I always thought the general consensus was foundation first, then concealer where needed… but in the realm of the internet I often see more concealer being used than foundation. For example, I just watched a clip of concealer being placed as highlight, so tracing the brows, around the eyes (lids, under eye, and above cheekbone), jaws, nose. Cream contour. Then a little bit of foundation for a finishing touch? Is there a science to this madness? This was for a “natural look” but I thought foundation had a more natural finish than concealer? I’m over here still using BB cream when I’m actually doing a full face which is once in a blue moon. I’m so confused.
That technique is called underpainting, where the contouring is done before foundation. The theory is that the foundation then melds it all together. It’s more natural in the sense that because the top layer is the same colour, it looks more seamless: the contour will not look as dark and the light parts will not be as stark. Of course, the foundation will not be full-coverage since you still want the highlight and contour to be able to show through. It’s still a lot of makeup so it’s not natural in that way.
It’s sort of like blending out dark eyeshadow with a shade close to your skintone for a more seamless transition.