Bring your face up to date

by Amanda Bown

a woman applying lipstick Warning: You could be adding years to your face by wearing the same make-up style you did a decade ago!

Gone are the thick, gloopy foundation bottles. These days there are light-reflecting, pigment-rich, lightly textured products that all work together, giving you a modern, flawless effect. We take you through the latest products, and give you advice from the experts.

The Aim: A flawless face that doesn't look loaded with foundation

Many of us use foundation as a comfort blanket, for facing the world. So if we find something we like, we tend to stick to it. Wearing all-over foundation is now passe. It has a tendency to look mask-like, and can emphasise lines.

As for colour, a shade that's too dark or too light will drain your complexion. Try out on your jaw line in natural daylight. Strategically applying to where it's needed looks much more natural.

Make-up artist Bobbi Brown recommends having 'a wardrobe' of three shades of foundation: one for everyday use, a darker shade for summer, and a lighter shade that can double as a concealer. 'The idea is to mix any combination of three, anytime you need,' she explains.

Estee Lauder's Individualist Natural Finish Make-up (£21.50/30ml) has excellent tonal range to suit all skin types; oil-free, line and pore-minimising, with reflectable pigments. www.esteelauder.co.uk

Dior's Pure Light, Skin Lighting Sheer Make-up (£22.50/30ml) is oil-free and contains SPF 15. Corrective pigments help erase imperfections and even out the complexion, varying tones to suit. (Stockist: 0207 216 0216)

For those of you who prefer tinted moisturisers, Elizabeth Arden's Sheer Lights Illuminating tinted moisturiser SPF 15 (£18.50/50ml) evens out skin tones while fine lines are blurred with optical diffusers.

Try to aim for skin that is as bare as possible. Change foundations with the seasons, and constantly re-evaluate your skin tone and texture. You may find that concealer pens are all that is required. Especially for around the eyes, nose and chin areas.

The iconic YSL Touche Eclat No.1 (left, £22.50/2.5ml) brings out skin's natural radiance (stockist: 01 444 255 700).

Dior's Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen Make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury, who has made Kate Winslet up for British Vogue, says: 'Apply YSL Touche Eclat around the edge of your lips. It helps project your mouth and make it look bigger.'

Dior's Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen (right, £21.00/1.5ml) is also excellent. Jo Fairley and Sarah Stacey, authors of The Beauty Bible, are both huge fans of the YSL Touche Eclat and Dior's Skinflash Pen, describing them as 'miracle workers on dark circles'.

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Bring your face up to date

The Aim: A flawless face that doesn't look loaded with foundation