Contrary to what your social media feeds might have you believe, mastering an “effortless” makeup look actually takes quite a bit of thought. Achieving just the right amount of dew (without appearing sweaty) requires some precise marching orders, which is why makeup artists and experts are constantly fielding questions like What goes first: concealer or foundation? Bronzer or blush? And where do you fold in a contour?
All at once, dot your products wherever you would normally cover up, highlight, contour, etc. You can map it out however you please, but a good rule of thumb is to dot foundation along your T-zone, concealer underneath your eyes and on top of any blemishes you’d like to mask, blush on top of your cheekbones, and contour underneath your cheekbones, along your jawline, and across your hairline. “Instead of applying foundation over your whole face, then applying concealer on top of that, blush on top of that, contour on top of that, and bronzer on top of that, this is technically a single layer of makeup,” notes Morello. If your face looks like a colorful polka dot painting, you’re doing something right.
