People all over the world love using makeup to enhance their looks.
Every woman is perfectly beautiful without makeup, but many of us feel more confident and comfortable with a little foundation, mascara, and lipstick on.
If you're a big fan of lipstick, you know that it can get kind of pricey, especially if you're buying higher-quality brands.
Luckily, lots of makeup stores offer testers for people to try out lipsticks before buying them. This can be an absolute lifesaver, as it lets you choose a lipstick based on its color and quality, instead of just by what it looks like in its tube.
Unfortunately, a woman in California recently got more than she bargained for when she used a lipstick tester. After trying on lipsticks at a makeup store, she noticed sores around her mouth. Then, her doctor diagnosed her with oral herpes.
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Thumbnail Photos: Pixabay / LiftLaughLipstick // YouTube / Melissa Autry
[H/T: Women's Health]
The woman in this situation says she went to a makeup store in the fall of 2015 and tried on one of their lipstick testers.
A little while later, she was diagnosed with oral herpes, also known as cold sores.
The woman says she'd never had cold sores before visiting this makeup store, but now she had them.
Cold sores, unfortunately, have no cure and are a lifelong affliction.
Most makeup stores have cleaning products like rubbing alcohol and cotton pads for people to sanitize products before they use them, but often people just assume the products are perfectly clean.
Unfortunately, most people just don't use tester products properly.
Although you're encouraged to use little lipstick spatulas or lip gloss applicators, lots of people don't. That means the makeup could become contaminated with germs and bacteria.
Many people think that the only way you can get oral herpes is by kissing or sharing intimate encounters. However, there are clearly a lot of other ways to contract cold sores.
You can also get oral herpes from sharing food and drinks, using the same toothbrush as someone else, or smoking from someone else's cigarette or e-cig.
Sharing lipstick is absolutely another way to contract oral herpes. Some doctors say it's just not worth the risk to use the in-store testers.
If someone else who has cold sores has used the lipstick before you, there's a slight possibility for you to get it.
Even using the provided cleaning supplies is not a fool-proof way to get rid of the virus.
What should you do instead? Just avoid trying out lipsticks, at least on your lips.
Since you're taking a risk anytime you put makeup testers on your face, try them out on your hand or arm instead.
No, it won't be exactly the same as trying the lipstick on your lips, but it can still work.
And even when you're using the makeup samples on your arm, you should still clean them before using them!
After you're done, make sure to clean the item again for the next person, then wash off your hand with soap and hot water.
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