What happened when I tried Wrinkles Schminkles: A review

Wrinkles Schminkles is a line of anti-wrinkle silicone patches that claim to hydrate skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. But do they work?

Wrinkles Schminkles silicone patches claim to create a microclimate between your skin and the silicone, which apparently helps hydrate the skin from within and smooths out wrinkles while you sleep. The products are promoted as a chemical-free approach to fighting wrinkles, and they’re cruelty-free.

I was largely interested in these because I’m not loving my under-eye area at the moment. The skin is relatively smooth when I have a straight face, but wrinkles a fair bit when I smile. I don’t think that problem can be solved with any single product, it probably requires a laser at a specialist clinic, but a little reduction in the area was all I was looking for.

I kept reading that silicone patches for wrinkles work, so I decided to give it a shot.

For my under-eye situation, I decided to go with the self-dissolving microneedle patches, which are shaped to go under the eyes. They’re supposed to reduce wrinkles by delivering collagen, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and caffeine directly into the skin through 1800 microneedles per patch (for anyone afraid of needles, these are really tiny spikes, rather than actual needles, and they don’t hurt). I have had microneedling and it was great, what could go wrong with a DIY job?

Wrinkles Schminkles Review

I started with a box of four, which had a combined total of eight self-dissolving microneedle patches. They’re about the size of your thumb and can go under the eyes, around the mouth for smile lines, frown lines between the eyebrows, etc. They can really go anywhere with smaller lines. I wouldn’t use them for larger forehead lines, they’re not big enough. For that, you might want to look at the OG Wrinkles Schminkles silicone patches. They’re much bigger with no microneedles, and are supposed to smooth the skin out as you sleep.

What Happened

According to the instructions, you’re supposed to cleanse your face to the point where there’s no product on your face at all. Get every scrap of makeup off. You want as much contact between the microneedles and your skin as possible, and this means no hyaluronic acid or moisturiser of any kind.

So that’s what I did. My face felt uncomfortably dry, but I knew it was temporary so I ignored it. I peeled one of the patches from its plastic sheet and tried not to touch the sticky outer edges too much. The microneedles are in the middle of the patch, so it’s important to align the frown line with the centre of the patch properly.

I tried to get the patch as close to my lower lash line as possible, because that’s really where the problematic lines are. To make sure I was sticking it on an even surface, I pulled skin down a bit so it was taut, and pressed the patch down while trying to avoid my eyelashes.

It was at that point that I learned you can go too close to the lash line. It felt tight and uncomfortable under my eye, and I’m pretty sure I did get a lash or two. I could feel the plastic tightening when I blinked. Begrudgingly, I lifted the patch off and stuck it down again slightly lower. This felt much better and I did the other eye without a problem.

As per the instructions, I pressed the microneedles on both patches into my skin for about ten seconds. There was no pain at all, it just felt a bit scratchy—kind of like sandpaper. Once that was done, I moisturised the rest of my face as normal and went to bed.

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Result

I was excited to remove the patches the following morning. I pressed down on the patches to see if I could feel any residual prickliness, but I couldn’t which meant the microneedles really did dissolve. The adhesive was quite strong, and they were a bit uncomfortable to remove, but not painful. I could see marks under my eyes from where the patches had been. I couldn’t see pricks from microneedles or anything, just oval outlines where the adhesive was. I hoped they would go down relatively quickly. I ran my finger along where the microneedles had been and it was smooth, which means they definitely dissolved throughout the night.

I didn’t notice an immediate difference in the plumpness of my under-eye area.

I went to the gym, returned, rinsed my face, did my usual serum and moisturising, and did my makeup as usual—a light layer of foundation with a sponge and a thin coat of translucent powder to set it in place.

I smiled in the mirror, the lines were definitely still there and I couldn’t see any improvement. I wondered if it needed some time to improve, so I went about my day.

I got home in the evening, washed everything off my face and tried again. No reduction in lines. The same thing happened the following day.

Verdict

I have used up the box of four sets, if only because I already had them and figured I might as well use them. I had the same result every time, which was no result. At no point did I notice even a small difference.

It’s possible that the lines under my eyes were a bit much for the small patches, but there was nothing in the instructions to suggest that would be the case. The lines are also not really visible when I’m not smiling, so they’re not really deep. It could be a structural problem for me, meaning the area under my eyes could be too hollow and the skin therefore is pushed up when I smile, creating wrinkles. I honestly don’t know, but I guess that’s a possibility.

I’ve read a number of mixed reviews—some people swear by them, others say they made no difference. For those who had good experiences, they also mostly said the wrinkles come back after a few days.

For optimal results, the brand recommends using them twice a week. I paid AU$75 for four sets, which is about two weeks’ worth. US customers get four sets for $41, which is still a lot for a product that may not work for you. Using these twice a week is not sustainable for the average person. I wouldn’t get these again, I might try the reusable silicone patches next time.

Did Wrinkles Schminkles work for you? Let me know in the comments below!

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