Quick answer: The household item that smooths my wrinkles is Frownies — thin paper patches I press onto my forehead and between my brows at night to hold the skin flat while I sleep. I started using them after I stopped getting Botox over a year ago, and I love how much smoother my forehead looks in the morning. It's needle-free and all about nightly consistency, not a medical treatment.
Key takeaways
- The "household item" is Frownies: thin paper patches worn overnight to keep forehead and brow lines from setting while you sleep.
- Nikol turned to them after stopping Botox over a year ago — it's needle-free and reversible, and results come from consistent nightly use.
- She keeps her nighttime skincare simple and fully absorbed before applying the patches, and pairs them with an at-home NIRA laser.
- The second half of the video is a warm fall makeup tutorial for mature skin, built on a soft khaki eye and a glowy, lifted base.
Hey ladies! In this one I'm sharing the little household-style item that has been smoothing my wrinkles overnight, and then walking you through a cozy fall makeup look to go with it. Here's exactly what I use and how I use it.
What Is the Household Item That Smooths Wrinkles?
For me, the answer is Frownies — and yes, I know they look almost too simple to work. They're basically paper and a little glue, which is why people call them a household item, but I would rather leave the cutting and gluing to the experts. Frownies is a woman-founded company that has been making these patches since 1889, so there is over a century of real-world use behind them. This is not sponsored; I found them on my own while hunting for anything that could help after I stopped getting Botox over a year ago. Alongside my NIRA at-home laser, they have become the thing I reach for every single night — and on the mornings I skip them, I definitely notice the difference.
How Do I Wear Frownies Overnight?
The patches are perforated, so you wet them and place them in whatever pattern targets your concern — I cover my whole forehead and come down just a little. Here's my routine, step by step:
- Do your full nighttime skincare first. I keep it simple with a rich cream plus my usual serum and moisturizer on the forehead.
- Wait until everything fully absorbs — you don't have to skip skincare where the patches go.
- Dampen the patch, then press it flat over the line you want to smooth, gently smoothing the skin as you go.
- Sleep in them overnight.
- In the morning, remove gently with water. The smoothed look is right there when you take them off.
It really does come down to consistency. If putting something on your forehead every night isn't for you, that's okay — but for me, it's completely worth it. If you have sensitive or reactive skin, patch-test first and check with a professional before making it a nightly habit.
What's the Fall Makeup Tutorial?
Once my skin is smooth, I go into a warm, wearable fall look. I always start with my #1 Eye Primer — it's the very first thing I do on my eyes to erase darkness and give my shadow something to grip. Then I built a soft khaki eye using a Tom Ford palette, starting with a wash of color in the middle and building slowly so a mature eye never looks overworked. I defined my lash line with my dark chocolate liner, curled my lashes, and coated them from base to tip with my comb-wand mascara.
For the base, I prep with my Fiercely Smooth Face Primer for a burst of hydration, then buff on BB Cream in thin layers so it never settles into lines. A hybrid bronzer, an apricot blush, a soft lip liner, a fresh lipstick, and a golden gloss finish the whole look.
What's Nikol's Take on Brows, Color, and Aging Fiercely?
I also talked about my brows in this one. I'm Greek, I've always had full brows, and I've taken years of unkind comments over them — then when I finally cleaned them up, I got exactly one comment. The lesson, ladies: don't let the peanut gallery decide how you feel about your face, your body, or your makeup. Be the woman who lifts other women up. And don't be afraid of color as you age — try a wash of a bolder shadow, build it slowly, and wear whatever makes you feel beautiful. That's what fierce aging is all about.
The Bottom Line
The wrinkle-smoothing "household item" is really just a smart, needle-free habit: Frownies overnight, simple well-absorbed skincare, and a lifted, glowy makeup routine the next day. None of it is a medical treatment — it's what works for me, and consistency is the secret. If you want to recreate the look, my face and eyes essentials are the perfect place to start, and you'll find my most-loved pieces in best sellers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the wrinkle-smoothing household item really something you already own?
Not quite. Nikol explains the patches are essentially paper and glue, so in theory they could be a household item, but she prefers buying Frownies from the company that has specialized in them since 1889. She would rather trust the experts than cut and glue paper herself, and the ready-made patches are inexpensive.
Are wrinkle patches a real alternative to Botox?
For Nikol they became her go-to after she stopped Botox over a year ago. The patches work mechanically, holding the skin flat overnight rather than relaxing muscles with a needle. Results depend on nightly consistency, and everyone's skin is different, so treat this as her personal experience rather than a medical claim.
Do you have to skip your skincare to wear the patches?
No. Nikol does her normal nighttime skincare first, applying moisturizer and serum to her forehead, then waits until everything fully absorbs. Only then does she dampen and press on the patches. That way your skin still gets its treatment, and the patches sit on clean, prepped skin overnight.
How long before you notice a difference?
Nikol says the smoothed look is there the very next morning, and on nights she skips the patches she notices her forehead looks less rested. Longer-term softening builds with consistent nightly wear over several weeks. As always, patch-test first and check with a professional if you have sensitive skin.
Can you wear makeup over the area in the morning?
Yes. Once the patch comes off, the skin is simply smoother. Nikol primes with her Fiercely Smooth Face Primer, then applies BB Cream in thin, buffed layers so the base does not settle into any lines. Keeping foundation light and lifted is her key to a fresh daytime finish.
What products did Nikol use in the fall makeup tutorial?
She built a warm khaki eye using a Tom Ford palette over her Eye Primer, defined the eyes with her dark chocolate liner and mascara, then prepped skin with Fiercely Smooth Face Primer and BB Cream. She finished with a hybrid bronzer, an apricot blush, a soft lip liner, lipstick, and a golden gloss.
