Get high cheekbones..like Kareena!..

[Article for one of the Fashion Magazine]

As we age, the elasticity of our face begins to shrink over time. We might notice that the skin around our mouth and cheekbones has become saggy and fewer firmer than it used to be. Well, I think sagging jowls or cheeks may look fantastic on a bulldog, but absolutely not on humans.

Like the rest of our body, our face has muscles, and if we do not exercise them they will become less taut.  According to researchers by exercising our cheeks and face, we will look younger without having to get a face lift.

I have always lusted after Kareena Kapoor's high cheekbones, here are a few simple exercises to help you get chiseled features without make-up. Try :

1) Sit upright and purse your lips together. Lift your pursed lips to your nose, as far as possible and keep them there for a count of 5. Relax and repeat 5 times.

2) Do Fish face yoga, pucker your lips and suck in your cheeks as far as possible. Do not bite down on your cheeks; simply let them rest under the teeth. Now, using your cheek muscles, try and lift the corners of your mouth in the form of a smile. Hold this for 30 seconds and then repeat the exercise three times. You can feel your cheek muscles warming from extra blood circulation.

3) Pucker your top lip, turn the corners of your lips upwards and move your cheek muscles toward your eyes. You should at this stage get your top lip to touch your nose. Keep this position for 10 counts and then relax. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

4) The next exercise targets the buccinator muscles and orbicularis oris muscles (lower cheek muscles and the ones around the lips). You have to make an ‘O' with your lips placing the upper lips over the teeth. Now place your index fingers over your cheeks. With your fingers firmly placed on your cheeks, Smile and push up the cheek muscles while using light pressure with the fingers as resistance. Hold for five seconds, relax. Repeat 30 times.

5) Smile as widely as possible (while keeping your lips closed and mouth corners turned up). Try to get the corners of your mouth to touch your ears. Next, wrinkle your nose and see your cheek muscles move upwards and feel these muscles work. Keep this position for a count of 5 and then relax. Repeat 10 times.

6) The third exercise is famous and is called Satchmo, named for legendary trumpet player Louis Armstrong, who was nicknamed Satchmo. Sit with the spine erect. Take a deep breath and fill your cheeks with air. Move the air from one cheek to the other. Keep moving this ball of air back and forth until you're out of breath, and then blow it out. Repeat five times. You should feel the burn in the muscles and a flush from the circulation boost.

7) Another exercise for your face and cheekbones is to make the widest smile that you can. Imagine the top corners of your smile are touching your ear lobes. Hold this position. Now wrinkle your nose and feel the cheek muscles become tense. Keep your face in the smiling position and bring your nose down and up ten times.

The faces that you will be making will be hilarious, so I recommend doing these exercises when you are alone, because you will constantly be laughing if you and a friend try this together.

Be Blessed,
-K Himaanshu Shukla..
Copyright © 2011 - ScrutinyByKHimaanshu