If there’s one thing the winter weather knows how to do, it's ruin our look. Between the rain, wind and freezing temperatures, we’ve been spending the last few months constantly battling with the elements and trying to find the right balance between fashion and function.
Apart from ruining our shoes and causing our hair to frizz, the stormy winter weather can wreak havoc on our makeup, with even the best fixative sprays being no match for when you’re caught in a downpour.
Even when it’s not raining, blustery gales can still affect how well our makeup holds up as it causes our eyes to tear up and start watering, leading to telltale tracks through our foundation or the dreaded panda eye effect caused by smudging eye makeup.
However, one TikToker has found an incredibly simple solution to these wintery woes, and not only is it an instant fix, but it won’t break the bank either. In creator ayaatmishaal’s video, which has racked up millions of views and more than 2.2million likes, she says: “Putting Vaseline in the corner of my eyes before leaving the house to stop my eyes from watering is the BEST thing TikTok has ever taught me.”
In the video, she can be seen using a cotton bud to dab Vaseline around the tear ducts and along the waterline of her eyes (making sure not to get it actually inside your eye or on the tear duct itself), and with a 50ml jar of Vaseline costing £1.75 here, it couldn’t be more affordable to try yourself at home.
The theory behind the hack is simple – Vaseline is an occlusive formula which acts as a barrier to your skin (or for your eyes), which prevents the water from your eyes from running down your face and taking your makeup with it.
Although it seems like a perfectly straightforward fix, many of the comments warned that the hack can cause Milia, writing: “Did this at some point in life and cannot get rid of milia for years,” and “I’ve seen that putting vasline around ur eyes causes milia.”
However, others were quick to dispute this, saying: “Not everyone is prone to it,” and “All these comments about Milia, I have it and I never put Vaseline or anything other than light mousturiser on my face lol.”
Milia, which are small white pimples also known as milk spots, are caused by trapped dead skin cells that have been unable to naturally fall off your skin, causing new skin to grow over them and form cysts underneath your skin’s surface.
If you’re worried that the hack will cause Milia around your eyes, another simple (and risk free) option is to wear glasses or sunglasses when you step out into the cold and windy weather as they’ll protect your eyes from the irritating gusts that cause them to water.
Your eyes are also more prone to watering if they’re dehydrated, so make sure you drink plenty of water and if necessary you can use some eye drops like Boots’ Itchy & Watery Eyes Eye Drops, £3.69 here, which help soothe irritation caused by windy conditions and help stop them from watering.