Sick of covering up behind layers of foundation – but too scared to reveal your skin any more? It’s not as hard as you think to ease up on foundation, and still look like a natural-born beauty.

First of All: Tinted moisturisers are wonderful for evening out skintone, while still letting the complexion show through. On the flipside, of course: this means your skin needs to be in great show-off shape. Ensure you’re cleansing and moisturising twice a day, exfoliating and treating skin with masks twice a week, and investing in regular deep-cleansing facials. If you’re doing all this but still have skin that’s plagued by acne or rosacea, you’re probably better off with mineral makeup. It still gives a natural-look finish, but its soothing formula and high-density coverage will be more suited to your current skin condition. One of the best brands around is i.d Bare Escentuals – click here for more details.

The Suncare Step: We usually layer on sunscreen after moisturiser and before makeup. But if you’re using a moistruiser and foundation in one, you’ll need to apply it first, directly onto clean dry skin. Unless … you buy yourself the fabulous Invisible Zinc Tinted Daywear SPF30+, $29.95 from Adore Beauty, which gives the triple-whammy of protection, hydration and coverage.

How-To: It’s a no-brainer. You simply smooth a tinted moisturiser onto skin as you would a regular moisturiser. Apply a second layer on days where you feel extra coverage is needed. Extend down the neck. Tinted moisturiser also provides great skintone-evening coverage for the décolletage.

Some Great Buys: Dove Protective Tinted Moisturiser SPF15 in Honey, $8.99, from pharmacies; Becca Luminous Skin Colour, $62, from Becca and selected Myer stores; Natio Tinted Moisturiser, $16.95, from pharmacies and Myer; Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturiser, $65, from selected department stores; Clarins Hydra-Care Tinted Moisturizer, $55, from department stores; and, Benefit You Rebel, $49, from selected Myer stores.

NB: Tinted moisturisers usually only come in two or three shades. It’s because they’re so versatile – the diluted pigment means each shade can stretch across a few skintone hues. If you ever need to go a little darker – say, to match a fake-tanned face – simply mix in a little bronzing lotion.

Finishing Touches: Tinted moisturisers won’t cover up dark circles or any redness around the nose, so you’ll need to follow up with concealer. M.A.C Select Cover Up, $32 from M.A.C, is a makeup artist fave, for the way it blends in so well, leaving you with perfect-look skin. Got spots? Buy a concealer brush and dot concealer on until it disappears. As for shine, resist the temptation to load up on powder, as this can overwhelm tinted moisturiser. Anyway, you want to keep the overall effect dewy. Use blotting papers instead – they’ll take away shine, but leave the glow.

Work it Back: Keep the rest of your makeup minimal. Think tinted brows and lashes, some eye glimmer cream dabbed on lids, a little tint on cheeks and lips. However, fresh skin also looks great at night, contrasted with one extreme feature, such as bright scarlet lips, or wicked smoky eyes.

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