After quite a long spell of using mostly high street complexion powders in my daily makeup routine (I’ve been doing research, watch this space) I’m rather pleased to be reunited with a bit of luxe. There are so many brilliant bronzers and blushers and face powders from budget brands, but most of them are – not unexpectedly – lacking on the design front. Many don’t have mirrors in the cases, for a start, and you certainly don’t tend to get beautifully decorative compacts like the ones in the photo above…

So I’m enjoying carrying about a bit of eye candy in my makeup bag – powders with amazing packaging that I feel glad to whip out in public for an impromptu touch-up. From left to right, above, there’s the Sicilian Bronzer from Dolce & Gabbana (if you find one of these, snap it up, they seem to be universally sold out), the Beached Bronzer from Urban Decay and the Dreamy Glow Highlighter from Charlotte Tilbury.

The Sicilian Bronzer, if you can get it, is quite deep and warm in tone – this is proper bronzing rather than the natural, sunkissed look that I tend to plump for by default. On the other hand, Urban Decay’s Beached Bronzer (centre) is the classic sunkissed sort of powder. Cooler in tone than the Dolce & Gabbana bronzer, it’s a true dust-it-on-and-look-like-a-beach-goddess summer makeup staple. (Find it here – it’s £20. I have the appropriately-named shade “Sun Kissed”.)

Charlotte Tilbury’s Illuminating Youth Powder (right of the photo) is part of her limited edition Norman Parkinson collection, which has a selection of the photographer’s most iconic pictures reproduced on the lids of the cosmetics. The Dreamy Glow highlighter is a soft and forgiving kind of highlighter – no large bits of shimmer or glitter, it has a subtle finish that looks radiant and fresh and a slightly warmed-up, peachy tone that stops things from looking too silvery or harsh. This is great for adding a final flourish to finished skin – it seems to pull everything together and add a bit of life. I rather like it over a sheer face tint on a “good skin day” but it’s equally marvellous for bringing over-mattified faces back from the brink. Find it here – it’s £45.