People on Instagram Are Using Wax to Give Themselves DIY Nose Jobs
OMG. You need to see these videos.
If you’ve been on Instagram for even a second in the last few months, you’ve undoubtedly seen the viral videos of women removing their makeup with shocking before-and-after results on the Discovery page. But these women aren’t just wiping away some foundation and mascara—they’re literally deconstructing their faces by popping out their colored contacts, pulling off their false lashes, un-taping their jaws (yes, face-slimming tape is a a thing), and, get ready for it, removing their fake, sculpted noses.
The newest trend to go viral on social media (or, at least, new to the American masses): using wax to give yourself a temporary nose job. Stay with me, here.
The super-cool hack originates from Asia (particularly China), where makeup-obsessed women have been sculpting their faces with wax as part of their beauty routines. And thanks to the magic of social media, the rest of the world (i.e. me and my friends) are finally just now seeing it in action.
And if you read the zillions of comments on the videos—which I do, because I’m psycho—you’ll see one question echoed over and over again: “BUT HOW?” along with a series of guesses as to what these women are using to mold their noses.
But despite the many theories, it's not, in fact, clay, or putty, or a prosthetic nose—it’s good ol’ special effects face wax, as I found out thanks to some hella-deep internet sleuthing.
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“You can change the shape of anything on your face, like the nose, brow bone, chin, etc., using a wax like Ben Nye Nose & Scar Wax,” says professional makeup artist Lottie. “It will take practice, but it’s not super difficult—you just use a tiny amount of wax at a time, roll it into a ball or a skinny, snake-like strip—depending on where you’re placing it—and then press it onto your skin to form the shape you want.”
Lottie also notes that you’ll want to first apply some adhesive to your skin, like spirit gum or Pros Aide, to keep the wax from melting or getting gummy throughout the day. “Once the shape is right, you can smoothly blend the edges into your skin using your finger and some water or Vaseline.”
Next, let it sit for a few minutes, and then gently stipple your concealer and/or foundation over the wax, as if it’s part of your face (because it kind of is now) and do your makeup as usual. Finally, scrape it off at the end of the day! Boom—that simple. With a bit of practice, you can get an at-home nose job, chin job, cheek job, whatever, if that’s what your heart desires.
And listen—I’m fully aware that sculpting your face with a hunk of wax every day may or may not be your thing, but just as your mother always said, to each their own. Whether you want to copy the trend at home, or you're just satisfied knowing this is WTF you’ve been seeing on Instagram, you have to agree that the videos are at least incredibly fun to watch.
And that’s a good thing, because I’ve rounded up a handful of the most mesmerizing ones, below. Check 'em out, and then marvel at the ingenuity with me.
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