The Best Non-Invasive Alternatives To Botox Some mornings you wake up to the smell of coffee being brewed in the kitchen, other mornings you wake up and look in the mirror, only to find that a tiny little wrinkle has sprouted on a previously smooth section of your face. The horror! Like other side-effects that come with being a human over the age of 25 (a down swing in the efficacy of your metabolism and an inability to bounce back from a night of wines, among them), my younger self secretly hoped, or potentially even assumed, that I would be exempt from wrinkles. Silly, I know, but it’s hard to envision things happening to you… until they do. My naivety was in no way correlated to my lifestyle choices: those aforementioned wines, a general aversion to hitting the required 8 hours sleep every night (until I hit 26 and decided that sleeping is actually the greatest thing on earth), a flimsy approach to sun care, and most shamefully, a love of cigarettes for a good many of my teen/adolescent years. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve had botox before (I was 26 and I wanted the frown line that gave me a perpetually ‘off it’ vibe outta my life), but I’m not sure that I’m in any rush to get back under the needle. I’m eternally conflicted: I hate the pressure society puts on women to look youthful forever (even when it’s packaged as, “looking good for your age!”), but I do feel way more confident now those two little lines have disappeared. I guess I’m a product of my patriarchal society. It’s a very simplified version of my thoughts, but when it comes to botox, I essentially subscribe to the mantra, “You do you, girl.” If that’s a no from you, there are alternatives out there that aid with the prevention and treatment of fine lines and wrinkles, three of which are detailed below. These non-invasive alternatives to botox might not be as fact-acting as ye ol’ botox, but they sure do help with giving you skin as juicy and plump as your first mango of the season will be. Remember that you are what you drink… In the lead up to my sister’s wedding earlier this year, the beautiful bride-to-be started adding a cocktail of The Beauty Chef powders to her breakfast smoothie. Unaware of this new development in her morning routine, I asked her suspiciously over dinner one night if she’d finally succumbed to the allure of Botox. Turns out, those powders (Glow and Cleanse) were actually to thank for her newly glowing and plump skin. But probably not as much as the Collagen Inner Beauty Boost, which she admitted to guzzling with soda water twice daily (I can personally attest this is THE most delicious drink IN THE WORLD, and I would sip on it religiously even if it didn’t result in bby smooth skin). As is the right of passage for little sisters everywhere, I immediately began to pinch her goods from the fridge, and my skin/life is all the better for it—I noticed my fine lines disappearing practically in front of my face. Witchcraft! (We don’t live together anymore, so I’ve since had to purchase my own stash—cry for me—but it is worth every last penny, let me tell you). Buy: Purchase your own bby smooth skin cocktail with the Cleanse, Glow, and Collagen Make retinol your new beauty BFF… Retinol only really entered my lexicon in recent years. For those unfamiliar, it is *quite* possibly the greatest ingredient to ever make its way onto the beauty scene. Put simply, it’s a type of Vitamin A and is very effective in promoting skin renewal and enhancing collagen production. It’s generally recommended you start using it in your 30s, but can be used as a preventative measure earlier than that, and is especially effective when used in conjunction with SPF+50 (my fave is Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face Superscreen SPF50+) and Vitamin C. It’s suitable for all skin types (except for those who are pregnant, breastfeeding or on medications that could clash with Vitamin A—check with your doctor if you think the latter might be you!). For those with sensitive skin, it’s recommended that you start out with a small dosage of retinol, and as a general rule, I’d recommend using it at night, as the sun can minimise the positive effects of retinol. My two faves are below… Buy: The Dermalogica Overnight Retinol Repair is hands down my favourite retinol product (and it works while you sleep, woo!) NuFace, Who Dis? Sorry for the terrible dad joke, but the NuFace Trinity Device is srsly the best thing to happen to my face since I discovered tinted moisturiser at age 15. It basically uses a microcurrent—which according to their site is “a low-level current that mimics the body’s natural current and can provide both instant and cumulative anti-ageing results”—to give you skin that’s smoother than a D’Angelo club banger. The nifty little device works by stimulating your facial muscles, by “sending soft, gentle waves through the skin, tissues and down to the facial muscles”, and has also been shown to stimulate ATP production (Adenosine triphosphate), which drives the creation of things like collagen and elastin. I’ve been treating myself to a 5-minute facial each morning with the NuFace for the past three months, and my skin feels firm and satisfyingly line-free. 10/10 would recommend. Buy: Get your favourite new device here Words, Madeleine Woon The post The Best Non-Invasive Alternatives To Botox appeared first on CHRONICLES OF HER. Maddy Woon

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