears by? Face yoga. Yes, you read that right.
Like, yoga... but for the face. To be honest, I've never even heard of it before, but apparently it's a thing. Essentially it's just practising different facial exercises to get blood flowing around the different parts of the face, which helps to give you a "glowy" look thanks to the added oxygen reaching your skin cells.
"I regularly do facial exercises, I swear it works, as silly as you may feel," Markle told Birchbox. She says the facial exercises she uses were taught to her by aesthetician Nicola Joss, "who basically has you sculpt your face from the inside out".
"On the days I do it, my cheekbones and jawline are way more sculpted," the former Suits actress insists.
It turns out that "AthBeauty" – the combination of fitness and beauty – is actually increasing in popularity. A number of different "facial studios" have popped up of late, who claim to specialise in workouts for the complexion that include kneading and knuckle-pressure techniques that help to tone and tighten the facial muscles.
But it's easy enough to practice at home too. Face Yoga expert Danielle Collins says doing different facial exercises every day will improve blood circulation to keep you looking and feeling fresh.
"Face Yoga is simple, fun and fits into a busy lifestyle and most importantly gets results. You can do anything from 2 minutes to 20 minutes a day, depending on your schedule but the key is to keep it up regularly," Danielle says.
"Doing Face Yoga daily means you will strengthen and lift your face muscles, boost collagen and elastin and relax tension from stress age expressions," she explains. She insists that by doing different O-shapes with your mouth, targeted squints with your eyes and other various facial manoeuvres, you'll be left with a clear, healthy complexion which has fewer toxins, a gorgeous glow, and a better ability to absorb necessary moisture to keep your skin hydrated.
"Facial massage, combined with specific face exercises, will increase collagen and elastin - the natural plumping agents which give a firmer and healthier complexion," she states. "It's a key way for the skin to look younger and healthier."
So whether you start joining some face gyms and partaking in a few different workout classes per week, or just do a DIY face massage and exercise routine at home, you're on your way to skin that will positively Markle – er, I mean sparkle.