Great makeup begins with proper skincare, as every makeup professional will tell you.
It’s pointless to expect your cosmetics to operate optimally if you haven’t prepared with skincare customised to your needs and desired result.
Consider your skincare to be the foundation of your final makeup look.
Can you identify dry flakes? It might be resolved with acid. Is your skin tight and flat? A thick, non-pilling moisturiser may have helped.
With MAC Cosmetics integrating skincare to their line for the first time this month, we’ve been thinking about the finest products that go well with makeup – and, as is frequently the case, it’s the beauty manufacturers themselves leading the way.
We’ve picked together the finest of the best, from glow-givers to moisture-boosters, oil-absorbers, and skin-softeners.
MAC Hyper Real Serumizer – from £28
MAC has made their debut in skincare, and this serum hydrates while imparting the gentlest touch of glow. It also has niacinamide and other good-for-skin ingredients.
Milk Vegan Milk Moisturiser – £34.50
For those with dry skin, this moisturiser is astoundingly rich without feeling heavy. If makeup looks flat and cakey on skin, prep it with this first.
Glossier Futuredew – £23
For fans of glow, this skincare-makeup hybrid does well as the final step as a skincare routine, providing a glowy base for foundation.
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base – £48.50
The OG skincare-primer hybrid, this makes skin feel like a pillow, and makeup glides over.
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant – from £11
Apply this the night before makeup if you struggle with flakiness – it’ll be gone by the morning, making for a much smoother canvas for makeup.
By Terry Brightening CC Serum in Sunny Flash – £61
If you like a shimmery tint on the skin, this works best as the final step in a skincare routine.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar MAT+ Moisturiser Oily Skin – £18.50
If oil is the problem, breaking up any makeup applied over top, this mattifies skin so that whatever goes on top stays put.