The Celeb-Loved Mary Phillips Technique Promises The Perfect Natural Contour

The beauty industry is changing at a rapid rate. What may have been the sought-after look a few years ago looks nothing like what people are aiming for today. Makeup preferences alongside application techniques continue to change and morph as people have more fun with and explore the art of makeup. While we've watched the classical smoky eye develop into a "Euphoria"-esque bejeweled look, one makeup technique has stood the test of time: contouring. 

As with any good makeup trend, this one was kicked into high gear by a celebrity makeup artist: the Kardashians' right-hand man Mario Dedivanovic or, as he's been dubbed by Elle, "the King of Contouring." Dedivanovic has been teaching us all how to achieve that staple Kardashian soft sculpted look, and people have yet to put down the contour sticks — if anything they've just started picking up his very own Makeup By Mario contouring kits, per Allure.

Dedivanovic may be the king of contouring, but fellow Kardashian makeup artist Mary Phillips has now gone viral for her very own twist on the method.

Mary Phillips has made quite the name for herself in the celebrity makeup artistry world, with an impressive clientele that of course includes the Kardashian/Jenner clan but even icons like Jennifer Lopez, Hailee Steinfeld, and Dua Lipa, per Instagram. Phillips has created some majestic creative makeup looks, but her staple is perfecting the flawless sculpted glowy skin look, and she's now letting people in on her secret.

The #MaryPhillipsHack hashtag on TikTok has garnered millions of views, with fans sharing tips even before the celeb-loved makeup artist joined the app. Everyone on beauty TikTok was obsessed with Phillips' unique method of reversing makeup application, and she recently hopped onto the app to showcase exactly how it's done. In her debut TikTok, Phillips explained how the "Mary Phillips technique" is simply applying your contour directly onto fresh skin and then continuing with the rest of your base routine. 

Phillips explains, "It's like laying down the bones under the skin, the contour and the highlight being the bones and the skin being the foundation."

As Mary Phillips once said in an Instagram Live, "If the canvas is good, the makeup is going to look good. If the skin is dry, then the makeup will look dry." Of course, the right products help, too, and Phillips shared a follow-up TikTok where she broke down the exact products she prefers to use on the likes of Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber. 

The first step is sculpting by contouring directly on fresh skin. For her choice of contouring product, she opts for the Westman Atelier Contour in the shade Biscuit, which she blends in with a Shu Uemura Foundation Brush. When it comes to precision work, such as nose contouring, she uses Tweezerman's Shaping Brow Brush. After buffing all of that work in with a MAC Cosmetics brush, Phillips moves on to highlighting. She applies her RCMA Highlighter to the high points of her face and blends it in with a Tom Ford Brush. 

Next in the reverse makeup application method comes concealing. Phillips uses a Kardashian staple we're all familiar with, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, and uses a Tom Ford Concealer Brush to buff it in before a final dab with a Beautyblender. For her overall base, Phillips uses the Chanel Vitalumiere Foundation and blends it in using a Hakuhodo Brush. Lastly, she wraps up the "Mary Phillips Technique" by applying some Westman Atelier Blush in the shade Petal using a Hakuhodo Brush.