Build around your skin, not the trend

If your skin is dry, a hydrating tinted moisturiser or serum foundation sits better than a matte formula, which can cling to dry patches. If it is oily, a light matte or satin finish with a setting powder in the T-zone lasts far longer.

Shade matching matters more than coverage level. Test on the jawline in daylight — a shade that disappears there is your match, whatever the bottle says.

Five products cover most days

A base, a brow product, mascara, a cream blush and a lip colour. Cream blush doubles as a wash of colour on the eyes, and a lip colour can be tapped on as a stain — which is how a five-product kit behaves like a much larger one.

Texture and shelf life

Cream and liquid formulas generally suit dry or mature skin; powders suit oily skin and last longer in humidity. Every product has a shelf life after opening — the small jar symbol on the packaging — and mascara is the one to replace most often, around every three months.

Clean brushes weekly with a gentle soap and let them dry flat. It is the least glamorous step and the one that keeps skin calm.