Makeup
Setting the foundations ... Emma Stone is one celebrity who has made peace with her freckles. Photo: Getty Images
The trouble with foundations is that they can sound so promising on paper, with all their fancy claims of SPF and minerals and staying power, but, just like an all-you-can-eat buffet or a cable television special on hoarders with cats, the final result can be disappointing at best - and, at worst, a little disgusting.
You can dab on the back of your hand all you want in an attempt to find your perfect shade. Or, you can sit in the middle of some department store while a woman in a white coat who is not a chemist (or even a butcher)
goes to town on your face. But when you get home you know as well as I do that in order to properly re-create the look Trisha gave you, you've got to blend three different shades and reapply every half hour, and even then there's no guarantee you'll ever get the magic back.
I'm being cynical, I know - cynical and defeatist. Actually, defeatist sounds like it might make a good name for a perfume. I can see the commercial now: "Defeatist, a new fragrance by Marc Jacobs." And there's Marc, lying forlornly on a day bed, with a half-eaten packet of Doritos beside him, his body mass index now a shocking 23. But I digress.
The first rule I try to follow with foundation is to go a little lighter than my skin tone (a must in winter), and the second is to use it sparingly. Of course, nobody wants to resemble an extra from The Mikado but, in a trend pioneered by Mr Jacobs himself, it's preferable if you can see more than a little of your own skin tone shining through - you'll look younger, too.
Don't be afraid to use your fingers to blend - as long as they're clean it's more hygienic than a sponge. L'Oréal has a brush that works well, and Invisible Zinc has a powder to help it all stay put. Don't dare cover freckles (they're adorable) and don't try to cover dark circles or blemishes - that's what concealer is for (and you should apply it over the foundation). Foundation's only job is to give you a consistent, all-over skin tone, so dab - as you would on the back of your hand. And go easy - as you would at the buffet.
Kiehl's wicked web
Kiehl's, the fuss-free cosmetic brand synonymous with old-style New York (where it began as a single pharmacy in 1851), now has an online home here. The entire range is available at kiehls.com.au, including all of the iconic products recently involved in the huge Kiehl's price drop. In celebration of the launch, Kiehl's is offering customers free delivery when they purchase their favourite products before the end of June.
