Putting on your face

Don't believe me? Well how about listening to high-profile make-up artist Tina Young instead.

Tina has a raft of assignments, including OK magazine, under her belt, and she's keen to spread the word that we can all dazzle.

She spills the beans on a visit to my home, where she gives me tips on applying make-up.

Tina, who trained at the exclusive Chateau Ecole de Maquillage in Paris, reveals: "The stars always look great and a lot of it is knowing how to accentuate what you've got."

She insists: "Everyone can have their best features enhanced."

Like me, many people may feel a touch daunted delving into the make-up bag and stick to a tried and tested formula.

Not Tina. She lived in France for six years and believes we here in Britain could take a few leaves out of the chic Parisian woman's book.

"French women are always so groomed and chic. When you are made up, you feel a million dollars, like a different person, if you know what to do. And it can take just a few minutes. The culture here is not so celebrated as it is in France. I think it can be an embarrassment thing, like getting it wrong wearing too much slap', people think they may stand out."

Before Tina gets to work she promises to keep it natural at least for the initial daytime look. Later, transferring it to a more party look, Tina layers more colour on my eyes, applies liquid eyeliner and reapplies the lipstick.

She starts with a touch of foundation on my chin, forehead and nose, the T-zone, to even out my tone.

Next comes the eyeshadow she chooses a purple shade for me, blended with a lighter pink.

"My biggest tip of all is that whatever you do, unless you're going for an ultra dramatic look, always blend, blend and blend again," says Tina. " That's what makes it look natural."

My eyebrows also get a dusting of powder Tina uses Make Up Forever, which you can pick up on the internet.

I'm not convinced with the greenish colour she chooses for my brows, but it works.

Tina recommends Mia Make Up in Amersham where you can make up your own palettes.

"Often you want to buy eye shadow and think, I'm not going to use all those colours'. This way you pick out what you'll use and leave the rest."

Mascara comes next. "My personal favourite mascara is Yves Saint Laurent," Tina tells me, "just one stroke and it's there.

Blusher and lipstick prove revelations for me. Usually the former makes me look like a clown and the latter disappears every hour or so.

Tina advises: "With blusher it's important to dust some around the frame of the face so it ties the look together and you don't have lumps of colour.

"Permanent lipsticks can be very drying. Put a lipliner around the top of your lips and it acts like a barrier, so colour doesn't bleed."

"The nack of putting on lipstick is to apply the colour, blot, pat with powder and then reapply the colour. Always choose a lipliner that's the natural shade for you, just to give your lips form."

These days, in between shoots, Tina visits women in their homes and passes on her secrets.

She explains: "It's about experimentation as everybody's skin is so different. I suppose what people get with me is someone who's done all the experimentation, and knows what works for different types of complexions and tones.

"I do parties where friends get together I'm not really selling anything just showing what you can do yourself and how to master an actual look."

"The whole thing with make up is playing with shadow and colour. Light brings out and dark takes away, it's playing just like painting. It's about enhancing what you've already got naturally. Everyone can do it and look wonderful."

As Tina leaves it's not the tips though I've picked up plenty but the fun I've had learning, and as Tina says playing', over the afternoon, that would make me recommend it to pals. Think back to the fun you had diving into your mum's make-up bag as a little girl and you get the idea.

So why let the French girls have all the fun?

FaceMakeUp.co.uk