Do you never leave the house without make-up? Or are you happy with a bare-faced natural look?

I confess I’m firmly in the first category, having spared the world the sight of my naked face since my teens. In some ways I wish it were otherwise because make-up is an expensive habit to maintain. And once you have got used to your made-up face, your natural one looks - at least to you - like a paler, weaker, altogether lesser version.

Sixty years of trial and error

Having been a slave to cosmetics for nearly 60 years now, and experimented with thousands of products, I have now passed the point of needing to try anything new and am ready to reveal the ones I couldn’t live without.

A brief disclaimer: since prices change frequently and vary between retailers, I have not included exact costs but indicated whether products are budget, mid-range or premium.

Tinted moisturisers

I prefer these to foundation since I am lucky enough to have a face free of blemishes – although not, sadly, of bags and wrinkles!

For year-round daily use, my go-to product is Trinny London’s premium BFF Skin Protector SPF 30, which provides sheer, buildable coverage and evens out my complexion. In high summer I switch to the mid-range L’Oreal Age Perfect BB Cover, which has a SPF of 50 and gives me a lovely glowy look. For travel I always keep a tube of Erborian’s premium BB Cream with Ginseng, which comes in a handy 15ml size.

Blushers

My face is pretty well devoid of natural colour, so blusher is a must. I always go for cream products because they are easier to blend and build than powder versions and look more natural. My favourite for some time has been Trinny London’s Lip2Cheek, which glides on beautifully and justifies its premium price by lasting for months and months.

Lipsticks

My normal lip colour is a ghostly shade of grey, so lipstick is compulsory. For years now the only one I have bought is Maybelline’s budget-level SuperStay 24hr Dual Lipstick. My favourite shade is Absolute Plum, and I am so terrified of it being discontinued that I buy three packs at a time!

It has brush-on liquid lip colour on one end and a moisturising lip balm on the other. You can control the depth of colour by either loading the brush fully or scraping it against the top of the paint reservoir.

Basically, it does what it says on the tin and lasts all day without flaking, caking, or drying. I only ever need to reapply it after eating oily food.

Lip gloss

I like to soften the look of a matte lipstick with a coat of gloss – although I try not to kiss anyone immediately afterwards! You don’t need to spend a fortune on this kind of product, and my current favourite is the mid-range No7 High Shine Lip Gloss, which comes in a range of sheer colours.

Eye primer

I hate it when eye shadow goes patchy or collects in the crease of the eyelid, and a good specialist primer should prevent this. I have tried several cheaper versions, but I always come back to Elizabeth Arden’s Advanced Eye-Fix Primer. It’s at the premium end of the market, but it holds eye shadow in place better than any other and lasts forever.

Eye shadow

I love the idea of cream eye shadow but find it inevitably collects in the crease even with primer. Plus, you usually have to buy one or two at a time and I prefer a bigger choice of shades. So, I go for powder shadow palettes, and my current top pick is Mac’s Connect in Colour Embedded in Burgundy collection, a mix of six gorgeous autumnal shades. It’s a premium product but worth every penny: I apply a combination of shades in the morning, and they don’t budge all day even when exercising sweatily in the hottest sunshine.

Eyeliner

A couple of years ago I fell hard for Prime Prometics Primeeyes Glide Eyeliner, which is specifically designed for ‘mature lids’. And I can honestly say I never need to look anywhere else. It glides on without tugging or pulling and stays in place until you decide to remove it. My current favourite is Mulberry, a rich plummy shade. It is relatively pricey and I have never worked out how the sharpener works or even where to find it! But this is the one product I would save from the waves if I had to choose.

Mascara

I occasionally try new mascaras, but I always return to Benefit’s mid-range Roller Lash Mascara. It only comes in black and doesn’t give the thickest coverage but – and this is key for me – it never flakes onto my cheeks and rarely needs to be reapplied.

To sum it all up

Of course, make-up can never be more than a topcoat and none of these products have turned back the clock. But they do help me look like the best version of myself at 72.

A colour analyst’s note

One thing my work as a colour analyst has taught me is that finding the right shade matters far more than buying the most expensive product. A £10 lipstick or blusher in your best colour will usually look better than a £30 product in the wrong one.