I never thought of myself as someone who was easily influenced until I got TikTok. Next thing I knew I was making feta pasta and telling myself that I could pull off any Ikea furniture DIY [1] I stumbled upon. (The pasta worked out; the home improvement project not so much.) If TikTok is good for anything other than stealing hours of my evening, it's supplying me with plenty of ideas and hacks [2], especially in the beauty category.
You can find makeup tricks [3] and tips for just about anything on the video sharing app, but there's especially a large number of foundation hacks [4]. Makeup-lovers are constantly reinventing techniques [5]. Out of the hundreds of foundation-focussed videos on TikTok, there were three foundation hacks that kept popping up on my "For You" page, and I decided I had to see if they were legit.
Keep reading to see how each makeup hack worked and how I rated each one.
My Review
The hardest thing to get past with this hack is applying your products in a completely different order. As someone who wears makeup almost every weekday, I could do my makeup routine with my eyes closed, but this twist definitely threw me off. With that said, I didn't dislike the hack. I used the Maybelline Lasting Fix Banana Setting Powder [6] ($12) first, followed by the Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray [7] ($33), then the Beauty Bakerie The Butter Hydra Silk Primer [8] ($24), and lastly the Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 25 [9] ($42).
Applying setting powder to your clean skin on top of moisturiser feels a little dry at first but then adding primer and foundation over top fixes that. I didn't notice a difference in how my foundation applied but I did notice a difference in how it looked — it had a smoother appearance. I was impressed with how it held up after a full day of work. My makeup typically creases under my eyes and around my mouth but that didn't happen.
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My Review
I was dreading this one. I don't like messes (fun fact: that was actually my first word) or wearing heavy makeup so I was pretty nervous to slather on buckets of foundation. (Before I even began I made sure I had ample makeup wipes at the ready.) I used the Benefit Cosmetics The Porefessional Pore Minimizing Primer [10] ($32) and then the Bobbi Brown Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF 15 [11] ($49).
Just like in the video, I applied globs of product with my hands and rubbed it in. It felt pretty sticky and was tugging at my face slightly. Then I went back in to drip more foundation down my cheeks, forehead, and chin straight out of the bottle and blended it with a damp makeup sponge. It surprisingly blended well and gave my skin an even finish — not cakey. Concealer becomes obsolete with this hack because not a single blemish or dark circle is getting through the thick layer of foundation. I made sure to apply a decent amount of powder because I did not trust this wouldn't slide off my face after a few hours.
Does it give you an airbrushed look? Yes. Does it feel like you're wearing eight pounds of foundation? Also yes. It looked pretty damn good if I do say so myself, but it looks better from far away. It reminded me of my days as a competition dancer when I would wear heavy stage makeup. While I don't think I'd pull out this makeup hack for everyday wear, I could totally see doing it again for a photoshoot or something where you want to really look done up.
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My Review
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought of mixing foundation with setting powder. I used the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder [12] ($39) and Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Foundation [13] ($40), and mixed them together on the back of my hand.
First impression: it's thick and very dry. Because you're essentially making a paste, the foundation becomes a little hard to apply but with the right brush, you can blend it in. I'll admit, immediately after I finished the rest of my makeup I thought it looked good. A few hours later, not so much. It became really cakey and dry as the day went on. This made it settle in fine lines and become patchy.
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