Jennifer Chiu
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Chinese aunties do this. We don't. 👀

Chinese aunties do this. We don't. 👀

5 Chinese auntie skincare secrets, how to fix your mom pooch and what flipped my midlife mindset.

Jennifer Chiu
May 27, 2026

Hi beautiful, ☕️

I've been frustrated all month. 💢

Quietly down on myself, wondering if this is what midlife actually feels like.

What do I want the rest of my time to actually look like?

Then this week happened.

Pour the coffee, babe. I’ve got a lot to say…

This week I’m sharing:

✨ 5 Chinese auntie skincare tips I should have known sooner
🤯 I was today years old when I learned these (excuse me??)
🤳 Social media does WHAT to us? I can’t even pronounce it…

me, finally listening to the Chinese aunties

My Chinese aunties were RIGHT.

I spent years chasing the next thing.

Meanwhile my mom's friends, the aunties, are all glowing in their 60s without trying.

It finally hit me. Maybe I should be listening to them.

Takes notes👇️

1. the clinical-PDRN glow my aunties had first 🐟 My mom's friends were quietly using PDRN years before the western internet caught on, and they were so right. This stem III PDRN serum and this base face milk moisturizer gives me the same lit-from-within glow the aunties have been quietly running on. Tip: PDRN at night under everything, base milk on cleansed skin in the morning before cream.

2. the gentler retinol my mom told me to switch to 🫧 My mom watched me peel for months and finally told me to stop torturing myself and switch to retinaldehyde. This retinaldehyde that won't wreck you plus this 15% vitamin C booster is the combo my barrier actually tolerates, and I'm on my second bottle. Tip: Vitamin C in the AM, retinaldehyde at night, never layer them in the same routine.

3. nobody warned me about adult redness 🌹 My mom and the aunties all told me redness would creep in after 40, and they were so right I almost cried. This SOS spray for red skin and this barrier cream that feels like silk calmed mine all the way down within a week. Tip: Mist the SOS spray first, then press the cream in. No rubbing, ever.

4. the 10-minute device my aunties were on first 🔴 Half of my mom's friend group has been doing red light therapy for years, and now I get it. This 10-minute LED facial mask paired with this beta glucan serum right after is the closest I've gotten to a real-life filter at home. Tip: Clean skin, four nights a week.

5. the auntie rule I refused to learn early 🌞 My mom's friends never leave the house without sunscreen reapplied and this sun hat I see them all wear whenever they're outside. That is exactly why their skin still looks the way it does at 65, and I am finally taking the hint. Tip: I’ve seen them re-apply this hyaluronic dual care SPF, even my mom is obsessed with it.

Okay…these broke my brain this week

My body has been screaming at me all month. 🔊

I finally asked the right people and went down a few rabbit holes.

I was today years old when I learned these four things:

iron deficiency in your 40s is sneakier than you think 💉 My naturopath flagged my iron as very low. Perimenopause plus heavier periods plus poor absorption is a triple whammy women in their 40s rarely catch in time.Tip: Ask for a ferritin test, not just hemoglobin. Bisglycinate is the gentler form.
your mom pooch isn't fat. it's a bracing issue. 🤰 My physical therapist told me my core was weak, not fat. If you've had kids or a c-section, the pooch might be a bracing problem, and your core is the chamber to everything. Tip: Skip crunches and Russian twists. Try deep core breathing, dead bugs, and pelvic tilts.
the morning drink that quieted my whole gut 🥤 One teaspoon of chia seeds soaked in water for 20 minutes, then a splash of ACV, drunk before coffee. My stomach has never felt this light. Tip: Soak the chia the full twenty. Chase with water before food.
social media shrinks my brain. hobbies grow it. 🧠 I learned a new phrase this week, digital anhedonia, when too much scrolling kills your real-world joy. The wild part? Hobbies grow brain volume, social media shrinks it. Tip: Pick one hobby with zero screen. Your brain literally grows back.