Peel-off makeup: The new trend we dare you to try
REMEMBER how good it felt to peel PVA glue off your skin in primary school? There’s a beauty trend offering the same satisfying feel, with impressive results.
REMEMBER how good it felt to peel PVA glue off your skin, back in the innocent days of primary school? Guess what — there’s a beauty trend that offers the same fun, satisfying feel, with impressive results. Say hello to peel-off makeup.
The way it works is surprisingly simple. A gel formula is applied, usually to the brows or lips. After the gel dries, it’s peeled off to reveal tinted brows or stained lips. This subtle colour can last for several days, freeing you from the Sisyphean task of makeup application.
My personal favourite is peel-off nail polish, which can be pulled off in one piece — without the use of harsh nail polish remover.
Like all good beauty trends, peel-off makeup originated in South Korea, which is where Aussie beauty fanatics flocked (online, at least) to order peel-off lip and brow products.
But now, peel-off makeup is even more accessible, with Maybelline’s Tattoo Brow Gel Tint and Models Prefer’s K-Beauty Peel-Off Lip Tattoo launching in Australia this year.
Also entering the Australian market this year is Little Ondine Peelable Nail Polish, via the Australian online beauty retailer, Flora & Fauna.
We put these new products to the test, to find out whether peel-off makeup is worth the hype.
ModelsPrefer K-Beauty Peel-Off Lip Tattoo in Candy Pink, $12.99.
This very gooey gel dried down to a sticky layer of neon orange. It was kind of like having dried egg yolk on my lips. After 10 minutes, the shiny orange film peeled off in little shreds, revealing a very pretty and rosy pink stain. Lasting power: about 12 hours.
Maybelline Tattoo Brow Gel Tint in Grey Brown, $24.95
Applying this smooth, dark gel with the in-built brush was easy — too easy, in fact. I became so confident with my brow tattooing powers that I painted way over my natural brow line, which I do not advise. The product tinted my brows a deep charcoal black, which stayed put for five days. It faded gently over time, with day three being the happy medium. I greatly appreciated not having to shade in my brows every morning.
This is not a product for amateurs — it requires a steady hand (which I do not have, judging by the wiggly result) and a penchant for dramatic brows.
The peeling-off experience was a cinch and most enjoyable, producing two shiny, plastic-looking caterpillars.
Little Ondine Peelable Nail Polish in Purple Rain ($24), and New Year’s ($27)
If there was a nail polish category in the Nobel prize, then this product would have scooped. It applies and dries like a regular nail polish, and yet it’s odour-free, vegan and free of nasties. And, most excitingly of all, the nail polish peels off in one, clean piece, which is both fun and convenient. Even the glitter polish peels off, which you will appreciate if you have ever scrubbed at your nails with an acetone-soaked cotton pad. Admittedly, there were a few tiny flakes of glitter left, but it was nothing compared to the glitter residue left by traditional nail polishes. I have already started recommending this nail polish to friends and family — it’s that good.
Carla Gee is a Sydney writer, illustrator and podcaster. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.