I’ll never forget the morning I caught my reflection in a department store window and barely recognized the woman staring back at me.
I was only 38, but I looked closer to 48. My jawline had almost disappeared, the skin beneath my chin looked soft and puffy, and the lines across my neck seemed deeper every time I looked down.
Makeup could brighten my face, but it couldn’t hide what was happening to my lower face and neck.
I had already spent more than $3,200 on luxury skincare. La Mer. Drunk Elephant. SkinCeuticals. My bathroom looked like Sephora had exploded.
I applied expensive creams every morning and night, but nothing made a visible difference where I needed it most.
Then I met my Korean friend Mina for lunch.
Mina is 44—three years older than me—but she could easily pass for 28. Her skin looked smooth and radiant, her jawline was clean and defined, and her neck looked almost impossibly youthful.
I had known her for years, but somehow she seemed to look younger every time I saw her.
Finally, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Mina, tell me the truth. What are you doing? Did you have something done?”
She laughed, reached into her handbag, and pulled out a pink tube with an unusual curved applicator at the top.
“This is going to sound too simple,” she said. “But this is the neck and jawline ritual Korean actresses use before filming and photo shoots.”
“Another cream?” I asked, unable to hide my skepticism.
“It’s not just a cream,” she interrupted. “The formula contains PDRN, collagen, and 5% Volufiline—but the real difference is the built-in gua sha applicator.”
She showed me how she applied a small amount along her neck, then glided the applicator upward toward her jaw and ears.
“Most women spend years putting expensive products on their faces but completely ignore their neck and lower face,” she explained. “This lets you apply the cream and massage those areas at the same time. It only takes about five minutes.”
She looked me right in the eye.
“Emily, the first morning I used it, I actually cried when I saw my reflection. My neck looked smoother, my jawline looked more defined, and my entire face looked years younger. That’s how dramatic the difference was.”