Brown-based make-up is not always the most natural

What looks natural on you will depend on your skin tone. While the majority of women class themselves as warm, there are plenty that have a cool skin tone or, like me, are neutral.

A quick guide to determining whether you are warm or cool is to look at the veins on the inside of your arms. If they appear green you are likely to have a warm under tone, blue will indicate that you are cool, while blue-green will mean you are neutral.

Choosing colours that are in your undertone will, generally, look the most natural on the skin. Cool undertones tend to look good in shades of pinks, mauves and roses. Warm complexions suit browns, oranges, corals and peach. Neutral tones, in theory, suit both.

However, rules are only guidelines. I am neutral and look awful in oranges, and browns tend to look muddy on the skin. Which is why I struggle with cosmetics that are brown-based. Equally, if they are too blue they look awful.

Here are the products I love that are barely there.

Foundation

I tend not to wear it as I have good skin. On days when I need a little extra help I apply Estée Lauder Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick Radiant Makeup (£28) where needed. It comes in a variety of shades so you should find one that works for you.

Concealer for me is a no-no as the day wears on, it tends to sit in fine lines and emphasise them. I love Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch (£26) which instantly smooths fine lines making them look less obvious. 

Brows
Brows frame the face so it is important to keep them well-groomed. I like MAC Eyebrows in Stud (£14). This black-brown self-propelling and self-sharpening brow definer is easy to use and lasts for ages.

Eye Shadows
Mac Eye Shadow, Dusky Rose Times Nine is my eye palette of choice that I take with me when travelling as well as using it at home. The light colours are great on the lid to give a little definition. I then apply black mascara to open the eyes. At the moment, I am using YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils in Noir Radical (£25) which gives a lovely fringe effect.

Blusher
The best blusher that I have come across in years is Mac’s Dame Powder Blush (£18.50). This dusty pink has a satin finish which makes your complexion look like it is glowing from within. It is easy to blend so you do not get any hard edges. It is so life-like that nobody guesses you are wearing it. Mac has, arguably, the best range of colours and textures so you will be able to find one that works for you.

Lips
As I have highly-pigmented lips I tend to opt for a natural lip balm or, when I want to wear colour, sheer lip stains. Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Chunky Cherry (£17.50) gives a lovely pinky tint to the lips and brightens up my complexion. YSL Volupte Tint-In-Oil in Pink Me Now has just the right amount of colour and does not feel sticky on the lips and is ideal for those occasions when I want a bit more oomph. For a power pout, I turn to MAC Versicolour Stain in Preserving Passion (£20). It is a combination of gloss and stain. You get the long-lasting colour without having to suffer dry lips. 

I am always sceptical when I read about a product “this will suits all complexions”. You should be too. It is extremely rare to find a colour that will look good on everybody or a product that works for the world and his wife.

By Daralyn Danns