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When you’re the go-to make-up artist of TikTok icons like Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, knowing which tricks have viral potential is key. Luckily for LA-based artist Mary Phillips, her ability to translate traditional techniques into something modern and wearable for the new generation of make-up obsessives is intuitive.
“I didn’t invent it, it’s an old school technique that I learnt from reading Kevyn Aucoin books,” she says of the underpainting technique she propelled to viral status last year. “But when Instagram arrived the make-up tended to be very heavy, with boxy, sharp brows and an over-powdered look. I noticed with TikTok, the younger generations were going back to sheer, more glowy make-up–even though they still love the sculpted look. With underpainting it’s very easy to get that sculpted, snatched look but using thinner layers and keeping it glowy. You use way less product and you look really natural.”
In case you’re not already au fait with the technique, underpainting involves applying your contour, highlight and blush before applying your foundation, for a lighter, more radiant finish.
While her underpainting may have caught the attention of a younger audience, Phillips is keen to share the virtues of make-up tricks that work at any age. Her three-dot concealer trick is one such tip, and calls for strategically placed cover-up placed under the inner corner of the eye, under the outer corner of the eye and finally, next to your nostril. Blending these three together with a small, fluffy complexion brush creates a triangle of light that adds imperceptible illumination to the face, while also covering any dark circles.
“Everybody needs concealer in those three spots, no matter how old you are,” she insists. “Using concealer as a highlighter is a great way to sculpt and define your face which means you need less contour. It lifts and sculpts naturally.” While any concealer will work, Phillips is a fan of L’Oreal Paris’s Infallible 24hr More Than Concealer, “It’s not overly drying or cakey but is very creamy. It ticks all the boxes,” she adds.
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Radiant, glowing skin is clearly a Phillips speciality, but she’s enthusiastic about any tricks that add a youthful freshness to the face. “A lot of people ask me about freckles because I do a lot of faux freckles,” she says. “The key to doing the prettiest, most natural ones is using two to three different shades of brown, because real freckles aren’t one uniform shade.” To create the most natural smattering, the key is to know when to stop: dot a few spots over the bridge of your nose and then just a few where the sun hits your face on your cheeks, and that’s it. Once applied, tap in gently with your ring finger to lightly smudge the edges. Phillips likes using a thin pencil, like L’Oreal Paris’s Superliner Le Khol, while Refy’s three brow color pencils make shade selection easy.
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Glowing skin is always in her repertoire, but for autumn 2023, Phillips will be pairing fresh skin with deeper blush shades and darker, more dramatic lip shades in dark browns, purples and plums. Incredibly chic but notoriously tricky to apply and maintain, Phillips has two tips for an immaculate finish. “Make sure your lip liner is really sharp before you line, and to make sure that line is super clean and crisp, always go back in with a little brush with concealer.” Whether you go matte or glossy is up to you. “It depends on your mood and how you feel,” adds Phillips. “I love both finishes for dark lips. You need to ask yourself, is it a gloss night or a matte morning?”
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If you’re hesitant about pulling off a very deep lip color, then take a leaf out of Kendall Jenner’s book and experiment with something just a little bit outside of your comfort zone. “We’ve been doing a lot of warm, deep lips colours like brown toned nudes on Kendall,” says Phillips. “L’Oreal Paris’s Infallible Matte Resistance Lipstick in 120 is perfect for this.” Supermodel lips at a high street price? Run, don’t walk, to buy.