Gadgets aren't really my thing, though it's hardly a revelation to tell you I'm more of a shoes and bags sort of girl. That said, I do love my PalmPilot, but that's mostly because it's sleek and black and I see it as a bit of a role model. That, and the fact it means I can have smaller handbags than when I had a big old ugly Filofax thing.

Where others get their kicks snapping up the latest technology, I get mine whenever there's a beauty invention. Coming up with new products is about much more than finding a fresh way to repackage black mascara. Textures, smells and discovering different ways of putting the stuff on is where the real egg-head action is. A couple of years ago, for example, blusher was blusher, and that was it. Now you can choose between cheek stain, face gloss and good old-fashioned rouge.

This year, it seems to be the turn of eye shadow to have an identity crisis. If you still think of eye shadow as a dry product that comes in a smallish container - a pot or a mini compact - then you're not keeping up. The latest eye shadows come in a bottle or a jar, and they're liquid rather than powder. Don't be put off by their apparent gloopiness - once out of the bottle, the colour dries miraculously.

And while dodgy pigment and chalky finishes haven't been eradicated (one day, one day), the joy of this new generation of eye shadows (aka eye colour, eye shimmer, eye glimmer) is that they're water-based, which means they give a strong colour that not only lasts longer than traditional dry shadow, but is also less prone to creasing.

Chanel's Ombre d'Eau and YSL's Fard Éclat are two of the best around (the shy should try YSL's Black Gold, the confident Chanel's Bayou), but Shiseido's hydro powder, Glamazon eye jewel, by Benefit, and Starlights clear water eye shadow by Sue Devitt are also pretty darned good.

Colour-wise, the same rules as usual for black skin apply: avoid anything too pastel or glittery, stick with colours that match your skin tone and keep the rest of your face fairly neutral.