Your Original Face: A Guiding Principle for Soulful Skincare
Earlier this week I posted about my personal skincare routine on Instagram, and many of you reached out with curiosity. So I’m starting a new series on soulful, holistic skincare: a blend of concepts and practices that go far beyond products or surface fixes.
Before I dive into the “how” (like herbal medicine, acupressure, or gua sha), I want to begin with the “why.”
Let’s start with the heart: a guiding principle I return to again and again.
The Original Face
I first heard about the “Original Face” from Lillian Bridges, the legendary Chinese medicine face reader. (If you’re curious, you should check out the book Face Reading in Chinese Medicine). But the phrase itself comes from a Zen koan, a kind of spiritual riddle meant to wake us up.
It goes like this:
Show me your original face,
The face from before your parents were born.
The first time I heard that, it knocked me to my knees.
The face from before my parents were born…
What would she look like?
And more importantly:
How would she feel?
That was the moment I knew:
This was the energy my skincare practice would be rooted in.
Not in youth or perfection, or even an ephemeral glow…
but in remembering who I am, underneath it all.
Peeling back the layers.
Letting my Original Face shine through.
This is the level of spirit—the shen in Chinese Medicine.
Radiance that comes not from products, but from connection to the wider, wiser self.
And it’s something I can deepen as I age. Something that strengthens with time.
A Practice for Meeting Your Original Face
Here’s a simple way to connect with this energy. It’s intuitive, poetic, and not meant to be exact—just an invitation.
Close your eyes. Visualize the stars. The heavens. The place before form.
Ask to meet her. Ask to see your Original Face…the face from before your parents were born.
What does she feel like?
A bird in flight?
An ancient song?
Rain, or starlight?
Let that feeling build. Sit with it as long as you like.As you return, notice…
Can you feel her presence linger? Can you feel her shining through your eyes?Tonight, as you wash your face…
Could you invite her in?
Could you press your palms gently to your skin, and draw that deeper self toward the surface?
And maybe in the days to come, you’ll find a talisman—a stone, a photo, a flower—that reminds you of her. Or maybe you’ll find flower essences to take that remind you of this energy. Place the talisman beside your mirror, or wherever you get ready in the morning. Where you wash your face at night. Let it become a touchpoint. A quiet mirror of the you that’s always been there.
Skincare with Soul
This is where my practice begins.
Not with formulas or flawless skin. But with presence.
With reverence.
With the sense that our beauty is both ancient and alive.
A presence, not a procedure.
When you feel into your Original Face—
What do you experience?
I’d love to hear.
And if you’re interested in sessions that tune into this energy, that draw it forth from within…feel free to sign up for one of my facial sessions. I’d love so much to work with you.
-Lizzie