Every good makeup look needs a good base. If your skin isn't prepped properly, nothing you put on top of it will look how you want it to — no matter how expensive the product is. Martin took a long, hard look at my prep process, which included a thick cream that didn't soak in very well, followed by a primer that didn't add any moisture to my dry skin. The combination was definitely not a recipe for dewy makeup success.
Martin suggested I try a hydrating primer (I have very dehydrated skin), such as Ciaté Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer (£24). She also recommended Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum (£44) "if the skin needs a moisture surge," Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisturising Balm (£68), to be used as a spot treatment just for the really dry patches on my face, and Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream (£70), which, in my opinion, really is magic.
Of course, her suggestions are not to be used all at once but rather mixed and matched depending on what I feel like my skin needs in the morning. Since taking her advice, my skin looks — and most importantly to me — feels more hydrated throughout the entire day without my makeup just slipping right off.