The header photograph was taken by Lottie at our “Tuesday” office in Henley-in-Arden. (I’ve probably never mentioned it but we sub-let a meeting room in a very pretty village once a week so various members of the team can meet up/take photographs/drink coffee/actively encourage each other to buy things etc).

This cardigan/scarf around my face scenario has been my go-to outfit for some weeks now, no only is it bloody baltic, but after a 7 week cough/cold (still lingering – I went for blood tests today), a house move and significant sugar consumption, I look like death.

My under eye area is a fetching shade of blue and my epidermis in general has the texture of crepe paper and a distinct grey tinge to it. It’s best just to refrain from looking in the mirror and for the sake of the Great British Public, hide my Grim Reaper-esque mug behind swathes of fabric whenever possible.

Not really an option for indoor wear though is it? No. Time to get the big guns out then. And by this I mean visit beauty counter, hope to find miracle product (or five), hand over potentially vast sum of cash and leave feeling a whole lot prettier (albeit poorer).

My big gun as it turned out was a teeny tiny pot of genius by Bobbi Brown. I had read rave reviews about their creamy corrector applied underneath concealer. Apparently you wear a hue that neutralises your particular infliction of the dark shadows of doom. I was painted with the shade “bisque” which looks like a scary medium peach/orange in the pan. I won’t lie, when the lady with the flawless glow explained how it would work I was in equal parts a) hopeful b) dubious

Turns out she wasn’t fibbing, I became ten times less exhausted looking with a few expert sweeps of her seemingly magic wand. Which we need to talk about – the wand was in fact called the “Full Coverage Touch Up Brush” and it’s fast becoming my favourite tool of all. It has a domed fairly dense head and you use a gentle stippling/blending action which makes the corrector appear seamless and dreamy. Sounds slightly complicated but I promise you it’s super quick and well worth the effort.

On top of the corrector you can use the Creamy Concealer to build maximum coverage or just dab on a little of the Retouching Wand (I have it in Extra Light) for supreme luminosity. I use the latter – I also find it works fabulously to disguise red blotches without appearing cakey or highlighting flaky patches.

If this sounds like an advertisement for Bobbi Brown I assure you it isn’t, it’s simply a review and subsequent recommendation of products I personally think are worth the investment. I here by enable you to get yourself to a counter pronto if you too are suffering with the woes that a poor diet/stress/lack of sleep imparts on your complexion. Also as I type there is currently 10% off beauty at John Lewis.

You can see more of my (less covered by scarf more enhanced by Bobbi) face on my personal instagram.

If you can’t be arsed with any kind of make-up application (happens – sometimes I would rather just stay in bed and drink tea) then you could always invest in a giant scarf too. The nude pink/herringbone stripe I am wearing above is a bargainous £14.99 from New Look. It has already received several compliments.

You should probably get yourself the rose/blush cardigan as well – uber warm and adds a bit of colour if your Autumnal wardrobe is a similar palette to mine (i.e. black grey, navy and…grey). It’s from Boohoo and it’s fifteen quid.

You’re welcome.

Do let me know if you are using a colour corrector and what you are including in your make-up kit to make you appear less knackered in the comments box below!

EDIT: Since posting this America’s election results are in. And it’s more important than concealer. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments box below – we actively encourage community discussion and sharing thoughts and concerns.