Jane Iredale Skintuition SPF 30 Radiance-Boosting Liquid Foundation

Makeup with sun protection built in earns its keep through a New Zealand summer. This is a liquid foundation with mineral SPF 30 and a luminous finish. The coverage is buildable, so you control how opaque it looks, from a light wash of colour up to something more solid.

How to apply it

Start with less than you think. Let your moisturiser settle for a minute or two first, or the two products slide around each other. Work from the centre of the face outwards with clean fingers, a damp sponge or a dense brush, then add a second thin layer only where you want more cover, usually around the nose and chin. Thin layers keep it looking like skin.

Mineral filters sit on the surface, so anything that rubs takes some product with it. A phone screen, a towel, a scarf collar in winter. Plan on a touch-up if you are out all day.

Who it suits, and who it may not

• Normal, dry and combination skin that wants a soft glow rather than a flat finish.
• Winter, when indoor heating leaves the face feeling tight. A luminous base is generally more forgiving over dry patches than a matte one.
• Less suitable if you want full, flat coverage. Buildable is not the same as full.
• Oilier skin through a humid Auckland summer may find the glow reads as shine by mid afternoon. A translucent powder pressed into the T zone is the usual fix.

One honest thing about the SPF

An SPF rating is measured at a lab standard application, a much thicker layer than anyone wears foundation. Treat the SPF 30 here as a helpful extra on top of your sun protection rather than a replacement for it, and put a dedicated sunscreen underneath on a bright day. Mineral filters can also catch a direct camera flash and read paler than expected in photos, so keep the layer light if you know you are being photographed.

Verdo Cosmetics is an authorised stockist in Parnell, Auckland. Unsure of your shade? Check it along the jawline in daylight rather than under indoor lighting.