When you’re sick of working out, you can end up drawn to those “miracle products” that promise to buzz, massage or trim away your flab without you doing any of the work yourself. However, this phenomenon doesn’t only apply to your physical fitness, but your beauty regime also. Instead of doing face-tightening exercises, the Japan Trend Shop offers the Hourei Lift Bra to do the work for you. And, yes, that’s a bra that you wear on your face.
Anti-ageing wellness expert Kriti Saraswat explains, ‘This “face bra” comes with a band which is mounted at the back of your head and the silicon rubber wire sits on your nose covering your cheeks. According to the inventors, the slight pressure it puts on your face results in diminishing those laugh lines which get prominent as you age. Take a virtual tour of their website and you will find many such age-defying items on the menu including vibrating eye pads to reduce lines and puffiness around the eyes, a face exercise stretch mask to reduce wrinkles and other such devices for the rest of your face – nose, lips, forehead, etc.’ But can products like the face bra really work?
Face Yoga Expert Danielle Collins notes, ‘The trend of using gadgets and equipments to reduce lines and wrinkles and slow down the ageing process is one prevalent mostly in Japan. According to me, the positive aspect of this is that it shows more and more people are now interested in exercising the face and understand that by strengthening the face muscles, you can slow down the ageing process. It is important to exercise, massage and relax the face, just like we do with the body. Gadgets such as the “face bra” are better than not exercising the face at all but such products are just an addition to face exercises, not a necessity. You actually don’t need any equipment to exercise the face – your fingers are enough to provide the required pressure.’
According to Collins, ‘It is much like exercise for the body – you can exercise without any equipment but there are options available should you want one. The only thing with the face is the muscles are so small that there is little need for gadgets and equipment. The “face bra” would benefit the mouth area but doesn’t work the rest of the face muscles, while Face Yoga works all 57 muscles in the face. It also works on holistic wellbeing with techniques such as deep breathing which benefit the mind, body and face meaning you feel good on the inside which radiates on the outside.’ The face bra, then, pales in comparison to face yoga – so which Face Yoga exercises have a similar effect as the face bra?
‘I would recommend the Smile Smoother exercise for toning the area around the mouth,’ says Collins. She instructs, ‘Hide your teeth with your lips and then make a small “O” shape with your mouth. Keeping your lips as tense as possible, smile as wide as you can. Keep hiding your teeth. Then go back to the “O” shape. Keep this going by repeating this changing of shape of the mouth. Next, hold the smile shape and place your index finger on your chin. Start to move your jaw up and down as if you are scooping something up with it. As you do this, start to tilt your head back slowly. Relax and repeat twice. This exercise works mainly the masseter muscle and many of the lower face muscles. It helps reduce fine lines around the mouth, the lines between the nose, and lifts and firms the cheek area.’
