Crossing the line

To what extent are you willing to go for beauty?

How often have you tried to experiment with your skin to make it look flawless? From trying out herbal products to dermatological treatments, everyone goes through a tedious routine to look picture perfect. In this quest of acing our bases to perfecting our eye-liners, we are often guilty of sometimes taking it a little too far.

According to the make-up artist of Anam’s beauty salon, Maha Ali, customers come with a lot of expectations that are impossible to accomplish. “While some asks for the latest trends, others demand celebrity contouring techniques which are too hard and complex to achieve,” she adds. Maha further mentions that some brides-to-be demand a red eye-shadow to match their dress, while others request all the vibrant colours in their outfit to be blended in their eye make-up, failing to realise that such bizarre methods wouldn’t make them look good.

It may be true that the three simple words ‘you look beautiful’ can do wonders for a woman. But the path towards it is rocky, infusing with a lot of pain and effort, just like these over-the-top facial treatments available around the globe.

Urine Facial

Just when you thought that things can’t get worse, they just did! Astonishingly, the urine facial has been practiced throughout history for medicinal or cosmetic purposes. Scientifically speaking, urine possesses healing qualities to fight acne, eczema and psoriasis. It consists of essential salts, enzymes and hormones that purify the skin and kill excess dirt from the face making your skin look healthy. In fact, morning urine is considered to be the most efficient since hormones are built over-night and thus, give the best results. It might be a little icky but the end results are impeccable.

Birds’ Poop Facial

We have all heard of the famous myth that if a bird defecates on you, you will have good luck knocking at your door. Inspired by this myth this facial treatment may sound uncomfortable, but is widely used in Japan and is made from the nightingale bird’s excrement. Commonly used by Japanese Geishas, this facial treatment is not only the most effective face cleanser but it is also credited with brightening up one’s complexion. And if that’s not a reason enough to make you opt for it then you may be enticed to know that our favourite Hollywood couple, Victoria and David Beckham are reported to frequently flock to their local spas for this treatment. They are indubitably, the luckiest couple!

Earthworm Poop Wrinkle Cream

As awkward as the name sounds, this odd anti-aging and skin nourishing poop cream has been voted the best kept beauty secret of Hollywood starlets. The paste consists of organic earthworm poop which contains humate, auxin and kinetin. These plant cell extracts act as an anti-aging compound to slow the decay of plants and surprisingly have the same valuable benefits when applied to human skin.

Set Me On Fire

Fret not, this facial treatment is very safe and has been tried and tested in China. The salons in China offer a ‘fire facial’ called the Huǒ liáo that claims to regenerate skin and eliminate sagging and wrinkles. The therapists at the salon soak a towel in alcohol and the magic ingredient is placed on the client’s skin to ensure that the skin is warmed and not burned. Then the area is set on fire, and soon the large flames spread, producing vibrant and unblemished skin. Hot, isn’t it?

Vampire Facial Mask

While most of us settled for the sun being the reason behind Edward Cullen’s radiant looking skin, the Hollywood socialite and reality television show actor Kim Kardashian decided to speculate further. In her reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim goes under the knife to get the Twilight-inspired skin. The vampire facial involves a process where blood is, literally, extracted from the patient’s arm and is applied to their face. According to Kim, the facial produces a fresh youthful skin by stimulating collagen and healing wounds.

The Post Make-up Ritual To Follow

We come across numerous cutting edge beauty treatments every day that only celebrities can afford. But there are a few tips that can help us level-up our beauty game and one of these is the secret of getting the ideal post make-over look.

According to make-up expert Sanober Yasir, almost every celebrity she has met swears by the ritual of standing near a hot shower or steam after getting their face done. “It helps set the make-up, while the mega dose of moisture makes the skin look plump, fresh and dewy,” she adds. So simply, get your make-up done, stand close to hot shower and let the heat do its magic!

Ramsha Jahangir is a freelance writer and is currently pursuing a Bachelors in social sciences at SZABIST

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, September 13^th, 2015.