Pinterest is basically the Holy Grail of DIY beauty tips. If you want to get that professional makeup artist look without the money or effort, Pinterest is the place to go. The only issue is deciding which beauty hacks are legit and which ones are complete trash. Luckily for you guys, my roommates and I took one for the team and tested five Pinterest beauty hacks (so you don’t have to).
1. Flat Iron Waves
I have to admit, I had high hopes for this one. The idea behind it is to twirl your hair into one twist and run your flat iron over it a few times. The simplicity of this hack to attain beautiful, beachy waves seemed too good to be true, which is exactly what it was. I tried the hack with both one large twist and with two smaller ones to see what would yield better results. Unfortunately neither technique worked, and it left my hair feeling and looking dry. My roommate didn’t have any better luck. She got a little wave out of her hair when she did half at a time, but it quickly fell. When she tried very small chunks of hair, it looked like she had dreads rather than loose curls.
Bottom Line: If you want to get a wavy look for your locks, you’re better off breaking out your wand and doing it the old fashioned way.
Side Note: Before you ask, the matching stripes were not intentional, I swear.
Courtesy: Caylen Doerner
2. Longer Ponytail in One Minute
Initially when I read the title of this one I disregarded it, figuring it was some weird vitamin scam that promises longer, fuller hair in one use. At a second glance, however, I realized this is actually a really good idea! To accomplish the look, you split your hair into two chunks and create two separate ponytails on top of one another. The top ponytail is placed around where you would normally tie your hair up, while the ponytail underneath is tied very loosely as low as you can get it. This makes the bottom layer the length of your hair when it’s down, while still appearing to be one single ponytail. With the help of a couple bobby pins securing the two ponytails to each other, you actually can achieve a longer ponytail in one minute.
Bottom Line: This quick hack is a winner! It’s an easy way to achieve more length and style than you would in a regular ponytail.
Courtesy: Caylen Doerner
3. DIY Glow In the Dark Nail Polish
I’m going to be frank here: I refused to even try this one. This “beauty hack” requires you to break open a glow stick and mix it with a clear nail polish. The liquid inside of glow sticks, however, is pretty toxic to your body. I’ve seen this tip all over Pinterest and it makes me cringe every single time. I’ve even seen posts that encourage you to use it as lipstick and eye shadow! I’m not sure exactly who decided this was a good idea, but they should be banned from giving beauty advice to anyone ever again.
Bottom Line: Don’t do this. Ever.
Courtesy: Pinterest
4. Red Lipstick as Concealer
I have to admit, my sister-in-law has been trying to convince me to try this Pinterest hack for a while. So in the spirit of leaving no stone unturned, I gave it shot. First, I applied red lipstick under my eyes fairly generously. The next part of the process involved carefully putting on concealer and foundation to the area as I normally would, without smudging the lipstick too much. The results were surprisingly impressive. Not only did it cover the dark circles under my eyes, but helped hide the bags too. This was easily my favorite hack of the bunch and one I will definitely use again.
Bottom Line: While it made the process of applying my regular foundation and concealer a little more difficult, the end results were well worth it.
Courtesy: Caylen Doerner
5. Homemade Lip Gloss
With Kylie Jenner’s new lip kit sold out for the time being, I’ve been especially eager to get a new lip product (because FOMO). This hack instructs Pinterest users to mix eyeshadow in the color of their choosing with a little Vaseline to make their own lip gloss. I didn’t have any petroleum jelly on hand so I substituted it with coconut oil. Let’s be honest, what can’t coconut oil do? I was expecting a gritty texture based off of the look of the concoction, but surprisingly it glided onto my lips very smoothly. I would, however, classify the gloss as more of a lip stain as the sheen didn’t last very long but the color definitely did.
Bottom Line: If you aren’t fortunate enough to get your hands on the Kylie Lip Kit, this is an OK substitute for now.
Courtesy: Caylen Doerner
All things considered, Pinterest beauty hacks are pretty much hit or miss. Sometimes you have to have a Pinterest fail or two before you find a winner. Not all of them are safe either (I won’t ever use a glow stick as a beauty product). In the grand scheme of things, however, Pinterest has some great beauty ideas to offer. It’s safe to say that I won’t stop pinning any time soon.