HB Team Tries: Does The Mary Phillips Complexion Hack Work On Everyone?

Honestly, we’ve never been sent a makeup hack as much as we have been the Mary Phillips complexion tutorial. Our group chats were literally blowing up! Everyone was asking us, “Have you tried this? Is it legit?” So obviously, we knew we had to try it and do a full review – we give the people what they want, after all!

If you haven’t seen the makeup hack we’re referring to, it’s a complexion tutorial by celeb MUA Mary Phillips, who works with the likes of Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Priyanka Chopra, and J. Lo, to name a few! Her complexion skills are talked about worldwide, thanks to her ability to make her models look effortlessly sculpted. She recently shared her go-to complexion hack, and of course, the internet went WILD (us too). So we decided to do a full breakdown, trialing it with different complexion formulas on a variety of skin tones to see if the hack reaaaally comes through. *Pssst!* Spoiler alert: it did.

The Mary Phillips Complexion Hack

@makeupbymaryphillips lmk if you have questions! First video please be nice! Lol 🥰 #maryphillipsmakeup #maryphillipshack #contourtechnique #foundationhack #makeuphack ♬ Lo-fi hip hop – NAO-K

The hack is something that’s been floating around in different formats for a while, but Mary shared her go-to routine to get that supermodel snatch.

First, she applies the Westman Atelier Face Trace Cream Contour Stick, $48, to the hollows of her cheeks, forehead, jawline, the side of her nose, and a little on her brow bone. Mary follows with the RMCA Highlight and Contour Palette, $30, highlighting her undereye, underneath her contour, chin, and the bridge of her nose, before applying the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, $32, to her undereye for extra coverage. Once it’s blended out, she applies the Chanel VITALUMIÈRE AQUA Hybrid Fluid Foundation, $55, (sparingly), on top of any areas that need evening out.

Once it’s all buffed and blended to perfection, she applies the Nudestix Nudies Matte Lux All-Over Face Blush, $35, to the high points of her face, followed by the Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Lip + Cheek Cream Blush Stick, $48, for an extra pop of color.

Okay, so now you know what Mary does; here’s what happened when we tried the hack…

Huda’s Experience

@hudabeauty Tried @makeupbymaryphillips technique Thank you @tarasigari for being the first to post about it 🙏🏽 #viraltiktok #makeuphacks #maryphillipsmakeup #celebritymakeupartist ♬ Beat Automotivo Tan Tan Tan Viral – WZ Beat

Huda’s review: This hack has definitely been around, but I’m so grateful that Mary shared her hacks and brought it back into the spotlight because it really is a stunning complexion technique. I loved how seamless my snatch looked. Plus, it allows you to contour your face as much as you like as it’s underneath, so the finished look is still flawless. Overall, I LOVED it and will definitely be using this more in the future!

Products used: For this hack, I used our Tantour, $30, to contour, and my fave #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer, $29, in my snatch shade, which is four shades lighter than my foundation. I then used our #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Foundation, $42, as well as our Easy Bake Loose Setting Powder, $35, in the shade Banana Bread, to set, and our Huda Beauty Cheeky Tint Blush Stick, $25, to add a rosy flush of color.

Of course, we wanted to push our testing phase to the limit, so two of our Huda Beauty team members gave it a go to give you all the juicy deets.

Eleanor’s Experience

via Giphy

Eleanor’s thoughts: I’ve been obsessed with Mary Phillips for YEARS. She’s literally the G.O.A.T MUA if you love a more natural complexion as I do. I instantly fell in love with the final look as the blend was so seamless and required less effort than layering my complexion products like I usually do (foundation, contour, concealer, blush).

Unlike Huda or Mary, I used a skin tint, and I really liked the finished result. It was super glowy and natural. I also got a lot of compliments in the office, which is always a plus. However, as I used all cream products, by the end of the day the coverage had melted away slightly, so I would recommend setting the face as Huda did – she always knows best!

When it came to the blush, I also used a hack I got from Huda – applying your cream blush to the palm of your hand and then applying it to the face with a brush. This just creates a really natural finished look, which worked well with this tutorial. Overall, I’ll definitely be incorporating this look into my daily routine. All hail Mary!

Another thing I did a little differently was to use a sponge to blend everything together. It’s the lazy option, but I feel like it also helped blend everything together seamlessly.

Products used: To contour, I used Tantour, $30, followed by our Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer, $29, and our GloWish Multi Dew Skin Tint, $37. For the blush, I used our Huda Beauty Cheeky Tint Blush Stick, $25, in shade Perky Peach, on my cheeks and lips.

Nini’s Experience

via Giphy

Nini’s thoughts: During the week, I actually don’t wear makeup often, and if I do, I keep it pretty low-key, so this hack is perfect for me. I was kinda skeptical at first, but I was lovin’ the final look. I just felt like I looked really sculpted without being too cakey or heavily contoured. I used the same product lineup as Huda – all of the products melted effortlessly together in seconds, which was a major plus as if I do wear makeup, I don’t have a ton of time in the morning. In short: this is going to be my new go-to.

Products used: For this hack, I used our Tantour, $30, to contour, and my fave #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer, $29. I then used our #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Foundation, $42, as well as the Huda Beauty Cheeky Tint Blush Stick, $25, in shade Rebel Red.

The Final Look

What do you guys think of the final look? Let us know if you tried the hack in the comments below? Let’s chat!