Spotlight on: Benefit Air Patrol

Who would have thought that our eyelids were in need of a BB cream? Well, it turns out the idea is not that crazy.

You can always rely on Benefit to give us quirky and genius products. Their new innovation, Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer, £21.50, is one of those clever little products that effortlessly works in two or three ways and in doing so should earn itself an exclusive spot in your make-up bag. Think eye shadow primer, colour corrector and SPF 20 in one with a healthy dose of skin care benefits to-boot.

The skin on our eyelids is thinner than the skin on the rest of our face which makes the area more vulnerable to UV and damage caused by our environment, namely pollution. Add to that how many times we blink on any given day and you're looking at a pretty well used, and abused, area. Benefit have used EnviroDefend complex in Air Patrol which helps to defend the skin against aggressors. Clever stuff.

But what does it do for the rest of our make-up you say? We've been using Air Patrol for a few days now and have found it to be a pretty nifty product. Just the teeniest amount (seriously you don't need much at all) blended over lids - using either the spongy applicator or a finger - knocks-back redness and disguises blue veins. We suggest running a little under your lower lash line and into the corners of your eyes if you suffer from blue tones or dark circles there too.

Use it on its own with just a lick of mascara if you want to even out your skin tone and make your eyes look a bit more awake, or use it as a base onto which you can blend your powder eye shadows. Air Patrol leaves an ever-so-slightly tacky finish the skin which allows your shadow to grip to your lids for longer, but the finish is smooth enough that you can blend a few shades out easily over the top. We told you it was multi-tasking.

If you have medium to dark skin on your eyelids then it's unlikely that you'll see a huge amount of colour correction, but the chances are if your lids are dark then you probably won't have pesky blue veins and redness showing through anyway. However you'll still benefit from the staying power of the primer and the environmental protection it offers making it still a worthwhile investment.

Benefit Air Patrol hits the shops on the 7th of September.