Achieving that perfect look. Forget slapping on buckets of this season’s ‘must have’ make-up - flawless complexions and kiss-me-quick lips owe more to practice and patience than to specific products. So we’ve asked our friends at Max Factor for some professional tips on achieving that movie star look.

Avoid solid blocks of colour - carefully blended eyeshadow looks professional and will flatter the eyes. Make sure that you remember the basic rules; dark shadows deepen or hollow an area, light shadows make an area stand out. So light shadows look fresh on lids and browbones, whereas dark shadows make the most of lashlines and contours by adding definition.

Always apply mascara to your lower lashes first using the tip of the wand. To apply mascara to the top lashes sweep the brush from the base to the tips. To add drama simply apply a second coat of mascara.

Select a matt or deep shadow and apply across the eyelid. Kohl can be applied both as an eyeliner and inside the lower rim of the eye. Use the palest of shadow on the eyelid and add contour by blending a very soft neutral shade along the socket line. The simpler the better. Apply shimmery pearlescent eye shadow to the eyelid only and then add lashings of mascara!

There are no right or wrong colours to wear. Whatever colour your eyes are, don’t be afraid to experiment. Also remember, less is more. Add colour little by little and blend well. Don’t forget it’s easy to add extra eye shadow but tricky to remove too much. Blondes suit warm soft browns, greys, peaches and string pales e.g. blues and pinks. Pale skinned brunettes should choose warm dusky colours such as violets, browns, peaches greens and warm pinks. Darker skinned brunettes can wear more jewel shades in these colours. Redheads can choose copper, gold, reddish browns and green. Dark skins look great in vibrant colours such as deep browns, strong russets, blacks, electric blues, violet, deep pink, orange and gold.

Liquid Foundation. To get the best results start with cleansed, toned and moisturised skin. Apply colour to the centre of the face, across your nose and cheeks then blend out over the face. To ease blending and avoid caking always prime your skin with moisturiser before applying foundation and give it a minute or so to absorb. If you use a liquid foundation, always shake the bottle well before you apply it. Pigment can settle at the bottom and give you an uneven finish. For perfect application, stroke liquid and stick foundations on with your fingers rather than a sponge. The heat of your fingers makes the foundation melt into the skin better. Make-up sponges can skid across the surface and leave streaks. Blend your foundation onto your cheeks, forehead, nose, chin, even your eyelids, starting from the nose and working outwards. Use as little or as much as looks right for each area - which sometimes means none at all. An easy trick for a glowing look is to use two different shades of foundation. Apply your ‘true’ shade, which matches the natural skin tone of your neck, all over your face as normal. Then apply a little bit of darker foundation over the nose, cheeks, chin and forehead to create a ‘cross’ of slightly darker colour in the centre of the face. This technique ‘punches-up’ the colour in the face and really livens up the skin tone. When you're shopping for foundation take a compact mirror with you so you can put the colour on your face then check it outside. A shade that looks great on your skin in the artificial light inside the shop might look dreadful in daylight. The right foundation for you will be virtually invisible when you apply it to the skin between your cheek and your jaw. Get yourself a foundation 'wardrobe'. Your skin colour and needs change over the year and one foundation is not going to look right for 12 months. Use a little more than a tinted moisturiser for high Summer when your skin is darkest, a paler foundation for Winter and something in between for Spring and Autumn. Compact Foundations. Apply with a dry sponge to get even coverage. Conceal dark circles by apply foundation all over with the sponge provided and then using a fine brush for the area that needs to be hidden. You don’t need to use powder with compact foundations. Stick Foundations. Can be applied directly to the skin by stick or with fingertips. If you are using the stick to apply, draw it along both cheeks and blend outwards. Apply a little to the chin and forehead and blend outwards. Concealer. Any cream concealer should always be applied over liquid foundation. If you put it on first, it simply rubs off when you apply the foundation Professionals keep concealer light and minimal. Only use it where you absolutely need it and make sure that the colour blends perfectly with your skin tone. If the colour looks like it's sitting on the surface of your skin try tapping it in with your fingers. Under-eye shadows can be blended away simply by applying Maybelline EverFresh™ concealer. Blend into the inner corner of the nose and at the outer corner of the lid, using your ring finger. Add a little around your nose, over your eyelids, in fact anywhere you need a little extra coverage. Just ensure that you blend it in well. Blemishes can be covered by applying EverFresh™. You can also blend it in using your finger.

Powder adds a matt finish to foundation and allows your other make-up to glide on easily. For a natural finish apply it loosely with a brush. For a more flawless look, use a puff to press the powder onto the skin. The puff makes the foundation, the concealer and the powder melt together so you're left with a perfect matt finish rather than a dusty layer. Use translucent powder to avoid any colour build-up. Powder is there simply to give a matt finish, not to add any colour. Maybelline's PureStay™ Powder & Foundation can be used as a regular foundation over moisturised skin or applied over foundation as a finishing powder. Its matte finish looks gorgeous and holds up beautifully.

Before applying blusher make sure you remove any excess colour on your blusher brush. Sweep the blusher across the cheek bones using a thick, soft blusher brush - making sure that the blusher extends no further than the centre of the eye and no lower than the base of your ears. For the most natural flush, match your blusher texture with your foundation - so use cream blushers over liquid foundation because they blend better with foundation than powder blushers. Save powder blushers to use with a powder finish foundation. Square face. To soften a square face use a deeper shade of either powder or blush and apply to the edges of your jaw line. Apply blusher across the cheekbones Long face. To shorten a longer face or soften a pronounced chin, brush the chin with a natural but deep shade of blush. Round face. Round faces need additional contour to add shape. Blush is a must on the cheeks and deeper shades should be applied to the jaw line to help recede it. Emphasise the chin using a pale brush dotted onto it.

When applying lipstick, begin by applying a little foundation or concealer over your lips as this masks the natural lip line. This allows you to correct the shape of the mouth and provide a good base for the lipstick, ensuring that the colour will be 'true' and last even longer. Even if it’s only the first application of the day, use a lip brush because it will enable you to fill in the tiny lip creases with colour. This also makes it last longer. Think bright and light to emphasise the lips and bring them forward. A bright colour will emphasise a great mouth but will also draw attention to less than perfect lips. Neutral lipsticks will minimise the impact of a very full mouth and a very dark shade can make thin lips look even smaller. A matt finish absorbs light and slightly downplays the mouth giving a sophisticated, natural finish. For a full, sexy mouth use a pearl lipstick or a slick of gloss to reflect the light, making lips appear larger. A gold highlight in the middle of your lower lips creates a full, sexy pout.

Your everyday lipliner should be a neutral shade to match your skin tone or mirror your lipstick shade. Don’t be afraid to draw just over the natural line to give the illusion of fuller lips, or slightly inside the lips to downplay a full mouth. If you have uneven lips use a pencil to correct a natural line by following the contours and creating the shape you want. Be sure to blend it in to avoid a hard line. Fill in lips with a smooth lipliner underneath your lipstick. This gives greater colour intensity and minimises 'kissing-off' your lip colour.

You can alter the appearance of your lips depending on how you apply your lipliner and the colour of lipstick you use. If you have small lips, don't be afraid to draw just over the natural line to give the illusion of fuller lips. A bright colour will further emphasise your lips. To downplay fuller lips, draw slightly inside the lips and select a darker shade of lipstick. To aid uneven lips, use a lip pencil to correct a natural line by following contours and creating the shape you want. Blend it in to avoid a hard line.