Jennifer Chiu
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Her skin is flawless at 96...here’s why 👵🏻✨

Her skin is flawless at 96...here’s why 👵🏻✨

You won’t believe the beauty rituals my grandma still swears by. Ancient. Iconic. And honestly? More effective than most things I own. Take notes.

Jennifer Chiu
April 16, 2025

Hi beautiful, ☕️

My grandma is 96 years old…👵🏻

And she still gives me advice like it’s her full-time job.

She’s the definition of old-school beauty, wellness, and wisdom…and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what she’s passed down to me.

It’s stuff I use still to this day.

With my kids. With my skin. With my mindset.

Here’s what we’re getting into:

5 skincare tips I still use from my grandma’s beauty rituals
My glow up essentials when Grandma’s tricks need a little backup
The best life advice I’ve ever been given (and why I finally believe it)

This one’s for the soul. 💛

96 and still glowing ✨💛
Can’t believe she’s almost a centenarian!

Glowing at 96…and no retinol

Her skin? Unreal at 96.

She doesn’t use retinol. She doesn’t know what a serum is. 🫠

But her skin? Glowing. Soft. Alive. 🤩

Here are 5 ancient Chinese beauty rituals she passed down—yes, I still use every one:

1. Rice water toner 🍚
She’d soak rice, strain the milky water, and pat it on her skin like a toner. It’s full of antioxidants that help with brightening, calming redness, and strengthening the skin barrier. No time to DIY? This one gives the same glow (without the soaking). ✨
Tip: Soak organic white rice for 30 minutes, strain, refrigerate, and use with a cotton pad.

2. Herbal steam facials 🌿
She’d boil goji berries, chrysanthemum, and orange peel, then steam her face over the pot. It softens the skin, unclogs pores, and smells like self-care.
Tip: Steam over freshly boiled herbs with a towel over your head for 10 minutes before masking or exfoliating.

3. Mung bean powder cleanser 🫘
This was her version of a gentle exfoliant. She’d grind mung beans into a fine powder, mix it with water, and use it to cleanse. It’s cooling and full of vitamin E—perfect for acne-prone or sensitive skin. Not about to grind your own beans? This K-beauty cleanser gives the same dreamy result. 💚
Tip: Use once or twice a week as a scrub or mask for a natural glow boost.

4. Pearl powder masks 🐚
She saved this one for weddings or special dinners. Pearl powder mixed with honey or egg white to brighten, smooth, and make the skin look soft and lit-from-within.
Tip: Mix pearl powder with honey and apply for 15 minutes, then rinse for smoother, brighter skin.

5. Drinking warm water and herbal teas ☕️
She didn’t drink cold anything. Ever. She swore warm water kept her skin clear and digestion strong. Her go-to tea was goji berry and red dates—sweet, nourishing, and good for circulation.
Tip: Drink goji + red date tea daily to support hydration and skin health from the inside out.

Sorry grandma, I need these too…

I still love my grandma’s skincare rituals.

I grew up on all of it. But now…

With two kids, spotty sleep, and zero time for 10-step routines…

I need products that work fast and make me look somewhat alive.

These are my modern glow-up essentials:

Instant Bounce Serum ✨
There was a stretch where my skin looked flat and tired—like it was running on fumes. This hydrating peptide serum brought the bounce back, primed my skin, and made everything look smoother and more awake.
Tip: Press into damp skin, then seal it in with moisturizer,it layers like a dream.
The Balm That Changed My Face 💆‍♀️
Double cleansing used to feel like a chore. Now? It’s my evening ritual. This buttery cleansing balm melts off makeup, SPF, and toddler handprints in one swoop—and leaves my skin soft and calm, not stripped.
Tip: Don’t rush it, massage it in for 60 seconds for that spa glow.
Glass-Skin SPF 🌿
I wanted SPF that didn’t feel like SPF. This “essence-like” gel sunscreen feels like water, absorbs like skincare and dries invisible! It leaves my face with that healthy, hydrated glow (without the white cast or sticky mess).
Tip: Use it as your last skincare step, it doubles as a primer.
Plumping Lip Glow 💋
Crusty lips were ruining the whole look. I needed something that smoothed, hydrated, and gave that soft flush of color—and this plumping lip oil did it all. Now I wear less makeup… and somehow look more pulled together.
Tip: Swipe it on solo or over liner. You literally can’t mess it up.

The Skin Tint That Does the Most 🎨
Foundation was feeling like a full-time job, but my bare skin wasn’t giving. This serum skin tint melts in like moisturizer, blurs everything and gives my skin that natural glow. I also look like I slept—even if I didn’t.
Tip: Start at the center of your face and blend out. It’s foolproof.

This photo is one of my favorite memories. I didn’t know it then, but this was peace. 💛

Life advice I wish I knew sooner…

My family had a lot of great advice back in the day.

Stuff I didn’t take seriously at the time.

But now? It’s all I hear—on the hard days, the busy ones, the quiet ones.

Their words have a way of echoing right when I need them.

Here are the little life lessons from the people who raised me…

From my grandpa 👴🏼
“Don’t stress so much. Life’s too short.”
He passed at 88, still laughing at his own jokes, still sneaking snacks when no one was looking. He had this calm about him—like he truly understood what mattered. He knew how to live simply, smile easily, and let the little things go.
From my dad 👨🏻
“If you don’t control your mind, it’ll control you.”
He said this to me a lot growing up, and I never really got it. But I do now.
When I was in school and told him I didn’t have any friends, he looked at me and said: “You don’t need to worry about that—you have us. I’m your friend. And one day, you’ll find the kind of friends who will love you exactly the way you are.”
That stuck. It still does.
From my grandma 👵🏻
“Chew your food 20 times. Move every day. Breathe deeply. And wear a scarf if it’s windy.” She means every word of it and I used to laugh… but now, I find myself following her rhythm. There’s comfort in her rituals. They feel like safety. Like home.
From my mom 👩🏻
She always told us she loved us every single day. She reminded us that no matter what happened out there, family is everything. She taught me that beauty lives in the way we care for ourselves—not how we look.