My face is completely wrinkle-free thanks to a £5 pharmacy buy I accidentally discovered – it never runs out either
A “RELATABLE” mum has shared how she has jumped on a big anti-ageing trend without breaking the bank.
Samantha Lafitte is 34-years-old without a single wrinkle on her face – and it’s all thanks to a £5 pharmacy buy that’s more effective than pricey creams.
Rather than splurging on dedicated face wrinkle tapes, which can cost up to £55 per packet, Samantha uses a post-surgery essential to banish lines.
She sticks surgical scar tape over her forehead, cheeks and smile lines as a budget-friendly way of face taping.
Face taping is a beauty trend that’s taken social media by storm in recent years.
Adhesive tape or specially designed strips are applied to the skin, usually overnight, to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
The idea is that the tape holds the skin in place, preventing movement and muscle contractions that contribute to the formation of wrinkles and fine lines.
Essentially, the tape is temporarily immobilising your face to stop your expressions from causing wrinkles.
Samantha went under the knife for a tummy tuck a few years ago and quickly discovered that silicone scar tape works wonders for surgery wounds.
“Silicone scar tape is supposed to do a bunch of good stuff for your skin,” she explained.
“I started putting it on my face and I feel like it works really, really well.
“And the most important part is that it’s affordable.”
When Samantha looked into buying tape specifically marketed at targeting face wrinkles, she found it was “so expensive” and not even reusable.
That’s when she had the bright idea to use silicone scar tape in lieu of dedicated face tapes.
You can pick it surgical scar tape up in your local pharmacy for as cheap as £5.
Not only is it just as effective, but it’s also cheaper and can be used multiple times over the same wrinkles.
Biggest beauty mistakes
Fabulous' Beauty Editor Tara Ledden has shared the do's and don'ts when it comes to beauty.
“No matter how much time and money you spend on your beauty routine, if you’re not getting the basics right, the rest is wasted.
“There aren’t many non-negotiables, but these are the biggest beauty mistakes sabotaging your regime.”
- Not wearing SPF: Sun-damage is the main cause of premature skin ageing, so if you want to keep your skin looking plump and glowing, sun cream is vital.
- Using expired products: Best case, they’re ineffective and don’t deliver the results they promise, worst case they cause irritation and infection. The shelf life of beauty products differ – for example, mascara is usually good for 3-6 months while lipstick can last for 9-18 months. Check the ‘POA’ symbol on the packaging (it looks like a jar and will have a number inside for how many months it’s safe once opened. If you can’t remember when you opened your product, throw it away and start again, marking the month and year with a permanent marker on the packaging.
- Not knowing your undertones: If you’re using make-up with the wrong undertones, it’ll never look natural no matter how much you blend it! An easy trick to work out whether you have cool, warm or neutral undertones is to check the veins on your wrist – if they look blue, you have cool undertones, if they’re green, you have warm and if they’re a mix you have neutral.
- Skipping heat protector: It might feel unnecessary, but much like sun damage on the skin, excess heat is the most common cause of hair damage. So, if you want shiny, healthy hair, or you’re trying to grow it longer, using a heat protection product is key.
- Not washing your face before bed: it’s as simple as this, if you’re not washing your face before you go to sleep, everything that’s been on your skin during the day is sitting there for even longer, clogging your pores and drying out the surface. Any skincare applied on top isn’t going to be effective with a layer of dirt underneath, and you’re probably going to end up with dirty pillows too – yuck!
“You can reuse it for a week,” Samantha recommended.
“In the morning, I just put it on a piece of plastic and I use it for about a week.
“The next week, I cut a new strip.”
Unlike some face tapes, surgical scar tape creates a barrier that helps the skin retain moisture, which can make the skin appear plumper and reduce the visibility of fine lines.
Furthermore, some adhesives can cause irritation, redness, or even allergic reactions, especially on sensitive skin.
There is less risk of irritation using surgical scar tape due to it being designed for medical settings.