People are exposing the 'mirror selfie secret' and it's honestly game changing

17 March 2021, 13:01

Jade Thirlwall takes on the 'Buss it challenge' on TikTok

By Katie Louise Smith

"Ever since I found out influencers don’t actually use mirrors but just another camera when taking “mirror” selfies, my life has not known peace."

Everyone knows that not everything we see and consume on Instagram or social media is completely real. From the way people edit and curate their photos to the way influencers pose for the 'gram, it's all staged to some degree. And now, the mirror selfie has been exposed for being a complete scam, too.

At some point in your life, you will have taken a mirror selfie – whether it was as a teenager taking snaps on your BlackBerry in a school toilet with your mates or as a grown up dropping a thirst trap in your IG story. But did you know that some influencers don't even use mirrors to take their mirror selfies?

A TikTok posted by Kara Del Toro (@karajewel) exposed one of the top secrets that bloggers and influencers use when taking selfies and it's absolutely blowing people's minds.

How to take a mirror selfie

In the video, Kara points out how bloggers always seem to have clean mirrors that never have any smudges or marks and always seem to be in places with the best lighting. She goes on to reveal the secret: "There is no mirror. All you need is a second phone or a spare camera."

To achieve the 'no mirror mirror selfie' shot, you need to follow these simple steps:

1) Set up a phone or camera on a tripod, "anywhere you want, with any backdrop you want."

2) Use your other phone as a prop. You won't actually be taking the photo with the phone in your hand.

3) Set a self timer to capture the image, while you're holding your prop phone as if you're taking a mirror selfie.

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While some people are only just discovering this hack for the first time, the secret is not new at all. In fact, there's a number of TikTok videos from back in 2020 that also expose the 'no mirror mirror selfie' hack. Back in May, Vi Luong (@viluong) shared the same secret, detailing exactly how to pull off the trick and touch up your photo to make it look legit.

A recent Reddit post, titled "ever since I found out influencers don’t actually use mirrors but just another camera when taking “mirror” selfies, my life has not known peace", has also gone viral exposing the hack.