My goal is always to have my makeup look super natural [3]. While I occasionally switch it up for special occasions, I typically stick to neutral tones in my lip and eye-makeup colours; for base-makeup products, I use light-to-medium coverage formulas [4]. I gave up heavy, full-coverage makeup years ago, and I don't plan on ever going back. With that said, I'm always looking for a way to even out my skin tone and cover blemishes and discoloration with as little makeup as possible — and I recently discovered a TikTok makeup hack [5] that allows me to do just that.
@meganlavallie [6] Try this instead of using a concealer ❤️
♬ Zou Bisou Bisou - Gillian Hills [7]
Makeup artist Megan Lavallie [8] shared the quick and easy blemish hack on TikTok, telling users to "try this instead of using a concealer." In the video, she uses just two products: foundation and a Q-tip. She dips one end of the Q-tip in some foundation and proceeds to tap the product onto her skin wherever she wants some additional coverage or has a breakout or dark spot.
Generally, when I do my makeup, I use concealer to cover any imperfections that I'm trying to get rid of by dabbing the doe-foot applicator onto my skin and then blending it with either a damp makeup sponge or a blush. I'd never considered using a Q-tip before, mainly because my collection is stacked with beauty tools specifically designed for makeup [9] application. However, I couldn't argue with the results in the video — her skin looked great.
With my Kosas Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation SPF 25 [10] ($42), I decided to give it a go. I did the rest of my makeup first — bronzer, blush, and eye makeup — and then put some foundation on the back of my hand.
I dabbed a tiny bit of foundation on one end of the Q-tip (not too much, since I didn't want it to get goopy) and used that same dabbing motion to blend the foundation into my skin. At first, it was hard to see where I was putting the product, but that was kind of the point. I went around my face and dabbed the foundation onto my pimples and dark spots.
When I backed away from the camera, I didn't see any of the blemishes I was trying to hide. Better yet, it didn't look like I'd applied makeup over the spots — they just seemed to have disappeared.
If I ever want a no-makeup makeup look — or if I'm just in a rush — I'm definitely going to be using this Q-tip foundation hack [11] to give myself a smooth, flawless base without the extra steps.