If there is one place that’s filled to the brim with makeup hacks, it’s TikTok. If you’re a beauty lover like I am, your For You page may well be dominated by viral beauty products and makeup tips—some of which are more successful than others when it comes to translating them into real life.
So when I heard that celebrity makeup artist Mary Phillips (who does the makeup for Hailey Bieber, Jennifer Lopez and Kendall Jenner) had a hack for effortlessly blended contouring that was blowing up on the social platform, I knew I had to try it out for myself. Because who doesn’t want to look as sculpted as Hailey Bieber?
Content creator Tara Sigari took to social media to share how she loved the look of both Hailey Bieber’s and Kendall Jenner’s makeup, mentioning that they both had the same makeup artist, Mary Phillips. After a little digging, she found out exactly how they get that softly sculpted effect.
Many have now taken to TikTok to share their results. But what does the hack involve exactly? While we’ve been accustomed to applying foundation then concealer and contour, this hack turns order on its head. Instead, you apply your contour and concealer first, then blend before applying a foundation all over your skin with a big fluffy brush. The idea is that you get an effortlessly blended effect with no harsh lines from the contour or concealer. After seeing so many get great results on the app, I rushed to give it a go for myself.
I have to say it feels very odd going in with a cream contour and concealer first. On the day I tested this out, my skin had broken out, and I had some redness, so I was concerned that by not layering a foundation first, it wouldn’t provide enough coverage. Not to mention that the contour might look muddy. But I ploughed on by and applied a creamy contour stick to the places I wanted to sculpt and a slightly lighter concealer to the areas I wanted to highlight. I did add a touch of another neutral concealer to my spots where I needed a little extra help before taking a beauty sponge to blend it all out.
I blended out the lighter concealer areas first to avoid transferring the contour into places it shouldn’t be. Once those were all blended out, I then buffed in the contoured areas to blend them in to the concealer.
This was the result of the concealer and contour blended out, before going in with the next step—to buff a small amount of foundation over the top with a big fluffy brush.
Taking my beloved It Cosmetics CC Cream, I applied a small amount to the back of my hand and took a large fluffy brush to buff it into the bristles before buffing over my skin. I felt like the concealer had provided a good amount of coverage, so I could use much less foundation than I’d usually use.
And here is the final result—and I have to say I really like this technique. I think the effect is far softer and more blended than if I were to apply foundation first and then a cream contour. I also liked that the placement of the concealer gave me enough coverage that I could use much less foundation. It did take a bit more time to do to ensure I’d throughly blended everything out, but overall I’m super impressed by this hack. It’s a yes from me.
Up Next, No Lie—I Tried Hailey Bieber’s Blush Hack, and My Face Has Never Looked Better
