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Jun 08, 2023

Editors On... Their Desert Island Make

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. There’s not a product on the planet they haven’t tried – but forced to choose just one to wear forever, which would make

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

There’s not a product on the planet they haven’t tried – but forced to choose just one to wear forever, which would make the cut?

I cannot go a day without blush. Not even this week, after a (really very good) facial, which ended with a plea from the therapist to avoid make-up if I could. I couldn’t, especially not with the knowledge that I had just the right shade of copper cream lurking in my bag for reshaping and reawakening my bare face in an instant.

It was Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge that got things started. The first big palette of cream colours for cheeks made me see that blush wouldn’t just add colour, but seemed to have the power to give me a whole new face. An apricot cream on the apples hid hangovers in my twenties, a deep rose sat along my cheekbones in my contouring era during my thirties. Now, in my forties, nothing lifts my face and opens my eyes better than a tanned peach dotted below the eye sockets (my rule of thumb: as your age gets higher, so should your blush placement). If I’m running late for work, I dab my cream blush on my lips and eyes, too, bringing the look together (and saving time searching for that lipstick I’ve lost).

There are no real rules to how you apply blush, which is exactly how I have discovered these little tricks: by playing, experimenting and finding my confidence. This, for me, is how all make-up should be. Just keep it colourful.

When it comes to make-up, I'm all about the skin. I can do a face so carefully applied I could have baked a babka from scratch in the same time, but without some epic skin going on the finished effect just won’t work. If there is no unifying power of glow, everything else looks unfinished and flat. Give me a skin tint that delivers a complexion so dewy and healthy-looking you would think I’m forever mainlining Gwyneth’s personal green juice recipe and I’m satisfied.

Skin tints are less heavy than a traditional foundation but with better complexion credentials than a tinted moisturiser – I’ll happily extol their virtues for hours. The key is to find a formula that ticks the three boxes: one, a sheer texture so lightweight that it feels like you’re not actually wearing any make-up (until your double-cleanse face cloth reminds you otherwise); two, a glowy finish that finds the sweet spot between shiny and matte without straying into sweaty; and three, just the right amount of coverage to even out any redness or pigmentation without masking freckles or smothering skin texture.

I will never not be obsessed with Kevyn Aucoin’s Stripped Nude Skin Tint – the original master of the supermodel make-up base, the man knew how to make skin look good, and it’s all in this tube. For lazy days, Dr. Jart+’s relaunched BB cream ticks off your SPF, serum and skin tint with its niacinamide-infused formula, while Chanel’s travel-size Water-Fresh Tint is the juiciest skin you can get, in a conveniently mini bottle.

Less is more. If I wear a lot of make-up to look 'better' it somehow manages to achieve the opposite effect. But a single, simple product never fails me: that’s why highlighters are always my go-to.

Nothing beats the delicate shimmer on the cheekbones or nose that a touch of highlighter gives. It’s the cherry on the proverbial cake. It’s true: some are terrible – I want to look glossy, not like a disco ball. Saie’s gel highlighter is my current obsession. The texture is a unique, lightweight consistency that can be used alone or mixed with your foundation for an all-over glow (without leaving you looking too slick). If the dolphin-skin finish is your desired look, Danessa Myricks’ balm is the product you need. I use it on the high points of my face and when I want to go for a glossy lid. And if I ever do want to edge into bling territory, Rare Beauty’s pigment is unmatched (a little goes a very long way). I’ll use this for special occasions – it’s the clean girl’s party highlighter.

And it would be blasphemous if I didn’t mention Mother Pat McGrath here. On one side of her ‘Fetish’ duo is an iridescent highlighter, on the other a transparent balm. Use the latter alone for a dewy look or just the powder for a more conventional shimmer. And if you want to take things to another dimension, combine the two...

Mascara is my ride-or-die make-up product. It was the first I ever bought (Boots’ Natural Collection: under £5 and clear, as permitted by my budget and my strict mother) and it will be my last. Come rain or shine, in full glam or working from home where not a single soul will see me, I’ll always have a lick (or three)of mascara on. I’ve tried quitting it before, taking the lead from a very chic boss who opted for the understated ‘clean girl’ aesthetic, but all I saw in the mirror was ‘naked mole rat’. Never again.

Even more specifically, the mascaras I swear by are ‘tubing’ formulas. The magic ingredient here are polymers that wrap and hold around each lash (rather than coating them like paint), which help add extra length and make lashes super defined. But, more than that, they are really, truly smudge-and transfer-proof and come off in the most satisfying way. Simply immerse your lashes in warm water (with a flannel or in the shower) and the formula ‘unlocks’, allowing the tubes to become putty-like and slide off. No cotton pads, no panda eyes, no inky streaks if you were too drunk to take your make-up off late at night...

One downside I’ll (begrudgingly) admit is that they don’t give the fluffiest of finishes (so my eternal quest for a 10/10 mascara continues), but I’ve found Trish McEvoy’s to be the least clumpy and Victoria Beckham’s the most natural-looking, while, for lashings of length, nothing beats Hourglass.

I approach my make-up as a form of decoration. I'm not here to ‘correct’ or ‘change’ my features, so give me a wash of sparkle to accessorise my face and I’m happy.

I’ve noticed, however, that nothing incites fear into the average sophisticated make-up-wearing adult quite like the mention of ‘glitter’. I understand: as someone who came of age during the actual Y2K (and not the TikTok revival), I have seen first-hand the horrors of chunky glitter powders that refuse to blend and frosty finishes that appear chalky, not chic. But advancements in beauty tech have led to elegant formulas with refined textures that go on like silk, which means it’s time to give gleaming eyeshadows a second chance – and not just for evenings or special occasions.

Fine shimmers in a stick or cream form – my stash is never without Victoria Beckham’sHoney and CTZN Cosmetic’s Soleil (created with Beyoncé’s MUA, Sir John) – will glide on and blend out seamlessly with just your fingertips, while a buttery, finely milled powder will stay put on oilier eyelids (or simply prep the area with a translucent powder first). There are no prescriptive colour rules, but a gilded, rosy tone looks great on almost everyone and, being more daytime than disco, is endlessly versatile. Twinkling eyelids work across all seasons: they shine in sunlight and bring a spark of joy in the depths of winter. And what’s more ‘everyday essential’ than that?

As a poor sleeper and all-round night owl, I'm never out of bed in time to do a full routine in my own bathroom: I’ve come to terms with doing the bulk of my make-up on the train to work instead. It’s a tactic I’ve been using to gain myself an extra 15 minutes of sleep in the morning and it’s forced me to triage the products that are truly essential – so I can say with confidence that, if it came down to just one, I’m opting for lipstick every time.

I find creamy mattes to be the most reliable and versatile formula. They’re easy to diffuse for a softer, blotted look; they can hold their own against my clumsy smudging and, instead of crumbling away or leaving that unfortunate bled-out liner look, the fade effortlessly into a naturally worn-in tint. The key is looking for words like ‘velvet’ and ‘whipped’ that imply a comfort-able, emollient texture and soft-focus finish.

Most days, I tap on a dusty pink slightly darker than my natural lip colour: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Lip Blur is my shortcut to even and deceivingly fuller lips. If my complexion looks tired and dull, I’ll pull out an age-old make-up artist trick – blotting your lipstick with your fingertips and using the excess as blush. Dior’s velvet-finish lipstick Pink Peony is the peach shade I make a beeline for in this instance.

And I’m here to make the case for red lipstick as an everyday make-up neutral. Worn alone, it feels effortlessly chic – French, even. My go-to is Make-Up By Mario Ultra Suede Lipstick inAlicia – but with today’s shade offerings, you’re certain to be able to find your perfect red, even if you think it’s not for you. Go on, try it: it’s an easy way to liven up your daily commute.

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