NEW WORK: Chicago Tribune

The beauty industry is constantly changing and developing new products, techniques and ingredients. It can be hard to keep up with our increasingly busy lives. British beauty guru and Space NK founder Nicky Kinnaird has been an industry expert for 20 years. Her vision of bringing a carefully edited selection of high-quality niche brands and effective products was realized when she opened her London boutique in 1993. Now with 63 stores in Great Britain, she has been expanding across the U.S. in California, Florida, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts within Bloomingdale's stores. I chatted with Kinnaird about some of her beauty tips and discoveries. The following is an edited transcript originally published in the Chicago Tribune.

Q: Are multitasking products worth the hype and cost?

A: We're all busy women, so it's how to get the most of the products you're buying. I think the best example of a multitasker is the Eve Lom cleanser ($50-$135, Bloomingdale’s).

It works as your eye makeup remover, cleanser, toner, mild exfoliant and skin brightener in one. Why have five different sets of products?

Q: What are you top tips for choosing the perfect foundation?

A: I'm very much a believer in liquid-based foundations. They're much more youthful looking. A powder base foundation often looks heavy on the skin and can be very aging.

Don't ever shop for a foundation online. You'll never get a sense of color and density of pigment on a computer. My recommendation is to come in a store, take off your makeup and have them color-match the side of your jaw.

Always match your jaw to your neck for a seamless look. Lots of people want something a little warmer to give them a glow. Forget it, it always looks fake; instead warm up your skin with bronzers and blushers.

Apply foundation with a brush so you don't waste as much. Kevyn Aucoin has the easiest-to-use foundation brush ($82, Space NK). It works like the pink Beautyblender sponge that the top makeup artists use, but it won't absorb the water from the foundation like a sponge.

When applying the foundation, always start from the center of the face and blend outward. You might find that you need very little across cheek and neck.

Q: What are the hot trends for this season?

A: You've got two different defining looks coming through very strongly this winter.

First is a smoky eye for the evening, only this season it's more refined. Now there is a move away from the fake lashes we've seen of the last two to three years, with the extreme glamour girl look. Instead bring your eyelash curlers out of retirement and apply lashings of mascara.

Top tip: A thicker brush doesn't guarantee more volume. A smaller brush allows you to get to the base of the lash, thereby making them fuller.

The other extreme we're seeing is a really strong red lip.

Poppy King's Lipstick Queen collection ($22, Nordstrom) has many shades from a true red to deep burgundy.

Top tip: Do a smile test to make sure the red is flattering to your teeth. Some cool or warm colors can make them look gray or yellow. Also, with this look don't use too much heavy eye shadow. It's time to pare back the eyes completely, doing a slight retro look.

For more information about Nicky Kinnaird personal appearances at Bloomingdale's check out Space NK's Facebook page.