Redness is one of the most common skin concerns women face in midlife – skin thins, collagen dips and the blood vessels beneath the surface become increasingly visible. Add years of sun exposure and the effects of ‘inflammageing’ – the low-grade inflammation associated with ageing – and it's little wonder so many of us are chasing a more even-looking complexion.
The textbook fix is a green colour corrector. Sitting opposite red on the colour wheel, green pigments cancel out rosiness before foundation goes on. But celebrity makeup artist Caroline Barnes (whose client roster includes Pixie Lott, Erin Doherty and Lisa Snowdon) skips the primer step entirely. Her product of choice? One of the best self-tans for the face.
While this may seem an unusual choice, Barnes exclusively explained the colour theory behind it all it makes so much sense.
The self-tan spray Caroline Barnes swears by for disguising redness
“As we get older, you might find that you get a lot more redness in your complexion; maybe you're suffering from rosacea, pimples or whatever the redness may come from. A really good way to even out your complexion is to use something like this from James Read – a facial spray tan,” she tells us.
We’ve come across colour-correcting powders (Laura Mercier’s mint powder springs to mind) and colour-correcting creams, but a self-tan that disguises ruddy cheeks? That’s a first. Yet there’s logic behind the advice – many self-tans develop into golden or olive tones that can counteract the appearance of redness and reduce the contrast between flushed areas and the rest of the face.
“Adding a little bit of warmth to your complexion where your skin tone is irregular minimises and neutralises the redness so that when you put your foundation on, you'll find that your neck and your chest are all one tone. It therefore looks much more natural because everything is toned together,” explains Barnes.
Her product of choice is Self Glow by James Read Golden Days Milky Tan Toner - although there are so many tanning mists on the market, we've included a few of our other favourites here, too.
With that said, we're not surprised Barnes is a fan of Golden Days. The Korean beauty-inspired mist combines a gradual self-tanner with skincare ingredients including PDRN and hyaluronic acid, delivering a believable faux glow while helping to keep skin calm and hydrated.
“It is probably the most natural spray tan I've ever used. I'm so courageous about using it – I'll just spray it straight onto my face. It's got Korean skincare. It contains PDRN, which is a very popular skincare ingredient from Korea,” she adds.
