Selena Gomez tried TikTok's 'Duxbury technique' and she's not mad at the result

Selena Gomez is both TikTok’s celebrity queen and the founder of one of the app’s fave makeup brands (Rare Beauty, hello), so there’s really nobody more fitting than her to try out a TikTok makeup trend. The fact that she’d crush that brief is really no surprise.

What was a surprise, however, was the specific trend she chose to trial: Meredith Duxbury’s infamous 'more is more' foundation technique.

Any beauty lover who’s spent a second on TikTok has no doubt seen the smearing technique in action, but hey, if you’re new to the game, here's the gist. It basically involves applying an exorbitant amount of liquid foundation to the back of your hand, transferring it onto your face with a makeup brush, and then using your hands to rub it in (in the hope that it goes from ‘freaky’ to ‘flawless’).

FYI, we tried it, and the results were… interesting. The facial expressions say it all.

The Internet was definitely divided upon trying the trend, too. Some loved the ‘porcelain doll’ finish it provided, and some just couldn’t take the cakiness/congestion. So what did Gomez think?! You might be surprised.

“I am going to try my dear love Meredith’s technique. I would never do this [usually],” she clarified, before applying a generous amount of base over her face. “What the hell am I doing?! Selena Marie…,” she sighed, hilariously exasperated. There were definitely moments of regret as she worked the product into her skin: “This is a disaster, but whatever. Why am I doing this?”

Gomez did add her own twist to the technique, and it might actually be the key to making the end result a little more wearable. “This is my tinted moisturiser – I was going for this because I was hoping that it’s not as dark as foundation,” she shared in the video, referring to the Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer ($52 at Sephora). 

Sure, double the amount of tinted moisturiser is pretty much the same as just using half of Duxbury’s recommended amount of foundation. But the trend seems to be more about the pore-less finish that comes with excessive liquid product, so it’s worth a whirl if you can’t take the thickness, but still want the ‘flawless’ look.

Gomez actually ended up pretty happy with her end result. “I’m trying to put as much as possible on, but I’m not completely mad at it,’ she admitted before adding one final layer. “It’s definitely a lot, but I’m still not mad.”

Main image credit: @selenagomez

Eyeing Gomez's glowing skin underneath all that base? Here's her skin care routine...