TikTok’s Frozen Beautyblender Hack Made My Pores Disappear

As we head into the holiday season, TikTok's makeup hacks are coming thick and fast. There's the 10-second trick that'll give you a winged eyeliner without the effort, ditching pink blush for more natural-looking purple tones — all of which are approved by beauty enthusiasts and makeup artists alike.

Right now, everyone's obsessed with the frozen Beautyblender. If you're a foundation wearer, you might prefer the sponge to using your fingers or a brush to blend makeup to seamless perfection. From Patrick Ta to Mario Dedivanovic, many high-profile celebrity makeup artists rely on a Beautyblender to achieve an Instagram-worthy base, dampening the sponge beforehand, and bouncing it over the skin to apply makeup easily. Now, TikTokers are taking things one step further.

Stitching @gwmakeup's original video, @briana.pelaez went viral for putting her sponge in the freezer for a couple of hours before using it to apply makeup. The video amassed 3.4 million views. Many others soon jumped on the bandwagon, including @sonjahan, who claims that freezing your makeup sponge uses less product, reduces skin swelling, provides more coverage, and ensures a glowing finish.

As someone who loves to wear makeup and is always on a quest for a flawless base, I was intrigued, but also suspicious. For last week's Beauty In A Tik, I tried the jade roller foundation hack. TikTokers have extolled its benefits, claiming the cool tool soothes skin, minimizes redness, and blends better than a foundation brush or sponge, but I was far from sold. The roller snagged on my skin and resulted in a patchy rather than perfect finish. Would the frozen Beautyblender turn out to be just another gimmick that I'd relegate to the TikTok beauty hacks graveyard?

I ran the soft sponge under the tap and popped it into a bowl to keep it clean before putting it in the freezer for around two hours. This was a mistake. The wet sponge froze to the bottom of the bowl, and when I managed to wrench it free, a chunk broke off.

By the time I'd pumped some foundation onto the back of my hand, the makeup sponge had started to thaw and wasn't as rock hard. I got to work, quickly, while it was still a little icy. My initial thoughts? This feels incredible. Much like a jade roller or gua sha tool, the sponge was soothing and relaxing in a way I didn't expect, and I was surprised by how immaculately it blended the foundation. As the sponge defrosted, the water melted into my foundation and made my skin gleam. I'll take the extra hydration, too.

It took all of a minute to perfect my entire, base but what impressed me the most was my skin texture. While pores can't actually open or close to size, the frozen makeup sponge hack, like skin icing, works to minimize the appearance of enlarged pores. Mine were virtually undetectable. Afterwards, I spent a good five minutes staring at my skin in the mirror.

Despite practical drawbacks (who has the time or patience to freeze their makeup sponge every day, unless you have a handful on rotation?), this hack does yield great, noticeable results. But what does an expert think?

Makeup artist Zoë Moore says: "I find this trend a little odd. Using cooling aids can help de-puff skin, but applying foundation with a frozen Beautyblender could be a disaster. When it starts to thaw, the water will mix with any oil-based foundations and result in a cake-y, unblended finish." I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense, as oil molecules are repelled by water. Luckily, my foundation is oil-free — but even then, Zoë suggests another technique for flawless blending. "I personally like to apply my own base with my fingers, as the warmth from your hands helps the product blend beautifully into the skin."