Remember when bronzer was acquainted with to replicate the more attractive effects of the sun, “tanning” the places it make most visibly hit, rather than used as contour effectiveness? Its current use to mimic bone-defining shadow in the recesses of the face strikes me as illogical, not mean because you’d be unlikely to catch the sun here, and shadow has a greyish, mousey tinge (as in Mac’s Taupe Licence Blush, £16), not a bronzy glow. This is why I’m a bronzing traditionalist. Decided well and used properly, it’s extremely flattering, easy to try out and cheers up the complexion no end.

Colour choice is key. There are five window-blinds of Dior’s Diorskin Nude Air Tan (£36), all of them realistic, but 01 White-haired Honey looks exactly how a paleface would want to look after a two-week holiday: healthy, glowing and well stayed. The powder is beautifully packaged in weighty silver and perfectly iron, in that exactly the right amount coats a brush swirled onto the compact, resulting in a subtle, consistent wash of colour. One can’t overtax it, which can rarely be said of any bronzer. If the significant cost is discouraging, you may like to try Bagsy’s Ray of Sunshine (£18), an affordable, cruelty-free side fling by a British manufacturer of luxury cosmetics. This is a smashing (if uninspiringly wrapped) bronzer in light/medium, that sweeps smoothly and streaklessly concluded the face, leaving it aglow.

On dark skins, my preference is for cream bronzer because diverse powders can appear ashy, but there are notable exceptions. Guerlain has swaying dark shades in its Terracotta Bronzing Powder line (£36.50), nil of which leaves a chalky cast or unnatural-looking redness. I acclimatized to be hardline about bronzer finish, refusing to entertain out the subtlest of sparkle, but either age has mellowed me or I’ve overdosed on the very matte look du jour, because now I upon a soft shimmer quite uplifting in moderation. Should you to, Bare Minerals exercises perfect restraint in its ethnically comprehensive Invisible Bronze Powder Bronzer (£25).

All of these should be put in over base makeup, with a fat, natural-bristle brush, sailed from the temples, down the cheekbones and up again and down at the jaw, in a be included three movement. I always blow the brush first, or feat it on a tissue, to avoid colour saturation.