It used to be that much like men being men, make-up was stuff you coloured your face in with, and skincare was just that: pots of stuff you'd use to care for your skin with. End of. Easy. But now that straight men can have straight-faced conversations about cushions in IKEA of a weekend, make-up apparently decided it had better pull up its socks and throw us a curveball too.

Lipstick, powder and paint have become super-duper hi-tech: no longer happy to merely add a bit of camouflage and colour where needed, it's now a hard task to bag a buy that doesn't contain alarming buzzwords like antioxidants, peptides and hyalauronic acid.

Women already find the whole business of buying moisturiser one that's fraught with anxiety -- skincare brand Vichy estimate that 69pc of us misdiagnose our skin type, and buy the wrong things as a result -- so is buying colour goodies going to turn into a groansome task as well?

Oh God, I thought when I first started receiving press releases for cosmetics containing squalane, muru muru butter and goji berries, please don't let the beauty companies ruin buying eye shadow too. I had an ulterior motive for that, though. You see, one of my biggest defences against people (usually men) who contend that the beauty industry is just one big lie to part fools from their cash has always been my line about make-up.

No one, I used to say, ever pretended that make-up was anything other than stuff to colour in the bits of your face you wanted coloured in. No one ever said it did anything other than that.

Yes, I'm perfectly cognisant of the fact that cellulite remedies are often very close to snake oil indeed, but my beloved colour cosmetics were always above such things, providing fun, happy-making results with no strings -- or performance-related disappointments -- attached.

Now it's all change, and while I'd still like to be grumbling (I do like a moan), I've got to admit that improvements in cosmetic science and technology have brought some really great benefits to make-up. Here's just a few of them...

THE POSH POUT ENHANCER

Just landed on beauty counters is a new lip product from Dior -- a company not shy of using extra goodness in their beauty products. Rouge Dior Serum de Rouge, €32, comes in eight shades and promises to do a little more than merely add shine and colour to your pucker. That's thanks to the fact it contains 20pc ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, mango butter and vitamin A. It's not just a worthy spend: this stuff looks fabulous on, and you'll find it at department stores.

THE GOOD FOR YOU GLOSS

New from Clinique are their Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour glosses, €19, at department stores and pharmacies. Packed full of vitamin C and pomegranate, both ingredients help to protect your pout against environmental aggressors like sun and wind. But there's an even better weapon contained inside too: acai berry. This little feller is a super-duper food that can work over time to reduce the effects of ageing on the lips, so if you've been troubled by a wrinkly pucker, then this is the product for you.

THE FRIENDLY FOUNDATION

With watermelon extract, rich in naturally occurring vitamins, carbohydrates and amino acids, and antioxidant vanilla and curcuma longa, Korres Oil-free Watermelon Lightweight Tinted Moisturiser SPF 30, €22 at HQhair.com, seems more like something you'd eat. But in fact it's a light face base, and it's causing quite a stir on beauty blogs recently for its kind-to-skin properties and natural-looking coverage. If you're a fan of products free from mineral oils and silicones, this baby ticks both boxes.

THE MOISTURISING MINERALS

Powder-based products can often be drying and irritating, especially on mature or dehydrated skin, but Pure Finish Mineral Powder Foundation SPF 20, €30, from Elizabeth Arden, is different. Coming in a hygienic 'shaver' dispenser, you just grind as much as you need for one application, which keeps the product fresh, and the minerals have been imbued with skincare benefits. Moisturising squalane and sea water minerals rich in calcium and magnesium hydrate and nourish your complexion. At department stores.

THE KIND CONCEALER

Does your concealer contain ginseng, lavender, green tea and pomegranate? Nah, didn't think so, but Too Faced Herbal Eye Concealer, €19, does. Available in three shades, it's got all those goodies so that it can help to diminish eye bags, brighten dark circles and reduce puffiness. Phew. At department stores.

THE CARING CHEEK COLOUR

Science and skincare meet in Smashbox's innovative O-Glow cheek colour, €30. Capable of adapting to the precise shade of pink that'll suit your complexion thanks to fancy intuitive technology, it's good for skin too: goji berry-C complex and antioxidants like vitamin C, pomegranate seed oil and marine botanicals infuse skin with kindness. At Clerys and pharmacies.

THE SKIN-FRIENDLY SHADOW

Imbued with skincare benefits, Shiseido's Silky Eyeshadow Quads, €37.15, come in loads of great shades that are silky, easily blended and pigment-rich. Their special 'multi-nutrient factor' helps to keep lids feeling conditioned, so this is a great pick for anyone with dry, easily irritated skin. At Arnotts and Brown Thomas.

AND WATCH OUT FOR...

... from October a Multigrain Minerals SPF14, from Origins, €31. The ingredients are like something you'd find in a box of cereal: oats, organic tapioca, soy, rice flour, wheat germ and barley. In five shades, you'll find it in Clerys, Arnotts and House of Fraser, Dundrum.

www.beaut.ie

- Kirstie McDermott