How can I find the perfect foundation?

iT can be so tricky to find the right shade of foundation to match your skin tone — particularly in the bad lighting of department stores and chemists.

celebrity facialist Debbie Thomas, who counts model Poppy Delevingne and Downton abbey’s Laura carmichaelamong her clients, advises against using testers on your face as they can be riddled with germs. ‘instead, i take my existing foundation, swipe it on the back of my hand and then colour-match new ones next to it,’ she says.

‘Pump or squeeze bottles carry less risk of cross infection.’

if you are still unsure of the colour, walk out into natural light to check the shades are similar before making a purchase.