Beauty trends can range from clever makeup tricks to increasingly elaborate ways of changing your appearance, but one viral hack has left social media users wondering if the internet has finally gone too far.
A video showing a makeup artist applying a pair of prosthetic lips over her own has sparked a mixture of confusion, criticism and jokes online. She did not use any traditional plumping product—the creator instead appeared to add a pre-made silicone piece designed to mimic a fuller set of lips.
The result was convincing enough to make some viewers do a double take, while others immediately focused on the possibility of the prosthetic coming loose at the worst possible moment.
Beauty Hack Nobody Expected
The viral video was posted by makeup artist Paige Cole, who showed herself preparing for a date while applying the unusual prosthetic to her natural lips. The caption reads: 'Sticking my lips on tried something different this time for my date'.
The piece appeared to consist of a set of lips surrounded by a blended silicone border. Cole first positioned the bottom section slightly lower than her natural lower lip, explaining that she wanted additional volume because the prosthetic looked very similar to her own lips.
She then applied the top lip before finishing the look with her usual lip combination. Cole said she liked the added plumpness and volume, describing her natural lips as 'paper thin' and saying the new look gave her confidence.
'I look like a doll,' she said in the video.
The Internet Had Questions
The unusual application quickly became a talking point, with social media users struggling to decide whether they were impressed, horrified or simply entertained.
One confused viewer wrote: 'Okay I'm done I'm getting off the Internet for today... We are putting on lips?????' Others questioned why someone with naturally full-looking lips would want to add a prosthetic, expressing frustration at the growing number of beauty and body-modification techniques appearing online.
The jokes became even more imaginative. One commenter wondered: 'What if it falls off... On a date... In your wine glass', while another imagined the prosthetic coming loose during a kiss.
'I just keep imagining going out for drinks and my lip falling off at the bar,' another person joked.
Is This Actually a Trend?
The viral stick-on lips were never meant to be taken seriously. The bizarre beauty hack was all part of Cole's playful and experimental makeup content, where over-the-top transformations are often the point.
Cole is a professional makeup artist whose work focuses on transformation, prosthetics and special-effects makeup. But instead of everyday beauty routine, her videos often play with unusual facial and body modifications for creative effect, making the stick-on lips another example of her usual content.
Her work extends beyond social media, with credits across fashion, music and television. Cole has worked in the makeup department on Doctor Who and was also involved in the makeup for Bree Runway's 'All Night' music video. She also appeared as a contestant on Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star in 2019.
