Despite being a beauty girl through and through, my makeup routine has relatively stayed the same over the years. Sure, I'm constantly swapping out new beauty products, but my overall technique, from how I contour to applying my signature winged eyeliner, hasn't changed much. Then one late night on TikTok, I went down a deep rabbit hole on a makeup technique called underpainting, and I got to thinking, "Have I been doing everything wrong?"
In case you're unfamiliar with the term, underpainting is the process of contouring and highlighting your features before applying foundation, instead of the other way around. While by no means new, celebrity makeup artist Mary Phillips is synonymous with the phrase thanks to hundreds of viral videos testing the "Mary Philips underpainting technique." She's also been open about using underpainting on her A-list clients like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner. With so much online attention, releasing a makeup brand with underpainting as the basis felt like a natural next step.
Enter: M.ph, Phillips' just-launched makeup line designed to enhance, sculpt, and define. Starting off, the brand includes the Lip Ciggy hydrating lipstick Balm, The Overliner lip pencil, and the star of the show, the Underpainting Face Palette, which comes in shades Light, Medium, and Dark (with more shades to come). The line also includes a brush—the Underpainting Dual-Ended Sculpting Brush—to seamlessly blend the shades together.
With all the tools needed to carve and sculpt, I was more than curious to see if M.ph could help me achieve the chiseled features of my dreams. The rest of the Marie Claire beauty team was just as intrigued, too. The general consensus after testing the line ourselves? Underpainting is the move.
Read on for Marie Claire's honest review of Mary Phillips' M.ph and to shop the line for yourself.
Editors’ Honest M.ph Reviews
Brooke Knappenberger, Associate Commerce Editor
As I mentioned before, I don't tend to switch up my makeup, so I was a tad anxious to see how my basic application skills would fare with the Underpainting Palette. As the brand suggests, I applied a dab of color corrector (the first pan on the Underpainting Palette) directly to my undereyes using the small side of the dual-ended brush. Then, I swiped the first contour shade to the peaks of my cheekbones, temples, forehead, jawline, and sides of my nose. Lastly, I used the first highlighter shade even further under my eyes, under my cheekbones, and across my forehead. To top off my complexion, I lightly applied a layer of tinted sunscreen (my current favorite is Beauty of Joseon) all over the underpainting.
The results weren't quite as dramatic as I was hoping, but admittedly, I chalk that up to user error. I was a bit too light-handed applying my contour, so my sculpted cheekbones became more subdued after I applied my tinted sunscreen. However, it was nothing a little top-off couldn't fix. What impressed me most about the Underpainting Palette was its ultra-creamy formula. Every shade blended like a dream and could be built up easily, which are must-haves for underpainting novices like myself.
I also got the chance to try both M.ph lip products, and day I say, I may have found my new favorite lip liner in The Overliner. The pencil packs a punch of pigment, so I didn't need much work to line my lips. Its texture isn't too creamy or too stiff, so I was able to blend out the liner into a lasting plumper pout. The Lip Ciggy, which comes in the cutest pocket-size bullet, has a delectable formula, too, with a hydrating feel and a buildable, sheer wash of color.
Hannah Baxter, Beauty Director
Truth time: I rarely wear foundation. Chalk it up to laziness, a commitment to my skincare routine, or my love of a quick and easy skin tint, but it made me a little hesitant to jump into the underpainting pool. Still, when presented with the opportunity to look like Mary Phillips did my makeup? I was bursting at the seams to get my hands on this palette. Truth be told, it was the dual-ended brush that earned the first squeal, but the ultra creamy formula did impress me just as much after the first swipe. The color-corrector shade was ideal for my skin tone to erase any evidence of dark circles (courtesy of a rather sleepless night in my too-hot apartment) but the highlighter shade didn't quite deliver the level of dewy glowy I crave in this type of product. I understand the method with underpainting, but for my personal cosmetics aesthetic, it wasn't really my cup of tea. The contour though? My cheekbones could definitely cut glass after painting that onto the hollows of my face. I'm not skilled enough to use it around my nose or jawline but if that's your jam, this would probably be a new go-to product for you.
Samantha Holender, Senior Beauty Editor
I'll be honest: after the underpainting craze passed last year, I stopped doing my makeup in reverse. But this gorgeous palette reminded me just how much I love the technique. The contour shades are so creamy and blend seamlessly. I just put a little Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter on top and it diffuses everything perfectly—no harsh lines or weird, blotchy gradients. And a special shoutout to the m.ph brush, which is quite literally my new favorite item—ever.
Siena Gagliano, Beauty Editor
I love a fuller-coverage base, but my trick is keeping it looking natural with lightweight layers. Underpainting didn’t seem like my thing—until Mary Phillips, the queen of makeup, launched her line. I couldn’t resist. I tried the light palette since my vacation tan is fading (I usually go medium in summer). The shades are insanely creamy and blendable, and a little goes a long way. I layered concealer first, then the cream before my skin tint. For cheekbones, I used the second-darkest shade with a hint of gray, and the darkest warm shade around the face perimeter for a subtle bronze. She nailed it. I’m picky about contour, and this formula hits every note.
Danielle Jackson, Senior Beauty Writer
Contouring and underpainting are two makeup techniques that I've never quite taken the time to learn, since the thought of doing both has always intimidated me. I can appreciate the fact that this palette makes it pretty simple for beginners to at least try their hand at it. I applied one of the highlight shades under my eyes, and I think it did a stellar job of concealing the redness under there. I also love the consistency—the creams are so soft, and while I do feel like the product glides on and blends pretty well, I never felt like I was applying too much since it's still easy to control how much you want to put on at once. The dual-sided brush is also so helpful to have.
Ariel Baker, Beauty Writer
Underpainting scares me, but when Mary Phillips comes out with a brand dedicated to the practice, I simply had to try it out. I love everything about the packaging of the product and the accompanying brush. They’re both super sleek and easy to store, perfect for someone who, candidly, has a lot of stuff. That being said, I’ve run into the same issue that I have with most brands when it comes to complexion products: the deep palette is too deep, but the medium is too light, so I had to use this palette more like a foundation and bronzer palette, which I actually didn’t mind. That being said, Phillips has mentioned that additional shades of the palette are on the way, so I’ll likely pick up one of those to really give underpainting a go.
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