What Is Face Lift Tape, and How Do Celebrities Use This Beauty Hack?

Stars are known for using all kinds of celebrity beauty tricks to look amazing on and off the red carpet. One hack is to use face lift tape. The product can change the user’s appearance so much that others might think the person has had cosmetic surgery. Just ask supermodel Bella Hadid.

Bella Hadid admits to having a nose job and using face lift tape but denies other cosmetic procedures

In a recent Vogue interview, Bella Hadid discussed her modeling career, from the highs to the lows. One major item she revealed was a nose job she had at 14. Many were surprised to learn that the supermodel regrets having the cosmetic procedure. 

“I wish I had kept the nose of my ancestors,” Hadid told Vogue. “I think I would have grown into it.” However, Hadid claimed that is the only cosmetic surgery she has had done — something many observers find hard to believe. 

“People think I fully f***ed with my face because of one picture of me as a teenager looking puffy,” she explained. “I’m pretty sure you don’t look the same now as you did at 13, right? I have never used filler. Let’s just put an end to that. I have no issue with it, but it’s not for me.”

She continued, “Whoever thinks I’ve gotten my eyes lifted or whatever it’s called — it’s face tape! The oldest trick in the book. I’ve had this impostor syndrome where people made me feel like I didn’t deserve any of this. People always have something to say, but what I have to say is, I’ve always been misunderstood in my industry and by the people around me.”

What is face lift tape, and how is it used?

So, for the uninitiated, what is face lift tape? It’s pretty much just what it sounds like: tape for your face. The tape is applied near the hairline to make the wearer look as if they’ve gotten a facelift, defining areas such as cheekbones, neck, jaw, and eyes. Even though the face lift tape trend is going viral, makeup artists say it’s nothing new. 

Dani Kimiko Vincent, celebrity makeup artist and founder of the beauty line Kimiko, told InStyle: “[Face lift tape has] been around for many decades. They work by lifting and tightening the skin with an adhesive that sticks to each side of the face. It’s a similar concept to having a high, tight ponytail that pulls your face back and up.”

Many see face lift tape as a quick and easy trick to make your face look tighter, but some dermatologists warn against using the product. 

“Taping your face with different adhesives can be damaging to the skin. For one, these facial tapes are designed to pull and lift skin — it takes a lot of forceful glue to stick, hold, and pull,” celebrity aesthetician and dermatological nurse Natalie Aguilar told InStyle. “With prolonged use, skin can become darker, drier, flaky, and commonly itchy where the face tape was placed. Consistently using face lift tapes can also cause allergies as many of these tapes have irritating adhesives.”

Why many don’t believe Bella Hadid hasn’t had fillers and other cosmetic procedures

Though Bella Hadid claimed in the Vogue interview that she has never had fillers, some observers still believe the supermodel is not being fully transparent about her cosmetic procedures. They point to the 25-year-old’s defined cheeks, upper lip, and jawline.

Though no one needs to disclose their surgeries if they don’t want to, some observers are displeased with Hadid’s seemingly outright denial that she has had any procedures other than a nose job. 

While Hadid confirmed she had rhinoplasty, she didn’t confirm other potential cosmetic surgery. Whether the model had more work done, the use of face lift tape is just another trick that celebrities — and the average person — can use to change their appearance.