MIRROR, MIRROR...

When you're shopping for foundation take a compact mirror with you, so you can put the colour on your face then check it outside. A shade that looks great on your skin in the artificial light inside the shop might look dreadful in daylight.

The right foundation for you will be virtually invisible when you apply it to the skin between your cheek and your jaw.

Get yourself a foundation 'wardrobe'. Your skin colour and needs change over the year, and one foundation is not going to look right for 12 months. Use a little more than a tinted moisturiser for high summer when your skin is darkest, a paler foundation for winter and something in between for spring and autumn.

CLEAN START

To get the best results start with cleansed, toned and moisturised skin. Apply colour to the centre of the face, across your nose and cheeks then blend out over the face.

BE PREPARED

To ease blending and avoid caking, always prime your skin with moisturiser before applying foundation and give it a minute or so to absorb.

If you use a liquid foundation, always shake the bottle well before you apply it. Pigment can settle at the bottom and give you an uneven finish.

PERFECT PREP

For perfect application, stroke liquid and stick foundations on with your fingers rather than a sponge. The heat of your fingers makes the foundation melt into the skin better. Make-up sponges can skid across the surface and leave streaks.

Blend your foundation onto your cheeks, forehead, nose, chin, even your eyelids, starting from the nose and working outwards. Use as little or as much as looks right for each area - which sometimes means none at all.

TWO-TONE

An easy trick for a glowing look is to use two different shades of foundation. Apply your 'true' shade, which matches the natural skin tone of your neck, all over your face as normal, then apply a little bit of darker foundation over the nose, cheeks, chin and forehead, creating a 'cross' of slightly darker colour in the centre of the face. This technique 'punches up' the colour in the face and really livens up the skin tone.

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