We Tried Instagram's Weirdest Beauty Hack—& It Was Kind Of Gross

As a beauty novice, I'm dumbfounded by how many products exist to perfect your complexion. In fact, there are so many formulas and tools that it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the options — especially when you're a minimalist like me.

My beauty routine is pretty sparse: a little mascara here, a dash of concealer there, and Aquaphor on my lips. Maybe a fun lip color if I'm feeling up for it. (Or, you know, in a video discussing beauty products, like I'm wearing above.) However, there's one tool I've learned to use and stand by wholeheartedly: the Beautyblender. This egg-shaped wonder has made my morning makeup routine incredibly easy, whether I am applying foundation, concealer, highlighter, blush, or anything else. It's truly one of those holy grail items that I'd highly recommend investing in if you haven't already. So why the heck would you want to replace it with a common contraceptive? You got me.

Leave it to the internet to toss aside a cult classic and replace it with eggs, silicone inserts, socks, and even condoms. That's right folks, people are using condoms in lieu of actual sponges to apply their foundation. The big question, of course, is why?! According to fans of the technique, you can get flawless results by using far less foundation. (See, a sponge inevitably soaks up some product, while a condom repeals it.) Is this weird as fuck? Yes. Did we try it? Of course.

To do so, a co-worker and I got together in the R29 studios and tried four different application techniques discussed online recently. Here's how it went down: My colleague Lyric applied her foundation on one side of her face with a classic Beautyblender, then wrapped the sponge in a condom to finish the other side. Easy. I was given the task of using two condoms: one filled with flour and one filled with lotion. Yes, it's insane, but I repeat: People are actually doing this.

Lyric's application with the classic sponge was seamless — her foundation went on smooth and looked flawless. Here's where we hit our first snag: We couldn't stop laughing once she slipped the blender into the condom. It looked like a little penis suffocating in latex. I felt sorry for the lil' guy. I'll also admit that while she may have saved some foundation, her face was a bit shiny and the foundation did not blend in all the way. Lyric gave it a solid C- rating.

Beginning to regret my decision to sign up for this, I filled one condom with flour and the other with lotion. The flour condom felt like a stress ball, but I was surprised by how well the foundation went on. That is, smooth and even, while using far less product than normal. The condom filled with lotion, on the other hand, was an absolute disaster. The makeup didn't blend, my hands were slimy, and the condom didn't hold any sort of shape, which made application almost impossible. What a waste of a good rubber.

So what did we learn? You can literally use anything to apply your foundation, but is it worth the time, energy, and slight humiliation of using a condom? My personal opinion is no, but I am also a firm believer in doing what makes you happy. If using condoms saves you a little bit of your foundation and you're into it, I say go for it! Although, economically, I assume it would get very expensive, very fast — unless you're reusing the condoms? (Side note: Is that allowed? Is it even hygienic?)

My makeup routine is centered around the idea that less is more, so I'll keep using my classic Beautyblender until the internet's next genius idea rolls around. For now, condoms should stay in the bedroom...or anywhere else you want to use them.