When people talk about Korean beauty trends, they often discuss creative skincare techniques or products with unique ingredients. But innovation isn't limited to skincare, one of the weird Korean cosmetics trends currently popping up is temporary tattoo peel-off stains.
The steps are quite simple. You take a thick patch of gel, apply it to your face, let it dry, and then peel it off. Ideally, the color will last all day, which is actually a pretty ideal lazy girl beauty tip. The most popular type seems to be peel-off lipsticks, but there's also a very popular tattoo brow tint. There are also tons of women testing this out in Instagram posts and YouTube videos because the visual effect of literally peeling off your lips is so appealing.
However, there are potential drawbacks to this product. Peach & Lily founder Alicia Yoon recently told Teen Vogue that she's wary of lip gloss. "I'm a little wary of this product because enough people have reviewed that it can sometimes cause some damage to the lips, especially if they are chapped or poorly shaped," she explains.
That being said, I know a lot of people who have used these successfully, and I'm passionate about trying new lazy-girl makeup tricks. So I got the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel and put them to the test. Here's the thing.
Berrison My Lip Tint Pack, $6, Amazon ; Etude House Brow Gel, $7, Amazon
Lip staining
The first step is to prep my lips by aggressively exfoliating and then applying lip balm, because the last thing I want to do is accidentally rip off dry skin with lip gloss and cause damage or bleeding.
I took a tube of Berrison My Lip Tint Pack out of the box and followed the instructions, which were pretty easy. Apply the gel, let it set and dry, then peel it all off. I'm not crazy about the name of this color - Virgin Red - but do like the idea of a subtle crimson lip that will last me a few cups of coffee.
When I started using this product, I was shocked by the rich color of the gel and started to worry that the shade might end up being much darker than I expected. It's also quite thick, with a texture closer to Crazy Glue than lip gloss, which makes it a little difficult to apply. I ended up choosing to tap instead of swipe.
The instructions were in Korean, so I could only half understand them, and said to let the gel set, which I think was 15 to 20 minutes. I set my alarm, but 10 minutes later, I started dabbing on my lips to see if the gloss was sticky enough to come off.
Talking was a challenge due to the stickiness, so I had to sit there quietly and felt quite relieved after about 13 minutes when the gel started curling up in the corners. I guess that means it's time to go.
Peeling off the lip gloss is just as satisfying as it looks. It didn't come off in one fell swoop like the internet promised, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the "tattoo" on my upper lip came off easily. However, the situation is slightly different with the lower lip.
The gel didn't completely come off the base, but after a gentle rub with your fingers, the color blended together, leaving a perfect ruby red stain.
I grabbed a nearby coffee cup (because there's always a cup of coffee nearby) and took a sip. There was no sign of stains on the edges, which felt like a huge sign of success. However, there are so many signs of staining on my fingers that they look like I petted a damn cat.
I applied a thin layer of lip balm on my lips and went about my day, and when I say the stain lasted all day, it lasted all day . Later that afternoon, I even jumped in the shower to wash my face thoroughly and exfoliate. When it came out, my lower lip was still red. It looks like a scab but I swear it's just a stain.
If anything, that speaks to the longevity of this product, even if it makes me look a little crazy. Ultimately, I was pleasantly surprised by how effective it was, but it's definitely not suitable for those with dry or flaky lips. I can’t even imagine the pain of accidentally pulling off dead skin with stains. The whole process looks bloody and doesn't actually draw any blood, so be sure to exfoliate and moisturize before trying it.
Tattoo eyebrows
Eyebrow tattoos are a very real thing, and they're no joke. This Tint My Brow Gel from Etude House is no joke either, although the effects are less long-lasting and the pain is much less. The idea is that you apply gel to your eyebrows, let it dry, and then peel it off. All that's left is to fill in the brows effortlessly. As easy as it sounds, after my relative success with peeling off my lip gloss, I felt pretty confident about the whole process.
My biggest worry is accidentally pulling out some brows, or overdoing them so that they accidentally end up looking too long or too thick or something, and I'm stuck with them forever (or just a day or two).
The success of the lip gloss the day before convinced me that brow gel would be just as easy. Let it sit for 20 minutes and then hit the road. However, the instructions tell a slightly different story.
Have you read it? Yes, you must let the gel sit for at least two hours. It is even recommended that you let the gel sit overnight for the deepest effects. I definitely didn't have time to do this before I had to run out of the house, so I waited until I had an evening at home to try it out.
I took a shower and exfoliated as directed to make sure the gel didn't stick to dead skin and flake off. Although I have thicker brows, I do have some sparse patches that I like filling in, especially around the arches.
This stained gel is also very thick. Like, really thick. And the applicator brush isn't very precise. But that’s all I had to deal with.
I wasn't sure how much product to put on my brows, so I applied a few layers. It didn't take long for my eyebrows to start looking like Helga Pataky's eyebrows in "Hey Arnold."
There's no faster way to have your dad and brother make fun of you than to show up to dinner with these caterpillars on your forehead, as cute as my dad is, and ask me if that was intentional. When I explained the process to him, he seemed relieved that I would no longer be plagued by crazy, dark, bushy eyebrows. But they stay stuck to my face for at least two hours, so my family just stares at them.
The laughter from my family made peeling off the gel that much sweeter.
I ended up letting the product set for almost two and a half hours, at which point the furthest corners of my brows started to curl. It came off very cleanly, and although the rubbery crumbs looked like eyebrows, no eyebrows were found.
I'm glad I didn't accidentally pluck out valuable brows, but I'm nervous to see the final results and know if my face paint was a success. Really, I shouldn't be like this. I hate to use this expression, but it's the only way: my eyebrows are trembling . They're full and look completely natural, like I was gifted Brooke Shields brows by a fairy godmother.
When I woke up the next morning, the results were a little dull, but all I did was swipe some brow gel on top and it felt good. A two-hour investment seems like a fair price to pay to wake up with perfectly arched, bushy brows.
Is peel-off makeup permanent?
When I did this experiment I was kind of expecting the worst because I noticed that the lips would be damaged and the brows would be gone. But thankfully, none of this happened. Instead, my lips and brows were stained, and they lasted a little longer than my usual products. Really, I'm happy with the results.
But at the end of the day, the time investment wasn't worth it to me. Yes, my brows look great, but the thought of sitting at home with these dark lines on my face for hours every other night seems unbearable. I'd rather just apply some powder and gel in the morning and get on with it. Lip gloss might be a more realistic addition to my routine, but only when I know my lips have just been exfoliated and moisturized and I've had enough time in the morning to bother with it.
The novelty of peel-off cosmetics is undeniable, but as an everyday item, it's a bit bland.
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Image source: Maxine Builder
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