Fact Or Fiction: Beauty 'Truisms' Put To The Test

Before you dig into your medicine cabinet, find out which of these six common beauty beliefs are legit. Alexis Farah from Women's Health Magazine is here seperate fact from fiction?

Cucumbers contain vitamins that reduce under-eye circles. (MYTH)
• Putting cucumbers on your eyes can fade dark circles, but only when they happen to be cold.
• That's because it's the cold-not the cucumber-that reduces puffiness.
• The cold works by constricting blood vessels to reduce fluid buildup in the soft tissues beneath your eyes.
• You can just as easily use a cool washcloth on your eyes for a few minutes and save your cucumbers for a Greek salad.

Shampoo can make a great body wash. (FACT)
• Shampoo has the same dirt-trapping agents as your favorite body wash.
• That means shampoo can make a great stand-in when your body wash bottle goes empty.
• Plus, shampoo contains conditioners that can make your skin softer than a baby's bottom.

Shaving makes hair come in darker and thicker. (MYTH)• Believe it or not shaving does not make your hair grow in darker and thicker.
• Razor stubble gets a bad rap for being darker and thicker than it really is because a razor cuts at an angle, making the hairs more visible when they grow back.

Continuous tweezing can it stop hairs from growing back. (FACT)• If you tweeze correctly, that hair in your tweezers probably won't come back.
• The trick to it is to pull the hair out every time it grows back.
• And don't be shy about it: Constantly and firmly tweezing stubborn hairs can inflame and scar the follicle, which eventually can slow down regrowth or make the hair stop growing altogether.

You should apply foundation before concealer. (FACT)
• Most women reach for their concealer before they think about foundation.
• But that's not the best way to go.
• Instead, start with foundation and see how things look.
• You might be able to get away without using concealer. And the less makeup you can use on your skin, the more natural you'll look.

You don't need sunblock when you're indoors. (MYTH)
• All ultraviolet (UV) rays are not created equal, but they all have their ways of damaging your skin.
• UVB rays are infamous for contributing to lobster-style sunburns.
• UVA rays are much trickier. These long wave rays can shoot through your windowpane just as easily as they can shoot through your skin, penetrating the deeper levels and potentially leading to skin cancer.
• So don't think you're protected just because you're indoors.

For more on beauty and health, check out the latest issue of women's health...on news stands now.