A Beginner’s Guide to the Underpainting Beauty Trend

You know how much we love a “no makeup” makeup moment, so when we heard about underpainting — one of the latest viral beauty trends for nailing a natural look — we couldn’t resist. In true Perricone MD fashion, we went straight to researching and tapped our very own Director of Education and certified makeup artist, Rosalba Martone, to give us the full scoop. Keep reading to learn all about this trendy makeup hack and how to perfect it.

Starting With the Highlights

Underpainting is a makeup technique in which you apply your foundation on top of your liquid, cream or gel concealer, bronzer, blush and highlighter (not atop powders) instead of underneath them to reveal a soft, sculpted look without any harsh contrasts.

“This technique allows you to achieve that contoured look you love but with a seamless blend,” Martone shares. Adding that it also makes it easier to achieve an effortless look because it’s much more forgiving, helping to disguise any flaws should your bronzer, blush or highlighter not be perfectly applied. This makes it ideal for everyone, no matter how skilled you are with your beauty brushes and blenders (yes, even beginners).

Since underpainting makes application easier, it also saves time since you spend less on smoothing, perfecting and redoing. An added perk? Because the products used underneath help to provide some of the coverage you want for your skin, underpainting also requires you to use less foundation.

A Step-by-Step Breakdown

Now that we’ve highlighted the benefits of underpainting makeup, it’s time to get to the foundation: how it’s done.

Step 1: Bronzer

Start by applying No Makeup Bronzer to your forehead, the hollows of your cheeks, chin and nose, then blend. “I love this bronzer for underpainting because its weightless liquid formula makes it easy to blend and buildable to create a healthy-looking, sun-kissed glow without shine, shimmer or caking,” Martone says. Bonus: it’s infused with skincare ingredients, including Chinese ginger plant extract, which help visibly improve dullness and discoloration over time.

Step 2: Blush

Next, apply your No Makeup Blush Balm to the apples of your cheeks and blend upward toward your hairline to create a more lifted effect. Rich in skin firming and smoothing ceramides, this easy-to-use cream blush improves skin’s appearance with continued use. Thanks to its effortless glide, instant natural-looking color and radiant, dewy finish, it makes the perfect second step in your underpainting routine.

Step 3: Highlighter

Then, Martone recommends applying one to two dots of No Makeup Highlighter to your upper cheeks, the upper area of your eyebrows and the tip of your nose, pressing gently into skin to accentuate these features. “This skin-improving liquid gel highlighter is lightweight and sheer, ensuring a flawless application under your foundation for a subtle luminosity and definition,” she says.

Step 4: Foundation

Finally, apply a light layer of No Makeup Foundation Serum to visibly improve the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone both instantly and over time. Martone recommends using a damp beauty blender to create a softer, more natural finish that allows your contour, blush and highlighter to really shine through.

When it comes to underpainting, Martone concludes, “The result is a lit-from-within appearance that looks fresh and effortless.” Can it get much more flawless than that?