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Do you find yourself browsing your social media news feed, wondering about beauty hacks that look ridiculous but curious if they might really work because so many people swear by them?

Daily Vanity decided to get to the nitty-gritty, and asked makeup expertson what they truly think about these viral beauty hacks.

1. Heated lash curlers

Silly Makeup Trends Heated Eyelash Curler

Source: gadgit.store

Sure, it sucks being born with stick-straight, short lashes, surely using a traditional non-heated lash curler would suffice? Apparently not enough!

How it works: According to a YouTuber, you wait for the lash curler to heat up in about 15 seconds, then use it to crimp your lashes like how you would with a regular curler. And voila! Gorgeous, curled lashes by the end of this super risky process.

But does it perform? From the comments in the YouTube video, it seems to differ from brand to brand, with Phillips’ one coming out as a favourite to getting efficient and dramatic curls.

What the experts think

Silly Makeup Trends Heated Lash Curler

Source: youtube.com

Ginger Lynette Leong, a long-time makeup artist who has many makeup-related accolades under her belt, told us: “I don’t personally use them, but I think it’s alright to use heat curlers , especially for stubborn lashes.

“However, there is also a need to emphasise on lash care. Just like how you need scalp care when applying heat to your hair, you need lash care to prevent heat damage to your lashes too.”

Marie Soh, another makeup artist with her own home-grown makeup brand to boast of, had similar sentiments: “I personally use a normal non-heated eyelash curler, but I think it’s fine as long as you get it from a reputable brand and use it properly, so you don’t burn off your lashes.”

When asked if she would ever use them on clients, she said: “I feel it gets the job done faster, but a lot of people tend to be scared of it; people are a bit put off by the heat.”

“Personally, I’m also quite scared of using it on my clients, because I don’t want to accidentally burn them if they move, you know?”

But for those who absolutely swear by their heated lash curlers (no judgment!), Ginger swears by these lash protectants: “I recommend the Shiseido Full Lash Serum, Revitalash, or DrGL Eye Repair Brightening to protect my lashes.”

2. Clown Contouring

Think what you may of its rather silly appearance, but looking at a couple of Youtube videos and Instagram videos that swear by clown contouring – it seems like it actually does work.

How it works: You apply your foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter in what looks like the above picture, creating a clown-like look. Then, blend it out and you’ll get an incredibly chiselled face.

What the experts think

“While I think that makeup is meant to be fun and experimental, clown contouring is just a no-no for me. Just no,” Ginger said, when asked about her thoughts of the clown contouring trend.

Marie added: “I just think it’s a waste of product, you know – I mean you don’t even see the clown after that. I feel it’s just a gimmick for people to have views and likes.”

Seems like both makeup experts were in agreement, then!

3. “Jamsu” Face Water Dunk

The “Jamsu” Face Water Dunk is a Korean beauty hack which involves dunking your fully made up face (that’s right, foundation, powder, concealer eye makeup and all the works!) in a bowl of cold water in order to “seal it”.

It made its rounds around the very echelons of social media when it was popularised by American supermodel, Bella Hadid, who swears by this routine for makeup that stays perfect throughout the day, and flawless skin.

How it works: Prepare a bowl of ice water. After you’re done with your makeup, dunk your entire face into the icy water. When you’re done, dab off gently with a towel and you’ll find that your makeup has been set and will not budge for the entire day.

What the experts think

“Another no-no for me. Completely unnecessary,” Ginger said rather succinctly.

Well, we certainly can’t fault how to the point Ginger was!

Marie too, shared a similar distaste for the “Jamsu” Face Water Dunk: “I just think it’s overly dramatic and unnecessary, you know. I’ve never done it, and I don’t plan on ever doing it because it’s firstly: messy, and secondly: I don’t think my clients will take to it very well.”

“Using a good primer and setting spray will do the job just fine,” she ended rather exasperatedly.

4. Baking

Silly Makeup Trends Baking

Source: asia.be.com

If you’re into makeup, and not simply living under a rock, you’ll see that it is a technique used by popular international makeup gurus on Youtube and Instagram like James Charles, JeffreeStar, NikkieTutorials and nearly almost every Western Youtuber and their mothers. (ok, we kid about the mother part!)

A quick look at any of their tutorials tells you all you need to know – proper baking really requires you to lay it on thick. And from numerous “I Tried Following a Makeup Guru’s Makeup Tutorial” like JennaMarbles’, well, let’s just say that perhaps it isn’t the most wearable, everyday look (or even flattering, sometimes). Like, at all.

How it works: Layer on a thick layer of powder on areas you want to set your makeup. Leave it on for a while before dusting off all the powder.

What the experts think

Silly Makeup Trends Baking Contour

Source: youtube.com

“I do baking for certain clients, depending on their preferences or their skin, but for the majority, I will not. I much prefer a ‘less is more’ makeup style,” Ginger said.

Meanwhile, Marie said: “I do do baking, but I don’t do until so ‘siao’ (crazy) like the Youtubers out there. I don’t pack on nearly as much loose powder on the face as I feel it can be very drying on the skin.”

“A lot of people tend to have very fine lines, so I don’t tend to do it on my clients, as using that much powder is just going to accentuate the lines.”

As to what Marie thought of the trend of ‘baking’ on Youtube makeup tutorials, she had this to say: “Well, the lighting [when filming videos] tends to be very harsh, so even when they put that much powder on their face, it looks good on Youtube, photos, and in videos, but not very practical for daily use.”

5. Strobing

Silly Makeup Trends Strobing Contour

Source: youtube.com

Strobing, a fad that came right after ‘baking’, had attracted attention because of how natural it made the skin look.

How it works: Apply a large amount of highlighter on areas where light hits your face so you can look like you have a spotlight on your face all the time.

What the experts say

Silly Makeup Trends Strobing

Source: youtube.com

Ginger, with her motto of ‘less is more’, with a strong preference for subtler forms of makeup, said: “Generally, I will not prefer it, but again, that depends on the client’s skin and their own personal preference.”

Marie, on the other hand, had a slightly differing opinion: “Well, I won’t strobe, but I do like to use a lot of highlight, but only like, 70% max. I tend to do strobing if it’s stuff like a beauty shoot, or if I want to show off a new highlighter to show off its effect.”

6. Hacks to draw eyeliner

Silly Makeup Trends Eyeliner Hack

Source: allure.com

If you’ve been anywhere on social media, you’ve surely seen the tons and tons upon “secret hacks” on Facebook or Instagram on the different props you can use to draw that perfect wing, some of which are…strange, and perhaps teetering on dangerous, if we say so ourselves.

How it works: Things that can work as a stencil to help you create the perfect wing we’ve seen online varies from something safe and easy like a business card to tools that look kind of dangerous, like a pair of scissors.

What the experts say

“Well,” Ginger laughed, “whatever helps you get that perfect wing.”

On the flip side, Marie had much more to say about this: “For stuff like a piece of paper – fine – you do you, girl, but if you’re using something like a scissors near your eyes where you could potentially hurt yourself, I feel that it’s unnecessary and stupid.”

Well, we definitely can’t disagree with that, after all – because scarring yourself is definitely so not worth it just for that perfect cat eye, yo.

THE MAKEUP ARTISTS WE INTERVIEWED

Ginger Lynette Leong

Silly Makeup Trends Ginger Lynette Leong

ProfileThe Fashion Collective
Instagram@gingerlynette
Facebook@gingerlynettemu

Marie Soh

Silly Makeup Trends Marie Soh

Website27A.co
Instagram@mariemjsoh / @27a.co
Email[email protected]