How To Master Underpainting (And Why Everyone Is Talking About It In 2025)

There are two kinds of makeup looks. The ones you notice and the ones you can’t quite pin down, only that the person in front of you looks somehow sharper, fresher, and more luminous. That second look is almost always the result of underpainting.

The term may sound freshly minted, but underpainting is far from new. Makeup artists have been building dimension beneath the foundation for decades. What’s changed is the culture. In 2025, skin realism is everything: foundation masks are out, lived-in textures are in, and the aspiration is to look like you’ve had eight hours of sleep even if you haven’t. Underpainting offers exactly that balance. It lets you sculpt and enhance without sacrificing the illusion of bare skin.

What Is Underpainting?

At its simplest, underpainting is the reverse of what most people were taught about makeup. Instead of layering bronzer, blush, and contour over foundation, you apply them first. Think of it as sketching an outline before filling in a painting.

The technique can involve contour, cream bronzer, blush, colour corrector, and even highlight, all placed strategically on bare skin or over primer. A light veil of foundation or skin tint is then buffed over the top. The result is depth and colour that seem to emerge from within the skin, rather than sitting on top of it.

For professional makeup artists, this isn’t a fad but a staple. Kevyn Aucoin used variations of underpainting in the ’90s to sculpt supermodels. Bollywood MUAs have long, layered correctors under the base to handle film lighting. But the wider conversation only reignited recently, partly thanks to social media rediscoveries and partly because it aligns with a larger cultural pivot: makeup that shows technique without looking like makeup.

Why Underpainting Works in 2025

Three factors explain the revival of underpainting.

1. The Camera Never Switches Off

We live in a hyper-documented age. Whether it’s reels, selfies, or Zoom calls, faces are constantly in focus. Heavy base makeup photographs flat. Underpainting creates dimension that looks believable on camera.

2. Skin-First Beauty

 After years of full-coverage trends, the pendulum has swung towards skin. Consumers want glow, hydration, and texture to come through. By placing pigment beneath foundation, underpainting prevents the “cake” effect and keeps skin looking more like skin.

3. Indian Realities

 For India specifically, the climate makes this technique especially relevant. High humidity and heat tend to break down heavy layers. Underpainting relies on a thinner, more strategic application, which wears better through long workdays, weddings, or festivals. It’s also adaptable across undertones and depths of complexion, crucial in a country with vast shade diversity.

How to Master Underpainting: Step by Step

Here’s how to do it properly—with some exclusive insight into where most people go wrong.

Step 1: Prep with Precision

 Skin prep is half the battle. In humid weather, use gel moisturisers that sink in fast. In drier months or air-conditioned environments, go for richer bases. The aim is to slip without greasiness.

Step 2: Map Your Structure

 Apply cream contour or bronzer under the cheekbones, around the temples, and along the jawline. The mistake many make is being too heavy-handed. Remember: you’re building an impression, not an Instagram reel filter.

Step 3: Blush Before Base

 Blend cream blush onto the apples and higher points of your cheeks. On Indian skin, shades with peach or terracotta undertones work best to neutralise sallowness. Deeper skin tones can handle brick or plum tones beautifully.

Step 4: Correct if Needed

If you deal with pigmentation, peach or orange correctors can be tapped under the eyes or around the mouth. By layering them before the foundation, you use less base product overall.

Step 5: Veil with Foundation

Now comes the magic. Using a damp sponge or buffing brush, sweep a sheer foundation or skin tint over the face. The aim is not to cover but to merge. The blush and contour should peek through softly, as if they belong to your skin.

Step 6: Lock with Intention

Powder sparingly. Focus on the T-zone, under-eyes, and corners of the mouth. Leave the rest slightly luminous—that’s what keeps the skin believable.

Products That Work Best for Underpainting

The formula matters as much as the technique.

• Creams over powders: Cream formulas melt better into skin and layer seamlessly. Look for stick bronzers and cream blushes.
  

• Skin tints over foundations: Think lightweight, buildable coverage. You want transparency, not opacity.
  

• Brush + sponge duo: A dense brush places pigment precisely; a damp sponge diffuses it naturally.
  
  

International favourites: Charlotte Tilbury Contour Wand, Nudestix cream blushes, and Makeup by Mario sticks.
Indian favourites: Kay Beauty cream blush sticks, Lakmé mousse blushes, and Simply Nam cream pigments.

The Beauty Editor’s Insight: Underpainting for Indian Skin

What the Western tutorials rarely mention is undertone. Indian skin tones are incredibly nuanced—golden, olive, neutral, and reddish—and underpainting demands you get this right.

• Blush: For medium tones, go peach to lift sallowness. For deeper tones, brick and wine hues add life without chalkiness.
  

• Contour: Avoid greys. Opt for warm bronzers that mimic natural shadow.
  

• Foundation veil: Always lean sheer. Heavy coverage dulls the sculpting you’ve already built.
  
  

The biggest mistake? Adding too much product after the foundation layer. Underpainting works precisely because less is more.

Beyond Technique: Why Underpainting Matters

The return of underpainting isn’t just about artistry. It reflects how we think about beauty in 2025.

For years, makeup trends leaned maximalist: contour maps, baking, and full-coverage looks designed for social media. But as beauty shifted back to skin health and longevity, underpainting emerged as the technique that satisfies both worlds. You still get the lift, the structure, and the play of colour. But you also get transparency, texture, and the sense that your skin — not your makeup — is leading the conversation.

In India, especially, where wellness and beauty increasingly intersect, underpainting speaks to a larger cultural preference: not excess, but refinement. Not covering, but enhancing. The aspirational finish is no longer “done”. It’s “rested”.

Underpainting may look like a trend, but it’s really a philosophy: build depth first, then let skin shine through. If done well, nobody can tell you’ve done it at all. They only see someone who looks inexplicably better — as if you’ve just woken up from the kind of eight-hour sleep no one in this city ever actually gets.