Beauty

Bat for LashesStriking the right balance with summer eye make-up means you can give yourself a break from the usual routine. You can even out the eye area with concealer or an eye base.

Trish McEvoy's Eye Base Essentials(€22.50) is my fail-safe product – it cleans up and brightens the eye area brilliantly. Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener(€30) is excellent too. Both come in a range of skin-tone shades. Come evening, add liner for definition. If you can't be parted from eyeshadow, choose a cream one such as Clinique's Quick Eyes(€19) which comes in a range of subtle, natural colours. Which brings us to one of the key summer make-up essentials – mascara. Your summer mascara should lengthen and define lashes, so leave the volumising ones on the shelf. Happily, there are many to choose from.

- Lancôme Hypnose Precious Cells(€25) uses state-of-the-art skincare technology in its new lash-nourishing mascara. This was such a hit with my tester that she went out and bought another one in blue.

Tester's Comments:"Excellent product; it creates the illusion of extra lashes as the fine brush gives definition and length without clumping. It is easy to use and stays put. I like knowing that it's conditioning as well as cosmetic. Black is an excellent deep colour, and the blue is nice for summer/beach/holidays."

- Max Factor Lash Extension Effect (€14.99).Following on from the success of Masterpiece mascara, this passed the scrutiny of a mascara connoisseur, who swears she can tell a good product just by checking out the brush.

Tester's Comments:"This mascara boasts 'extreme lengthening' but I would say it's more like extreme definition. The rubber wand is flexible with no clogging, even after a couple of uses. A lovely light mascara, perfect for summer, which gives just enough coverage for a natural day look."

- Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Waterproof Mascara (€20). A nourishing product which cares for lashes. Great for sensitive types. Tester's Comment:"I loved the way this accentuated and separated my lashes, leaving them with a silky, healthy-looking finish. Excellent lengthening and the black shade was really rich, too."

- Chanel Inimitable Intense (€28).Switching to a brown mascara is a subtle way to downplay intensity without losing that all-important definition.

Tester's Comments:"The brown shade gave a glossy natural finish to my lashes – it's perfect for daywear. I'm happy to see it also comes in the cult shade Rouge Noir."

The Naturals

I’m slightly phobic when it comes to gradual tanners – they’re the ones you apply as a moisturiser after showering. The combination of a colourless lotion needing to be evenly distributed, usually first thing in the morning, can lead to a dismaying revelation later in the day when the colour develops. The following tans, perfect for first timers, have a more natural tone which you can build up daily.

Au Courant Tan Maintainer Lotion(€28.75). Subtle colour that's easy to build up slowly for a healthy glow. aucourant.ie

Clinique Body Daily Moisturiser(€24). So good I fooled my own family while holidaying in Spain. Comes in two shades.

Xen Tan Transform(€27). A favourite with celebrities, this has a luscious scent and gives incredibly natural results. From House of Fraser and xentan.co.uk.

pclarke@irishtimes.com

New faces

Eve Lom's Cleansing Balmis the holy grail of cleansers and her holistic facials are a real treat for body and soul. A great value special event takes place at Harvey Nichols next Monday to Saturday, when you can avail of a one-hour facial that will leave you and your skin renewed. The facial costs €130, but you can redeem the cost against products on the day. To book, tel: 01-2910423.