“Baking” (also called “cooking”) became Instagram and YouTube beauty’s most controversial technique—applying massive amounts of translucent powder under eyes and on highlight points, letting it sit 5-10 minutes, then dusting off for a brightened, crease-proof finish.

Drag Makeup Origins

Baking originated in drag culture and professional stage makeup, where intense lighting and photography demanded heavy-duty setting techniques. Drag performers applied thick powder to set concealer and foundation, ensuring makeup lasted through hours-long performances without creasing or fading.

The technique remained niche until YouTube beauty influencers adopted it around 2014-2015, bringing drag makeup techniques to mainstream beauty tutorials.

YouTube Explosion

2015-2016: Beauty gurus introduced baking to their millions of subscribers:

Wayne Goss explained the technique to mainstream audiences (June 2015), though he questioned its necessity for everyday wear.

Nikkie de Jager (NikkieTutorials) demonstrated baking in her viral “Power of Makeup” video (May 2015, 42+ million views), showing how it brightened under-eyes and set full-glam makeup.

Huda Kattan featured baking extensively in her tutorials, positioning it as essential for Instagram-ready makeup (2015-2017).

Patrick Starrr brought theatrical baking techniques from his drag background to beauty YouTube (2015-2016), showing how to “cook” the face for flawless photos.

The technique became synonymous with “full glam” Instagram beauty—the heavily contoured, highlighted, and perfected aesthetic dominating 2016-2018 makeup trends.

Products & Application

Baking required specific products:

Translucent setting powders:

• Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder (the original, $39)
• RCMA No Color Powder (professional standard, $12)
• Coty Airspun (drugstore cult favorite, $6)
• Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish ($45)
• Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder ($34, 8 shades)

Application method:

1. Apply thick concealer under eyes, on center of forehead, down nose bridge, chin
2. Using damp makeup sponge, press huge amounts of powder onto concealed areas (should look ridiculous—ghostly white)
3. Let powder “bake” (sit) for 5-10 minutes while the heat from your face sets the makeup
4. Dust off excess powder with fluffy brush
5. Reveal brightened, crease-free, matte finish

The name “baking” came from letting heat “cook” the powder into the makeup, fusing them together for long-lasting wear.

Peak Popularity

2016-2018: Baking became ubiquitous in beauty content:

• Nearly every “full face” tutorial included baking
• Beauty brands marketed setting powders specifically for baking
• Memes mocked the massive amounts of powder applied (“using half a bottle”)
• The technique spread to prom/wedding makeup tutorials as “professional”

Sephora and Ulta sales of translucent powders surged, with Laura Mercier’s powder becoming a top-10 best-seller. The #BakingMakeup hashtag accumulated millions of Instagram posts showing the dramatic before-and-after of the technique.

Backlash & Criticism

2017-2020: Dermatologists, makeup artists, and beauty consumers raised concerns:

Skin damage:

• Dry, dehydrated under-eyes: Heavy powder emphasized fine lines and texture
• Premature aging: Excess powder settled into lines, making them more visible
• Caking: Over-powdering created mask-like, unnatural finish

Impractical for everyday:

• Flash photography issues: Heavy powder caused flashback (white cast in photos)
• Time-consuming: 5-10 minute waiting period impractical for daily routines
• Product waste: Enormous amounts of powder used per application

Skin tone concerns:

• Translucent powders often had white cast on deeper skin tones
• Fenty’s shade range (2017) addressed this, but many brands still offered only one “universal” shade

Professional makeup artists emphasized that baking was intended for stage, drag, and photography—not everyday wear or natural lighting. The technique’s migration to casual beauty routines represented misunderstanding of its purpose.

Trend Decline

2019-2023: Beauty culture shifted away from baking:

• Dewy, natural makeup replaced matte, full-coverage looks
• Skincare-first approaches emphasized hydration over heavy powder
• Minimal makeup became aspirational (less product, not more)
• TikTok beauty favored quick, wearable techniques over elaborate rituals

The “Instagram baking” aesthetic began to look dated, associated with the heavily-edited, filtered beauty content of the mid-2010s. Newer beauty enthusiasts saw baking as excessive and unnecessary, preferring cream products and light powder applications.

Gen Z criticism:

• “Why would you age your skin like that?”
• “This looks so cakey in real life”
• “Just use less makeup instead of piling on powder to fix it”

Educational Value

Despite its decline, baking taught beauty enthusiasts:

• Setting techniques: Understanding powder’s role in makeup longevity
• Under-eye brightening: Highlighting and concealing methods
• Product layering: How makeup products interact

Professional makeup artists still use modified baking for editorial shoots, stage makeup, and special occasions—returning the technique to its original context rather than everyday beauty.

The #BakingMakeup hashtag reached 2+ million posts, documenting its brief reign as YouTube beauty’s most polarizing technique.

Sources:

• Dermatology journals on makeup aging effects (2018-2020)
• Sephora setting powder sales data (2016-2020)
• YouTube beauty trend analyses (2015-2023)
• Instagram hashtag analytics (Feb 2026)