Were these 2022 viral beauty trends worth the hype?

It’s that time of the year where we bid farewell to things gone by—the return of the skinny jeans, the return of skinny eyebrows, and of course, the gift that keeps on giving…TikTok trends. Ah! Where would life be if we didn’t have people tapping into their inventive (and lazy) selves. Over the years, social media has given us a barrage of viral beauty hacks and trends—some rather innovative, some super strange, and some outright crazy. The funny thing? No matter how bizarre it may be, in a blink of an eye you have every Tom, Dick, and Harry giving it a whirl. Keeping up with end of year traditions, here are six of the most viral beauty trends of 2022—are they worth taking into the new year? Dive right in!

Slugging

Looking for baby smooth skin? Slugging was the way to do it in 2022. The process of slugging involves slathering an occlusive like petroleum jelly very generously to your face before hitting the sack. The occlusive needs to be super thick—like, Vaseline thick—in order to do its thing. The messy process helps lock moisture into your skin and causes your other skincare products to absorb better. The technique is great for dry skin, especially in the colder months, as it leaves skin feeling moisturised and plump the next morning. This also repairs and strengthens the skin’s protective barrier and helps retain moisture a lot better.

Slugging can push your skin to break out, especially if you’ve got an oily or acne-prone complexion. It’s not a great technique to apply to active breakouts either, as it may aggravate it further.

Verdict: As long as you’re not going overboard with this trend, it can piggyback into 2023.

Crying girl make-up

Be sad, but make it a trend! Who would’ve thought an overflow of emotions would eventually develop into a cool, new ‘lewk’. Simply put, this make-up look recreates the aftermath of a crying session—puffy and soft lips, rosy, red cheeks and dewy, glistening skin. And it’s problematic on so many levels as it glamorises crying, while making mental health seem like a trivial matter. The entire trend shouldn’t be a trend.

Verdict: No thanks. We’re happy with good ol’ #nomakeupmakeup

Skin cycling

Skin cycling is a timetable for your skincare routine. It’s basically a method where you space out your PM products across the week to increase efficacy and decrease irritation or inflammation of any sorts. The schedule involves rest days from your heavy active ingredients and exfoliants, allowing the skin’s microbiome to repair and recover itself during that time. It’s kind of like a monthly workout routine—active rest days keep your body going, but also aid in repairing your muscles and resting the body. One of the most popular skin-cycling routines is: day 1-exfoliation, day 2-retinol, day 3-rest, day 4-rest, and day 5-repeat!

Verdict: It’s worth giving a try in 2023, too!

Lube as primer

Lube is amazing to amp up your sex life, but your makeup routine…well, not so sure. According to social media, applying lube prior to your make-up makes the skin look dewy and plump. Why? It’s because of the ingredients. Both lube and primer often contain similar ingredients such as silicone, water, and glycerine—this leaves the skin with a smooth, flawless finish. But if you’re getting the same results (if not better) from your primer, why would you even apply lube in the first place?

Lubes can contain other ingredients that can clog your pores and irritate the skin, especially if they’re meant to leave you with a cool and tingling sensation. Leave the lube for your big ‘O’s and the primer for your skin glows!

Verdict: No. No. Just no.  

Mewing

In short, mewing is like face yoga. It’s a method that involves you working your tongue around the inside of your mouth in order to help sculpt your jawline and face structure a little more. Does it work? Not in the way it’s made out to be—there isn’t enough research to support the claim to fame.

It doesn’t do much! Opt for a good Gua Sha, jade roller, or a facial massage instead. This will help with lymphatic drainage, at the least.

Verdict: Meh, definitely no!

Menstrual blood facials

We love PRP a.k.a the vampire facial treatment and it has been clinically proven to show results. But menstrual blood? Apparently, using your period blood as a facial formula is supposed to help clear acne and nourish and moisturise the skin. ‘Apparently’ is definitely the key word here, because in reality, menstrual blood contains dead skin cells and dead inner lining of the uterus—using this on your skin can result in contamination and infections. According to most experts, it’s not at all beneficial for the skin and can actually aggravate skin conditions like acne.

Verdict: Bye bye. Period!