Week Two of the "Facial Experiment"

So as promised, here is my update on the experiment to get my face to look better.  It's been a little over two weeks, 17 days to be exact and I have stuck to the routine religiously.  I have gotten into the routine but I have noticed that it does take up a lot of time on the nights I work late and sort of creeps into my "go to bed" time.  Unfortunately I have fallen asleep while using the light-stim on occasion.  I of course wake up a bit later and finish what I started but I find that a bit annoying.  The light it's self doesn't get hot enough to do any damage to any material or burn me by accident when I doze off but I just need to remember the whole treatment takes about 40-45 minutes.  The light however is quite comforting and relaxing while I watch television so maybe I should consider sitting at my desk which is purposefully not as comfortable so I don't sit at it for too long. I think I will try it tonight.
On to the photos~

Here are the usual "mug shots" the one with the red shirt being the photo taken on June 28th and the green shirt being taken today, July 15th.  Again I am taking pictures in the most unflattering light to show the the areas that I am aiming to improve.  I don't really see any real change with the jawline in the portrait photos but I do note that the skin looks better and my mouth besides not being symmetrical, is starting to "lift" in the corners of the mouth.  I believe that is the product of the facial exercised that I have been doing twice a day.  They are also helping around the eye area where there is less puffiness.  Or at least that is how it looks to me and I would like to think.  I suppose by the end of four months, I will be able to tell for certain.

I think the profile pictures illustrate the jawline and jowls pretty well.  With the stark lighting they both show that there is some improvement.  It's small, but it's there and that is what I am aiming for!

I can see some improvement when comparing the older with the newest one.  I haven't changed my diet at all, although I feel confident that if I lost the ten to fifteen pounds my jowly cheeks would probably go away or at least shrink up enough not to bother me every time I see myself.

I tried to remember the time of morning that I had taken the original photo but I am thinking that it may have been overcast with the first picture so the light will be different.  This time I also took a comparison with last week and this week.

The picture of last week and this week show some mild difference.  It's like the jawline and neck are changing a bit.  I find that promising and look forward to see how it progresses in the coming weeks.


I threw this picture with the three different angles in to illustrate things that I am noticing.  Besides the jawline improving, the texture of my skin on my neck is improving.  Last month, the skin was a tad...crepe-like in some spots.  I am thinking with the combination of the light-stim, Clarisonic and exercises that it is improving the skin.  My face feels more firm, that is for certain.  These types of things one can't really photograph but certainly observe and I am seeing improvement in the size of my pores.  Not a huge improvement but my skin does look much better.  I am also noticing that there is definition on my jaw which is illustrated with the third photo.  I haven't had that "indent" or definition in years and quite frankly I am pretty pleased that I am getting it back.  With regaining that definition but still having a slight jowl, I am thinking that weight loss should also become a priority to obtaining optimal results.  AND I could stand to loose it as mentioned before.

So this concludes this weeks observations. This may take a while but I am seeing that the reward will outweigh the work. Hopefully, what I am doing may help someone else that is experiencing similar skin issues and help them decide which treatment may help them.  

The "Domesticated Sunday" blog...

I have to say that I like Sundays to myself.  Not just because it's my ONLY day off but that I can have a full day to putt around the house doing cleaning, cooking or craft projects.  This Sunday being no different.  I have to say that I really do enjoy having domesticated days to myself where I can just do what ever needs to be done around the house uninterrupted by phone calls.  Today's big chore was detailing my glass lamps and little spaces and items through out the house that I normally don't get to as regularly as I would like.  It's a pretty satisfying feeling knowing that stuff is tidy and where they should be in one's home.  My home may be crowded but everything has it's place.  It's also nice to have stuff cooking on the stove or in the oven to give the house a wonderful scent while going about cleaning.

I normally like to cook a big meal on Sundays to last me a couple days since I work two doubles in a row on Mondays and Tuesdays.  So I cook a nice dinner to split up for those days to enjoy when I get the chance.  If I'm lucky it lasts me til Wednesday where I can cook another big meal to stretch until Friday.
Tonight on the stove was my Beef Stew with Blue Cheese drop Biscuits.  This is a spin off of Chicken n'Dumplings (which I love making) and it's basically the same thing but with beef and blue cheese....and with beer or red wine. 

I decided to make them after I opened a bottle of Cabernet to discover the bottle had turned.  So I put it to the side and let it do it's thing for about a week.  At the same time I had some bananas that decided to ripen faster than normal and my weekend meal was decided. My Beef stew with blue cheese drop biscuits and a nice loaf of banana bread!

I don't have a set recipe for the beef stew but it might go something like this:
*1 lb of beef
*onions and garlic to taste (I like lots of fresh garlic and onions)
*bell peppers (frozen or fresh-sometimes I use the Trader Joe's frozen grilled onions and peppers-1/2 bag)
*low sodium stock (what ever is handy)
*a bottle of red wine OR a couple bottles of dark beer ( each gives a distinctive taste so it's a matter of  which you might be in the mood for).
*bag of frozen veggies of your choice to round out the stew.
*Season to taste

While this is simmering prepare the biscuits by making your favorite biscuit recipe and adding blue cheese.  Stick in the fridge to keep chilled until the stew has simmered long enough.

When the soup is ready-drop the raw biscuit mix into the gently boiling stew with a spoon evenly across the pot.  Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and let complete simmering for about half an hour.

Uncover and let cool for a bit before enjoying.

Now the banana bread was a modification from a recipe I already had but I tweaked it a bit because I don't really care for things that are overly sweet or greasy.  The recipe is super simple and it took no time at all to make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9X5 inch pan (grease with butter if not nonstick).

1/2 brown sugar

1 stick of butter-normally I would cut the stick of butter and substitute the other half with a quarter cup of applesauce....but I didn't have any.

1/2 cup honey

3 bananas-really really ripe bananas preferably.

1 lemon

1/4 milk

2 eggs

a generous teaspoon of vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

Cream the butter and the sugar until will blended.  Then add the honey, bananas-blend.  Add the lemon and the milk-blend.  Add the eggs until just mixed. Then add the dry ingredients until JUST moist.  Pour in a prepared pan and pop in the oven for about an hour.  Check to make sure it's cooked in the middle and if it is-treat it like you normally would any other loaf of bread.

I have to say this little experiment turned out much better than I had anticipated.  Enough for me to take notes on how it was done!  Now I have some delicious food to last me throughout part of the week and save some money :-).