Make up advice please

Don't use a darker foundation! It will look odd I think. How's your condition of your skin if you don't mind me asking? I find that light foundations sometimes reflect light more so that it looks even paler in pictures. Putting a less thick foundation might be an idea.

I'd recommend using a light bronzing powder to lift the colour a bit, but never ever over do it. Apply to areas where light naturally falls onto.

Thank you, I will go into town and get some bronzing powder- is there any you recommend?

My skin is ok, it depends what drugs I am taking, but I suppose it is normally 'combination'- so I use a matt powder on my T zone (is that what you meant?)

Thank you again for your advice x

I just find that sometimes a thicker foundation makes me look reflective in photos, matt powder should be fine but make sure you apply everything with a light touch. You can mix the foundation with your moisturiser to make it less thick.

Lovely, thank you so much x

I'd mosey along to MAC and see what the lovely ladies there advise.

I'm very pale too, and use it to do more striking make up. After foundation I use a powder blusher - normally quite "heavy" as otherwise I feel there's no definition to my face). I then normally use a purple eyeshadow (I'm a red head). A combination of three to build up the colour and black/brown mascara. I dont use eyeliner or lipstick (unless its natural) though, as that makes striking gothy/scary.

Also the pictures I've seen of you you are stunning

Go get a Boots N:17 Instant Glow wash off self tan (£4.99) in a matte shade & apply with a damp ramer sponge.

Put this on before blusher & you will have a healthy glow.

Can't find item on boots.com , but the code is 5 ****

I know you said not a Fake tan, but this gives you a healthy colour without a fake look.

Most foundations will reflect light away, so in photos gives a white look to your face.

Sophie, I would love to go to MAC but we don't have one near us, I keep looking on the website at all of the lovely things but don't know where to start.

I use mainly Benefit products, so will go and ask them for some help, though they don't have any foundation that matches my skin

Thank you, I think I may pester Mr MF to take me somewhere where there is a MAC in the new year.

I havent used foundation for years, just a cream blusher and then bronzer over the top but on Saturday I bought the No 7 foundation with a brush applicator (not normally a fan of No 7 btw) but I really like it. I'm using the ivory colour and it gives me a nice colour and evens the skin tone.

So maybe try a new foundation otherwise I would recommend a bronzer/cream blusher. I use a Mac blusher in a reddy/gold colour and then either Benefit Hoola bronzer or Nars twin powder blusher and bronzer in Orgasm shade I think.

Pale can look lovely with rosey cheeks so maybe embrace your paleness rather than trying to hide it?

MAC is fab, hhonestly. It depends whether your skin is yellow or pink in tone - I find a lot of paler foundations tend to be neutral and therefore don't look really natural. It would also determine whether you should go for a pinky or peachy blusher, or a golden bronzer. Def worth the trip imo.

Oh bless you, the good thing about my photos is that I get to heavily edit them!

Thank you for your advice, I tend to use cream, brown and black eye make up, with eye liner. Though I am thinking maybe you are right and now I am so pale, I need to be concerned about looking like a goth (no offence to anyone who is a gothic, it's just not the look I am going for as I don't have the confidence to pull it off x)

Thank you again xxx

Thank you, that's another thing for me to consider, I think a big make up shopping spree is on the cards!

I am also hoping you are right about the flash and people around me weren't worrying about whether to start looking for a pulse! xxx

Thank you, I use benefit 'Dandelion' so maybe Hoola is worth ago of!

and again another recommendation for MAC, I think I need to go and find MAC fast!

Thank you also for the foundation recommendation, I think I'll make a list and go and try some samples.

I don't mind looking a bit pale, I just don't want to become invisible if it starts to snow!

ID Minerals is now sold in House of Fraser stores - I quite like them for a fresh non make up look.

Right, you've sold it to me, we'll go off in search of Mac the week after Christmas.

Thank you

I love Mac....its fab! I'm hoping Santa has bought me the new red brush set.

I tend to buy it from Ebay though so its a bit cheaper. Might be worth keeping in mind when you've had a bit of advice from them about what suits you.

First of all, I always think you look stunning, you look like Audrey Hepburn to me..beautiful!

Secondly, I toally second (or third/forth) whoever mentioned MAC..I highly rate it and Im also very pale and hate self tan, or thick-orange make up. I also use Dandelion by Benifit, which is perfect for the peaches and cream look i like to wear. Perscriptives can also mix you a perfect skin match foundation, and I love them.

Right, I recomend you go to MAC and find out what you like/need/want then let me know and I will send you them for probably half the price..I can also get cheap Benifit and Perscriptives and shipping shouldnt be an issue. Just let me know

Lindsay

I would also recommend MAC, but get yourself to a counter and book one of their make overs. It costs £25 but you get that money to spend on products, so it effectively is free for the makeover. They matched all of their products to my skin tone and my make up looks far better since.

I am naturally very pale, going back a year or so ago I used to look quite ill due to my pale skin. I've since discovered tinted moisturiser and it is wonderful stuff. I use No7 so it's not very expensive for me to use every day and the colour is fair, so even though it gives me a nice glow it doesn't make me look tanned (I don't suit any kind of bronzing look). I then use MAC peachykeen blusher and then one of their irridescent powders on top to finish it off. To make your eyebrows stand out I recommend MACs eyebrow pencils, my eyebrows are blonde and without an eyebrow pencil don't really stand out at all.

If you're v v pale fake tan may look odd. I never wear it. I am v pale and can look ghostly if I don't wear blusher, but if I do I look pale and interesting but not ghostly. Blusher is my number one tip actually. I use Bobbi Brown. You need a good brush, big, and brush it over the balls of your cheeks then finish of with a quick brush over your nose/forehead/chin (there'll be hardly any blush on he brush at tht point)

I second, third, fourth what everyone else has said, but would also point out that it's really easy for photos to be very unflattering when in real life people look just fine. I'm also a paler than pale type and the merest hint of artificial lighting makes me look like I've been raised from beyond this life - and flash is just hideous.

I'm quite pale too. I use L'oreal bronzer, it has a light and a darker colour.

After reading recommendations on here I think I'll be visiting a MAC makeup counter too. i could really do with some advice on make-up.

Great advice (although I find hoola v dark- perhaps down to my shoddy attempts at application). I would also echo that you are utterly beautiful, but I think even audrey hepburn had days when she thought she was a bit minging. Take it from us- you are stunning lovely. [kiss$

Thank you so much for all of your lovely and helpful replies (sorry I disappeared, having a row over Christmas cards, I am still sulking and Mr MF is in my bad books)

You're all so sweet about me x you'll be in for a shock if you ever meet me irl.

Mac sounds like the way to go, thank you MH for letting me know there is one in Brighton, I thought I'd need to go to London!

Thank you so much for all the suggestions, I have made a note of all the recommendations and tips and will hopefully be sorted in the new year, but in the mean time wil try all the application advice x I may even post a photo when I am made up and glowing in 09.

Thank you again xx

Another vote for Mac.

On the eyebrow front I noticed this a few years back (also pale with black eyebrows). I realised I was getting foundation on the eyebrow. Now I always put a tiny bit of vaseline on my eyebrows before I apply foundation to stop this and fill in with an eyebrow pencil.

Looks so much better, I can't believe I went all those years without eyebrow pencil ?

MF you naughty girl, I thought you looked beautiful in your partay photos. I'm pretty pale as well - why don't you ask for a sample of Clarins fake tan stuff, it's not orange at all but just takes the edge of the paleness. They do one specifically for your face, but TBH I just use the allover one, it's very light and doesn't smell, and doesn't go streaky or go that dark a la St Tropez etc.

There's a Benefit product called Hollywood Glow that would do good things as well, it's a sparkly tinted lotion that you put on after your foundation, and then just press a little bit of powder on top to stop shine. Do you use powder? I used to use translucent as that was supposedly clear, but I found it actually just made me too ghostly, so I now use a fair one from Boots No 7. And yes, a generous dusting of bronzer on top!

There's a MAC in Fenwick in Tunbridge Wells, is that miles from you?

xxx

I too adore MAC but i have to say Guerlain are the best of the best of the best at producing bronzers that look natural. They do every shade and texture under the sun and it lasts on the skin all day. It's the only makeup product i have never changed and have continued to use since i started using it over 10 years ago.