What is facial exercise? Doesn’t this sound like a bunch of hoo-ha? I was the biggest skeptic of them all. But like anything, I have to try it out to test a theory for myself. So for the last six weeks I tried Cynthia Rowland’s Facial Magic program (a system she learned from a French woman) to come to my own conclusion.

Let’s back up a bit. Pick a spot anywhere on your face. With your fingers, press into your skin. You notice it feels pretty mushy right? Your muscles are not  engaged (especially if you use botox) and with gravity’s help, they sag. By the time you reach the age of 55, your facial muscles will elongate by at least 1/2 inch. Think about that number on your face, to have your eyebrows half an inch lower than where they are now, or to have your cheeks droop that much! You can imagine the domino effect.

The idea of Facial Magic is to engage your muscles today and get the accumulative effect of a face lift. The creator of this program, Cynthia Rowland, discovered this resistance training after one of her eyelids sank, and she went for an eyebrow lift consultation. Not only did the plastic surgeon want to cut the droopy eye, but also the good eye. This did not sit well with Cynthia, so she began the search for a safe alternative. She found a “secret” that was all the rage in France, with women in their 80s who look half that. This secret program consists of two exercises (upper eye & upper cheek) in your beginning week, and builds with two new exercises each week after that. Cynthia boasts 10-20 years off between 9-12 weeks with results that last indefinitely. And what became of her eyelid? It’s like brand new! Cynthia looks amazing (I couldn’t guess her age if I had to) and her lifelong goal is to educate every woman on the power of facial exercise.

This program takes commitment (but not much time-a couple minutes a day). I am on week 7 and it is disciplined work. What I have noticed is that the stronger my muscles are, the tighter and thicker my skin becomes. My eye area looks open, I have less crinkling when I smile, and my skin feels more taut when I apply cream and makeup. I am very excited to see what happens after week 9. It’s also encouraging to know I’m not alone. This program has been used by the French for years and many of Hollywood’s movie stars use these exercises to look natural and youthful. But we can’t give out names!

For more information on Facial Magic, please check out: http://www.cynthiarowland.com/