A vlogger’s extreme DIY trick for plump lips

Plus our expert weighs in on whether or not it’s safe

Beauty Crew Beauty Writer / August 28 2020

In a world where it seems like a new Kylie Jenner Lip Kit is released daily and celebrities rock up to red carpet events sporting seriously enhanced pouts, it’s no wonder that the rest of us mere mortals want to jump of the plumped lip bandwagon.

While most of us reach for our trusty lip pencil and highlighter to mimic a fuller pout, one Canadian vlogger, Farah Dhukai has taken a more extreme approach to plumping her lips.

The trick she swears by? Using wasabi.

Yep! The same fiery green paste that so often gets discarded with your sushi order because it not only makes your lips tingle, but your whole mouth burn. In Dhukai’s video (which you can watch below), she rubs a small amount of wasabi all over her lips, leaves the paste on for no longer than a minute and moisturises immediately after.

While there’s no doubt the vlogger’s unorthodox trick works to instantly plump the look of her lips, we were a tad unsure as to whether applying the hot paste directly to our lips was a good idea. And according to facialist Tilly Barnett from No.13 The Beauty Avenue, we were right to be hesitant.

“I wouldn’t recommend using wasabi to plump lips. Wasabi is an irritant to skin so yes, it will temporarily plump lips and give a pink colour but only due to swelling and irritation,” she said. Barnett also added “if the lips are at all cracked or if the skin is broken, it would be very painful.”

Additionally, there is cause to worry, as this hack “hasn’t been tested so we don’t know the long-term damage it may cause,” she added. If you’re determined to try the method out regardless, Barnett stresses the importance of a patch test beforehand but suggests proceeding with caution even then. We think we’ll stick to clever lip contouring with makeup to get the look of plump lips.

To see exactly how Farah plumped her lips with wasabi, watch the video below:

If you’re a DIY fan and are looking to add some wow to your pout, sans wasabi, then this technique for creating your own lipstick using only two ingredients gets our tick of approval.

Image credit: @farahdhukai

Video credit: @farahdhukai

Kate started working for BEAUTYcrew in early 2016, first as a contributor, and was then named Beauty Writer in 2017. She loves picking the brains of the industry's top experts to get to the bottom of beauty's toughest questions. Bronze eyeshadow palettes are her weakness and she's forever on the hunt for the perfect nude nail polish to suit her fair skin. Her words can also be found in Men's Health magazine, and she now works in PR.