Somewhat like my sister chucking out all of her out-of-date spices, New Year is the time that I like to overhaul my makeup bag. 

I say 'bag', but it's actually a series of trays arranged on my landing windowsill - just about the only place in the house where I can sit in good light and do my makeup.

Once you're over 40, your makeup should just be about looking brighter, healthier and better, so the key tools are primer, concealer and blush, to create a healthy glow, and foundation - if you need it - to even out the complexion. An uneven complexion is a far greater sign of ageing than are wrinkles, if looking younger is something that bothers you.

Anyway, most of us don't wear half of our makeup, so get out everything you own and have a look at it. The average life of a makeup item is six months - if any of your items are older than this, it's time to think about chucking them out. The mascara tube, in particular, is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, so don't take any risks with mascaras. 

Pressed powders and pressed eyeshadows that are getting an oily or grubby surface should also be thrown away, along with any makeup items that use a built-in brush and are more than six months old - this includes things like Touche Eclat. If you have a favourite colour that you just can't bear to get rid off, try sandpapering off the surface of the powder until you get to fresh powder underneath. 

If you have glittery eyeshadows that you don't wear (most of us have bought eye makeup that has proved way-too-glittery on a softening eyeline) and they are in pale shades, crush them up and recycle them as loose body powders: you can even mix them into your body lotion. 

Clean out your makeup bag/box/drawer/shelf and disinfect it, and wipe over all your brushes with an alcohol wipe (you should be washing these out once a week anyway, to avoid infection).

Then take a look at what you have. IMHO, an over-40s babe's makeup bag should can usefully contain the following:

* Smashbox skin primer for a perfect satin finish, with or without makeup.

* Foundation of choice (mine's Dior Airflash).

* Loose powder (I use Yve Rocher).

* Pressed powder (I use Dior).

* Bronzer if you wear it.

* Blusher in the form of gel or cream (for no-makeup days), and powder (for last-minute application) - two shades, one with an apricot tint and one with a rose tint.

* A good quality eyeshadow palette containing brown, flesh colour, cream or gold and one or two in-between shades. I'm currently using Gemey-Maybelline. 

* Dark brown eyeliner pencil (black if you're dark). I use Revlon. 

* White or pale pink eyeliner pencil to open out the eye (also use the pink one below your browline). I use Eyecare. 

* Mascara in black, brown or browny-black and a waterproof version for swimming/weddings etc.  Also clear mascara if you wear it. (I favour Maybelline and La Roche Posay).

* Eyebrow pencil (mine's an Ultima).

* Lipliner in the same colour as your lips when you bite them - also use for infill (I use Yves Rocher). 

* Lip balm, red lipstick, pink lipstick, clear lipgloss (I use various makes, but favour Revlon and Chanel for their colour density).  

When it comes to tools, I couldn't get by without:

Microfoam sponges for applying powder and foundation (Boots' own).

Big fluffy powder brush for loose powder (Yves Rocher).  

Blusher brush (Yves Rocher).

Lip brush (Yves Rocher).

Clean mascara wand for recombing lashes.

Eyebrow brush (mine's on the end of an Ultima pencil).

Eyelash curlers (Boots).

Eyeshadow brush (Yves Rocher).

Eyeliner brush (Yves Rocher).  

Everything else can really be discarded. If things are still in their clingwrap, give them to charity, but if they're used, bin them, and go stock up on decent replacements. Like a capsule fashion wardrobe, a capsule makeup wardrobe needs to be slim and efficient, not stuffed to the gills with things you don't wear.  

If you're anywhere near Paris from the 5th to the 17th of August, get yourself down to Galeries Lafayette and enjoy some free makeup lessons, courtesy of the team at Bobbi Brown.

They are promoting the new range, 'Denim and Rose', but you need to reserve a place (if your French is up to it), on: 01 42 85 13 68.

Found a nice little article online the other day about makeup and glasses.

For those who want to read the original, in French, it's here. For those who prefer the translation:

Makeup for myopia (short sight)

Rule number 1: accentuate your eyes.

Choose matt eyeshadows and neutral colours (beige, champagne, rose or chestnut) and apply shadow to the entire upper eyelid. Trace a line of dark crayon round the outer part of your lower eyelid, and/or a line of white crayon on the inside of your lower eyelid. Use black mascara that both lengthens and curls.

Makeup for presbyopia and hypermetropia (long sight)

Rule number one: downplay your eyes.

Choose sombre, matt eyeshadows and apply on the rim of the eyelashes on your upper eyelid only, then apply a darker shade on the rest of the eyelid. Draw a line of eye-liner from the corner of your eye on the upper lid, then a line of khol on the inner lower eyelid to make your eyes look smaller. Use mascara discreetly and don't forget to conceal any dark shadows under your eyes, because the lenses accentuate them. 

Makeup for progressive lenses

Rule number one: accentuate the upper part of the eye.

Choose brightly coloured eyeshadows. Trace a line of eye-liner along the edge of the upper eyelid to reinforce the lashline. Make up your upper eyelashes with a volumising mascara. 

Make the most of your eyebrows

Whatever type of lenses you wear, take good care to pluck your eyebrows because wearing glasses makes your brows more noticeable. Above all, don't let shaggy eyebrows make your face look heavy.

In keeping with my Desirable Dozen makeup products, I thought I'd review a dozen beauty tools that I, as a grown-up girl, find useful.

Not every woman needs an arsenal of beauty products, but - just as in the kitchen or sewing room - having a few decent tools makes a job SO much easier and can often be a better use of funds than buying new products.

An important part of your arsenal is brushes, which can be either synthetic or natural hair. With natural hair, the colour 'sinks' into the hair itself, while with synthetic, it tends to sit on top. Which you prefer is largely a matter of choice - I like synthetic eye brushes but natural lip brushes, for instance.

What I don't like, any longer, is foam-tip applicators. I find brushes allow you to blend your makeup far better, which becomes increasingly crucial as you get older and have more facial hair and fine lines to work around. 

Take good care of your tools and they will go on for a long time - I've been using the same lip brush for nearly 30 years.  Wash your brushes weekly with shampoo or liquid soap (trying not to get too much water into the metal bit that holds the bristles). Dry on a towel, then leave hanging over the edge of a shelf or radiator, so nothing distorts the bristles.

Here are my top dozen tools:

1 Tweezerman Slant eyebrow tweezers (above). Don't wase money on other makes - Tweezerman makes tweezers that grab and pull cleanly at the tiniest hairs. If you do one thing, shape your eyebrows - even without makeup, this will give a frame to your face.

2 Eyelash curlers (right). Nothing makes you look more awake and alert. Mine are just from Boots, but they look a lot like these posh Shu Uemura ones. Run them under a warm tap for 20 seconds or so before use and you'll get a better curl.  

3 Eyebrow brush. It should look like a little toothbrush. I use the one on the end of an old Ultima eye pencil. For the best results, brush your eyebrows straight up, then go along the top and gently comb any stray hairs back into place. This Yves Rocher one does double duty with...

...4 Eyelash comb. Great for separating lashes and stopping your mascara from looking clumpy. Again, mine is just an old one from a dead mascara. 

5 Mediwipes. For wiping over your makeup brushes after every use.  You should also wash your brushes once a week to avoid contamination. 

6 Eyeshadow brush. This should be quite big and fluffy, but flat. It's for blending, something that must become your mantra as you get older. All the brushes shown here are from Yves Rocher, which makes good brushes for a reasonable price.

7 Blusher brush (right). Again, this should be wide but flat and angled at the tip, for stroking on colour. The angled tip spreads out in just the right way on your cheekbone. 

8 Powder brush. This should be huge and fluffy, with a rounded end. Dip it into the powder, knock the excess off and use just the smallest amount to set your foundation, dabbing your skin as if you were stippling paint. Then use the brush to lightly stroke your facial hairs in the right direction. 

9 Eyeliner brush (right). You use this sideways - it should be very thin, flat and cut at an angle at the end, with quite stiff bristles. Applying your liner 'sideways' like this makes life a lot easier, as you will know if you've ever tried to apply liquid liner in a straight line. 

10 Lip brush. Shoves your lip colour right into the creases of your lips and gives your makeup real staying power. It should be narrow, with a sharply pointed end. Best in natural hair. After washing your brush each week, wet the brush in your mouth and pull it out through your pursed lips and leave it to dry - your saliva sets the end into a perfect poin (a technique still used on squirrelhair paint brushes).

11 Latex sponge. Soft as a baby's breath, this can be used wet or dry for applying foundation. Alternatively, use a foundation brush, which looks like an eyeshadow brush, only bigger.

12 Cotton buds. Have these ready to hand and dipped in oil-free eye make up remover for correcting any spills or slips as you go. 

13 Pencil sharpener with two slots - one for normal-size pencils and one for big pencils. 

14 Concealer brush, if you don't use Touche Eclate, which has its own brush built-in. This allows you to position your concealer accurately - especially important for dark circles under your eyes. It lookks like an eyeshadow brush, only smaller.

In the interests of not wasting money on crap, here are my Top 12 picks for makeup products.

I favour simple, quick make-up appication, preferably with my fingertips, using reliable products and these are the items I find I use the most in my makeup armoury. Cheap or expensive, they are all worth their money, do the job and stay put. 

1 Smashbox Photofinish skin primer. The most impressive makeup product I've found in years, this colourless silicone-based primer glides on over your skin and provides a fabulous, smooth base for applying makeup. Used alone, it makes your skin look 'finished', but as a make-up base, it's simply wonderful - no more dragging, pulling or tidemarks.

2 Diorskin Airflash foundation. This  spray is extremely light, resulting in a perfect matt but not chalky finish. You're meant to apply half a dozen squirts at a distance of about 15cm, but I find two squirts mixed with one squirt of skin primer mixed on the back of my hand is a better bet, then apply it quickly with the fingertips.

3 Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse makeup. For days when your skin's a bit blotchy, this heavier foundation works very well. It's a little too heavy and matt for my tastes to use every day, but this means it also works as a concealer - to use it this way, I apply it with one of those tiny makeup brushes you get in an eyeshadow palette. 

4 Yves St Laurent Touche Eclate. An all-in-one highlighter and concealer that is like photoshopping your face. Gets rid of thread veins, dark circles, the little draggy bits round your mouth. Fabulous product - never go anywhere without it. 

5 Maybelline Dream Mousse blusher. Incredibly light texture and a natural appearance, with just a tiny hint of sparkle to give you a glow. Also works well as an eyeshadow or under-eye concealer.

6 Dior pressed or loose powder. Loose for use at home, pressed for on the go. Foundation and powder are two areas where quality really shows, and Dior powders are very light and mattefying without ever looking chalky.  Refills are available and the compact closes with an expensive click that is very pleasurable.

7 Couleurs Nature Metalgrow Cream Eyeshadow in gold from Yves Rocher. A fabulous gold liquid eyeshadow that looks great every day. I would also have recommended Avon's creme stick eyeshadows for their nice texture, no drag, and good colours - and, importantly, a low price - but sadly they seem to have discontinued them and nothing in the new range looks remotely as good.

8 Revlon Wet/Dry Eyeliner in Chocolate Bar. Buy it if you find it - it's also been discontinued, due to some idiocy at Revlon's end. This eyeliner was THE choice for professional makeup artists for over a decade and I've been using my one stick (carefully sterilised) for at least 12 years now.

9 Boots No7 Extreme Length mascara. A friend gave me a free sample of this and I can't believe how good it is for the money. I usually spend about 28 euros on a high-end French mascara, but this budget brand gives a bright, clear eye with no clumping or flaking. 

10 Couleurs Nature lip pencil in Rose Poudre, from Yves Rocher. A useful lipliner in a shade just slightly darker than natural, and with a brush at the opposite end. On 'natural' days, I use it as a lipstick also, but as a liner, it goes with any lip colour.

11 Chanel Rouge Hydrabase cream lipsticks. Great colour and staying power, and I just love the click they make when you put the stick back in its case. 

12 Vaseline petroleum jelly. Let's not forget the humble Vaseline, which is a chapstick, lip gloss, eyebrow tamer and moisturiser all in one. I also use it as a night cream and on vicious winter days I wear it as a moisturiser outside. For dry, cracked hands, just rub it in like handcream and go to bed wearing plastic gloves, and if your heels are dry or sore, rub in Vaseline, slip on a pair of plastic bags and then socks and your feet will be transformed by morning. Magic.