A non-invasive and affordable wrinkle treatment that works from the outside in, instead of inside out? We’re sold. Wait, what are Frownies? We’ve got the low down on this Old Hollywood beauty secret, and you’re going to love it.
In this article we discuss the following:
- What are Frownies?
- How to Use Frownies
- Other Alternatives to Frownies
- Frownies vs Other Brands
- Types of Frownies
- Frownies Reviews: Before and After
- Where to Buy Frownies
- Celebrities Who Use Frownies
- How to Make Your Own Frownies
What are Frownies?
Frownies are, quite simply, facial patches. They are a painless, cruelty-free means of treating unwanted wrinkling of the face overnight (almost), and a potential cure to what has become fondly referred to as that “frowny face” one adopts as personality and character develop over a lifetime.
Frownies are not a new phenomenon to the beauty industry. They were first invented back in 1889, but remained a secret in and amongst the elite of Hollywood until this day. Yes, celebrities have been living Botox-free lives thanks to these simple patches, and now you can too.
How do Frownies Work?
Frownies are made from thin paper that is designed to react to water and moisture. Frownies gentle lifts come in different shapes and sizes, designed to fit different regions of the face for all over coverage.
In this way, you’ll also be able to target specific zones of concern. For example, perhaps you battle with lines around your mouth, and are not all that concerned with wrinkles elsewhere.
After being wet, the Frownies paper will start to dry and harden. This stiff patch will then restrict the face from making certain movements that are known to cause wrinkles over time. Ever been told to stop frowning so much or your face would stay like that when the winds change direction? Something along those lines!
How to apply Frownies depends on what area of the face you are targeting, and what exactly you would like to get out of the product itself. Some are working on deep-set wrinkles, while others may simply be tending to fine lines here and there.
Frownies on Forehead
Essentially, Frownies are temporarily pacifying the face and training the muscles to be more permanently relaxed. Simultaneously, they are restorative and preventative skincare products thanks to the targeted ingredients embedded within the patches themselves.
Frownies for the forehead region are probably the most popular, as this is an area that most people seek Botox-treatment as a means of controlling expression. Forehead frownies are easy to apply and won’t hinder your ability to fall asleep, despite how invasive this wet paper contraption may seem.
Frownies in Between Eyes
Some people consider using Frownies to be like yoga for the face. Frownies can be placed between the eyes for the purpose of reducing that squinting action that most of us do as we go about our day. This happens to most of us, naturally, as a reaction to a change of light.
When used between the eyes over a long period of time, these muscles tend to forget this natural response, and instead a more neutral appearance is retained.
Frownies for Marionette Lines
The Frownies corners of eyes and mouth are known as marionette lines. These are inevitable for every human being on the planet, simply because of the nature of skin and collagen, and how we lose elasticity over time.
Frownies have patches that are designed specifically for this region.
Do Frownies Work on Marionette Lines?
Marionette lines are somewhat easily treated, but are hard to keep at bay due to how much movement we subject both the eyes and the mouth to on a daily basis.
Toby Dash, owner and founder of Five Star Skincare, notes that “After taking off those Frownies and anti-wrinkle tapes for a few hours, you would see those fine lines appear again. This is because frownies only address the surface condition, and not the root cause of the problem. If you’re looking to smoothen out wrinkles and marionette lines, products and treatments that promote collagen production are more apt.”
Do Frownies Work on Lip Lines?
Frownies also offers patches designed solely for use on the lips. The Frownies gentle lifts wrinkle treatment for lips are band-aid-like patches with soft cotton edges, so as not to cause further abrasion in this region whilst you sleep.
Over time, one may find that the more subtle lip lines start to fill themselves out, having been given a rest period to do so during slumber. One pack contains 60 patches, which covers you for two months. By then, you’ll be able to decide if this treatment is working for you, or if your lip lines need more invasive intervention.
What are Frownies Made Of?
Frownies patches are somewhat different depending on what area is being targeted. The bigger patches are made out of paper, while the smaller ones are more like tape and contain some traces of cotton.
All Frownies are unbleached and made with breathable materials so as to not suffocate the skin during sleep. This is important, as otherwise there would be risk of waking up to other skin problems every time you treat your wrinkles with a Frownies product.
Frownies adhesive ingredients include a corn based fixative as well as a glue-like fixative. No silicone, plastic or other skin irritants are used to make these versatile patches.
Frownies Side Effects
Are Frownies Safe?
At first, using Frownies will be like using any other new beauty of skincare product. One should always do a patch test with new brands, just to be sure that they are 100% compatible with our skin and levels of sensitivity.
That being said, it helps that Frownies are totally hypoallergenic and have gone through extensive testing to make them suitable for not only highly sensitive individuals, but also gluten intolerant individuals.
In our opinion, Frownies are totally safe for use by all, and at present there are no known adverse side effects to working with these patches.
Do Frownies Make Wrinkles Worse?
Can Frownies make wrinkles worse? It seems highly unlikely. With this kind of treatment, the worst thing that could happen would be no results at all, but opposite results are very much impossible, considering the nature of the product and the quality of the ingredients involved.
Health Tips if You Have Frownies
Sylvia Silverstone from Womenio started using Frownies at age 25. “I had deep frown lines, so I started wearing Frownies most nights, and within a few weeks, they were gone. I’m 32 years old now and still have no frown lines thanks to Frownies.”
Silverstone goes on to point out “One downside, though, it gave me huge pimples at the time when I used them, even in places I generally don’t break out. So make sure to be prepared for it.”
According to Sylvia, if there is one health tip if you have a Frownie, it would be to wet them when it comes time to take them off in the morning. “When I wash my face in the morning, I will get it wet, let it soak in a bit, and then it slides right off easy peasy.”
How to Use Frownies
Firstly, decide on the exact area you are targeting with this product, and observe the Frownies range for the perfect shape and sized patch. If you don’t find one that fits, you can easily cut the Frownie paper into the most ideal patch for your facial needs.
Applying your Frownies literally takes no longer than 60 seconds, if done correctly. There is no need to lose minutes of your evening skincare routine to the application of these patches.
Most people make use of two patches per night, but if you’re covering your entire forehead, you might need around four instead.
Make sure your face is cleansed and ready to receive the treatment paper. Dampen your Frownie on the adhesive side, and pull your skin quite taut before placing it on the targeted zone. You get to decide what direction you pull your skin in for maximum effect, but most people like to place one Frownie pulling up, and another pulling down.
How to Use Frownies on Forehead Lines
If you don’t think you’ll be able to sleep with this paper adhesive stuck to your face, you can also wear Frownies for just a few hours instead. Consider coming home from work and applying your Frownies for the duration of your evening as you cook and unwind, and then removing them just before it is time to hit the hay.
Other Alternatives to Frownies
Frownies vs Tape
A lot of purists argue that regular tape could be used on the face each evening to achieve the same effect that Frownies is going for.
In theory, this is not far off, as most forms of adhesive tape would be able to pull and hold the skin in place for long enough that muscles are able to relax. The difference is what is on the tape, and what your skin will be absorbing in the process.
Conventional tapes require strong glue formulas that allow them to do their holding job. These glues are highly toxic, made from chemicals that most of us can’t even pronounce the name’s of.
Absorbing these glues on a nightly basis is guaranteed to do more damage to your skin in the long run, and you’ll inevitably eventually need to splurge on corrective products. Saving money on Frownies by using store-bought tape instead is simply not logical. We encourage you to do it right from day one!
Frownies vs Smoothies
Smoothies are like the all day, anytime version of Frownies. Instead of paper thick patch-like adhesives, they are transparent and can be worn at times deemed most convenient to the wearer, instead of only at night.
For some, smoothies give more range of wear and are preferred by individuals who like flexibility in their treatment regimes. We see no reason why smoothies can’t be as effective as Frownies, if used religiously.
That being said, because they are more lightweight and less intensive, Smoothies are likely to take longer in offering effective results, as the face doesn’t totally lose movement when the adhesive is applied. There is still ample opportunity for muscular movement and thus less intensive effect over wrinkle production.
Frownies vs Botox
Many regard Botox to be better than Frownies in that it has been around longer, is less time consuming, and is more visibly effective. Kaileigh Clemons from The Skin Care Gal tells us that “Frownies, along with other anti-wrinkle tape, are a fairly new trend in the beauty world.”
Clemons addresses the Frownies vs Botox debate, stating that “Frownies requires very regular consistency as opposed to a Botox treatment once or twice a year. However, we do prefer the natural and non-invasive approach of the Frownies”, as do so many others around the world who are embracing more natural skincare and wellness.
Frownies vs Other Brands
Frownies vs Sio
Sio is a competitive anti-wrinkle brand that has made their own version of frown-patches. Instead of paper, these embrace 100% medical grade silicone; the same material used in the making of breast implants.
Sio’s patch range is incredibly sticky, and cling to the skin on a nightly basis. Each patch can be used between 10 to 15 times before needing to be replaced, making them almost as economical as Frownies, but not quite.
At $25 a set, Sio’s patches fall short economically compared to Frownies. They also can’t be recycled which is a major downside to a product that can only offer a limited period of wear.
Frownies vs Furlesse
We’d call Furlesse the closest competitor to Frownies, in these are similarly adhesive patches, only with a more translucent appearance.
Furlesse would be a preferred product for someone who is seeking the benefit of wrinkle treatment by day, and is not prepared to wear Frownies by night. They are not invisible on the skin, but if you don’t really care what people think, it’s easy enough for Furlesse patches to go unnoticed whilst you’re at work or in a public place.
We appreciate that Furless are hypoallergenic, latex free and BPA free.
Types of Frownies
Frownies Facial Patches
Frownies facial patches are the largest sized products within this dynamic range. They come in triangles, though they can be cut into whatever shape you feel would be most effective for your personal needs.
Frownies facial patches are intended for use on the forehead, brow lines, and anywhere else where vertical and horizontal wrinkles seem to cross-connect.
Frownies Facial Patches Reviews
The Internet is saturated with reviews for Frownies facial patches, particularly by beauty and skincare critics who use Youtube as their main domain for sharing information. For the most part, the responses have been pretty positive, with the occasional individual admitting that they personally didn’t find the patches to have done much for them.
We love a good product review, and we encourage all potential buyers to make use of this kind of feedback when deciding if a new brand or treatment is worth their time and money.
Frownies Tape
The wrinkle tape Frownies is a great entry-level product for those looking to get involved in the Frownies treatment program, but are not yet convinced by the system itself.
The tape gives you free rein as to where and what you want to treat on your face, and it is wonderfully easy to apply. All you need to do is pull your skin in a taut direction, and tape it so that it stays like this as you sleep (or for upward of 4 hours).
Frownies Under Eye Gel Patches
The Frownies facial pads were created for the treatment of the under eye region, where crowfeet and other subtle wrinkles tend to start appearing from the age of 25 upward.
Patch treatment under the eyes is not a new thing to the beauty industry. We’re probably all very familiar with products that claim to reduce inflammation in this area, and those that can even remove dark circles in just a few minutes.
Frownies Under Eye Gel Patches Review
There are mixed reviews when it comes to the under eye gel patches made by Frownies. Some swear by them, stating that nothing else had actually worked for their skin up until these products, while others are strongly averse, stating that serums seem to be more effective solutions for the lines that so easily return to this region.
Frownies Eye Cream
Not long ago, the Frownies brand released their own eye cream for consumers to use in conjunction with their nightly patches. It’s made from oat oil and contains a very high concentration of Vitamin E, pomegranate and green tea.
These ingredients work well in penetrating the very thin, sensitive skin around and under the eyes. A product worth trying, in our opinion!
Frownies Reviews: Before and After
Many will spend hours searching do frownies work reddit, only to find a total mashup of reviews and opinions.
We’d like to point something out before going any further. With adhesive products, it can be very difficult to determine who actually had an ineffective experience, and who merely didn’t know what they were doing when they were applying the product to their skin.
Yes, there is a wrong way to apply Frownies. Failure to pull the skin in the right direction at the time of application will result in little more than holding your existing face in place, which is not the goal of these patches at all!
Take everything you see online with a pinch of salt. Remain open minded, and allow the patches to work their magic for you, free of what everyone else is telling you to expect from them.
Frownies for Lips Reviews
The one area that appears to be somewhat unanimous on the fact that “these products work!”, is that of the Frownies lip line wrinkle patches. These are placed in all four corners of the mouth, and are somewhat difficult to apply in the wrong way.
This makes them incredibly user friendly, so a lot more people have enjoyed a lot more positive results over time!
Where to Buy Frownies
Frownies at Walmart
Frownies are widely available online, but they are also one of the easiest alternative skincare treatments to find in conventional stores.
Frownies have partnered with Walmart, and you can purchase their full range both in store and via the Walmart online platform.
Frownies at CVS
CVS is another partner with Frownies, and have made these patches accessible in areas where most alternative beauty brands would usually only get to by post.
Look out for the Frownies logo when next you’re browsing CVS, collecting things you don’t need but simply can’t resist.
Frownies at Target
If the aforementioned purchase points weren’t universal enough, Frownies is now also available through Target. This means that Frownies is officially available across all 50 states in America, through a series of close to 2000 different stores.
Frownies at Ulta
Ulta Beauty is one of our favorite self-care online platforms and is a hub for all things beauty and wellness. Ulta is known for having everything one could possibly need in one place, and Frownies has been added to their list of products very recently.
Enjoy points and rewards every time you shop with Ulta. If you feel that you’re going to be a return customer for Frownies, then this is a great way to maximize your budget in the long run.
Frownies at Sephora
Taking it to a more exclusive level, Frownies is also available at almost all Sephora branches worldwide.
This is a big deal for the brand, as Sephora operates out of close to 3000 different stores across 35 countries. If you’re looking for Frownies near you but you do not live in the United States or Canada, then Sephora is probably your best bet for in-person buying.
Frownies at Bed Bath and Beyond
Yes, Frownies have crept their way into BB&B! What a treat it is to visit this crown favorite, only to emerge with a much needed self-care product that would usually need to be sourced from alternate retailers.
Bed, Bath and Beyond also operate online and deliver globally, which is great news for anyone situated in a more remote part of the world.
Frownies on Amazon
Perhaps this is a given, but Frownies is widely available across Amazon via a number of different retailers. We love the transparency that Amazon offers to customers using the platform, as one is able to read the past reviews of those who have purchased before them.
Feedback is great when it comes to these products, but brands can sometimes doctor their own feedback website features to only show the good. With platforms such as Amazon, there is no influence from the brand itself, simply honest reviews from invested users.
Frownies on Ebay
Similar to Amazon, Ebay is an important consumer platform where Frownies are sold in abundance. Here, you’ll also be able to determine the integrity of a retailer based on past customer feedback and a very numerical rating system.
Celebrities Who Use Frownies
The Frownies name has been thrown around in passing by some celebrities who feel the need to justify their perfect skin in a way that steers them clear from the Botox industry.
Actress Rashida Jones has commented that she loves Frownies, while Olivia de Havilland suggested a long term love affair with these products.
There is widespread speculation that the Kardashian-Jenner family have been using Frownies in addition to their more invasive beauty routines.
How to Make Your Own Frownies
Considering these products are no more than brown paper coated in sticky glue, surely one could DIY some homemade Frownies with ease?
Youtube has been on a mission to perfect the homemade Frownie for quite some time, and may have come very close. Close enough for their creations to be effective, in fact. Here’s how it’s done:
DIY Frownies
To make your own Frownies, you’ll need quality brown parcel paper and something known as Arabic gum. Arabic gum will serve as the glue that sticks the paper to your face, and it is non-toxic. Arabic gum is actually used in many skincare products and anti-wrinkle creams.
Place the Arabic gum crystals into boiling water and then let them cool overnight until a syrup consistency is formed. In the meantime, cut your parcel paper into suitable sized strips for your targeted facial area.
Once the syrup is ready, spread it across one side of the paper strips, and allow it to dry over a period of 5 hours. Once dry, you can apply these patches to your skin using water, just as you would regular Frownies. They will stick, and you’ll be able to sleep with them on for the duration of the night.
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