Gardenarian, I struggle with my skin too. I have a mild case of rosacea and some days my skin looks terrible no matter what I do. The only thing that helps is drinking lots of water, plenty of sleep, keeping my life as stress free as possible, and I use a moisturizer for sensitive skin that seems to help...
I'm definitely not one of those that can pull off bright make-up or hair color. Natural is best for me and make-up of any kind just irritates and flares my skin up.