I DON’T KNOW many women who are comfortable facing their public stark-faced. We like the smoothing and evening-out properties of a good foundation, but of course we don’t want to look like we’re wearing any.
Make-up is a bag of tricks to present our ideal image of ourselves to the world – a trompe d’oeil so to speak – so thank your lucky stars we live in an age where foundation formulas are so sophisticated that colour is no longer the primary issue. Many combine skincare to treat the skin or contain sun protection. The “no make-up make-up” look is like the holy grail.
Although Dior's Natural Glow Powder MakeUp (€43) looks like a loose powder, it contains 20 per cent mineralised water. These minerals, vitamins and trace elements work like an energy cocktail to boost the skin. The finish is a natural, bare look that says "I've got glowing skin" rather than "I'm wearing make-up". The matching brush (€31) is the best I've used for application – the shorter goat hair allows you to work the powder strongly into the skin – to get the mineral benefits and a seamless finish, plus the silver handle adds a touch of luxe. The foundation also comes in a liquid formula (€43), if you prefer.
An endorsement by top make-up artist Mary Greenwell will always grab my attention, so when she launched Elizabeth Arden's new foundation, Pure Mineral Finish Powder (€30), I was curious. Apart from the skincare benefits – non-drying, skin-brightening and extremely comfortable to wear – it boasts an SPF20. The compact is a clever and practical design – a grinder shaves off just the right amount of powder for every fresh application.
Fancy a base that adapts to different lighting conditions and looks completely natural? Prescriptivesis a market leader in foundations, with its custom blending and range of formulations. Photochrome Light-Adjusting Makeup (€39.50) was taken off the shelves for a while, but fans kicked up such a rumpus that it has been reinstated. Housed in a stay-fresh compact, it's a lightweight cream foundation which glides on to skin giving a fresh and natural finish. It never looks heavy, has a long-wearing formula, and the triangle-shaped application sponge allows you to get around all the contours of the face. It has SPF15, too.
Uneven skin tone is a very common problem that has been addressed by Cliniquewith its Even Better Makeup (€28). Hyperpigmentation is an increase in colour in selected areas of the face caused by sun damage or acne scars. This new foundation has been developed to partner the Even Better Skin Tone Corrector and is designed to reduce the look of dark spots over time. Gives a smooth and even-looking skin tone with an SPF15.
It takes a lot of persuading to lure me away from my favourite Bobbi BrownStick Foundation. I've tried the new liquids and compacts as they've come along, but none held a candle to the perfect stick. However, BB's new Skin Foundation (€38) has me hooked. It gives a fabulous dewy finish that looks fresh all day long, and its SPF15 gives it the edge. Real skin, only better.
When a make-up artist comes to the studio in the Irish Timesbuilding to work on a fashion shoot and unpacks their make-up case, I could bet my house on the fact that MAC's Face and Body foundation will come out. Its lightweight formula and stay-put properties, combined with a natural glowing finish, make it a winner. But there's a new kid on the block in the shape of Studio Sculpt foundation (€35.50), a gel-based formula that gives medium to high coverage without any heavy finish. Skin looks satiny, natural and revitalised. A future classic. Matching concealer is available (€18).
