MANILA, Philippines-Standards of beauty change across time. Eyebrows are thick and bushy one month, then sparse, bleached and skinny next. Thin lips were once a sign of gentility; now-coveted thick lips were seen as cheap and common before.

One thing that remains constant, though, is the beauty ideal of facial skin. It has to be smooth, poreless, even-toned, firm and blemish-free. Most of us will never achieve this in our lifetime no matter how many facials and treatments we go through.

The easiest way to fake it is via the right foundation formula and shade. Now that the weather is colder we aim for something less oil-controlling and more hydrating.

Cream to powder: Best for drier skin that is in decent shape. Imperfections are nothing more than slight uneven skin tone, fading spots, and slightly visible pores. They are very hydrating so they?re great for those who have fine lines.

Try Shiseido Hydro Liquid Compact. It starts off as a compact cream, melts into the skin like liquid, then dries to a satin finish as it plumps out those fine lines and gives skin a dewy baby finish.

Liquid/gel: Suits a wide variety of skin types, from normal to dry, oily and combination, as it is the easiest formula to incorporate treatments into.

Try Nars Sheer Matte (www.narscosmetics.com) for normal to oily skin that needs a polished look without the caking finish most mattifying foundations tend to give us in colder weather.

It controls shine, brightens overall skintone and covers imperfections. The look it gave me was scrubbed clean and fresh from the shower. The coverage is buildable so you can apply more on some areas without having the excess clump up. My matches are Siberia and Deauville light shades with a neutral balance of yellow and pink undertones.

MAC Studio Sculpt comes in a creamy gel formulation that provides medium to heavy coverage, which is long-wearing and water-resistant so sweat won?t budge this baby. Not for oily skin types.

Note: The shades tend to run darker than the other MAC foundations. I had to use an NC15 instead of my usual NC20. Make sure you test on your jaw line before purchasing.

Maybelline Clear Smooth Liquid Mineral has soothing properties great for sensitive skin.

The coverage is reminiscent of a cross between Prescriptives? Virtual Skin and Traceless Foundation. It blends easily using one?s fingers, the right shade blends right into skin with a seamless look and does not feel greasy or heavy at all. Oilier skin may need regular press powder application while very dry skin will need a good moisturizer or primer underneath.

ompact powder

Women with oily skin in their youth will continue to have shine problems well into their sixties. Aside from shine control this also provides extra long wearing coverage for acne scars, redness from allergy, dark circles, freckles/pigmentation and corrects uneven skin tone.

Try Fashion 21 UV Whitening Face Powder Foundation with Vitamin E which contains UV protectors and skin brightening ingredients so it evens out your skintone while hiding imperfections and holding back shine.

They sell refills so it?s a great money saver. But it only comes in three very light shades (nude, beige and tan) so it may be a challenge to find a matching shade for some.

Revlon Age Defying 2-Way Foundation with Botafirm has shades made for Asian women in mind, so they are yellow-based and easy to match.

When you use the sponge it comes with for application, the coverage is a medium one, those who want lighter should invest in a powder brush, and those who want more coverage should wet the sponge.

Applying with the sponge feels best for me as I am oily and I love the way it perfects my skintone and texture. Alas, the shades were too yellow for me I looked muddy so I don?t get to wear them even if the texture and coverage were perfect.

E-mail the author at kinnysalas @yahoo.com