IT'S been several years since Irish men started daring to care and (thankfully) began straightening out that universal scruffy look which was deeply unappealing to most women. Don't get me wrong . . . a man with plucked eyebrows a la Dawson of Dawson Creek fame certainly doesn't do it for me. But when a bloke doesn't even put Vaseline on his ridiculously chapped lips, you know you're in trouble.

But I digress. These days, Irish men no longer slag each other (too much) if they walk into the other's bathrooms and find an array of Clarins for Men products lining up the shelves. After all, this is the era of the metro-sexual and Nivea for Men couldn't have cashed in at a better time.

Am I deeply closed-minded, however, if I put a little question mark over its new Summer Look moisturiser ( 8.90) for blokes?

This is the equivalent of Johnson's holiday skin for men.

Or, to put it bluntly, man-tan. I'm just not convinced the average Irish man is ready for it, especially given the snorts of derision it got from the males in this office. . . Still, we'll wait and see.

Meanwhile, there are a number of great products for men out there at the moment.

Men's skin is (literally) thicker than women's and starts to age approximately 10 years later (humph), but, like women, the most important product a man needs is a good moisturiser.

Undoubtedly the funkiest range out at the moment is the Dior Homme Dermo System (developed with the help of Harvard Medical School, would you believe). These lotions and potions are the Chanel equivalent for men with their boxy black and white bottles.

Anyone would buy them for the classy packaging alone. The range is, predictably, expensive . . . something which women tend to go along with quicker than men. After all, how else was Creme de la Mer such a hit? But its Repairing Moisturising Emulsion ( 70) is a superior cream, giving a matte finish and evening out the most blotchy complexions.

If women's beauty products have got slightly over-scientific in recent times, then men's have taken it to whole new levels. Take the L'Oreal Men Expert range. This is one of the best male grooming ranges available on the high street, but it definitely takes the science bit a tad seriously.

Its products contain such ingredients as Pro-Retinol VX, Pro-Tensium (what? ) and Ceramide 5, to name just a few. All the same, the mature man should consider popping its new Vita Lift Intense Double Action ReTautening Moisteriser ( 19.99) into his shopping trolley. This unique cream contains both anti-sagging gel and anti-wrinkle cream that merge together in one pumping action.

Cool.

Tired blokes should also consider their new anti-puffiness moisturising eye cream.

This contains caffeine and is marketed specifically towards hiding those "giveaway signs of a hangover". Hum . . . L'Oreal women's products never mention thatf Shaving is probably the biggest bane of every man's life, with Mach 3, Mach Fusion and Wilkinson's Quatro et al leaving most with a permanent skin sensitivity.

For this reason, men should consider trying out the Proraso Italian shaving range (starting from 12). It's not widely available, but can be found in some pharmacies and their cream gives a fantastic shave.

Most notably, Proraso stocks a range of old-fashioned shaving brushes. These help to soften down the hair and, when used in conjunction with the cream, make the whole process a much less painful.

Good news for all of us.