The Makeup Hack That Will Make You Want To Finish Your Eyes Before Doing Your Complexion

You know what they say: "There are no rules when it comes to makeup." Whether you prefer to apply a subtle amount of product to accentuate your features or paint it all on to create a full Euphoria-esque glam, we're glad you're doing whatever gives you the most confidence. Knowing what kind of look you are going for is one thing, but when it comes to the order in which you apply the products, that's an entirely different conversation — and one that we are going to have.

Most people begin with their base makeup and work their way to the eyes and lips after. This is presumably because, as beginners, that's what people are taught. Cosmetic brands like L'Oréal Paris even encourage you to begin your makeup routine with primer and foundation. But what if you start with the eyes before applying complexion products like foundation and concealer? Turns out, there's a hack that will make you want to do just that.

Picture this: You started your makeup application with the eyes and created a dramatic smoky look. You could go to town, applying pigment on the lid without worrying about potential fallout sprinkling underneath the eye or mascara and eyeliner smudges. After all, you don't have complexion makeup down yet. Then, you could go in with a wet wipe and clean up any mistakes, carving out that shadow application to create an incredibly clean, sharp, and defined look.

As shared in his YouTube short tutorial, this is precisely what beauty influencer Johnny Ross does. If you start with your base makeup first, you must be careful when applying eye products, as any mistake could affect your perfectly painted-on complexion. Using a wet wipe to clean up any flaws and then going in with complexion makeup, according to Ross in the video, "saves you time and ultimately allows you to work smarter, not harder."

And while yes, there are ways you can somewhat avoid eyeshadow fallout, like applying primer before the shadow or getting your brush slightly wet first, via Sugar Beauty Blog, sometimes there's really nothing you can do to prevent it. Plus, why risk it? Applying eye products first eliminates the chances of messing up that base makeup.

Starting with the eyes allows you to go back and clean up any inevitable messes, and this is especially true for those who like to go in with a heavy-handed dark or bright eyeshadow pigment or glitter. According to Vogue, cleaning up said messes is easier when there are no products on the face. Since many makeup artists work under tight time constraints, they want to save as much time as possible and avoid going back and fixing the base makeup that may have been affected by the eye application.

Beauty advisor and makeup artist Christine Stevi told Byrdie that there are other benefits besides being able to clean up eye messes. "I think if your eyes and eyebrows are done, you tend to be less heavy-handed and use foundation and concealer sparingly," she said. This is a helpful hack for anybody who tends to go accidentally overboard with their complexion application. But as we said, there are no rules to makeup — however, next time you sit down to doll yourself up, try this hack out and see the benefits for yourself.