Views: 193
When I first laid eyes on it, I couldn’t quite make sense of what I was looking at. Front and centre on my Instagram feed this week was a flesh-toned piece of fabric strapped around a bare-faced model’s head. Before turning to the caption of the @Skims post for answers, I did a split-second assessment in my mind: Is this an editorial recreation of Steven Meisel’s 2005 “Makeover Madness” shoot for Vogue Italia A BDSM mask? A post-op cast? An oversized band-aid? None of which was true. Much to my shock, what I was actually observing was Skims’ latest “shapewear” launch, The Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap. 
From salmon sperm facials to “vampire” treatments (PRP), Skims founder Kim Kardashian has never been one to shy away from unconventional beauty fads. She’s single-handedly altered the beauty standards of the 21st century with her hourglass physique and shape-shifting ability to slip into waist-vanishing corsets. Over the past six years, she’s reinvented the shapewear category entirely with the disruptive launch of Skims. The apparel label has churned out everything from mega-sculpting undergarments and form-flattering dresses to pierced nipple bras and risqué swimwear, but the unveiling of The Ultimate Face Wrap comes as the billion-dollar brand’s first attempt at facial shapewear. Moreover, it marks Skims’ first-ever foray into the beauty category, despite Kardashian having launched several beauty ventures in the past. R.I.P., SKKN By Kim and KKW Beauty. According to the Skims site, this face-chiselling wrap—which launched in Skims’ classic neutral “Clay” and “Cocoa” colourways—borrows the brand’s signature sculpting fabric and infuses it with collagen yarns for comfortable jaw support. Worn around the neck, the wrap features Velcro closures at the top of the head and nape of the neck to hold your face in place (um, yikes), with openings for your ears and hair. 
The concept here (other than giving its wearers a new facial structure sans surgery) appears to be that this wrap can slot into one’s “morning shed” routine, which typically calls for peeling off layers of skincare products and facial masks—not unlike Skims’ Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap—worn overnight to help deliver effective results in the morning. From jaw-slimming K-Beauty innovations to medical-grade face wraps designed for post-surgery use, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen facial accessories like this. As for Kardashian’s more dystopian take—whether it was genuine intrigue or doomscroll-fuelled curiosity that led shoppers to the Skims site, we’ll never know. What we do know? The face wrap sold out in hours. Will anyone actually wake up with Angelina Jolie-level bone structure? Doubtful. But hey, leaning into a little delusion now and then never hurt. “This [wrap] is not going to do anything,” shares Boston-based facial plastic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel on TikTok. “If you have collagen yarns, what does that mean? It’s not going to go through your skin; it’s in the fabric of the material,” he states. The doctor then goes on to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the product by holding up a napkin. “I lifted it up, now I take away the support, and it falls again. Nothing is going to change from wearing this.” In the caption of another TikTok post, dermatologist Dr. Toral Vaidya writes to her over 50,000 followers: “I hate to break it to you, but if you bought this new Skims face wrap, it probably won’t snatch your jawline and instead could potentially trigger skin irritation or acne.” Ultimately, she concludes that the only time she’d consider recommending this product is after a facial surgery or procedure in order to reduce swelling. It’s at this point in our story that I must disclose: I’m a fan and frequent wearer of Skims bras and underwear. But a surgical-looking face wrap that doubles as a choking hazard? That’s where I draw the line. Am I shocked that Kardashian is once again pushing the boundaries of shapewear? Not even a little. The real question is: in a world where face taping is trending and body dysmorphia is practically baked into the algorithm, what the hell comes next? Unless you’re prepping for a facelift, this is one viral drop you can comfortably sit out. To further sum up my final thoughts, I’ll leave you with a few comments from the Skims Instagram page to reflect on: “Can we agree to disagree?” “Can’t tell if trolling.” And simply, “No.” Continue Reading
