Clear and Brighten Complexion With Homemade Facial Mask and Skin Nourishing Tea

(Studio Romantic/Shutterstock)

The summer sun—warm and welcoming as it is—can leave its mark on our complexion in the form of dry, rough, spotty skin—bestowing freckles, dark spots, and even lines of premature aging. Homemade, simple, natural facial masks—plus a nourishing tea drink—can help restore the skin to a more youthful, bright, and healthy appearance.

Brighten and Lighten With Homemade Mask and Herbal Tea

Spot Lightening and Brightening Mask

Ingredients:

30 grams (1.1 ounce) almond powder

1/4 (1/2 tbsp) egg white

5 cc (0.17 fl. ounce) honey

5 cc (0.17 fl. ounce) of fresh milk

Homemade spot-lightening and face-brightening facial mask with almond flour, egg whites, honey, and fresh milk. (Shutterstock and the Epoch Times)

In a bowl, mix the four ingredients to make a paste. Apply to the face, avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 10–15 minutes, once a week.

These natural ingredients bring a youthful, radiant appearance to the skin:

• Almonds have an astringent effect that can help shrink pores, remove oils, and tighten skin.
• Fresh milk contains lactic acid that can remove acne-causing bacteria from the skin deeply cleansing the pores.
• Honey, with its enzymatic activity hydrates the underlying layers of the skin.
• Egg whites contain vitamin B which helps to lighten skin.

Anti-spot Whitening Tea

Ingredients: Angelica, Astragalus, Rehmannia, Red Dates, Wolfberry, and Paeoniae Rubra.

A sample of herbal tea and the ingredients. (Shutterstock)

Benefits: Red peony and Angelica have the effect of removing spots, while red dates, Angelica, and Astragalus have the effect of nourishing the blood and improving the complexion. Combined with Rehmannia and wolfberry (also known as goji berry), the above ingredients can nourish the kidney and cool the heart.

Women's skin is prone to blemishes due to various hormonal changes throughout life. For example, pregnant mothers may get pregnancy spots, and long use of contraceptives can cause dark spots on the face for some women.

Drinking this tea will nourish your skin.

Note: Since this tea is cool in nature, people who have a cold should not drink it.

Empress Dowager's Yu Rong Powder

In ancient times, a beauty treatment called "Yu Rong San (powder)," was a favorite beauty product of the Empress (Cixi). Yu Rong San makes the skin appear smooth and translucent.

Once, a beauty products company asked me for this recipe and I gave it to them. The feedback was positive.

In ancient times, a beauty treatment called "Yu Rong San" was a favorite beauty product of the Empress Dowager (Cixi). (Shutterstock)

Empress Dowager’s (Cixi's) Yu Rong powder uses some very expensive medicinal materials, including pearl powder, sandalwood, and white silkworm. There are also Nardostachys sinensis, Saposhnikoviae radix, pearl barley, mung bean powder, and others. Applying this formula to the face can make it light and delicate.

Some of the above-mentioned herbs may sound unfamiliar, but many are available in health food stores and Asian grocery stores.