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Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson had plenty to say about TikTok’s bizarre plastic makeup hack. What exactly is this?
The Verity co-stars had a lot of questions about the bizarre beauty trend while reacting to TikTok’s biggest beauty hacks.
TikTok has given us some questionable beauty hacks, but the latest one has officially left Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson scratching their heads. While reacting to viral beauty trends, the ‘Verity’ co-stars came across the so-called plastic makeup hack, and their reaction was pretty much the one many of us would have had, why are we putting makeup on cling film now?
The actresses reacted to the trend in a recently released ‘Allure’ video, where they put some of TikTok’s most popular beauty and lifestyle trends to the test. They had fun with everything from lipstick as contour and DIY bangs to a vibrating hairbrush. But the mood changed when the plastic wrap makeup hack appeared on screen.
Dakota immediately asked, “What is wrong with people?” Anne, meanwhile, was visibly confused by the process. “I don’t understand,” she said as they watched the creator prepare her makeup on plastic wrap. When they learnt that the idea was to do the makeup the night before and apply it the next morning, Anne had another question: “Why does this save you time?”
And honestly, fair question.
What Is The Plastic Makeup Hack?
The viral technique, also called the “makeup meal prep” hack, involves doing your makeup on a sheet of plastic wrap rather than directly on your face. The trend first gained serious traction on TikTok in 2025 after UK-based beauty creator Sam Begum demonstrated her routine.
She placed a clean sheet of plastic wrap against her bare face, mapped out products including foundation, concealer, blush and bronzer onto it, then set the sheet aside overnight. The following morning, she flipped it around and pressed the makeup-covered side onto her face before blending everything with a brush and setting it with powder.
The selling point is simple, do your makeup the night before, wake up and transfer it onto your face. Begum even framed it as a way to “girl math” an extra 20 minutes in bed. Her videos quickly racked up millions of views, turning the unusual routine into a full-blown TikTok beauty conversation.
Does The Hack Actually Save Time?
That depends on how quickly you can map an entire face of makeup onto plastic wrap without making a complete mess.
The technique can transfer the products, but it still requires blending afterwards. Foundation, concealer, blush and bronzer do not necessarily land perfectly where you want them to, so a brush or sponge is still needed to soften the edges and even everything out. In other words, the hack does not exactly eliminate the makeup routine, it simply moves part of it to the night before.
That was precisely what puzzled Hathaway. After watching the creator demonstrate the technique, she questioned why anyone would spend time doing their makeup beforehand only to have to blend it again the next morning.
And Dakota had another valid point, “The makeup doesn’t dry on the plastic in the morning?”
Is The Plastic Wrap Makeup Hack Safe?
This is where the trend becomes less funny and more questionable. The biggest concern surrounding the hack is hygiene. Once makeup is placed on plastic wrap, it is left exposed before being transferred directly onto the skin. People online have raised concerns about bacteria and other contaminants coming into contact with the products before they reach the face.
There is also the issue of keeping the plastic wrap close to the face while applying the makeup. Begum later suggested creating an opening around the mouth when trying the technique, highlighting just how unconventional the method is.
For anyone with sensitive or acne-prone skin, experimenting with a viral hack that involves storing makeup on cling film is probably not the smartest place to start. Traditional makeup brushes, sponges and clean hands may not be as entertaining for TikTok, but they are considerably more straightforward.
By the time the video reached the plastic wrap hack, Dakota had already seen enough. Anne agreed, joking that perhaps society needed to pause, go outside, take a walk, sit under a tree or simply read a book.
Their reaction may have been the funniest part of the entire trend. Because while TikTok continues to find increasingly elaborate ways to shave a few minutes off our beauty routines, Hathaway and Johnson have offered a rather refreshing alternative, perhaps just put the cling film back in the kitchen drawer.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Also known as makeup meal prep, the technique involves applying foundation, concealer, blush, and bronzer onto a sheet of plastic wrap the night before, letting it set overnight, and then pressing the makeup-covered sheet onto the face the next morning before blending.
Ask News18About the Author
Labani Mahanandy is an Associate Producer at News18 Showsha, where she professionally obsesses over everything Bollywood, Hollywood scandals, and fashion moments that deserve their own runway.
October 06, 2026, 21:57 IST
