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Beauty hacks: can a cold cucumber give you glowing skin?

<span>Photograph: Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Getty Images

The hack
Using frozen cucumber to reduce dark circles, brighten skin and fight blemishes.

The promise
Placing cucumber slices on your eyes is an old trick to reduce puffiness, but the newest craze involves rubbing large hunks of frozen cucumber into your skin to get the same results as skincare and facial massagers.

Related: Beauty hacks: can saltwater cure spots?

The test
Looking at the cucumber, I can’t help but wonder if it was destined for better things – maybe a green juice or a Pret salad. But the next morning, post-cleansing, I’m wielding a thawing chunk of it. I move in circles, rubbing it around my eye area, then under my cheekbones and jawline, the way I massage my face each morning (I usually use a facial roller by Nurse Jamie). The cold feels invigorating and it’s certainly depuffing, but any cool compress can help shrink blood vessels, which can cause dark circles.

The verdict
The cucumber slime was refreshing – and it does contain some vitamin C – but after a week of replacing my roller and skincare with cucumber, I saw zero change. Such a waste of a life. My tip: save the cucumber for snacking but steal the concept. Pop a reusable gel mask in the freezer and reap the cooling, anti-puff rewards. It’s cheaper than buying two cucumbers every week – I did the sums.