There is a particular kind of base makeup that looks polished without looking overly perfected: even but not blanketed, glowy without being overly dewy, and seamless enough to make you wonder where the foundation actually is.
At a recent Nars masterclass, Thai makeup artist Tee Thawisin, the brand’s regional artistry and education manager, broke down the techniques behind that finish. From skin prep to foundation application and setting, much of it comes down to understanding the skin and using products with a lighter hand.
The best foundation starts with skincare
Before foundation, concealer, or powder comes skin prep.
Tee wants the complexion to feel plump and properly hydrated before makeup goes anywhere near it. Foundation can even out tone beautifully, but it is much less forgiving when it meets dry or dehydrated skin. A patch you barely noticed before can look considerably more obvious.
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This is why moisturizer becomes part of the makeup process itself. Tee works it in with his hands, which also allows him to feel things that may not immediately show in the mirror: dryness around the nose, roughness on a cheek, or an area with more texture.
Those details help determine what comes next. One patch may need more hydration, while another may need barely any foundation at all. Rather than treating the entire face the same way, Tee adjusts as he goes.
Apply foundation with your fingers
With all the foundation brushes and sponges available now, using your fingers can almost feel old-school. But it is very much part of the Nars approach to complexion.
François Nars has intended his liquid foundations to be applied with the fingers. Warming the formula on your palm and between your fingertips helps it spread more easily and melt into the complexion, giving it that thin, almost imperceptible quality that is difficult to achieve when too much product goes on at once.
It also gives you more control over coverage. Rather than covering every inch of the face, Tee presses foundation into the areas that need evening out first and builds only where necessary. Some areas may need more; others may need almost none. That variation is what keeps the base from looking too uniform or mask-like.
There is a fix for stubborn dry patches
Of course, sometimes moisturizer only gets you so far. If there is a dry patch where foundation keeps catching, Tee does not necessarily add more skincare—or more foundation. During the masterclass, he reached for the Nars Light Reflecting Luminizing Stick in Moonlit and worked a little into the particularly dry areas.
Moonlit is translucent and dewy, so rather than using it as a traditional highlighter, Tee treated it almost like a targeted balm. It gives the area a bit more moisture and slip, helping the makeup sit more smoothly instead of clinging to the texture.
Choosing the right foundation matters
Technique can only take you so far if the foundation itself is not right for the finish you are trying to create.
A flawless base has less to do with piling on coverage and more to do with how the skin is prepared, where product is placed, how it is worked into the complexion, and knowing when enough is enough. But the base product itself is just as important.
For the masterclass, Tee worked with Nars’ new Natural Matte Longwear Foundation. Matte foundation has not always had the easiest reputation. For years, the category was practically synonymous with heavier coverage, a powdery finish, and the possibility of looking noticeably drier by the end of the day. Natural Matte Longwear is part of a newer generation of formulas that takes a more skin-like approach to matte.
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It offers medium-to-full coverage with a natural matte finish, but the formula is also decidedly skincare-forward, with niacinamide and dipeptides alongside Nars’ Instant Filter Powder, which gives the skin a smoother, softly blurred look.
Apply less, then give it a minute
One of the easiest ways to make a good foundation look heavy is to keep adding more before the first layer has even had a chance to settle.
Tee prefers to work gradually. Start with a little, blend it in, and take another look at the skin before deciding what comes next. You may find that the redness around the nose needs another pass while the cheeks are already exactly where you want them.
This is especially useful with Natural Matte Longwear because the formula is self-setting. Tee lets the foundation sit for a bit before deciding whether powder is necessary. That little bit of patience can save you from adding another layer simply out of habit.
Powder doesn’t have to take away the glow
Powder still has its place when makeup needs to last, but Tee does not treat it as an automatic next step.
For everyday makeup, when the priority is keeping the base fresh and skin-like, a setting spray may be enough. But when longer wear calls for powder, Tee mixes Nars Light Reflecting Setting Powder with Light Reflecting Luminizing Powder.
The setting powder helps manage shine and extend wear, while the illuminizing powder brings a little light back into the complexion. The effect is subtle, keeping dimension in the skin rather than creating an obvious highlight—an approach that works particularly well with a matte base.
Thai makeup is centered on enhancing the natural dimension in the skin rather than adding an obvious highlight.
Flawless skin is not the same as perfect skin
The idea running through Tee’s technique is really about paying attention to what the skin needs at every stage.
Prep it well. Feel where it is dry. Choose a foundation that gives you the finish you want, then apply it where the complexion actually needs evening out. Give it time to settle before deciding whether another layer—or even powder—is necessary.
A pore does not need to disappear. A little texture can stay. Even a flawless base should still give the impression that there is real skin underneath it. Ultimately, the best complexion makeup is not the foundation you notice first. It is the skin.
Fresh-face alternatives
1. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder
A finely milled finishing powder that gives skin a soft, diffused glow without obvious shimmer. Think of it as the easy version of mixing setting powder and highlighter: it subtly catches the light while softening the look of texture.
2. Hince True Dimension Radiance Balm in Clear
A sheer, lightweight balm that gives the skin a fresh, glassy sheen with no glitter or shimmer. Tap it onto the high points of the face or anywhere the base looks a little dry.
3. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder
This ultra-finely milled powder feels light on the skin and sets foundation without leaving behind a heavy, powdery finish. It also softly blurs lines and texture, making it a good option for setting areas prone to shine while keeping the overall base smooth and still skin-like
4. One/Size On ’Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting SprayFor days when longevity matters most, this weightless aerosol mist locks makeup in with a matte, airbrushed finish and is designed to resist water, sweat, and smudging for up to 16 hours.
