Every woman longs for a gorgeous, even complexion.  Great skin and make-up starts with skincare – ensure you are using correct products for your skin. Regular (gentle) exfoliation will give you a smoother, softer canvas to apply make-up on, and a good moisturiser and/or primer will prepare your skin for your base application.

Take care when choosing foundation and concealer colours, always test them on your skin and check in natural light before purchasing. A perfect colour match will allow for a natural, seamless make-up look and application.

Steps for a flawless look:
1. Prepare the skin – After cleansing, massage in your moisturiser gently to get the blood flowing and dab on a touch of eye cream. Allow the products to soak into skin for 10 – 15 minutes. If you are using a primer, apply this now (applying with foundation brush gives an even coverage). Primer creates a lovely smooth canvas for the next steps.

2.  Conceal under the eyes – If you are lucky and don’t have any dark circles, you can skip this step. It may seem annoying to have a separate concealer for under the eyes, but this step will make a HUGE difference.  Using a peach toned concealer will correct the blue tinges under the eye. Bobbi Brown do a fantastic range of colour correction concealers designed for this purpose. Pat your concealer on under the eye gently until blended.

3. Apply foundation/base – Use a touch of concealer or foundation only where you need it (usually through the centre of the face). Mineral powder foundations give the most incredible flawless look, and only look better as the day goes on. Buff on in a circular motion with a Kabuki brush for a lovely light coverage.

5. Bronze – Flawless skin needs a touch of warmth, and bronzer is perfect for the job. Use a light, natural colour, and a soft powder brush. Sweep gently under the cheekbones, and across the forehead, using only a tiny amount of colour. Don’t forget to powder first if you are wearing a liquid foundation.

5. Add a POP of colour – Apply a peachy coloured blush on the apples of the cheeks. (See the article how to apply blush for full instructions). Using a very small amount of highlighting powder on the top of the cheekbones after applying blush will give the skin a beautiful glow.

5. Apply a natural taupe eye shadow over the entire eyelid, and one coat of black mascara. Curling your lashes first will really open up the eyes. Brush eyebrows into place, fill in lightly with powder if necessary, and set with a clear brow gel (or a spritz of hairspray on a clean mascara wand).

6. Finish your natural look with a pinky/nude lipstick, and a dab of gloss in the centre of the lower lip.

Article by Stephanie Coulter