Make over your make-up bag

*Complexion

Foundation

Lancôme Teint Miracle, £25 or Dior Natural Glow Crème-Gel, £35, available nationwide

Flawless skin never goes out of fashion, but thanks to the minimal look it has come to the fore this season. Surprise, surprise this flawless finish takes work, and a soft-focus effect foundation is key to achieving it. Try Teint Miracle, which gives a luminous, long-lasting finish, or Dior's Crème-Gel, which gives a light, dewy look on skin that isn't too oily or blemished.

Concealer

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, £15, www.maccosmetics.co.uk

This new fluid concealer hides dark circles and flaws effectively, and lasts well. When applying under the eyes dab on with the ring finger – which tends to be the weakest – to avoid pressing hard on the delicate skin.

Highlighter

Bobbi Brown Highlighter Pen, £24, www.bobbibrown.co.uk

A gloopy highlighting product can make it look as if a snail has crawled across one's face, but this sheer Bobbi Brown version casts a soft ethereal light across the skin. Brush it above the apples of the cheeks, then blend with the fingers. Apply blusher once it's dry.

Powder

MAC & Marcel Wanders Sheer Mystery Powder, £29 www.maccosmetics.co.uk

Unless you are the kind of soignée sophisticate who never reapplies her make-up in public, it's worth getting a classy compact. Mac's latest space-age version is a collaboration with Dutch industrial designer Marcel Wanders, and the powder itself is as fine as fairy dust.

Blusher

Les Tissages de Chanel blusher in Tweed Fuchsia, £31, 020 7493 3836

While sculpting is a strong theme at the moment, the easier alternative is a rosy, healthy glow, as seen at Aquascutum and Marc Jacobs. For a youthful flush try a product with a slight shimmer, such as Chanel's tweed-effect blusher. Chanel make-up artist Kay Montano says, "Don't be afraid of the shiny particles – they actually make you look healthy, not disco. Cheeks should be dewy."

*Eyes

Liquid eyeliner

Benefit Magic Ink Jet-Black Eyeliner, £14.50 www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk

If there's one cosmetic that adds instant attitude in the same way as a biker jacket or a sulky pout, it's eyeliner. Winged and flicked for Fifties-beatnik cool at Isabel Marant, it was practically an accessory in its own right. Benefit's new Magic Ink Jet-Black Liquid Eyeliner gives a crisp line, won't irritate the eyes, and stays put. There was a smudgier take at Bottega Veneta, but for this look keep the line clean and graphic.

Eyeshadow

Estée Lauder Pure Color Five Colour Eyeshadow Palette in Extravagant Gold, £34.95

This palette is a gift when it comes to contouring the eyes with natural shades for the Charlie-Girl-meets-Seventies-supermodel look that's so key this autumn. These caramel shades are a safer alternative to the smoky blue that make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury used at Chloé, which takes a very skilled hand to replicate.

Eyebrow pencil

Lancôme Crayon Sourcils eyebrow pencil, £14.50, available nationwide

Brows may come and go – they were barely there at Marc Jacob's spring/summer 2011 show – but this season the main look is full and natural, as seen at Prada and Michael Kors. Trends aside, however, defined natural brows are flattering, and Lancôme's artistic director for make-up, Aaron de Mey, likens the complexion to a canvas and the brows to its frame. Build the colour gradually using feathery strokes.

Mascara

L'Oréal Volume Million Lashes Extra Black Mascara, £10.99, available nationwide

There's nothing subtle about the ad for this product, but it lives up to the hype. Thanks to a brush with both long and short superfine bristles, a "built-in excess wiper system", and an anti-sticking agent, it creates the impression of long, thick, fanned-out lashes with no clumps.

*Lips and nails

Dark lipstick

Givenchy Rouge Interdit in vintage carmine, £18.50, available nationwide

For those who dare, the kind of deep, dark plum associated with goth and Nineties grunge is a key trend. However a bitten berry or wine shade, such as Givenchy's vintage carmine, is much kinder on the complexion. Apply straight from the tube, soften with fingertips, then define and blendwith a lip brush.

The New Nude lipstick

Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Pink Brown, £6.99, www.boots.com

Soft toffee and natural shades are also key this season, and Maybelline's UK make-up director, Sharon Dowsett, describes this colour as a "flushed beige, a natural nude which is more flattering than a true nude". She also says it's the perfect colour for wearing with heavy eye make-up.

Nail varnish

Nails Inc polish in Cadogan Square, £11, www.nailsinc.com

Camel is the most au courant colour for autumn, but if you can't find a shade that flatters your face, it's a whole lot easier to pull off on your talons. That's probably why Nails Inc sold over 1,000 bottles of this Cadogan Square shade in the first 24 hours after it was launched – their biggest seller yet. Other colours to covet include: Chanel's Paradoxal (a metallic purple), Dior's Beige Safari (a pale putty pink), and Mavala's Marron Glacé (a soft mink). Dark blood red is stilla classic colour, especially witha brownish undertone. Try Essie's Masquerade.