I also tried the Lip Ciggy Hydrating Lipstick in Slow Burn, a warm rose, and can confirm it’s more of a tinted balm than a lipstick. I liked it! But ultimately, I see myself using the blush everyday, and the Underpainting Palette on days I need a little extra lift… so maybe also everyday?
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Jesa Marie Calaor, senior beauty editor
“OMG, I found my new makeup routine!” squealed our senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor after trying the Underpainting Palette in Medium. She’s no stranger to contouring, but usually uses powder formulas, which she finds to be more user friendly. But these creams “were easy to buff and build without looking like I have streaks on my face,” she says.
Calaor placed the first shade of highlight at the high points of her cheeks and the second shade of contour along the hollows of her cheeks and jawline. “Then, I dotted some foundation on my face and buffed everything out with a Beautyblender,” she says, describing the overall effect as “subtle and natural-looking.”
She also gave high marks to the packaging in general: “I love the feel of the products in my hands—they feel weighty and luxe without being so heavy that I can’t hold multiple things at the same time.”
Melanie Curry, associate manager of audience development
Melanie Curry, our associate manager of audience development, approaches contour palettes with a healthy degree of trepidation. “I’m not into super snatched, heavy makeup unless it’s for a special occasion or a night out,” she says.
First things first: She loved The Dual-Ended Underpainting Brush. “The brush easily picked up the product, so I didn’t have to ‘dig’ it into the palette, which was a major plus.”
And once the product was on her face, she realized this wasn’t your ordinary contour palette.
“I often struggle with contouring—I apply too much, which leaves me looking muddy. I don’t know if it was the brush, the palette, or both, but this was the best everyday contour look I’ve done since I started wearing makeup,” says Curry, who used the palette in Deep, specifically the first highlight shade and second contour shade.
She topped off the look with a dab of Cheeky Cream Blush in Cherry On Top, a bright red shade she says left her with “naturally-rosy looking cheeks,” then added eyebrow gel and setting powder. Because the creams melted into her skin so easily, Curry didn’t feel like she needed foundation. “I did, however, lightly brush the middle shade all around my face just so everything blended nicely together,” she says.
The final verdict? “I love this palette.”
Where to Buy
The full m.ph lineup—Underpainting Palette ($64), The Underpainting Dual-Ended Sculpting Brush ($38), Cheeky Cream Blush ($36), The Cream Blush Brush ($36), Lip Ciggy Hydrating Lipstick ($26), and The Overliner Lip Pencil ($25)—will be available at mphbeauty.com and Sephora.com starting August 15. You can shop the line at Sephora stores beginning August 25.
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