Beauty

Nude awakening:While the young and beautiful can follow the latest trends in dramatic eye colour (with the exception of Carine Roitfeld and her sultry smoky eyes – does that woman have a portrait in the attic?), the rest of us fare better with a polished, neutral eye. This does not mean less definition – how many times have I stressed the importance of eyeliner?

Armani’s Nude Contrasts eye palette (€65) is the cosmetic equivalent of that dress that looked like nothing on the hanger and is now the mainstay of your wardrobe. Silky nude pinks and beiges bring a satin glow to lids finished off with a satisfyingly dense lining powder.

Expensive, yes, but you’ll use up every scrap.

Multi-tasker

You’ll often find unusual and well-thought-out products at Trish McEvoy’s beautiful antique mirrored counters (I would like one in my bedroom, please). Her Beauty Booster, though not cheap at €102, is an anti-fatigue cream that helps you to look like you’ve just had eight hours sleep. It also brightens and firms, and is the perfect primer for foundation, with SPF15 as the finishing touch. Suitable for all skin types except very oily. Trish McEvoy cosmetics can be found at Brown Thomas, Dublin and Harvey Nichols, Dundrum.

Good foundations

Cosmetic companies are vying for a place in our make-up bags with a dazzling array of new-style foundations. Here are three with a number of added benefits – and needless to say, they all include a minimum of SPF 15.

Bourjois is a purse-friendly French brand with an olde worlde feel, but its new Healthy Mix foundation (€15.99) is right up to date. Enriched with complexion brightening fruit ingredients, it gives a natural semi-matte, smooth finish.

Bonus points for the pump, which delivers just the right amount. There’s also a matching concealer (€9.99).

The skin-perfecting ingredients in Origins’ Youthtopia foundation (€34) make up a powerful natural cocktail, led by the flowering herb rhodiola. A treatment foundation with medium buildable coverage, it leaves skin looking fresh.

Bonus points for the heavenly scent – the first time I wore it, a colleague asked which fragrance I was wearing.

The new buzzword in foundation is “mineral” and there’s hardly a brand without some version of the trend. Suiting all skin types – even sensitive with breathable coverage – what is there not to like? The loose powder application can be tricky to master, hence the rise of liquid formulas. New kid on the block Lancôme’s Teint Idole Silky Mat mineral foundation (€30) adds water molecules which not only hydrate, but ensure that colour glides over skin evenly. Mineral pigments minimise pores and imperfections.

Bonus points for the super-light but long-lasting formula – this one goes the distance.