In the past two decades, make-up technology has advanced tremendously. Gone are the days of pancake and peach-coloured gloop: the latest foundations are so high-tech, they are more like virtual skin, providing a glowing, flawless and poreless finish.

“I call them foundations as plastic surgery,” says Terry Barber, the head of make-up artistry at Mac. “They are so good, people will ask if you’ve had something done.”

The excitement began last year with the launch of YSL Perfect Touch Foundation (£28), a unique complex that leaves skin smooth, luminous and peachy. It sold 20,000 units in its first month alone.

But the turning point, according to Sylvie Chantecaille, the founder of Chantecaille cosmetics, “was the realisation that a sheer formulation, without opaque pigment, would let the skin shine and create more radiance”. In 1999, she launched Real Skin (£44; www.spacenk.co.uk), a light, creamy compact foundation that enhanced rather than masked the skin. It was way ahead of its time. Chantecaille’s latest foundation, Just Skin (£52), is the company’s most natural skin enhancer to date. It comes packed with plant extracts, and is also said to defend skin against smog and pollution.

There are now formulations that use new light technology, radiance-enhancing pigments and velvety-soft textures. Max Factor recently launched the reasonably priced Miracle Touch (£11.95), a compact foundation that transforms from a solid to a lightweight liquid on contact with the skin. It minimises pores and evens out imperfections.

The colour spectrum of make-up bases has also improved enormously. Mac Studio Fix foundation (£19), for example, comes in 34 shades, from the palest porcelain to black and mixed-race skin tones. “There’s no excuse for not finding your exact shade,” says the makeup artist Mary Greenwell.

The technology doesn’t stop there: the future is all about incorporating skincare into beauty products. Greenwell is a big fan of Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF15 (£28), a fine powder that contains amino acids to promote cell growth and fight ageing. Applied with a powder brush, it goes on like a luminising foundation. Then there is the new Elizabeth Arden Intervene Makeup SPF15 (£25), the company’s first antiageing foundation. As well as working to slow down the ageing process, it contains micro-fine minerals that blur imperfections.

But the latest in beauty haute couture is Prescriptives Custom Blend Tinted Moisturizer (£38), which launched last week. It’s like ordering a coffee: the folk at the Prescriptives counter will whizz up a bespoke product, adding the right nutrients for your skin type, your ideal finish (matt, luminous, extra dazzle) and a shot of antioxidant vitamin E to go. So head to your nearest Prescriptives counter – if you’re quick, you might just beat the queue.

HOW TO GET THE PROFESSIONAL LOOK

1 Go to the window. “If a foundation looks great in daylight, it will look good in any light,” says Barber.

2 Testing, testing. “Always try out foundation on your neck, about an inch below your ear,” says Greenwell. “This is your true skin colour. And never shop for foundation when you already have makeup on.”

3 Prime your skin. Lancôme La Base Pro (£22) is an innovative clear base that smooths away fine lines, pores and imperfections, creating the perfect long-lasting base.

4 Brush up your technique. Many make-up artists use a special brush to blend foundation to the smoothest finish. Barber recommends Mac’s fibre-optic stippling brush (£28).

5 Centre point. Start in the middle of the face and work outwards, suggests Barber, so that foundation doesn’t collect around the jaw and hair line.

6 Lighten up. “Use the lightest foundation you can get away with,” says Barber. “It’s no longer modern to see foundation.”

7 Stop the shine. “Nobody looks good with shiny nostrils or glistening between the brows,” says Barber. For a durable matt finish, apply a dusting of Clinique Blended Face Powder in Invisible Blend (£17.50).

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