NB: This article may feature instant regret.
There’s a lot of interesting products out there and almost all of them live on TikTok.
Alongside dance routines and Gemma Collins lip syncs, the platform has now cemented itself as the ultimate destination for cult beauty, skincare saviours, easy-to-master recipes, makeup hacks and lifestyle must-haves.
A quick scroll through the social media’s “For You” page and you’ll come across eyelash combs, butt-lifting leggings and a whole host of viral gadgets and gizmos you never knew you needed. It is the ultimate influencer, but how much of the sh*t it makes us buy is actually worth the #hype?
Whilst we won’t be curling our hair with a radiator or evening out our gnashers with a nail file anytime soon / never, TikTok has definitely led us down a slippery slope of random impulse purchases on more than one occasion. Rollerskates, we’re looking at you.
From the best of TikTok beauty to the trending recipes we couldn’t sleep on, here’s hard evidence of all the times TikTok made us buy it.
Lareese
I’ve got a massive set of pores on me, particularly across my cheeks, so this product had me at hello. Famed for its pore-blurring, skin-perfecting abilities and its TikTok famous vanishing effect, it’s no wonder it broke the internet. Apparently, you’re meant to take a pea size amount and warm it between your fingers but I was today year’s old when I found that out so let that be a lesson to me: always read instructions.
I was surprised by the smooth dewy texture – I was expecting it to be a lot thicker and tackier in consistency, but it actually feels super lightweight and glides on effortlessly. Once I’d applied my foundation, I could still see the texture of my skin underneath, if anything it made my makeup look heavier than usual. As budget-friendly primers go, it does the job. It holds your makeup in place and it feels nice on the skin but pore wizardry, it is not. Sorry TikTokers, it’s a no from me. If we’re going to talk about blurring primers then YSL is where it’s at.
My lashes are trash and I’m not even being self-deprecating I’m just relaying the truth. Peppa Pig has better lashes than me as you can see from my receipts. They’re short, straight, fine and pointless so I very rarely even bother with mascara because what’s the point in trying to polish a turd? It’s nice to have the option to actually see my lashes sometimes though and this one reeled me in with its lengthening formula.
The brush is more like a comb with supple bristles perfect for separating and stretching the lashes right from the root to the tip. I’m a fan – big brushes do absolutely nada for my itsy-bitsy baldies so this flexi wand is a big plus. The verdict? Not quite the false lash effect TikTok would have you believe but a good affordable mascara all the same. Would buy again.
Darcey
So I saw the infamous butt lifting leggings on my fyp constantly and ended up caving in and giving them a whirl! I must admit I didn’t have very high expectations at first because 1) all the people I saw wearing them had great bums already and 2) because they were only £26 I was sure they would be see-through, or definitely not squat proof.
When they arrived I must admit I didn’t love the honeycomb effect of them, but on they actually looked pretty cute! Now for the butt-lifting capabilities, I must admit I was pretty wowed by them. I like my bum, always have been happy with its appearance, but these definitely gave me a more peachy and lifted behind! These leggings just seem to hug you in all the right places. They also aren’t see-through at ALL, most definitely squat proof too, so 9/10 to be honest!
Boursin Tomato Pasta
This has been circulating Tik Tok alongside the old feta and tomato pasta for a few months now and I had to give it a whirl! The prep time is very, very easy, literally bang the Boursin and some tomatoes in a baking tray with some olive oil and seasoning.
I popped mine in the oven for 25 mins at 200C, although the Boursin began to crisp a bit on the edges, so I’d say 20 mins is best! Gave it a good mix to combine everything and mixed in my pasta, it was super easy to make. The taste was actually phenomenal too, I really didn’t expect it to taste THAT good. It’s super creamy and herby from the Boursin, it’s divine to be honest. Would absolutely recommend giving it a go!
Danielle
Dr Jart Cicapair colour correcting cream
So I’m usually pretty good at deciphering the hype when it comes to skincare products everyone is raving about, I tend to do my research and read reviews but for some reason this product GOT ME. I think because it tackles my number one insecurity – redness – I wanted to believe the exaggerated reactions of everyone trying it for the first time and loving it. Within 5 minutes of me clicking on the # for the product, I was buying it, and I didn’t even buy the smaller pot I went full whack!
The product itself is like a light green cream you can use on lighter makeup days “that adapts to skin’s natural colour to neutralise”. In reality, it left a bit of a white cast, barely covers any of my redness and is also very drying after application. I think it’s so easy to get caught up with skincare heroes but the whole point is that everyone skin is so different so tons of people claiming something is a miracle product is probably either untrue or won’t necessarily work for me.
Revlon Pro Collection Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumiser
I’ve been raving about this bad boy for a straight year! I’m always drawn to anything that will cut out steps from my hair routine so the fact this takes you from wet to styled was right up my street. Before buying this I used to let my hair dry naturally then straighten it with some old terrible straighteners so my hair was pretty dry and lacklustre.
This product is kind of like a round hairdryer and aims to give you that bouncy blow-dry look with ease and let me tell you it does exactly what it says on the tin. I could never achieve the look by using a round brush and hairdryer, I don’t have the cognitive skills nor the upper arm strength to achieve it. I rave about this hair tool to anyone who’ll listen, I’ve got both my mother and sister on to it. Top marks, all the praise, you get the gist!
Charlotte
L’Oreal Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water
I am in absolutely desperate need of a hair cut (I know we’re all in the same boat here) so any hair product doing the rounds online instantly has my attention- especially one that claims it can work in 8 seconds! Being hailed as the next Olaplex but for a slither of the price, I had high hopes for the L’Oreal Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water.
The water is designed to be applied after shampooing onto wet hair, and I left it on for probably longer than 8 seconds and more so the time I’d normally leave conditioner to sink in. It smells wonderful and the transformation in my hair was SO surprising! My hair is naturally very straight and flat and I wouldn’t necessarily categories it as frizzy (although oddly that before photo says otherwise) but I still found it made a really radical difference to my hair’s overall feel and appearance and I was generally very impressed. It was a little difficult to apply in the steamy shower as the water is clear and it’s not the easiest to know where you’re distributing the product, but that is the only criticism I can find!
Holly
The Iconic Tomato & Feta Pasta
I’ve been wanting to try out the Tik Tok Feta Pasta for ages. I am not a very good cook and this looked so easy, but alas, don’t underestimate how bad I actually am. I had high hopes from the off. Literally, just chuck some tomatoes and a block of feta drizzled with oil in the oven for 30 minutes. I added in some optional extra’s of onions, spinach and garlic to add a bit of flavour (that was my first mistake). Cooked the pasta while the feta was in the oven. Once the feta and tomatoes had browned, literally just mix it all in, couldn’t be simpler. So why did mine come out spicy?
I actually put less pasta in than recommended, just because I love a really saucy pasta but I still found that there wasn’t enough cheesy tomatoes to coat it all. And seriously, why was it spicy? Maybe the mixture of onions and garlic, I’ve never encountered this before. It wasn’t horrible, but I wouldn’t say it was particularly nice either. I would try it again, but probably with even less pasta and more tomatoes. And I wouldn’t try and add the extra’s because it’s only taken 27 years to realise, I am not a chef.
