A woman with long and healthy eyelashes. Picture: iStock
Vaseline has always been known for its nourishing properties, and in recent months, it has become a must-have beauty product on TikTok.
After using it to moisturise their skin, fight the signs of ageing and remove makeup, the social network’s users have now found a new function for petroleum jelly.
This involves using Vaseline instead of mascara to make lashes look longer and fuller.
Trend incubator TikTok is full of tips and tricks to make users’ beauty routines simpler and more natural.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, it is no longer (just) about sharing innovative and original contouring techniques, but about replacing certain products by potentially less harmful ingredients.
Today, it’s the makeup must-have mascara that’s in TikTokers’ firing line, with Vaseline billed as a more affordable and ‘natural’ alternative.
A kind of ultra greasy ointment, Vaseline has never enjoyed a very glamorous reputation, if only because it is most often thought of as a lubricant, and rightly so.
But this versatile petroleum jelly is nevertheless an ally of dry skin, such as chapped lips, and can even be used to treat certain lesions and burns, proving to be an indispensable product for some.
And TikTok users appear to agree.
Videos with the hashtag #vaseline have earned more than 575 million views on the social network, with multiple tips for moisturising skin, fighting wrinkles, and even smelling good for longer.
But it’s a completely different use that TikTokers are now highlighting.
In fact, Vaseline could offer the same benefits as a mascara, lengthening the lashes, and making them more voluminous, darker, and even shinier.
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It’s hard to believe, and yet, you just have to watch the (very) many videos on the subject to realise the result is pretty amazing.
A touch of Vaseline, an eyelash curler, maybe an eyelash brush – but it’s not essential – and the job’s done.
In the blink of an eye, lashes appear lengthened and have a tinted look similar to that created by mascara.
@wearsbri #lashhack ♬ good 4 u – Olivia Rodrigo
The makers of these videos, mostly women, largely praise the merits of this trick, especially the fact that they have naturally voluminous lashes throughout the day, with an effect resistant to moisture, tears and perspiration.
And the comments are generally complimentary, with many claiming to have already adopted the method.
However, some people wonder about the harmful effects Vaseline could have on this area of the face.
Although several dermatologists have already stated the trick is safe, it goes without saying it is better to play it safe and make sure that no product gets in your eyes.
To do this, you can use a cotton swab to apply Vaseline directly to the lashes or put it directly on the pad of the eyelash curler.
This trick isn’t new, since it has already been tried and adopted by many celebrities.
Beyoncé, for example, uses Vaseline as a base for her eyelash makeup – a secret revealed by her own makeup artist several years ago.
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