Underpainting is TikTok’s Latest Beauty Trend
Applying contour before foundation, this technique turns your beauty routine on its head.
TikTok’s latest beauty trend, "underpainting," is actually an old one. Beauty content creators are applying contour first, then concealer, followed by foundation. This old-school makeup trick makes for a sculpted yet natural look.
Mary Phillips, makeup artist to stars like Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, revealed how she achieves an airbrushed look on her celebrity clients during a recent TikTok. Thanks to Phillips, the technique has seen a viral resurgence. According to Phillips, “It’s like laying down the bones under the skin,” with the "bones" being the contour and highlight and the "skin" being the foundation.
Although many accredit Phillips as the inventor of underpainting, this layering concept was originally created by contour king Kevyn Aucoin. Since popularizing the chiseled look in the ‘90s, Scott Barnes and other artists have continued to practice Aucoin’s masterful shading approach.
Amidst the underpainting revival, beauty creators like Tara Sigari have tried the technique for out themselves. In a recent TikTok, Sigari underpaints the right side of her face before going about the traditional process on her left. Since this reversed base technique requires less product, Sigari notes a lesser propensity for creasing. After comparing the two sides, Sigari opts for underpainting, exclaiming, “I’m blown away… It looks so seamless, so sculpted, so glowy.”
