If I had a penny for each time a photo of me was taken on a VK-fuelled night out at Uni sporting a ghostly white face I’d be a very rich lady indeed. Back in the days when I was surrounded by textbooks, highlighters and copious amounts of stickers to make the whole get-up a bit more interesting, I had no idea what a no-no the combination of SPF containing foundations and flash photography was, and yes I have the pictures to prove it. To cut a long story short, any foundation with an SPF of about 8 or higher, can contain large amounts of titanium dioxide, a UV protectant that helps to reflect away light causing that dreaded ‘flashback face’ – there are other ingredients which can cause this, but TD is the main culprit. So by the time winter rolls around and Christmas party season begins, it’s time to ditch the SPF products (in the evenings anyway); here are my three SPF-free favourites to slap on when flash comes out to play…
If I fancy a low-coverage look for the evening – this is pretty rare unless I’m having a ridiculously good skin day which happens about one day per year, then a quick buff of the  This Works Perfect Look Skin Miracle into the skin with a foundation brush, with a dusting of concealer and powder over the top will do. A great all-rounder, and probably the most popular SPF-free pick of them all is the medium coverage, and extremely buildable MAC Face + Body Foundation. I tend to apply one layer, wait for it to dry and sink into the skin a little then reapply another layer (or two) over the top. It’s water based so doesn’t feel heavy on the skin and works well mixed into other foundation to make your perfect colour concoction. I’m shade N2 FYI. My final pick is a full coverage bad boy – Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation in the shade 6. But don’t start getting delusions of cakey, crusty coverage – this stuff blends in beautifully and covers practically everything without looking too overly matte or powdery. A great pick for oily skinned gals who need something that’s going to stick around till 5am – naughty.
So wave goodbye to those moomin-esque pictures and next times there’s no need to shrink away when a camera wielding mate comes shrieking past. Say cheese!
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