Summer's over, the tan is fading, and hands reach for a foundation one shade darker. It looks like a quick fix for "a bit more summer on the face". Make-up artists agree it's a mistake - and one you can spot at first glance.

"One of the common mistakes when choosing a foundation is going for a darker shade just to look a little more tanned," says M. Ángeles Calvo, a colorimetry expert and make-up artist to Spanish designer and TV personality Vicky Martín Berrocal. Paola Sánchez, a professional make-up artist and image consultant, is even more direct: "The solution isn't in the foundation, it's in what you apply afterwards. If we choose a foundation darker than our real skin, the make-up loses its naturalness and it shows."

Where does it show? On the neck. "It's really important for the skin to look even, without patches or visible lines, and for there never to be a jump in colour between the face and the neck," Sánchez explains. The mask that ends at the jawline is probably the best-known make-up mistake of all, and the industry has spent years selling a "tan effect" in a bottle - without mentioning that a tan isn't made with foundation.

What they recommend instead

Test foundation on the jawline, not on your hand, and check the shade in daylight. To warm up the face, use a cream bronzer and cream blush on the cheekbones and nose, with highlighter on the highest points of the face. Blend all cream products with a damp sponge. A tip worth money: keep two shades of foundation, one for summer and one for winter, instead of one that pretends to be a tan all year round.

The order of application, according to the experts, is: foundation, concealer, cream contour, bronzer and blush, then translucent powder, powder bronzer, powder blush, highlighter and finally setting spray. It sounds like a long list, but the logic is simple - the base stays your own colour, and everything that's "tan" goes on top, where you can control it.