IMO, makeup is essentially face painting. Similar to the actual art form of painting, there’s always a new brush or bending technique to alter the finish. Since your face is the canvas, experimenting with makeup application becomes even more exciting. The facial features, indentations, curves and creases offer immense opportunities to play with tints and placements. Beauty girls, who I’m eternally grateful for bringing their A-game on my FYP page, love exploring these alternative ways and a recent hack is a downright genius. So much so that it has actress and beauty entrepreneur Jessica Alba’s stamp of approval!
For people who hate cakey, multiple layers of makeup, this one is a breath of fresh air for the skin, literally. The hack calls for applying all your makeup steps as a single, thin layer on the skin. The result is a sheer, natural and refined finish. And since you are not layering 5-6 products on top of one another, the makeup doesn’t move all over your face and stays put for a long time. It is ideal for anyone who likes to show off their natural skin rather than feel weighed down under buildable layers of coverage.
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First introduced to beauty enthusiasts on the ‘gram by beauty maven Chloe Morello, the hacks call for applying your cream products at once. Now, this is important, you guys. The hack only works with cream products – foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer or contour. You can also use stick products but deposit the product with your finger. The technique also requires patient and mid-level blending skills to avoid harsh lines or skewed placements.
Start by dotting your face with the products. The concealer goes on the under eye and wherever you need some extra coverage. Move over to the foundation; dot it on your forehead, bridge of the nose, hollows of your cheeks and around your mouth. Dot the blush on the apple of your cheeks; you can play with the blush placement according to your personal style. If you wish to drape it, take it higher to your temples. Apply the bronzer/contour under the blush, near the hairline, chin and nose.
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Let’s move on to the blending. It is essential to keep the cream products wet to facilitate seamless blending. So once you’re done dotting your face with the products, go in with primer water or setting spray to wet the tints. You can keep repeating it while you blend each product; it works as an add-on to infuse the products with the setting power of the spray and keep it set for a long time.
Start blending the products from light to dark – concealer, foundation, blush and bronzer/contour. Use separate brushes for each product; thin eyeshadow brushes will be ideal for your under-eye area. Make sure to use different brushes while blending each product and stick to the space allotted to each product. Do not overlap the blending with one another. Use a circular motion to distribute the product over your skin, and then sweep the brush across to clean any harsh lines.
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Once you blend all the products, take a flat brush and sweep it across your face in an upward motion to add finishing touches. Spritz your face with setting spray and allow it to completely dry this time. Check your mug for any gaps in coverage. Sometimes, this technique can leave bald spots in tricky places like the side of your nose or over your chin. You can always add these final touches later. Remember, since your products are all applied in one single layer, you can always build a product from step 2 without having to worry about messing with step 4 or 5. Also, makeup is not a ‘one size fits all’ phenomenon. So you can take creative liberties to suit your unique facial features. Practice the application and blending technique a couple of times before making up your mind about it. The ones who have aced the method claim to never go back to wearing a full face of foundation, and frankly, we’d love to be about that life as well!
