Complexion help!!

[PrincessGeorge]

I'm mid -late thirties, always been a bit slap dash with the skincare and makeup and have all of a sudden woken up looking haggard, old and most of all a funny colour I can't seem to cover up.
I have always used (dove) soap to clean, cold water to tone and cheap dove or Nivea day cream. Makeup has been foundation (usually rimmel or likewise), blusher, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick and gloss. The last few years I've been doing eyebrows too. Until fairly recently I would have thought it all looked ok.
Around a month ago I found that no matter how much blending I was doing with a sponge, my roundation wasn't settling right. My pores can't be covered, and my skin in very red, mottly, lots of spider veins etc.
Anyone have any (cheap) ideas for some kind of 'photoshop/blurring' effect for my skin? I really don't have a huge budget and am very intimidated by the 'counters' so Would appreciate some off the shelf suggestions.
TIA. !!
(In the past when I've tried different things, anything 'anti ageing' has seemed to have a ton of glittery shimmery stuff , keen to avoid that)

Bumping this for you.

You mention your skin looks red, mottled and spider veins. Has your health changed recently or is your skin sensitive recently? Could it be rosacea?
Maybe it is none of the above and maybe your skin is just going through a phase but I think you might be able to pick up some nice primer or similar for a blurring effect in most superdrug/Boots etc.
Plus I’m sure lots of people will be able to advise you here on using a nice cleanser and exfoliation.
I know you don’t want to go to counter but I found Estée Lauder mattifying primer to be good with preventing me getting a polka dot effect from foundation on my nose. But it probably depends on your skin type. Sometimes over drying your skin can make you produce more oil. Maybe start by changing to a gentle cleanser?

I’m sure you’ll get other more helpful suggestions here.

For foundation, Lily Lolo are good. It's mineral make up so applied with a brush as a powder but it gives a much more flawless finish than a liquid foundation. It's only available online but once you've bought the brush, the price for a pot of foundation is similar to Number 7 or similar. You can order little sample pots of various colours to test to make sure you get the right one for you.

Skin: try cleansing with Cetaphil and a flannel, then using an acid toner. Clearasil pads are an affordable option for that. Follow with a facial oil (choose one depending on your skin type) and follow with any moisturiser with spf.

Do you drink enough water, have you been neglecting your hydration and sleep? I always find that if I overindulge the alcohol and underindulge the water I age overnight. You could use a colour corrector cream under your foundation, that’ll help tone down the red. Nip and Fab pads are good for pores.

I use Lily Lolo Blush Away for my rosacea and it’s brilliant. It’s pricey but lasts forever because you only need a small amount. I use a foundation brush to put it on then apply foundation with a big brush. If you have rosacea you need to avoid scrubs, which will make it worse, and look at your diet. Mine is much better when I avoid red wine (sad face).

I'm going to follow this thread as I could have wrote this myself! Up until a year ago I had lovely skin, now it looks old, dull and full of uneven skin and pores. It seemed to start after I had the coil fitted and I had a stressful time in my life. Has this happened to you?

I found Baby Skin is a good primer (and cheap) as a temp fix but really, the only thing that’s truly made a huge difference is upping my skincare routine. AHAs and BHAs have made the biggest difference to me. I used to always have problem skin but I get loads of compliments now.