You beauty! Annabel Rivkin's cabinet of wonders

Solving the conundrum that is summer foundation
Clarin's Everlasting Compact Foundation with SPF15, £28 at johnlewis.com
Annabel Rivkin29 June 2012

It suddenly occurs to me that I haven’t told you about the one thing that I never leave home without.

Summer foundation is a constant conundrum. One’s tan, whether from lunch in the garden, a big holiday or fake tan application, is continually deepening or fading. So a favourite foundation can look too chalky or ruddy, depending on the day. Which is a — potentially expensive — bore.

That, combined with shiny-nose-and-forehead syndrome, steers me towards a powder base with a translucent quality that lets the warmth of summer skin come through while evening out the complexion and mopping up glistening pores.

Clarins Everlasting Compact Foundation is a two-in-one base and powder. Applied with a wet sponge it lays on proper coverage, while a dry sponge delivers a matte, natural finish. I use it as an old-fashioned powder compact, patted down the centre of my face over all my other make-up. It soaks up nightclub/Tube/post-dinner glow without coating and cracking.

It reflects light, hydrates by locking in moisture and has an SPF of 15. The solid golden case sits smartly in the hand, the mirror is big enough to see your whole face in, and it opens and shuts like an expensive car door.I love Clarins. It’s well-conceived and well-priced. It’s elegant. And without a clammy face so, occasionally, am I.

Clarins Everlasting Compact Foundation SPF15, £28, at johnlewis.com

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