The world wide web is a place full of interesting and some downright weird beauty hacks. But how many of them actually work? Team POPxo decided to try nine beauty hacks to see how many of them are legit. Here’s the verdict. Read on to know what is worth trying and what isn’t!
1. Priyanka Ghura tried using a red lipstick to conceal dark circles.
The Hack: To cover dark circles, apply a layer of red lipstick and use a concealer on top of it. Blend until the discolouration is covered. The idea is that the red neutralizes the darkness and minimizes the appearance of dark circles.
The Verdict: From bloggers to makeup artists to my friends, there are so many people who swear by this hack to cover up dark circles or any kind of dark marks for that matter. Under eye circles is something that I have been struggling with for awhile now and have pretty much tried any eye cream and concealer I can get my hands on to lighten them or cover them up. I feel that the only thing that really works is going to bed early, which is something I just can’t get myself to do.
I knew I just had to try out this hack! It’s fairly simple to do and a red lipstick is something that all of us girls have lying around. Simply use a brush to apply red lipstick all over your under eye area as well as on your eyelids. Warning: You’re going to feel ridiculous when you look at yourself with your bright red-rimmed eyes! Then just blend on a good colour-correcting concealer all over the area, this will cover up all that red colour. After this, just go about your regular makeup routine.
I used a reddish-orange lipstick (Rehab by MAC) as I had read that a bright shade like that would work better on Indian skin. I also used Maybelline Fit Me concealer and a regular brush. It did make my dark circles look lighter for sure, I feel that if I had used even more lipstick and concealer it could have been more effective. Will definitely try it the next time round. I suggest that any girl with a dark circle problem like me should try this hack for sure!
2. Apoorva Gupta tried using a spoon to get perfectly winged eyeliner.
The Hack: This makeup hack requires using a small spoon at the corner of your eyes to get perfect and precise flicks.
The Verdict: A lot of beauty bloggers and youtubers have been suggesting this eyeliner hack for a long time on their beauty channels. This was the perfect time to give it a shot. I took a teaspoon and held it in place at the corner of my eye and applied the liner with my other hand. I felt it could be helpful for the beginners, but I use eyeliner almost on a daily basis so I feel comfortable even without a spoon. If you look at my picture, the right eye is the one where I used a spoon and the left eye is where I applied eyeliner freehand. The flicks are definitely more precise on the right eye.
3. Prerna Chauhan tried using powder on her eyelashes before applying mascara.
The Hack: Dusting powder on your lashes while using a mascara helps get thicker, more voluminous eyelashes.
The Verdict: When I read about this hack I thought it wasn’t going to be that tough but I was a little sceptical about applying baby powder on my eyelashes. However, since I love trying new hacks I wanted to give this one a shot. I was just hoping that I don’t poke my eye with an earbud while applying the powder. So, I just crossed my fingers and went for it. First I curled my lashes using an eyelash curler and then applied mascara onto my lashes. Now comes the real hack – I applied some baby powder on my eyelashes using an earbud and made sure that my lashes were fully covered by it. And then, again I applied some mascara. Well, this was it.
I actually tried it on one eye and applied just the mascara on the other eye, so that I could notice the difference. Well, sure there was a slight difference. My right eye (on which I applied powder) had longer and fuller lashes and my left eye’s lashes (just mascara) were not so long. I wouldn’t give this hack a thumbs up because the difference wasn’t much. I would stick to using just mascara!
Also read: We Tried 11 Patanjali Products… Here’s What We Think!
4. Somya Suresh tried using coconut oil as a makeup remover.
The Hack: Instead of investing in expensive makeup removers, just use a swipe of coconut oil to remove your makeup.
The Verdict: The first time I heard about this hack was from my makeup artist and friend who told me she uses coconut oil to take off her makeup. Since I am from Kerala, I have applied coconut oil on my hair, bruises and even sometimes on my pimples for as long as I can remember. But using it as a makeup remover?! It sounded bizarre AF!
So I tried this hack to remove my makeup after a party, when my face was layered with foundation, concealer and a whole lotta blush. I took five-seven drops of oil on a ball of cotton and started rubbing it on my face, gently. Within no time, the oil took out all my makeup without having to go over and over on the same area, leaving it dewy and great.
I have been using it for a while now and I think it’s a really great substitute for an expensive makeup remover. The oil helps hydrate the skin without any reactions!
5. Manika Parasher tried heating a pencil eyeliner to get gel liner pigmentation.
The Hack: Since pencil eyeliners are typically not as pigmented and easy to apply as gel eyeliners, this hack says that heating a pencil liner before using it gives the same effect as a gel liner.
The Verdict: I have heard this hack way too many times now to continue ignoring it. So I decided to try it. I tried it on my hand because I did not want to risk anything hot touching my eyelid. You can see the before and after shot of the eyeliner. The first streak is before I heat it and the lower one is after. As for me, I don’t think it did anything except that the tip of my kajal pencil melted and became blunt. That gave me a thicker line but not a finish that can come anywhere near to a liquid eyeliner’s. So for me, the hack did not work. For anyone who wants to try it for themselves, I would suggest test it on your hand first. Also, make sure it isn’t too hot so you don’t end up burning yourself.
6. Geetam Bhardwaj tried using an eyelash curler to get perfect eyeliner line.
The Hack: Use an eyeliner to draw a thin line along your eyelash curler before using it. The eyeliner will transfer on your eyelids while you curl your lashes and give you a precise outline that you can fill.
The Verdict: An eyelash curler is one thing that I’ve been using quite regularly for a couple of years, so putting it to some more use seemed to be a good idea! I applied the eyeliner on the surface that was to rest on the boundary of my eyelid and used the eyelash curler the usual way. As a result I got an extremely faint, broken outline which was barely visible. I tried doing it again but the result was same – a barely-there kind of outline, so I gave up and applied the liner free-handedly. I was pretty excited to try this hack but it didn’t work well for me, perhaps because I tried it for the first time. Maybe this hack can work if you keep practising it till you master it – but I won’t recommend it to anyone because I think that those who are not in the habit of using an eyelash curler can possibly end up hurting themselves during the process.
Also read : We Tried 14 Lipsticks. Here’s How They Looked After Lunch-Time!
7. Srishti Sabharwal tried putting Vaseline around her nails before painting them for a clean manicure.
The Hack: Messy skin around your nails can be avoided by putting Vaseline on it. After you paint your nails, just swipe the Vaseline away to get clean, paint-free skin.
The Verdict: I’m very messy at applying nail paint. Especially when I have to apply it on my right hand! So I tried this hack on only one hand to see if it works. First I dabbed cotton in vaseline and applied it around my cuticles. Then I applied nail paint on my nails in the same messy way that I usually do. I let it dry and then wiped off the extra nail paint with cotton. I was surprised to see how smoothly the messy bit got removed! This vaseline manicure hack really does work!
8. Sanya Jain tried using tape for geometric nail art.
The Hack: Use cello tape on your nails to create nail art.
The Verdict: Not bad at all for a first try, right? I know it could have been neater and more precise but I think the blame for that goes to me and not the nail paint. When you try this hack, make sure the base coat has dried completely before you put tape on it. And make sure that the tape lies absolutely flat on the nail so that no nail paint leaks. All in all, I’m happy with this hack.
9. Sharon Alphonso tried dipping her nails in ice cold water to help nail paint set.
The Hack: Dunk your nails in ice cold water after applying nail paint to help it set.
The Verdict: My aunt told me about this hack years ago and it still works like a charm till date. If you’re ever running late and you’ve just applied nail paint, you don’t have to stress about ruining it in a haste. Just after you’ve applied your nail paint, wait for a minute and then submerge your nails into a cold bowl of water, yes when they’re still wet! You can also place them under a tap of cold running water. The reason why this hack works is because nail polishes instantly dry up when they encounter cold temperatures. Ever since she told me about the hack, I’ve been using it every single time after I paint my nails.
