The BOBA GLOW Ritual: the 5-minute no-mark method

Five minutes. This is the method on the card in your parcel, with the detail that would not fit. Video coming to this page.

The no-mark method, in three rules

  1. Gentle beats strong. Squeeze the cup about halfway, place it on oiled skin, release. That is all the suction you need. If it pinches or hurts, you are squeezing too hard.
  2. Always moving, never parked. The moment the cup seals, glide. If you ever pause, lift the cup within 2 seconds. Marks only happen when a cup sits still.
  3. Always over oil. Cupping needs slip. Use the face oil, serum or balm you already love, enough that the cup never drags. Never use the cups on dry skin.

Which direction? The question everyone asks

Face: up and out. Every stroke on the face starts near the centre and travels up and outward, ending at the ear, the temple or the hairline. Never sweep downward on the face.

Neck: down. Strokes on the neck travel down toward the collarbone, on the sides of the neck only. Never over the front of the throat.

Estheticians work the neck first, then the face, then finish with one more sweep down the sides of the face and neck. Think of it as opening the road before the traffic.

The Ritual, step by step

1. Oil

Cleanse. Apply a few drops of face oil and spread it over the whole face and the sides of the neck until the skin feels slippery. If the cup hitches or pulls, add more oil.

2. Neck first, down

Face cup, light squeeze. Start just under the ear and glide down the side of the neck to the collarbone. 3 passes each side. Keep it light here.

3. Face: up and out

Face cup. 3 to 5 passes for each line, both sides:

  • Jaw: from the centre of the chin along the jawline to just below the ear.
  • Lower cheek: from the corner of the mouth across the cheek to the middle of the ear.
  • Upper cheek: from beside the nose across the cheekbone to the temple.
  • Forehead: from between the brows straight up to the hairline, then from the centre of the forehead out to each temple.

4. Lips cup last

Switch to the lips cup. A little balm on and just around the lips. Give short 1 to 2 second pulses along the lip line: squeeze gently, place, release. Work from the corners toward the centre, 3 pulses per spot, top lip then bottom. Then stop. More is not better here.

Around the eyes: the lips cup is also the eye cup. Lightest squeeze, press and release along the orbital bone only, from the inner corner outward. Never on the lid or the thin skin right under the lashes.

5. Drain

One more sweep down the sides of the face and the sides of the neck to the collarbone. Cups back on the stand. Three slow breaths. Moisturise. Done.

How often

Three times a week is plenty. Skin looks its best with rest days in between, and every esthetician we studied says the same. A light 90-second version on a busy morning still counts.

Good to know

  • A rosy flush that fades within an hour is normal. That is circulation, not a mark.
  • Skip broken, sunburned, inflamed or freshly treated skin (peels, laser, injectables in the last 4 to 6 weeks) and work around active breakouts, not over them.
  • Ask your doctor first if you are pregnant, take blood thinners, or have rosacea, very thin skin or broken capillaries.
  • Stop if anything feels uncomfortable.
  • Clean the cups with soap and warm water after every use, rinse, and let them air dry on the stand.

Questions? hi@bobaglow.com. And if you don't love what you see after 60 days, the glow guarantee has you covered.