Beauty Clinic: I need illumination!

Q. I am looking for an illuminating finishing powder, the sort you can dust all over your face - not just a highlighter. A. We know exactly what you’re looking for. These products are wonderful for perking up your complexion as well as setting make up. These days, the technology means they give you a gorgeous subtle glow rather than making you glitter like a Christmas tree fairy.

You say you want something you can dust over your face – and of course a drift of stardust looks gorgeous on neck, décolleté, shoulders, pretty well anywhere bare. And, to us, ‘dusting’ means you are looking for a loose powder, which you would apply with a lovely big brush (more on that below). But you can use a compact powder in the same way, then pop it in your evening bag, which is very useful. So pop into a department store and try these:

Guerlain Météorites 2/£40 from www.selfridges.com: from this iconic range comes a magic combo of light revealing pearls of powder with Stardust technology to illuminate and correct. (They come in a gorgeous silver tin then you can take the Météorites compact with you.)

bareMinerals Illuminating Mineral Veil/£21: translucent mineral powder with light-refracting pearls, which gives your skin a soft, glowing, airbrushed look and locks in make-up. This absorbs oil and minimises pores and fine lines.

Bobbi Brown Brightening Finishing Powder in Porcelain Pearl/£42, www.bobbibrown.co.uk: perfect for pale and very pale skin, one fan votes it ‘very very clever and refined’. It evens out redness too.

Tom Ford Illuminating Powder/£56: in the most elegant black and gold compact, this boasts ‘an ultra-gliding texture that blends like a fluid on the skin’ (we couldn't put it better ourselves…).

Finally, a word about brushes. The wonderful beauty industry charity Look Good Feel Better (www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org), which supports women going through cancer treatment with make-up master classes and lots more, is the beneficiary of a range of 12 professional quality make-up brushes, created by Bespoke Europe. Each brush is handmade using super soft taklon bristles, so they are allergy- and cruelty-free, and wont irritate the most sensitive skin. Find the whole range at www.boots.com. A Mini Masterclass set with a lovely fluffy powder brush plus a foundation and blender brush is a very reasonable £19.99.