The Herald’s Megan Watts and Bethany Reitsma tried, tested and debunked some of TikTok’s biggest beauty hacks - and suffered the public embarrassment so that you don’t have to.
Here’s the results
Glazed doughnut nails
While admiring - if not seething - over Hailey Bieber’s massive diamond ring from Justin Bieber, TikTokers across the globe picked up on something just as shiny and way more achievable (sorry Beliebers) on the star’s fingers.
The beauty icon’s ‘glazed doughnut’ manicure had nail enthusiasts booking appointments left right and centre, with only an Instagram screenshot for reference and a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
A nude nail with a slight metallic shine? Seems easy enough to recreate… Oh, how wrong you can be.
The original coveted claw set, according to TikTok, is rumoured to be OPI Funny Bunny nail polish topped with OPI Tin Man Can Chrome Effects Mirror-Shine Nail Powder - phew, a mouthful.
The former we secured with ease, the latter seems harder to find than a matching sock in the wash, a parking spot in the city, or an egg at the grocery store.
So, we decided to try out our own hack. Layering over with OPI Infinite Shine Throw Me a Kiss, the effect was close but no cigar. While we would definitely wear the duo as an everyday mani, the end result was more glitter than glazed.
Ice-water face dump
What once acted as a brutal form of torture is now the go-to beauty trick reserved for Sunday mornings - who would’ve thought?
Bathing your face in a bowl of icy cold water for thirty seconds is said to depuff your face and reduce the appearance of pores, resulting in a tight and sculpted look.
While we couldn’t argue with the logic behind it, we did object to the brain freeze that accompanied the hack, as well as the drowned rat aesthetic that just was not *it*.
Our advice? Leave the ice baths to Art Green and perhaps roll an ice cube over your face instead. Same result, less traumatic.
Underpainting
Fresh from the brain of Mary Phillips, a renowned name amongst Hollywood’s most elite glam sessions, is a trick that has gone viral on the Tok: applying contour before foundation.
We know, this trick sounds like it defies logic. However, like most things in life, if Hailey Bieber uses it, so will we.
“It’s like layering down the bones under the skin”, she explains. ”So the contour and the highlight being the bones, and the skin being the foundation,” according to Sports Illustrated Lifestyle.
Starting with cream contour and concealer, and then layering foundation over the look, the trick has been a cite of much controversy in the social media sphere.
But does it work?
While the hack provided the subtlest result, the foundation definitely needs to be lightweight and pushed into the skin in order to let the contour peek through.
Cold girl makeup
With brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Rare Beauty making a name for themselves on the backs of their liquid blushes, cheeks have been transformed from a subtle rosy hue to the main focus of the look.
Enter cold girl makeup - makeup that relies solely on you looking like you’ve been in the crisp winter air.
Layering pink or red on your cheeks and nose with a liquid tint, what is supposed to come to fruition on the face is a natural, flirty blush.
The trick definitely provided a fresh-faced blush (its desired effect), however one could argue that the trend’s aesthetic will look different on various bone structures and skin tones.
Heatless Curls
A popular one on the video-sharing app, heatless curls are the modern answer to hot tool damage.
Using either a pair of exercise leggings, or in our case, a dressing gown belt, you curl your hair outwards around the belt/leggings, tie it with a hair band and sleep in the ‘do’ overnight.
We decided not to film this in the studio as we were not confident enough to rock sports gear in our hair on the way into work. However, we tested this one out at home and the results were pleasantly surprising.
The trick provided natural-looking curls the next day that lasted 8 hours of vigorous keyboard typing, head-turning and running between meetings that could have been an email.
What’s more, the TikTok trick didn’t get in the way of a restful sleep and was only mildly humiliating to wear around flatmates - a modern success.
Our thoughts? This one’s a keeper.
