I’ve always been self-conscious about my fuller chin. I know, there are bigger problems, but this is the one thing about myself I seem to fixate on.
It’s hereditary – my mum and grandmother both have full chins too – but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.
In the name of beauty research, I came across the facial massages Meghan Markle swears by.
Apparently, the Duchess of Sussex likes to do ‘facial exercises’ to keep her face looking toned and sculpted.
Clearly, it’s working for her.
A few years before joining the Royal Family, she told BirchBox that after doing the exercises, she sees results on her cheekbones and jawline.
"I do facial exercises from one of my favourite aestheticians, Nicola Joss, who basically sculpts your face from the inside out. I swear it works, as silly as you may feel," she shared.
"On the days I do it, my cheekbones and jawline are waaaay more sculpted. There’s a reason she's in high demand around awards season."
The facial exercises, which Joss describes as "easy at home daily massage movements", are below.
Which got me thinking - firstly, just how 'easy' are we talking? Easy like those 10km runs Meghan enjoys or easy like polishing off a packet of Tim Tams?
Secondly, could I try this? Will people confuse me for Meghan Markle on my wedding day? Probably a little unrealistic. But I decided to give it a go anyway.
Ok, I felt really ridiculous doing these.
Not because of the massage movements (although, yeah, I did feel really silly giving myself a face massage - especially when my partner walked in on me) but because I needed to keep referring back to my phone to check the instructions.
With oily hands, I kept tapping the screen so it wouldn't auto-lock (which I really should've turned off, in hindsight.)
I also wondered to myself if I was actually stretching the skin on my face more - and wouldn't this cause sagging? WHO EVEN KNOWS?
As someone who enjoys science and facts, I'm not sure this experiment was really for me. It was... interesting, but perhaps a little futile.
I couldn't help but think to myself, "how will pushing the skin on my face around cause it to be toned?" Gravity is still a thing. It felt a lot like wishful thinking - to be massaging the skin around my face hoping for it to drop off.
This may be a little woo-woo for some, myself included. Much like vaginal steaming or that jade egg thing Gwyneth Paltrow suggested, this exercise may benefit those who really, wholeheartedly believe in wellness.
Trendy wellness.
Having said that, the treatment felt really relaxing. And on the days I can be bothered with self-care 'extras' like wearing a hair mask and popping a clay mask on, this will be on my list.
And while I didn't get too much out of it aesthetics-wise (to be fair, it was only one session), others on Nicola's Instagram page have gushed over the technique.
"Living by this!" one user wrote.
"If it works for a Princess, it will work for us!" another commented. Which is precisely what I thought when beginning this experiment.
Bottom line: You do you. Because wellness - and happiness in general - is really more about how you feel than how you look, right?
Will you be trying facial exercises? Tell us in the comments below.
Feature Image: Getty Images.
