As I stagger into my mid-fifties, other women are always kindly informing me that I've got good skin. The truth is that, actually, I have excellent foundation. 

Base could be my Mastermind specialist subject, having sported it every day since the age of 11. Yes, my mother's complexion was astonishing, and, yes, I've stayed out of the sun. However, it's my foundation choices that beguile admirers.

It frustrates me that legions of midlifers continue to be base-phobic. If you haven't updated your foundation in years, I insist that you investigate: the technology has radically moved on since we first started dabbling in the Eighties and Nineties.

Banish any mask-like thoughts from your brain. Today's formulas come with skincare benefits and are designed to resemble glorious, gleaming complexions.

'Long-stay' never means 'cakey,' while colour matches are better than ever. I veer slightly paler rather than darker with my shade (most women prefer the latter), which creates a nipperish, brighter, less sun-sullied impression.

My personal technique is to apply face oil first for 'bouncy' hydration (oily skins will prefer a primer), let it sink in, then add whatever SPF I'm using (vital). 

Next, I brush and finger pad on my foundation, while there's still a degree of 'slip'. Finally, I fix my T-zone with the lightest application of powder.

I realise I am obsessive in boasting a foundation wardrobe: any one of these six would do splendidly. But, I enjoy the creativity of conjuring different looks. Besides, it gives you, my beloved readers, a catalogue of superstar bases to select from. And there has never been a better time. Spring light can make us feel grey. Pick from the following to look fabulously fresh-faced by Easter.

1. My everyday stunner

Hannah Betts using the Bobbi Brown Weightless Skin Foundation SPF 15

The base I've kept returning to since its release last August is Bobbi Brown Weightless Skin Foundation SPF 15 (now £34.40, bobbibrown.co.uk).

A 53-shade, 'real' skin, no-make-up make-up phenomenon, it manages to look even better at the end of a long day than at the beginning.

I use this supremely naturalistic wonder more than any other. 

And you agree: it won best foundation in Inspire's 2024's Beauty Awards.

2. My barely there beauty

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Lisa Eldridge's Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint (£37, lisaeldridge.com) is pure witchcraft: light, luminous, yet providing ample coverage. If you've avoided foundation for decades because you hate your skin to look fake, this will convert you.

3. My bouncy-skin booster

Hannah Betts wearing the Glossier Stretch Fluid Foundation (£34, uk.glossier.com)

When I’m so exhausted I look drawn, I rely on Glossier Stretch Fluid Foundation (£34, uk.glossier.com). 

A genius gel-cream it delivers a gorgeously plumped complexion in a few speedy strokes. 

It boasts being 89 per cent skincare based, the pigments are coated in amino acids help the colour fuse to the face for long-lasting, yet springy coverage that looks akin to (perfect) skin. 

4. My luminous loveliness

If my tiredness is manifesting as more of a dullness and greyness – especially at night, and/or under artificial light - then Shiseido Revitalessence Skin Glow (£49, shiseido.co.uk,  is my salvation. 

A super-luminous serum, it’s been a word-of-mouth sensation since it launched in 2023. Long-lasting, it leaves skin with an incredible radiance. 

Hence being used on the set of Bridgerton for romantic-heroine radiance.

5. My dewy gleam

Hannah Betts using Stila foundation

6. My cunning coverage

If my skin is looking spotty, rough or red, then it's out with my trusty Vieve Skin Nova Complexion Balm (£34, vievebeauty.com), a skincare/make-up hybrid that is a more medium-coverage option (without giving that impression). 

Niacinamide improves uneven skin tone, polyglutamic acid reducing the appearance of enlarged pores and wrinkles while replenishing moisture levels. 

Shoppers are mad for it: its most popular shades sold out for months. Brace yourselves, stocks are back in.

Easter Treats 

Race You To It

Google searches for Supergoop! Glow Screen SPF 30 (from £18, Boots.com) have increased by 1,650% in the past three months. 

It’s an SPF primer in four shades, crammed with ingredients to even tone, minimise pores, filter blue light, hydrate and protect. 

Dewy, glowing, it’s as fetching on its own as under make-up. Shield skin in style.

Cosmetic Craving: Seed DS-01™ Daily Synbiotic (£49 per month, seed.com)

Easter may bring chocolate, hot-cross buns and the odd glass of vino. Might I suggest that it’s also the moment for a springtime subscription to Seed DS-01™ Daily Synbiotic (£49 per month, seed.com) Seed is a probiotic and prebiotic formula created by a squadron of doctors and scientists to set a new standard in gut health. 

It is also designed to deliver benefits beyond digestion, not least supporting the gut-skin relationship. (The capsules aid synthesis of vitamins B9 and B12 – both important for complexion health.) And it has an effect – fast. 

With annual global probiotic sales expected to reach £13.2billion by 2027, one dose was enough to convince me that this gut restorer is the one.