Gwyneth Paltrow is the queen of trying bizarre beauty and health rituals — from putting jade eggs in her vagina to touting mason pine pollen as a sex supplement to getting the occasional vaginal steam-cleaning — but, apparently even she has her limits.
Over the weekend, Paltrow hosted the Goop Health Summit in Culver City, California, where journalists, health junkies, and celebrities alike gathered to talk about beauty and wellness. And though we'd have expected Paltrow to make headlines for promoting a wild new skin care routine, the shock actually came from someone much more shocking: Miranda Kerr, the former Victoria's Secret model who recently married Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel.
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With all eyes on her, Kerr opened up about her time experimenting with a bloodsucking beauty routine.
"I’ve had a leech facial," the Australian model stated at the summit, according to People.
As if putting the creepy crawlies on her face wasn't odd enough, Kerr then admitted that she took them home to keep in her yard.
"I kept the leeches, they’re in my koi pond," Kerr said. "You’re not allowed to reuse them and if you don’t take them home then [the leech therapist] kills them, and I didn’t like that idea."
Paltrow's response? "Wow, I thought I was batshit crazy!"
While we certainly wouldn't say that either Paltrow or Kerr is "crazy," we will admit that the thought of having leeches on our faces kind of freaks us out. So what are the benefits of the facial, anyway?
According to The New York Times, using leeches for beauty purposes has been a craze in Hollywood for the past few years — and an ancient practice across cultures — with actresses getting leech facials, leech face-lifts, and even leech detoxes. The practices, some believe, results in brighter, tighter skin that's revitalized thanks to special proteins secreted from the leeches.
Is a youthful glow worth having leeches crawl all over your face? Maybe. But, for now, we'll stick with peel-off masks and dry brushing.