Wealden Times | WT165 | November 2015 | Gift supplement inside

Foundation
The perfect
Josephine Fairley on the best coverage
for all kinds of skin
Illustrations: Susanne Hayes
When I once upon a time interviewed the awesome
make-up artist Trish McEvoy, she told me: “If
you’re looking for one product that makes a
difference to older faces, it’s foundation.” I’d actually go
beyond that: I know plenty of younger faces, too – perhaps
suffering from breakouts or post-breakout redness or
pigmentation (the marks can take ages to fade) – which can
be transformed by judicious application of foundation.
It’s the word ‘judicious’ which is key here. Foundation’s
not a mask, to be slathered on from forehead to bra-line. It’s
designed to even out skin tone, and therefore needs to be used
– sometimes ‘layered’ – only where you need it. That’s why I’m
never a huge fan of trumpeting the Sun Protection Factor of
a foundation: it only shields where it’s applied. And if you’re
slathering it all over your face, you’re doing it all wrong.
What I can tell you, though, is that in 2015 foundation
formulations are stratospherically better than they used to be.
So, to echo last month’s column, in which I shared with you
my favourite lipstick innovations – I thought I’d share some
of the bases which have most impressed me, of late.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation, £29.50 for
30ml at www.selfridges.com, branches of Selfridges and
selected Fenwick.
This ambitiously named foundation does, actually, rather
live up to its name: a weightless creation offering surprisingly
full coverage for some really serious skin challenges – rosacea,
redness, thread veins, age spots, acne and acne scarring… Not
to mention waking up tired, dull skin. With a second-skin
finish, it’s much more matte than her dewy debut foundation,
in 15 brilliantly skin-matched shades to suit everyone from
Lily Cole to Lupita Nyongo.
Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, £35 for 35ml
at www.uk.spacenk.com and SpaceNK stores.
Another ‘proper’ foundation: creamy and offering excellent
coverage, concealing imperfections and hyperpigmentation
and even helping to ‘blur’ fine lines. It’s got a slightly more
‘fresh’ finish than the Charlotte Tilbury base above, gliding
on seamlessly and offering impressively long wear. Seven
shades (I’m hoping the selection widens to embrace darker
skin tones), but if you’re an English rose with high colour or
pigmentation issues, this is a security blanket in foundation
form.
Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation
SPF40, £39 for 30ml at Bobbi Brown counters or
www.bobbibrown.co.uk.
If you haven’t at least tried a serum foundation yet, you
absolutely need to get yourself to a beauty hall pronto and
experience the skin-friendly difference of this new generation
of ‘treatment’ foundations. I love the comfort factor of
this: the texture’s smooth, silky, and melts into your skin.
Gloriously moisturising and skin-plumping, a little goes quite
a long way if you like light coverage, and it’s easily buildable
if you want a more concealing effect. (And – only where it’s
applied, as per above – it offers an SPF40.) As usual, Bobbi
Browns offering comes in an impressive range of shades – 16
in all – from palest Alabaster to deepest Warm Almond.
Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation &
Concealer, £25 for 30ml at Clinique counters everywhere.
If I tell you that this came from the mind of the genius
who brought the world Clinique Chubby Sticks, among
other innovations, you’ll know it’s something special. And
for anyone who wants good coverage without looking like
they’re wearing a mask, this is a fantastic new find: colour
that stays ‘true’, doesn’t feel at all heavy on the skin – and I’ve
also found it incredibly long-wearing on cold winter days and
in centrally heated homes. Don’t be scared by the giant-sized
‘doe-foot’ applicator: just use this to dot foundation on to
your skin, and blend either with a brush or a finger. What
makes this special is that the high level of pigments mean
you really, truly don’t need to wear concealer as well – which
makes it a real time-saver.
NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation,
£33 for 30 ml at www.narscosmetics.co.uk
I’ve often tried ‘long-last’ foundation formulas and been
underwhelmed: they can leave your face feeling like your
skin’s about three sizes too small or, alternatively, appear flat
and dry. But NARS has cracked it with this absolutely
brilliant innovation. Feeling slightly cynical in a jaded-
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