I tried out these beauty hacks to see which ones actually work

If you’re anything like me, you probably spend as much time on Youtube watching beauty videos as you do on Netflix… And over half of those videos are probably for makeup you’ll never do or beauty hacks you’ll never use.

I pushed myself to stop just sitting there watching the videos and actually try them. Below are three beauty hacks that I tested so you don’t have to. 

Warm up your mascara in your bra

This is probably my favorite one because it’s the easiest to do and you don’t need anything but your mascara. Basically, while you’re putting your foundation, eyeliner, etc. on, stick your mascara down your bra to warm it up. After it’s warmed up, it should apply better.

I’ve tried this before and I felt like it made a big difference, but for some reason, I stopped doing it. After trying it again and doing a side by side comparison, I can definitely say I shouldn’t have stopped.

Applying it was definitely easier. The mascara coated my lashes faster and more thoroughly, meaning I didn’t have to apply as many coats, and it was definitely less clumpy. Supposedly, this can extend the life of your mascara, too. I also love how easy this is to add to your makeup routine. 

HACK RATE: A++

ALTERNATIVES: Run the mascara under hot water or roll it in your hands.

Use a lighter to heat your eyelash curler.

A word of caution before y’all decide to try this: IT’S HOT. IT’S DANGEROUS. TEST THE HEAT FIRST. PLEASE. 

Basically, I heated my eyelash curler up by holding it up to the flame of a lighter. I made a terrible mistake the first time I did this and heated it up too much. You can see the price I paid for not testing the heat on my wrist.

I tried a second time, this time holding the curler only to the tippy top of the flame for a few seconds and then testing the heat on my wrist. Once it felt cool enough, I curled my eyelashes as usual.

It’s pretty obvious that the heated eyelash curler makes a difference. The eyelashes curl much better and also seem to hold their curl better after I put mascara on. However, the danger involved with this beauty hack isn’t worth it for me, and it requires a little extra time, too.

I think I might try this Korean trend instead, as it’s a similar hack with a little less danger. Maybe a heated eyelash curler would be worth the money, though.

HACK RATE: B+

ALTERNATIVES: Heat up your eyelash curler with a blowdryer to avoid flames or try the Korean hack. Both of these are still dangerous, though.

Getting rid of deodorant stains with dryer sheets

If you’ve seen enough beauty hack videos or read enough articles, you’ve heard about using denim to get rid of deodorant stains. I’ve tried that before, and it worked fine, but then I feel like I need to wash the jeans, too. So when I heard that dryer sheets do the same thing, of course I had to try.

Obviously, it works. I like that you can throw out the dryer sheets and be done with it. Plus, you don’t need to dig through the dirty laundry for a pair of stinky jeans. You don’t need to rub deodorant on a fresh pair of jeans, either.

HACK RATE: A-

ALTERNATIVES: Rubbing it on denim, obvi.