Tried and tested: Gel eyeliners, oil-based cleansers and concealers
Conditioning ingredients make this a good pick for dry and mature complexions. It nourishes and removes makeup excellently, leaving skin clean and comfortable.
Lovely packaging, a delicious scent and effective makeup removal abilities are a little let down by the fact this can sting eyes. Avoid if you’ve got sensitive peepers.
The grandaddy of them all, this is also the best by a country mile, cutting through makeup in seconds. Downside? You have to buy online.
A decent price-point, easy availability and no mineral oil — a bugbear for many — make this effective product a really good pick.
With some nice bright shades in the lineup, this is a firm makeup artist favourite which makes it a cinch to create very sharp, precise lines and flicks.
With four shades on offer, our pick is the flattering shimmery brown which makes for a great daytime cat’s eye. Budge-proof, this doesn’t fade either.
A big pot, amazing price, deep pigmentation and a smooth texture mean this budget beauty performs way above its pay grade. Definitely worth a punt.
This recent US import is already reaching cult status amongst Irish beauty junkies and it performs superbly for the price. The best bit? You get a really good brush with it too.
This little pot of goodness comes in three shades and will mask any blemish, blotch or hungover-looking eye thanks to lots of creamy camouflaging pigments. Best applied with a brush.
Pricey, but this is a luxury experience. Presented in a cute pouch with a decent brush, this is especially effective in use on the eye area and contains skincare benefits as well as an SPF.
Sometimes hard to locate, if your local Tesco stocks the range, snap this up. It covers well and doesn’t feel drying. Good for pale gals too, though it can be a bit ashy for some skintones.
Truly fantastic, this has been redesigned recently and now contains a cream concealer and a matching setting powder. Expensive, but a proper holy grail product.
Barbara Daly at Tesco; Benefit at department stores; Bobbi Brown at Brown Thomas, Arnotts and House of Fraser; Catrice at Dunnes, Penneys and pharmacies; Crème de la Mer at Brown Thomas and Harvey Nichols; Essence at Dunnes, Penneys and pharmacies; Mac at Brown Thomas and BT2; Maybelline at supermarkets and pharmacies; Nip and Fab at larger Boots; Shu Uemura at www.shuuemura.co.uk
