Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Well, in the days of beauty we tend to see a lot of hacks but there are ones that are very dangerous to us since some things contain a lot more dangerous chemicals in the processes. There are three hacks I have seen that were mentioned in Allure’s Dangerous Hacks article I finally read in full. I did try to read it while killing time before Ranger Stop opened up for everyone but glad that I read it. The three hacks that got my attention were Oreo mascara, glowstick nail polish, and colored pencil eyeliners.

I know these three sound weird but some beauty gurus have used these things as beauty products and the items are very dangerous. Let me start off with the first…

Colored Pencils as Eyeliner: This one really surprised me but the truth is that the lovely colored pencils I used and still have a huge container of since my drawing days are dangerous for your eyes and not meant for makeup purposes. Even though it says “Non-Toxic” and someone did have a video about it and called Crayola’s hotline about it but the truth is that the materials in these products aren’t tested to be used for makeup. Even Crayola said the same thing to the person who made the video, which how she made it easy by dipping the colored pencil lead into hot water and just put it on your waterline and lower lashline and can use it for lipliner. In the Allure article had dermatologists and doctors talking about the effects and the pigments used in these pencils CAN blind you because of how foreign they are to the eye.

Better Off With… You’re better off just getting your favorite eyeliner from the drugstore or subscribing to beauty boxes because you are getting brands that go through the usual testing with makeup and the chemicals used to say “Hey! It’s good for cosmetic use!” Plus, another thing to use for eyeliner is taking your angled eyeliner brush or pencil brush and wet a teeny bit and dip it into eye shadow. Like many cosmetics, eye shadows are also tested the same way as a lot of other cosmetics are and even companies make their shadows in many ways to be safe to use. I would say just stick to drugstore, higher end if you can afford it, and subscription boxes for eye shadows for liners or liner pencils or gel ones as well.

Glowstick nail polish: Okay, this was an interesting thing I never thought that would pop up as a dangerous hack! As a convention goer, I admit I have gone to raves in the past and stock up on glowsticks from Dollar Tree and Party City before convention season starts. When I read about this, I had the reaction of, “No!” Why? The chemicals in these sticks are harmful even though I have heard people do crack them open to drain the liquid and place them into jars or use them as sprays which can stain. Not only that, The liquids can stain your hands, face and so on, which brings to the point why it’s dangerous to do this. The chemicals used in this not only don’t glow for long ince exposed; everyone in convention world knows that once you crack that glowstick it only glows for a short time unless you stay in the rave for hours on end. Plus, if it’s on the nail there are nail biters that are out there and that chemical can be injested and can also be rubbed at the eyes. So, this one hack that shouldn’t be tested nor made!

Better Off With… Wait until Halloween when vendors have Glow-in-the-Dark nail polishes and stock up once the sales happen if any bottles are left! What I mean is that you’re safer getting an actual nail polish brand that makes it with their chemicals over what the DIYs suggest which is take a glowstick, crack it and empty it, and add clear nail polish. I did see one video which some of the colors they painted didn’t come out as opaque either when the ones during Halloween a opaque due to the stuff they use. The brands I highly recommend with this are Sinful Colors and Fantasymakers with their Tombstone nail polishes. I have used these brands glow polishes whenever I do my nuclear nails, which I take the glow polish and paint it on first and put a black crackle polish over it to make it look like I have a nuclear reactor glowing on my nails when I go into dark places im;ess I have a black light available. Anyways, they are pretty opaque and go on pretty smoothly, I do recommend buying new bottles if any of them dry out after a year or two depending on how well the polish stays liquefied from the previous Halloween. Plus, these nail polishes will run from $1 to $2 depending on where you go, it might cost a bit more if you buy a set on EBay or Amazon. So, this hack shouldn’t be tested and just save the danger by getting the Halloween glow polish.

Oreo Mascara: Okay, this is one hack that got my kitty attention! I bet it got yours too because I never thought people would go nuts enough to take Oreos and mash them up to make a makeup product. I seen the videos actually and I think someone was going to make M&M eyeliner but I stopped right there because the thing is food is food. Of course there are foods that are used for beauty purposes in companies like Lush uses oatmeal, seaweed, and other delicious foods for their cosmetics and bath products and some other makeup brands do use grapeseed oil in many other products. This was interesting to say the least but dangerous as well. How so? Well, you’re crushing up oreos into crumbs and adding primer to the mix and then using alcohol to swab down your container after the procuess is made. Those crumbs do get into the eyes and can cause blindness. I bet it would go even worse with the M&M eyeliner with the hard sheels if you’re not careful. Plus, it does cost more than a usual tube of mascara to get the products you need on top of it. And almost forgot, Oreos are also processed and meant for eating and the ingredients to make them aren’t tested for cosmetic uses like Crayola products.

Better Off With… Like with the eyeliners, I say buy your mascaras at Ulta, Sephora, drugstores, WalMart, Target….the list does go on, or join BOxyCharm, Ipsy, Glossy Box…etc. Because that way you’re not wasting precious Oreos to blind yourself. Take it from me for being blind, it sucks being blind! Which means you have to figure out how to put on eyeliner and mascara differently if Hack Number One and this one blind you, even with a bad eye infection that can happen. You’re better off just getting mascaras from brands that are meant to use mascaras for eyes such as Maybelline, L’Oreal, and if you have extra cash to spare, Urban Decay and Benefit are two higherend alternatives if you want to go there. Once you get home with your lovely mascara tubes, you can sit and enjoy your favorite Oreos with a glass of milk.

Well, that is it for this post! I did enjoy reading about Allure talking about the worst beauty hacks out there, but the ones that brought my attention the most were the three I mentioned because I love painting my nails, wearing eyeliner and mascara even with cosplay. If you see some of these videos, don’t do the DIY behind it because you are putting yourself in harm’s way.

What is next for Nerdy Shique Universe? Omni Expo of course! Stay tuned!