5 steps to flawless eye make-up

In fact, Redleaf tells women who want a new look to consult with a eyebrow expert before they start buying new make-up or trying to design a new style for themselves. The latest look in eyebrows is the gentle arch, a great asset for anyone over 30, he says, because it provides an automatic lift to the face.

Once you've got the right look, you need to work on upkeep. So, for step two, take a look at your newly shaped eyebrows. Redleaf works with a clipped-angle brush, a simple tool found in any beauty store, to brush the hairs down. If you see any strays that have grown-in, pluck them out, but be judicious - over-plucking is a major no-no. Take some taupe eye shadow (never use black, says Redleaf, even if you've got black hair or are dark complexioned; he swears you'll look like Groucho Marx) and, using the brush, apply a little bit of colour to the top hairs of the brow, dotting it along the high edge at the top of your arch. Do the whole brow, and then brush the hair back into place. Fill in any bald spots if necessary. If you've got unruly brows, set them with some eyebrow gel.

With your brows done, says Redleaf, you're halfway there. `You can do your brows and a little mascara, and walk out the door with a great 'clean' look,' he notes.

Acquaint yourself with that eye shadow compact
Before applying colour, make sure you've put a little concealer or foundation (the same shade you used on your face) across the eyelid, blending gently up toward the eyebrow. If you've got dark circles under the eye, concealer can go there as well, but be sure to blend carefully. This will hide any discolouration around the eyes and help 'set' the colour you're going to apply. Now it's time to open that compact.

Most eye-colour kits come with three, four and sometimes even five different shades inside. They are meant to be used together, says Redleaf, but not all at the same time.

He explains: 'The old look, as we mentioned, was highlighter on the brow bone, which is the area right underneath your eyebrow, then the darkest shade on the crease of your eyelid - that's the area underneath your brow bone. And then a midrange light colour went on the lid itself, with a little bit of darker colour on the outer edge to give that kind of wedge shape to the eye. Now, the opposite is done. We don't put a dark colour where we have a natural shadow - and the crease creates a natural shadow. So the dark colour goes on the lid itself, with a little gentle blending upward, and a taupe or some other lighter colour goes on the brow bone. We usually only use two colours, not three.'

For a clean day look, good for the street or the office, Redleaf uses a medium-tone taupe or other neutral colour on the lid, blending gently upward into the crease. For women over 30, he says blending upward right above the middle of the eye - where the iris is when you're looking straight ahead - will give you another automatic lift to complement the arch in your eyebrows. He uses a lighter tone for the brow bone and blends it carefully, stopping at the eye crease. If you like eyeliner for the daytime, Redleaf suggests using it sparingly to create a gentle curve of emphasis that follows the contour of your lash line.

If you're going out for the night, you might want to take the darkest shadow and apply it to the lid, blending it a little bit into the crease, and then use a neutral tone for the brow bone, blending it downward into the crease. For added dramatic effect, Redleaf suggests lining your eyes with a kohl pencil. The basic tip for night-time eyeliner is to keep it right at the base of your upper lashes and line across the upper eyelid. You can also add extra glam by lightly lining around your lower lashes. If you want to do the rim of the lower eye, stay right on top of your lower lashes - don't pull the eyelid out and line inside on the delicate tissue.

'For night-time,' says Redleaf, 'the idea is to really go crazy, have fun with that eye compact, find out which colours you want to use and enjoy them - but while mixing and matching, don't break the cardinal rule. Darker colour on the lid, not in the crease!'