Pores may be tiny – but to many women we read, they’re considered a massive beauty challenge. Now, our perennial beauty advice is always to stand back and look at the bigger picture – nobody, but nobody is standing there going: ‘Wow, look at those craters on her nose!’. They're enjoying your sparkling eyes, listening to your voice, seeing your smile. But mirrors can nevertheless be cruel – and so all hail to Clarins’s two new launches for the open pore-prone. First, a beautifully velvety mattifying foundation, which creates a super-fine surface to skin. Though matte, it’s not dulling; acacia gum micropearls add just enough light to the skin. (We’d like to see a wider selection than the five shades available, but fingers crossed that might change if this foundation’s the success it deserves to be.) It’s super-smooth, and feels lightweight on the skin.

The second innovation is a super-clever combo: a lightweight, shine-defying powder which doesn't cake or look dusty, sharing space in the sleek gold compact with (refillable) blotting papers, to lift off shine.

So: your personality can shine, and your face doesn’t have to.

Clarins Pore Perfecting Mattifying Kit and Pore Perfecting Foundation/£33 - £28  buy now