Q. I usually wear foundation all year round but for summer I would like to try a primer that gives some coverage. Is that possible or could you advise on options? A. With the plethora of products around, we find a lot of women are a bit confused about how they work. Primers go onto cleansed skin on top of moisturiser and before foundation. They create a smooth canvas for the foundation (a.k.a. base), help it to stay true and also to last.

Primers may contain different colour pigments – for instance Clinique has a range of options that target redness or discoloration, including Superprimer Face Primer Evens Discolouration/£21. Using one of those should mean you don't need so much concealer and can use a lighter base. So in that sense they give a little bit of coverage but probably not as much as you are used to.

Like most of the big brands, Clinique offers a straightforward primer too. In the beauty steal range, Maybelline is today launching a Baby Skin Primer/£7.99, which promises to help vanish pores. If you are splurging then Guerlain Meteorites Light-Diffusing Perfecting Primer/£36, is just fabulous at brightening dull skin.

Foundation-wise, we are big fans of Giorgio Armani. Sarah is currently using Luminous Silk Foundation, which is light as a feather but gives enough coverage – and you can layer it. Jo favours long-wear, high coverage Power Fabric Foundation/£40, which still has a lightweight finish and is good under lights, she finds. For the dewiest finish, she is a long-term devotee of By Terry Terribly Densiliss Foundation, which is a brilliant hybrid of base and serum, a real investment at £78.50 – but worth it, Jo promises.

For beauty steal foundations, we would try brands such as Maybelline (Dream Flawless Nude Foundation is £8.99), or Kiko – more expensive at £18.90 for Liquid Skin Second Skin Foundation, but it contains skin nourishing hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and resveratrol.

Finally, make up artist Jenny Jordan often suggests looking at cosmetics by Mii. Their Absolute Face Base comes in at £26.50, in five shades that blend into skin tone to give a natural glow.