We tried the viral foundation hack that involves a cup of water. Here's exactly what happened.

Okay, but TikTok beauty is a really scary place. 

There's nasal tanning sprays. Eyelash glue on lips. People applying bleach to their teeth... 

NIGHTMARE FUEL.

But in amongst some of these crazy dangerous tips and tricks, now and then you come across little golden gems. You know - beauty hacks that are surprisingly really good. 

Like this concealer hack. The 'gym lips' trend. And the aluminium foil thing I tried that time. What fun!

So, when my You Beauty co-host Kelly McCarren told me about a new foundation hack, I was excited to give it a go. 

Cause it could be one of those golden nuggets! And it doesn't involve glue!

Watch: 'I tried the lube makeup trick. And the results kinda surprised me.' Post continues below.

If you haven't heard of it (where have you been? We've been looking for you), it's basically a K-Beauty hack that guarantees seamless foundation coverage, hydration, has zero transfer and, apparently, lots of delicious ASMR.

Check it out below:

@bodywhy_offical #makeup #foundation #waterprooffoundation #fullcoveragefoundation #foryou ♬ When I Ride - Ashley Mehta

Please note the... tapping. It's mesmerising.

And then the method starting popping up EVERYWHERE on TikTok. 

Like, every person and their pet lizard were trying it:

@caradowntonn I’m honestly shocked 😭 this hack popped off!! 😳 #foundationhack #disbelief #foundationchallenge #waterbasedfoundation ♬ original sound - Caradowntonn

Even makeup queen Huda Beauty gave it a go:

@hudabeauty Foundation in water hack IB: @Rachel Rigler #hudabeauty #foryou #viraltiktok #makeuphacks @hudabeauty ♬ original sound - Huda Beauty

Naturally, both Kelly and I wanted to give it a whirl for ourselves. IRL. On the You Beauty podcast.

So, that's what we did!

And you guys, things got... weird.

Hang on. What's the foundation water hack?

Oh, sorry! How rude of me. Let me explain.

Basically, the hack involves squirting your foundation into a cup of water and then using a makeup brush to scoop the formula out of the water (you don't need to mix it or anything) and apply it to your face.

Listen: Wanna listen to the ep? Course you do! Check it out below:

From there, you just blend it out as you would your normal foundation. 

What... is the point of this?

Well, judging from what all the cool kids are saying on TikTok, this particular method is supposed to give you really seamless and hydrating coverage, making you look like you have filtered skin IRL, etc., etc.

The best part? Apparently, it also makes your makeup last longer. Meaning it won't slip off at 12pm. Won't chill in your creases. Will actually do it's g-damn job. 

Sounds like a good time, no? Something you'd like to try, and ... oh... maybe it could even become part of your regular makeup routine! Imagine that.

Alright, sounds weird. How did you go with it?

Listen, not great. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the ensuing events were... tragic.

Please don't make me do this. 
First off, Kelly and I both turned up to record the show (and trial the hack)... without our foundations. 

This was ultimately our downfall.

We decided to go with the new Mecca Max Off Duty BB Cream with SPF 15, $20 - because I had these on my desk and I really wanted to try them, anyway.

The shades we had on hand weren't, um, correct.

As for the application tools, Kelly borrowed a Mecca Max Retractable Makeup Brush, $20, from one of our lovely colleagues (Tamara Davis, Kelly owes you a new brush) and I used a tiny plastic mask spatula because I forgot to bring one and THIS IS ALREADY GOING GREAT, THANKS FOR ASKING.

Our kind producer then poured the cups of water and brought them into the studio
(seems lazy of us?), and Kelly and I both squirted our respective foundation formulas into the cups to test the method out.

And I immediately didn't... want to put it on my face.

Nah, I'm good, thanks. 

We both commented on how gross the foundation/water situation looked (VERY), and then scooped it out and applied it straight to our skin.

Anyway, here's us putting it on our face and being very happy about it:

What. A. Mess. 

I started to blend it in using my fingers, but... IT JUST WOULDN'T BLEND. While the formula itself felt really hydrating, my face just, like, rejected it? 

Can confirm: It was the same story for our friend, Kelly.

THIS IS FINE. 

I know, I know - the shades aren't right and I wish I had a damp beauty blender to really get in there, but you guys - please believe me when I say, the combo of BB cream and water made this THE slipperiest formula on planet earth. 

And it just did NOT want to be on my face. Like, not even a little bit.

NOT GREAT. 

Okay, so the foundation on my face ended up looking all patchy Larry. My skin somehow felt drier (?). And my face ended up feeling really red and irritated.

Goodgoodgood.

Kelly's final verdict? 

Unlike my dehydrated face, Kelly said her foundation felt and looked super greasy (it... did), and the transfer test just didn't work.

A big ol' fail. 

So. MUCH. TRANSFER.

The verdict: Would you try it again?

Dear Lord, no.

In case you were skimming and just wanted to read the verdict bit (I'm not mad, just disappointed), let me put this picture here:

SEND HELP. 

For us, this hack was not a golden nugget. 

Not only did it not really work (again, maybe trying a different foundation or beauty blender would've given us better results?), but it involves sooo much waste. 

Also, the cups were really hard to clean, and I'm super lazy.

So, yeah. I'll be sticking to my usual foundation method for now!

Have you tried this TikTok hack before? YOU DID? What are your thoughts? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature: Supplied/Mamamia

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