Nobody minds being complimented on a lipstick. But you never want to hear the words

"I love your foundation''! Base is meant to camouflage imperfections —yet disappear like Magic into the skin, delivering instant flawlessness..,

Getting foundation just right is a major beauty challenge — which is why bathroom cabinets tend to be cluttered with bottles, jars and tubes of foundation that aren't quite right, but it seems too extravagant to throw away. The right base, takes just, moments to apply — but (sometimes) hours to track down, in order to find the perfect shade. We are huge fans of foundation, believing that base — plus mascara and blusher — are the true make-up must-haves, especially as we age and skin tone becomes more uneven. (As Trish McEvoy observes, 'If you're looking for one product that makes a difference to older faces, it's foundation.'')

SHOPPING FOR FOUNDATION

• Take a hand mirror with you. or a compact, so that you can easily walk to daylight and check the shade.

• You need to remove existing base before trying foundation. Swipe away from the jaw-line with cleanser or toner, before sampling. Preferably, go foundation-shopping bare-faced, so when you've pinpointed a "maybe" shade. You can apply it all over.

• * Partly thanks to the pervasive influence of Bobbi Brown, the majority of foundations today are based on yellow pigments - which create an infinitely more realistic. Effect than the pink tones of yesteryear. Too-pink foundation, in the words of Hollywood's Carol Shaw. 'Looks like calamine lotion'.

• Don't even think of using foundation to 'perk up' your skin by changing its color.

• Gun Novak, founder of the FACE Stockholm brand, suggests trying vertical 'stripes' of as many as three shades of foundation, from under your cheekbone to jaw-line - applied in a downward stripe with a Q-tip - before heading for a window or door with your mirror. Then you can make up your mind in full, natural light. 'The right color will simply disappear into your skin. Try to match it to your neck - which. is always lighter — rather than your face. You can always use blush to add warmth.' Gun advises shopping for foundation during daylight hours, not after dark: 'That's when mistakes are often made.'

• If for any reason you don't want to try foundation on your face, the next-best place to test base is the inside of your forearm — most definitely not the back of your hand. Test for depth of coverage (but not for color) on the blue vein on the inside of your wrist.

• * If you have trouble finding the perfect shade, consider investing in Prescript ives Custom Blending - which saves a lot of searching. A trained consultant mixes up a complexion-matched shade, of which a reeord is kept for future orders: you're given a bottle of foundation (which can be customized with additional moisture, 'light-reflecting pigments' and more), plus a tiny pot of matching concealer. Custom Blending doesn't come cheap hut we think it's worth every penny,

• * There are literally dozens of foundation 'finishes' available today, as well as a thousand shades. What we find most flattering are all those formulations that feature "light-reflecting pigments", which bounce light off the face.

• * Estee Lauder - whose foundations arc excellent — occasionally run promotional giveaways that let you sample miniature bottles of foundation over several days before investing in a full-sized bottle. Alternatively, it's worth taking a teeny-sized plastic bottle to the counter and asking the beauty consultant to decant into it a little liquid foundation in a shade that you both agree should suit. For how to apply foundation perfectly.