Makeup starter kit

These seven cover a daytime face completely and an evening one in most cases.

• Moisturiser — not makeup, but nothing else works without it
• Foundation or BB — matched to your depth and undertone
• Concealer — for local coverage
• Powder — for the T-zone only
• Brow pencil or powder
• Mascara
• One colour that works on both cheeks and lips

Buying everything at once creates two problems: the cost, and the fact that you cannot tell which product is doing what.

A better route is buying in sequence. Brow product and mascara first — they change a face most for the least effort. Then foundation and concealer. Powder and blush last.

Into two products: foundation and mascara. With foundation what matters is that the depth and undertone are yours; with mascara, that the formula does not transfer.

It is not worth spending on powder or blush at this stage. In those two categories the link between price and result is weakest, and an inexpensive option is entirely adequate for a beginner.

A forty-shade palette, a contour kit, highlighter and primer are the four categories bought earliest and used least.

They are not bad products. They belong to the stage where the basic steps are already automatic — and before that they are money spent without a result.

Those seven products need two tools: a sponge or brush for base, and one small brush for concealer. Brow, mascara and lip products come with their own applicators.

The choice between sponge and brush depends on your skin. A damp sponge spreads a thinner, more natural layer and suits dry skin; a brush gives more coverage.