I've got pretty good skin for my age (42 later this month) and virtually no wrinkles. I attribute this in part to never being the kind of girl to smother her skin in foundation every day, which I think blocks pores and can damage the skin in the long term. My three daughters disagree though and do wear foundation every day. So, last year, when I decided I could do with getting some foundation on my 41st birthday, I asked my eldest daughter to find a good one for me. She ended up buying me Rimmel Recover foundation as one of my birthday presents.

This was almost a year ago. So how have I been getting on using foundation for the first time?

Well, I have noticed my skin colouring changing over the past few years. My cheeks get a bit red and blotchy at times and I get darker areas under my eyes, all of which I feel more confident if I cover them up. I usually use the Rimmel Recover as a concealer and extend it over my cheeks to make the colour more even. I do sometimes use it as foundation and put it all over my face though. I find it is good at making my skin tone appear more even and I don't tend to need blusher or anything on top of my cheeks.

Rimmel Recover foundation comes in a 30ml bottle, which is small enough to fit into my make up bag. The packaging itself is a bit plain and uninspiring being beige with a pink screw-top lid. Despite it being a small bottle, it does last well and there still seems to be quite a lot left in my bottle after having it for a year, though it is hard to tell as you can't see (or hear) the product to check when it is running out.

I often find if I squeeze the foundation out of the top, the liquid can come out as too much, so I ensure l just take a tiny bit of the product at a time and use it sparingly. It comes out quite creamy and is easy to smooth, though I sometimes find it can look a bit powdery, especially if my skin is very dry. Often I will put Nivea Soft Intensive Moisturising Crème on my cheeks afterwards, so it mixes in well and doesn't end up streaky or too powdery, almost like a DIY tinted moisturiser! I think it could be rather drying though, if I used it without any face cream.

The bottle says it should do several beneficial things. It contains Vitamins C and E and is an "illuminating anti-fatigue foundation." It claims the product "replumps skin and replenishes complexion. Brightening formula for a radiant and smooth finish. All day coverage." Personally, I wouldn't say it quite achieves all of those things, but I am happy with the effects it has on my skin overall. I think it covers blemishes well and makes me much more confident when I am going out. If I look tired, putting some of this under my eyes brightens up my face and makes me look more awake and fresh. It doesn't feel heavy on my skin either. It lasts pretty well and rarely needs reapplying, though I find if I blow my nose, I get bits of foundation on the tissue for a while afterwards.

I am quite pale skinned and the shade I use is 100 Ivory, which is just the right colour for blending in to give a natural look. There are seven shades available with Ivory being the lightest, then Porcelain, Soft Beige, Classic Beige, True Nude, Amber and the darkest shade is Bronze.

The RRP of Rimmel Recover Illuminating Anti-Fatigue Foundation is £6.49 for the 30ml bottle, but you can buy it for much cheaper. As I received this for a birthday present, I don't know how much my daughter paid for it, but you can currently buy it for £3.50 from the Fragrance Direct website, which seems to be the cheapest I can find it.

While it isn't the perfect product, it comes pretty close and for that kind of price, it is well worth a try. My 30ml bottle is still being used regularly, so has last me almost a year and the confidence it gives me is well worth the money. If I wake up with a red mark or a spot on my cheeks, at least I know I can rely on this foundation to cover the imperfection and not have to go out looking silly! For us women in our early forties, this kind of confidence boosting is priceless!