After contouring, strobing and focused concealing, the latest trend is baking. Despite what its name may suggest, you don’t need any cooking skills to master this makeup technique.

What is it?

Strictly speaking, baking is not really a new technique. While it has recently resurfaced with beauty lovers, this method has been used by cabaret artists for decades. It’s also popular with professional dancers and circus artists, who use it to highlight certain facial features, and is widely used in the drag community to smoothen over pores for a more feminine skin texture.

How do I do it?

1. First, apply eye cream to your eye contour area. You want the skin to be very well hydrated to better receive the makeup. You can also use a lifting product to tighten the skin around the eye.
2. Apply your foundation and concealer as usual. Take care to press the product into the skin rather than swirling, to stop it from building up in the fine lines or folds of the face.
3. Using a makeup sponge dampened with thermal water, coat a generous amount of translucent loose powder under the eyes and on the chin. Don’t worry if you get powder all over your face—you can simply brush it off.
4. Now it’s time to starting "baking". Let the translucent powder sit on your face for 5 to 10 minutes. The heat from your face will allow it to set more evenly to your foundation and concealer. Combining these products gives you exceptional hold, and also prevents the creamy products from running into your wrinkles and fine lines.

Once the time is up, dust off the excess powder with a large makeup brush. At this stage, you can also apply a tinted powder all over your face, including the "baked" area, to add more coverage.