I asked a make-up artist the best way to nail my base - I could never have predicted her answer

A smiley girl wears a pale blue long ruffled dress, a dark gray wool pullover, a beige and brown print pattern sheep zipper jacket.

Val Garland is one of the most esteemed make-up artists of our time. Having worked with some of the biggest A-listers (from Kate Moss to Lady Gaga), written a bestselling book and been a judge on BBC's Glow Up, you can trust that Val knows her stuff. Having interviewed Val back in 2018 to celebrate the launch of her book Validated, I also know that she's one of the most personable, easy-to-talk to make-up artists I've met. For this reason, when I spotted her at an event recently, I had to go and ask for some advice.

You see, my skin recently has been playing up a LOT, which is very unusual for me. I've been experiencing breakouts and lots of dryness (especially under my chin) which has led to obvious flaking and uneven skin texture. Because of this, I wanted to ask Val her advice on how to help make-up sit smoothly on my skin, without highlighting those flaky areas.