How To Be Beautiful: Tinted moisturisers

Ask any supermodel or film star to list the contents of their off-duty make-up bag, and you can be certain that tinted moisturiser will get a mention, usually as part of an emphatically minimal kit. Understandable, of course, that anyone whose job demands wearing a tonne of slap should want to scale it back on days off. But the (slightly smug) subtext is that if you've lucked out with your genetic make-up, there's not a lot more that needs doing: cosmetic featherweights, such as tinted moisturiser, will suffice. Conversely, we mere mortals often reach for the full-on foundation bottle in the belief that only heavy-duty help will do.

In truth, most of us need rather less coverage than we think, and good tinted moisturisers provide a bit more of it than the barely-there image suggests. Their formulation also means that, unlike foundation proper, they are less likely to dry skin out and highlight imperfections or lines. And, though hardly a priority for off-duty A-listers, it's possible to apply it, sans mirror, on the bus with a high degree of success.