Tried and tested
This primer comes in a twist-up stick, blends easily and softens the skin. The instructions say to put liquid foundation on top immediately but I found waiting 2-3 minutes prevented grimy residue. The formula performed better under liquid foundation than cream or powder. It creates a matte finish and my makeup didn’t slip for the promised 15 hours.
I really like the dewy, brightening effect this had on BB cream and liquid and powder foundations. The formula feels silky and makeup glides smoothly over the top. The burnished-gold colour won’t alter the colour of your foundation. My makeup stayed in place all day but SPF15 is too low. Be sure to wear another product with SPF30 or higher.
This satiny, oil-free primer absorbs excess oil and minimises the appearance of pores by diffusing light to blur or hiding imperfections and fine lines. A layer of this makes skin look better without anything else on. My makeup looked freshly applied at day’s end. Again, SPF15 is too low to adequately protect your skin from sun damage.
Another light-diffusing primer, this time with a pink tint to even out skin tone. I’m not keen on the vaguely-clinical scent. I found the texture quite watery and the product seemed to disappear into the skin, rather than significantly improve it. I wouldn’t wear it alone, as the instructions suggest. My makeup lasted all day and it does neutralise redness.
This is the prettiest face powder I’ve tried this year. Part of LM’s just-released “Dark Spell” collection, it gives the skin a gorgeous, glitter-free glow. It looks far peachier than the molten-gold, baked-powder block suggests. The powder is silky and super-fine. It looks great on the cheeks, dusted toward the centre of the nose or on the inner corners of the eyes.
There is nothing subtle about this sunglow-gold powder for face and body. Less is more with a bold highlighter, so sweep it up in a kabuki brush and build the colour to taste. It flakes a little. Porcelain types, be warned: this looks best with tan or bronzer underneath.
This silky powder is a strongly pigmented, and far closer to a blush than a highlighter. Petal is a blush-pink similar to NARS Orgasm (minus the gold flecks). I wouldn’t use this all over the face, though lighter shades like Orchid and Soft Beam Gold ably highlight cheekbones. The sheen is subtle and suitable for day wear.
MAC’s Skin Finish powders are great multi-purpose products. During London Fashion Week, artists used them on eyes, cheeks, cupid’s bows, clavicles... They are as versatile as they are beautiful. This is a gilded-peach bronze. The baked-mineral powder has a natural-matte, lustrous finish.
This pinkish-nude cream lipstick has a subtle satin finish that lasted at least six hours without touch ups. The cushiony, lightweight texture feels comfortable. The formula contains pure olive oil and nourishing vitamin E, which let the colour glide evenly onto lips without feathering. My lips looked positively pillowy. The pink undertones suit fair skin.
Francois Nars has yet to make a lipstick I don’t like. This lustrous honey-beige is the perfect nude for evening and feels creamy and hydrating (important because nude lipsticks highlight cracks). The colour makes opaque even especially dark lips.
A classic nude-beige, this is an international best-seller. The formula is moisturising with a slight sheen. One coat will last till lunchtime. The perfect nude doesn’t resemble foundation on the lips, which looks pasty. It gives them a glow, allowing the rest of your features to shine. Creme d’Nude is a suit-everyone shade but if you’re very dark, try the same lipstick in Myth.
Another best-selling nude, this is a matte apricot-beige lipstick. Think Goldie Hawn in Shampoo. This shade concealed my natural lip colour and didn’t look dry, as matte nudes can. It faded quickly but the formula is so light and moisturising that I kept reapplying it, as though it were a balm.
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