Gwyneth Paltrow may not be everyone’s (well, all right, my) cup of tea (too head-girl-ish, calls her children silly names), but I cannot deny that she looked damnably good recently when she was photographed without make-up. Normally when stars are seen without make-up (or with cosmetic slippage after a night on the tiles), it’s considered a bit of a PR disaster. Fun for the rest of us, though – after all, it’s comforting to be reminded of the unfair advantage (stylists, make-up artists, cosmetic surgeons) behind those perfect smiles.

Mostly when celebrities do the bare-faced thing, they’re wearing just as much make-up as ever, only in subtle shades of beige. It’s the equivalent of upmarket hotel decor: understated, inoffensive, flattering – and great at hiding wear and tear. It actually requires a surprising amount of effort: make-up artists often spend twice as long creating a “nude” look as, say, a dark-eyed rock chick image. Being able to define the eyes dramatically (as Paltrow did earlier in the year at Cannes, when she was working her sex-vixen look) means you can keep it simple elsewhere. The focus is drawn to the gaze, and the rest is just so much flesh.

The key thing to remember when attempting the nude look is that you don’t want it to look mask-like. It is easy to go heavy-handed on the concealer, and erase all character from your face. A natural face has shadows and imperfections, and the idea is to soften rather than eliminate completely. In other words, a small amount of concealer, judiciously applied, is better than a palette-load – especially around the eyes (you know what I mean: the reverse panda look of someone who’s overdosed on Touche Eclat).

With foundation, the trick is to use a very fine formulation, sparingly. These days, there are so many different shades you should be able to find one that matches your skin exactly; the old “one shade lighter” rule is obsolete. Something with illuminating properties is good; I swear by Prescriptives Virtually Fresh Skin Refining Makeup SPF 15 (£22, www.prescriptives.com). It goes on with little fuss, and it’s brilliant for smoothing over open pores and high colour.

Mineral make-up for sensitive skins

It is wax, perfume, and talc-free, and it stays put too. Why our beauty editor has gone natural with make-up.

BACKGROUND

• What to take in your holiday washbag

• Gwyneth Paltrow: a natural beauty

• Credit crunch beauty: Tesco make-up

• How to deal with pre-teens and make-up

• Treating a hormone inbalance

Finally, remember to put back the colour that you take out. I didn’t work that one out until Bobbi Brown herself pointed it out to me, slowly, as if explaining it to a stupid person, which of course she was. She advocates two stages of colour: first, the blush; then the “pop”. For the blush, choose a natural shade: apricot or peachy tones for light skins, pinks and plums for darker complexions. Apply a small amount in the area where you would naturally blush. For the pop, choose a more vibrant shade, and apply a tiny amount to the apple of your cheeks. Hmm. Apple; now wouldn’t that make a lovely name for a child…

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