LIFE can be a battle at times so no wonder one in three women say they wouldn’t leave home without their war paint!

And it doesn’t matter where they are going, what they are doing or who they are seeing, the most women wear make-up every day.

More surprising is that one in 10 said they have never let their partner see them sans le slap and even sleep with a full face on.

Sara Wolverson, a beauty director at Superdrug who carried out the survey, says make-up is a great confidence booster.

“It can also help to highlight your best features and make them stand out, so it's not surprising that so many women are reluctant to leave the house bare faced,” she said.

Women certainly have great faith in cosmetics. More than a third of the 3,000 polled were convinced their other half would not have been attracted to them had they not been wearing make-up when they met.

Lorraine Gibson, of Dorset Society magazine often jokes that she’d rather lose her house than her make-up bag!

“But I really would never leave home without some on,” she says. “I’d probably take out the wheelie bin sans cosmetique, but that’s it. Even when I was young and never really needed any, I loved experimenting with the stuff. My husband calls all the potions and lotions my ‘toys’ and when I gave birth to my daughters, I was fully slapped-up as soon as possible afterwards – in fact, later that same day, I recall.

“Even on holiday, I have the old waterproof mascara, a tinted moisturiser and lip balm, but all with in-built sun protection.”

Health and beauty journalist Sara Niven of Blandford says: “Providing I've got lip gloss on and no obvious blemishes that need covering up I'll happily go to the corner shop or do the school run without full slap.

“Ironically this would have been far less likely to have been the case in my 20s when I felt more self conscious – even though I probably needed make-up less than I do now! I'd never go for a night out without make up however, that's part of the fun of getting ready to go out for me.”

Fitness instructor and mother of two Kate Thorp of Alum Chine only wears mascara. “I’m lucky if I can find a lipsalve that hasn't been mashed into the carpet by one of the boys. I never liked the whole foundation thing on my skin and have never managed to apply make-up without looking like a clown!”

Aly Wright, a project manager from Poole, doesn’t usually wear any make-up but she is making an exception for her wedding in May.

“I don’t usually wear any for work and only a little at weekends. If I’m running late on a weekday I will even go out with wet hair.

“But I am paying to have my make-up done professionally for my wedding although I still want it to look natural and not obvious!”

Sarah Morgan, general manager of Poole Pottery Retail Ltd, says she prefers to be “au naturel” too.

“My favourite look is a healthy glow with a bit of a lip gloss – as I get older a smudge of mascara helps detract from the lines around the eyes. For work it is very light make-up only with pale lipstick but in the evenings strong lipstick and lashings of mascara with eyeliner.”

Rachel Churchill of Penn Hill said she would only leave home without make-up in an emergency. “If I really had to I would but I would feel horrid!”

Yasmine Ahmed says she can’t go out without her tinted moisturiser and kajal eyeliner.

“Coming from an Asian background kajal is definitely a must!

“My mum has never ever worn make-up and not a wrinkle in sight! Her secret is Pond’s Cold Cream for the past 40 years and still uses it daily.

“My work colleague says she’s can’t step out of the door without any make-up on and if she didn’t wear make-up she wouldn’t be able to look someone in the eye!”

And it’s not just women who use make-up to flatter their features. More men are experimenting with cosmetics too.

Echo feature writer Gavin Haines admits to raiding his girlfriend’s cosmetic bag for a night out.

“I always use her green eyeliner because it gives my eyes more definition – she doesn’t seem to mind.

“It started a few years ago when I wrote a feature about a new cosmetics range for men and I decided to try the new ‘guy-liner’ and ‘man-scara’!”