Forget the days when the beauty world was taken over by ’contouring’. The scenario has changed and the beauty enthusiasts have lately become clean bowled by another makeup trend called ‘baking’ or ‘cooking’. No, it is not, by any means, linked to your kitchen utensils or your culinary skills. Rather, it is a buzzy term used for a certain technique of makeup application, which creates an absolutely flawless look with a gorgeous highlighted finish. If you are totally unsure what the fuss about baking or cooking is, keep reading:
What Is Baking / Cooking Of Makeup?
Let me tell you first that the baking or cooking of makeup is not at all a new thing. It is an old-school, grand mom-approved technique that has made a grand comeback after long days! Makeup baking has always been around and it was mainly used by the drag queens to set and highlight the stage makeup by hiding bruises and shaping up the face. The technique was highly effective in creating a crease-less makeup with complete coverage, unblemished finish, and long-lasting finish. With the increasing popularity of highlighting and contouring, the baking of makeup has also been seeing a resurgence. However, creating a baked face is more or less similar to highlighting, which skips shimmer and keeps the finish as matte as possible.
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Things You Need To Bake Your Face
So, what are those makeup tools and ingredients that can give you a perfectly baked face? Don’t worry! You do not need to burn your pocket to buy any luxury item. Rather, keep a few everyday makeup products and tools in your beauty arsenal and you will be good to go. Here is a list:
- A well-hydrating moisturizer
- A good eye cream
- A full-coverage concealer (one shade lighter than your actual skin tone)
- A translucent loose setting powder (one shade lighter than your actual skin tone)
- A high-quality pressed powder
- A large, fluffy dome brush
- A blending sponge
- A wedge sponge
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Synopsis Of Makeup Baking / Cooking
And now, here is a summary (we will be doing a separate post for the detailed step by step method of makeup baking) of the procedure that you need to follow to get your makeup as well as face baked:
Start with hydrating your face by applying moisturizer generously. Also, massage the eye cream into your eye areas. Once the base is ready, apply concealer to the areas under your eyes in a triangular shape. If you have issues like eye bags, dark circles, etc., blend the concealer seamlessly into your skin with the blending sponge. Also, apply some more to your forehead, nose, and chin to highlight. Then, apply a thick layer of translucent powder to the under eye areas, the center of the nose, and top of the jawbone with the damp wedge sponge. Allow your face to ‘bake’ or ‘cook’ for 15-20 minutes (also called the ‘baking time’). After that, dust the extra powder off your face with the fluffy brush. Apply the pressed powder and soften the harsh edges (if any) with the damp blending sponge. You are ‘baked’ now!
How Does Baking / Cooking Of Face Work?
The theory of makeup baking is pretty simple. As you let loads of loose powder sit on the top of the concealer underneath your eyes and that too for a considerably longer time, the entire makeup is melted onto your face by the heat of your body and the natural oils of your skin. To be more precise, the makeup products get melted into your skin as well as oxidized by the air, thereby altering the tone and texture of your skin. The trick is to apply a lot of powder (if possible, layer them on the concealer) in order to facilitate the process.
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Pros Of Baking / Cooking Your Face
- Reduces signs of aging (fine lines, wrinkles etc.) and prevent creasing
- Offers excellent coverage to hide all spots and blemishes
- Highlights different parts of the face including forehead, nose, chin, jawline, etc.
- Sets the entire makeup to give a flawless yet natural finish
- Keeps the skin absolutely matte all day long
Cons Of Baking / Cooking Your Face
- Needs us to put multiple layers of products on our face, which is quite annoying
- Use of loads of heavy powder makes it a heavy-handed makeup technique
- Application of too much powder might cause skin dryness
- Takes a lot of time, which makes it a not-so-good-choice, especially if you are in a hurry
In a nutshell, baking is just the right thing for women who want to save themselves from makeup mishaps like creasing or fading in front of an HD lens. Sound interesting? Want to give baking a try? Just take the plunge and let us know how it comes out.
Image Credit – Featured, 1, 2, 3
