We're always looking for the next big beauty ingredient — whether it's mongongo oil, microalgae oil, charcoal, or something even weirder. And now, Olivia Munn has helped resurface another ingredient on our must-try list: the Japanese potato.
Responding to fans' queries about the changes in her face (notably her even, glowing skin), Munn took to Instagram to explain her transformation, showing a side-by-side photo of her mug last year and this year.
She cited exercising regularly as the key to her defined cheekbones and glow. "Working out is also great for your skin because it increases blood flow to your face, which helps rejuvenate," Munn wrote. Her workout, she tells Refinery29, included six to seven hours of tae kwon do a day — this was in preparation for a movie. (Wowza.)
Other changes were cosmetic. "[I] reshaped my brows," Munn wrote. "I do my own brows and always thought they were supposed to have a high arch. Then, a facialist pointed out to me that I was shaping my brows into a frown. So I let the top of my brows grow in (which is never fun, because it looks spotty for a few weeks) and then I plucked the bottom. That gave my brows a more horizontal angle and instantly brightened my eyes." See? Proof that a good brow groomer can transform your face.
Munn says she also faded her sunspots and evened out her overall complexion using Proactiv Mark Fading Pads. (The actress is a spokesperson for the brand.)
But her biggest secret, she says, is a diet rich in Japanese potatoes. "I've talked about this before, and I still stand by it: Japanese potatoes that are high in hyaluronic acid help keep wrinkles away," she says. Munn goes on to hype up Connie Chung's ABC feature in which she visits Yuzurihara, a region of Japan known for senior residents in impeccable health (and with flawless skin).
Munn's secret, it turns out, is based on potatoes native to Yuzurihara — either the satoimo root, which is a Japanese version of taro, or the dark-purple sweet potato, which reportedly helps increase your body's production of hyaluronic acid.
"There are hyaluronic-acid pills and vitamins, but I think that the best way to get it in your system is by eating [it] in foods that naturally have [it]," Munn says. We'll have what she's having.