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Whether or not you're a makeup and skin-care obsessive, you've likely gone to some extremes in the name of beauty. You try mask after mask, lipstick after lipstick, treatment after treatment — all in the name of finding the One Product to Rule Them All. Also, it's just fun.But editors — they're a whole different crop of beauty-product (and procedure) guinea pigs. We already know about sensory-deprivation tanks and even butt facials, but we thought we'd ask 11 of our colleagues to tell us the craziest things they've done on the job, all for beauty. So if you're looking for a laugh — or are just curious about the effects of urine on skin — check out what they had to say.
Image may be NSFW.
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The Skin-Care Benefits Of A Baby's Diaper
"I’m the beauty director at Latina magazine, and in addition to writing about the latest trends in skin and hair, we often call upon our own families — moms, aunts, abuelas[grandmas] — for beauty secrets, because, hey, who knows better, right?Once, I was working on a story about melasma [hyperpigmentation], as this is something Latinas tend to suffer from, and I called my mom to ask about home remedies to combat manchas[dark spots].She told me my grandma used to tell her to put a [urine-soaked] baby diaper on her face to treat hyperpigmentation. Um, que?
"A little Google research confirmed that this is a thing, mainly amongst old-school Latinos and Chinese folks. Supposedly, the urea in pee can clear up blemishes?!So, like a good editor I decided to give it a try. Luckily, I have two kids under three at home, so there are plenty of diapers...After changing my daughter's diaper that evening, I set it aside and went to the bathroom to…rub [it] on my face.The good news is that babies' pee doesn’t smell, so the application wasn’t gross. The bad news is that I was too embarrassed to have my husband walk in the bathroom to find me with my face in my daughter's diaper, so unfortunately I didn’t test out the urine method long enough to find out if it really made a difference.My take is this: Put baby pee in a pretty jar and charge me $100, and I’ll probably buy it, but sticking my nose in a soiled baby diaper for weeks was just too much, even for me."— Robyn Moreno, beauty director at Latina and Latina.com
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A Facial For Your Cheeks — The Southern Ones
"Being a beauty editor, there are very few things I won’t talk about. Ingrown hairs, strange bumps, breakouts in unseen places — it all falls in my area of research. When I heard about the butt facial (a remedy for ass acne), I felt it was my job to give it a try and report on the process.
"It turns out, you don’t actually have to get naked for the Shiny Hiney. I was wearing a paper thong to cover the sensitive areas. The treatment included exfoliation, a peel, a mask, steam, and even extractions. It’s the exact same thing you’d request for your face, but on your derriere. The most memorable part: the high-frequency wand. The zapping electrode kills acne-causing bacteria and left my bum zinging — insert Fifty Shades of Grey humor here. In the end, I walked away with smooth, pimple-free cheeks — that no one ever got to admire."— Jessica Cruel, senior editor for beauty and style at Self
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To Platza Or Not To Platza?
"One of my favorite spots in the East Village is the Russian & Turkish Baths. I love going in the frigid winter months to sweat it out, alternating between the steam and different saunas. The whole experience makes you feel like you did hot yoga, minus the work, which makes me love it even more.
"In the hottest room — it’s insanely hot, like, you have to work your way up to it — they offer a service called the 'Platza.' It involves getting repeatedly slapped with a large bundle of leaves by a shirtless Russian dude. Well, one year for my birthday, I tried it. It isn’t painful or anything — it’s just a little awkward, because you’re in a big room of sweating people (potentially including famous models) and everyone is staring. It’s supposed to increase circulation, a.k.a. make you glow. And, according to the website, 'The oak leaves contain a natural astringent, which will open your pores, remove toxins, and exfoliate dead skin.'
"The grand finale: They pour a couple of freezing buckets of water over your head. If that doesn’t wake up your skin, I don’t know what will. I was noticeably glowy for the rest of the weekend."— Katheryn Erickson, beauty writer at Glamour
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The Wrong Kind Of Face Peel
"I once let my mom's aesthetician-in-training friend experiment on my face. Never do this, no matter how good-hearted you may be. There is a reason they let beginner aestheticians practice only on mannequins.
"I left the facial with whole patches of skin that shed like a snake for several weeks, like I had done Baby Foot on my face. It was so chemically burned that any makeup or moisturizer I put on it slid off. I contemplated wearing a ski mask 'til it abided. On the plus side, the experience did give me insight into what it actually felt like to have sensitive skin."— Kathleen Hou, senior beauty editor at New York Magazine'sThe Cut
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A Very Intimate Way To Predict The Future
"To say I've done a lot of crazy things would be an understatement. Since starting at Refinery29, I've voluntarily stopped shaving, gotten hungover for a week straight to test products, and floated naked in a pitch-black space for an hour. But, if I had to rate my experiences, the craziest thing I've ever done was getting my wax strips read by a so-called 'pubic-hair astrologist.' Yeah.
"I blame my beauty director, Megan. She was alerted about a flier taped up in her Brooklyn neighborhood boasting the service. She decided to interview the woman with the powers, but wouldn't offer up her own wax strips for fortune-telling. So, being the good employee I am, I volunteered mine. I can't even tell you the look that my waxer gave me when I told her that I needed to snap some photos of my used wax strips. (Imagine side-eye times a million.) But the best thing? Having to text my boss photos of the strips once I was done. HR nightmare, right there."— Maria Del Russo, beauty editor at Refinery29
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Claustrophobics Need Not Apply
"When I first heard about the concept behind sensory-deprivation tanks, I was immediately intrigued. Apparently that’s not the normal response to the idea of trapping yourself in a pitch-dark capsule full of saltwater, but I wanted to experience the 'soothing, weightless sensation' of floating in a cocoon.
"Everything you’ve heard about the process is accurate — you basically just lie back into this huge pod that looks like something out of an Aldous Huxley novel and naturally float because of the salt. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re even the least bit claustrophobic, but I personally found it relaxing. I think the word I kept using was 'tranquilizing.' The floating and darkness totally numbed my anxiety — until I got saltwater in my eye."— Kristie Dash, digital beauty editor at Allure
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When Showing Your Face Is Not An Option
"I’m a sucker for a skin-care treatment. Masks, lasers, wacky at-home gadgets — I try them all. Recently, I had the opportunity to try a new SkinCeuticals peel, and I didn’t hesitate for a second. While the peel wasn’t crazy — it worked brilliantly and seriously brightened a LOT of my pigmentation — the days that followed were a little ridiculous.
"You see, I scheduled a dermatologist appointment to have it administered, and I had booked a quick weekend trip to Paris for the next day. (My best friend was there for work, and I was tagging along.) What do I care if my skin is a little flaky in Paris? I thought. Well, I underestimated the strength of this particular treatment — they call it a peel for a reason. The second day I was in Paris, my face started shedding in sheets. It got so bad that my friend pulled me into an alley and said, 'Do you have a mirror? Your right cheek is falling off, and I’m afraid they’re not going to serve us if we go into a café with you looking like you have a disease.'
"For the rest of the trip, I kept my distance from Parisians and didn’t practice my mediocre French at all — I even googled 'darkest restaurants in Paris.' I still had an amazing trip, but next time I get a peel I’ll spend the weekend watching Netflix."— Dawn Davis, beauty director at TotalBeauty.com
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Honey Dos & Dont's
"Let me be clear about one thing before we even get started: I love my face. And by that, I do not mean I am a raging narcissist (okay, maybe a little bit) but that I care deeply, almost obsessively about the health of my skin. My method has been to find something that works and continues to work, then never let it go. Ever. Give me a new mascara or the latest dry shampoo, and I will joyfully immerse myself in exploring its beautifying potential — but come at me with a skin-care cream and I will run away while simultaneously flipping you the bird.
"So no one was more surprised than me when I decided to test out a reader recommendation to wash my face with honey. Now, that might not sound so scary. The problem is that we decided to do a 'conceptual photo shoot' (or, at least, that's what our photo editor said) for the piece and had to shoot that BEFORE I started my experiment. This involved me standing shirtless with three garbage bags draped over me while an intern poured a hive's worth of honey over the top of my upturned head. The ensuing wave of slow-moving gel felt like the world's biggest, stickiest runny nose, except on my face. If that wasn't enough, we redid this about four or five times to get just the right shot. I was shooting ninja stars with my eyes at the photo team. That poor intern had to deal with pouring honey over a very pissed off, uncomfortable, semi-naked beauty editor.
"The funny thing is that even though I had to go through all this trauma (it felt traumatic at the time, okay?), I ended up actually loving honey as a face wash, especially in the winter when I get all dry and flaky. While I don't recommend dumping a vat of honey all over your head, this experience did teach me to be a bit more experimental with my beauty routine. Once I finally got all the honey out of my hair, that is. I still can't put honey in my granola, though — too many bad memories."— Megan McIntyre, beauty director at Refinery29
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Cold (Dis)comfort
"I cut off all of my hair in September for a beauty story that I was writing. Do I regret it? Not at all! The glorious thing about hair is that it grows back. However, I do wish that I'd timed it better and opted to cut it during the spring, instead of on the cusp of fall. Winter in New York is brutal, so beanies and trapper hats are going to be my best friends now through April."— Virginia Lowman, assistant digital beauty editor at Essence
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Don't Let The Robots Take Over
"For a writing assignment and in the name of journalism, I volunteered to go through a homeopathic health assessment for which I was hooked up to an EIS (Electro Interstitial Scan) machine through electrodes attached to my hands and feet. It uses electric currents to measure the fluid between your cells. In a matter of minutes, the machine measured things like my nutrient levels, organ function, hormones, and stress levels.
"Sadly, and if the machine [was truthful], there was no way I could lie about overdoing it on cake, and any stress I was feeling in my life — love of coffee and sugar included — would be in full view for my homeopathic expert to see. Cute. I went in thinking my diet was solid and my exercise routine was pretty damn impressive, but this actually taught me that I may be overeating certain food-group categories and that, like many millennial women, I should probably put down my phone and meditate every now and then."— Victoria Moorhouse, associate editor at Daily Makeover
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Fake It 'Til You Make It
"The craziest thing I've done for beauty was basically forced upon me (I forgive but never forget, all). Last year, the beauty team did a story in which we re-created the wildest YouTube makeup trends. We're talking crazy contouring, plumped-up lips, Technicolor eye makeup, and ombré brows. The look bestowed upon me: fake lashes.
"I'm actually a fan of falsies, when the occasion calls for it, but combined with the extra-glossy lips and drag-queen amounts of makeup, they became next-level. Oh, but that's not all — we also had to pose on the streets of NYC, as well as wear our new lewks throughout the day and into the night.
"We New Yorkers are used to witnessing some out-of-the-ordinary things daily, but that didn't limit the number of double takes I got. And I couldn't even blame the gawkers."— Taylor Bryant, beauty news editor at Refinery29
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