11 of the weirdest things people have used for beauty (#4 is just NOPE)

Human beings have had a long history of using some wacky things in the name of beauty. From crushed beetles to crocodile dung, our inexhaustible search for all things beautiful has started since time immemorial.

Just because most of us no longer use animal excrement for our daily beauty routines doesn’t mean that we’re safe. We’ve still found a way to use some very interesting items in questionable ways in our quest for the next legit beauty hack.

These are the 11 weirdest things that made us here at Daily Vanity cringe and go, “There is no way I am ever putting that on my face.” But apparently there are people with more guts out there than us, and they’ve survived their beauty experiments to tell the tale.

1. Vaginal cream as makeup primer

We all know that makeup primers are one of the essential prep products, especially here in Singapore where your makeup can and will melt off your face before half the day is over.

We’ve heard of some weird and wonderful alternatives to actual makeup primers but this one takes the cake. Seriously… a cream meant for your hooha?

While we might cringe at the thought, it might make actually make some sense since the cream contains ingredients that already exist in common skincare products.

We have to applaud this girl who took one for the team and tried out the rumoured efficacy of Vagisil as a makeup primer, and with surprisingly positive results!

Vagisil is available from their website or Guardian stores at SGD16.90.

2. Bra inserts to apply foundation

About a year ago, the never-before-seen silicone makeup sponge was all the rage. YouTubers and beauty bloggers everywhere were clamouring to get their hands on one to see if it could live up to its theoretical advantage over regular makeup sponges.

Once the hype faded a little, some innovative beauty gurus out there decided to take it a step further. Noting the similarity between the silicone sponge and – ahem – bra inserts, beauty bloggers began their comparative testings.

Surprisingly, many had positive results, although the inserts did not have the ideal shape to get product into those hard-to-reach areas like the crevices of the nose.

Now you know: if you’re traveling and forgot to bring your foundation brush or sponge, your bra inserts might actually come in handy!

3. A hairbrush to paint on fake freckles 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWlQY54lTrm/

There was a time when freckles were deemed as skin imperfections and people went to great lengths to cover them up. Now, the tide has turned.

Not only have freckled faces become a coveted look, people have also turned to painting on faux freckles that look natural and believable. It started off with women painstakingly drawing small dots of brown on their faces, but at some point, a new technique emerged.

The new technique went viral on Facebook and Instagram, as women demonstrated painting their hairbrushes with brown pigment before stamping it on their face for freckles that look natural and multidimensional.

4. A condom to apply foundation

This is perhaps the one trend that made us recoil in horror. Putting our precious makeup sponges into a condom?! Why would anyone do that?

The trend began turning heads with all the attention-grabbing thumbnails on YouTube, and the whole aim of the experiment was to see if the rubbery texture combined with the dense softness of a sponge might prove to be a one up against the silicone makeup sponge.

Interestingly, many beauty YouTubers and bloggers have concluded that this hack actually works wonderfully! Well, better than the Silisponge, at least.

The rubbery and smooth texture does not soak up the product like a beauty sponge would, which means you waste less product each time. However, they warn users to be careful not to use too much foundation, as you might end up with too much foundation, or wastage.

The best way of applying foundation with this method is to use a thin layer each time and building up your coverage layer by layer.

5. Men’s aftershave balm as a makeup primer

The Nivea Men’s Post Shave Balm craze can be attributed to top beauty YouTuber NikkieTutorials, who famously used this as a primer because of the product’s high glycerin content. The glycerin apparently helps makeup adhere better to the skin, she claims.

Many other beauty junkies have since tried out this trick (including ourselves!) and all have agreed that the product really does the trick of helping makeup last all day. It’s safe to say that it works!

Nivea Men’s Post Shave Balm is not sold in Singapore, but you may find it on online shopping portals. The closest alternative we could find is the ICM Glycerin BP available in Watsons for about SGD7. Having tested this, we feel that it is definitely tackier and has more slip than the Nivea, so it may not perform as well.

6. Washing your hair with beer

“Cracking open a cold one” takes on a whole new meaning with this haircare method. According to experts, the protein-rich vitamins in beer can be potentially beneficial for hair health.

But can regular hair rinsing with beer actually help make your tresses look like it just got pampered with an expensive salon wash-and-blow?

VinePair put this strange beauty hack to the test for six days. They concluded that despite hair looking slightly cleaner than before they started, the cost and stench is just not worth it.

7. Washing your hair with fermented rice water

Rice water has been used all over Asia for its numerous benefits, whether for skincare or for body care. It’s no surprise that it’s also been discovered to be pretty dang awesome for hair as well.

This beauty hack is actually ancient, and originates from Yao Village Women from Hewanglu, China, who use it to keep their long tresses looking smooth, silky, and healthy, no matter what age they are.

In fact, we asked a member from the DV team to put the hack to the test, and she ended up loving the results!

8. Using business cards for eye makeup

This may not be a new one to many of you: business cards can be a great way of remembering your contacts at work, but they can also be used to apply your eye makeup better and faster!

You can use it as an outline for a sharp wing, or above your lashes as a mascara guard. Put it against your upper lash line and apply your mascara to prevent it from getting all over your perfectly-done eyeshadow!

Watch beauty guru Michelle Phan demonstrate this technique here.

9. Pantiliners as eyeshadow guards

Whether you just want a stencil to get that perfect straight line for your eyeshadow, or you want to prevent eyeshadow fall-out, we’ve heard of all kinds of household items being used as an eyeshadow guard.

From spoons, to business cards, to scotch tape – we thought we’d seen it all… until we found a beauty YouTuber who recommended using pantiliners as eyeshadow guards.

It actually makes for a pretty multi-functional tool: the adhesive is just the right amount of stickiness without tugging on your skin too much, it provides a straight-edged stencil so your eyeshadow will have a precise flick, while the shape and size of the pantiliner shields your cheeks from any fall-out from your eyeshadow.

It’s technically not a bad idea. Whether you feel like trying it is another matter.

10. Applying toothpaste on those nasty pimples

A common remedy we’ve all probably heard of is to dab toothpaste onto zits and to dry it out and heal it by the next day.

Toothpaste contains baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and some have peppermint oils, which are known to dry pimples out, so we can see why people think there may be some truth to this.

However, there has been much debate between doctors about whether this hack may cause more harm than good. Some say that it causes more redness and irritation to already-sensitive skin, while others say the antibacterial ingredients of toothpaste may help in healing.

This hack has been around since our parents’ and maybe even our grandparents’ times, though. If you’re ever in a pinch, it might be worth a try.

DV Tip: Avoid applying toothpaste to large sections of your face to prevent dryness. Instead, use the toothpaste as spot treatment on small areas.

11. Covering dark eye circles with red lipstick

Simple colour theory states that opposite colours cancel each other out, so it makes a lot of sense to use a red lipstick to cover up the blue and green tones under your eyes, right?

Beauty YouTuber Ellko tried this and concluded that while it did cover up her dark under eye circles, the pigment in the red lipstick was too intense and still showed up underneath her concealer.

It was impossible to cover it up without piling on more concealer, which would have made her makeup extremely cakey, so this beauty hack is officially deemed a fail.

DV Tip: Red is not a “one size fits all” colour corrector. Purple tones are best counteracted with orange concealers, salmon correctors are best for grey-blue tones, while yellow concealers are best for brown discolouration.

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