Background of the Invention Make-up is available in various forms and is applied to the human body, in particular to the human face, in various manners. For example, eye-shadow powder is available in small boxes which is applied to the eyelid by using separate brushes. This can be inconvenient because it requires at least zoo separate elements to be carried (a box containing the eye-shadow powder and a brush). Also, the application of the eye-shadow powder to the eyelid using the available products can be untidy. This is because it can be difficult to control the amount of eye-shadow powder to adhere to the brush when dipping the brush into the eye-shadow powder. In turn, it may be difficult to control precisely the amount of eye-shadow powder to be applied to the eyelid.

As an alternative, it is known to use make-up cream which is easier to apply than make-up powder. However, make-up cream is more sensitive to sweat, for example, and therefore less desirable to use than make-up powder.

The present invention aims to address these and other disadvantages of the prior art.

Summarv of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for applying a substance to a surface, the device comprising: a container for storing the substance, the container having an opening; applicator means for applying substance from the container to a surface; and a closing mechanism operable between a first position in which substance from the container is releasable through the opening to the applicator means, and a second position in which the inner room of the container is closed off from the applicator means.

The device is convenient to carry and can be used, for example, for make-up powder.

Preferably, the closing mechanism is operable between the first or second position and at least one intermediate position in which the inner room of the container is partly closed off from the applicator means. Thereby, the amount of substance from the container to be applied can be controlled precisely.

In an embodiment of the invention the opening is formed by a first perforation in a wall of the container. Preferably, the first perforation comprises a first plurality of holes distributed substantially evenly over a predetermined area on the wall of the container. This allows for the substance to be spread evenly over the predetermined area when the substance is

discharged from the container to be applied to that area. Alternatively, the opening may be formed by a mesh in a wall of the container.

Preferably, the applicator means comprises a sponge. A sponge has the advantage of absorbing substance released from the container for subsequent application to a surface. The sponge may comprise a second perforation.

The second perforation may comprise a second plurality of holes distributed substantially evenly over a predetermined area on the sponge, the distribution of the second plurality of holes corresponding to the distribution of the first plurality of holes on the wall of the container. In the first position of the closing mechanism, the first and second perforations at least partly overlap.

The second perforation facilitates discharging of substance from the container.

The sponge may be constituted such that the substance is dischargeable from the container transversely to the longitudinal axis of the device. Also, the first and/or second perforations may be transverse to the longitudinal axis of the device. This feature allows to provide a make-up applicator with improved handling. For example, a pen-shaped make-up stick with a sponge may be provided which is suitable for the application of eye-shadow to the eyelid (such as the make-up stick illustrated in Fig. 1 of this application). The eye-shadow is releasable through the perforation in the sponge and can be applied to the eyelid by bringing the perforation into contact with the eyelid.

Since the make-up is dischargeable transversely to the longitudinal axis of the make-up stick, it may be held in a position where its longitudinal axis is

substantially parallel to the eyelid. This corresponds to the position and handling of a conventional sponge make-up applicator when used to apply eye-shadow. Accordingly, the invention makes possible to combine the advantages of the convenient handling of conventional sponge make-up applicators with the feature of having a make-up container whose make-up output to the sponge can be controlled by a closing mechanism.

The closing mechanism may comprise a closing member operable relative to the container between the first position and the second position.

The closing member may comprise the sponge.

The make-up applicator may further comprise a housing which comprises a handle portion and the container, wherein the container is releasably mounted to the housing. This allows for the container to be exchanged when the container is empty or if a container storing a different make-up is to be used.

Also, the applicator means may be releasably mounted at the housing.

This allows for the applicator means to be exchanged and to use different applicator means for applying different make-ups.

Furthermore, the make-up applicator may comprise a removable cap for covering the container and the spreading means in order to protect the same.

Brief Description of the Drawings.

A make-up applicator according to an embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description of the Drawings Figure 1 illustrates a make-up stick 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The make-up stick 1 comprises a handle portion 2, and a powder container 3 mounted to the handle portion 2. The powder container 3 comprises a tip portion 3a having a first perforation 4 through which powder (not shown) stored in the container 3 can be discharged.

The make-up stick 1 comprises a case 5 to be put over the container 3.

The case 5 comprises a tip portion 5a and a cylindrical portion 5b. The cylindrical portion 5b has an inner diameter which is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the container 3. The case 5 comprises a grip portion 6 and a sponge 7. The sponge 7 can be either formed on the outer surface of the case 5, or it can constitute the wall of the case 5 in the area of the sponge 7. The sponge 7 comprises a second perforation 8. It is to be noted that the first and second perforations 4 and 8 are illustrated schematically and that their constitution depends on the powder to be used with the make-up stick 1.

The second perforation 8 is located such that when the case 5 is put over the container 3, it can be aligned with the first perforation by rotating the case

5 relative to the container 3. This is achieved conveniently by holding the handle portion 2 in one hand while rotating the grip portion 2 relative thereto using the other hand. The relative rotational movement is indicated by arrows in Fig. 1.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the first and second perforations 4 and 8 are transverse to the longitudinal axis of the make-up stick 1.

In order to facilitate the alignment of the first and second perforations 4 and 8, stoppers (not shown) may be provided to restrict the rotation of the case 5 relative to the container 3 between a first position in which the first and second perforations are aligned to overlap, and a second position in which they do not overlap. Additionally, means (not shown) for engaging the case in several intermediate positions may be provided which allow the amount of overlapping of the first and second perforations 4 and 8 to be adjusted such as to control the amount of powder to be released from the container 3.

When applying make-up, the first and second perforations 4 and 8 are aligned in the first position as described above (or in any of the intermediate positions if less make-up is to be applied). The make-up stick 1 is then held such that make-up is discharged from the container 3 through the first perforation 4, for example by holding it such that the first perforation 4 faces downward and the powder drops out of the first perforation 4. The thus discharged make-up sticks to the sponge 7 at the second perforation 8. The case 5 is then rotated relative to the container 3 as described above into the

second position. Make-up is then no longer discharged from the container 3.

However, make-up sticking to the sponge 7 at the perforation 8 can then be applied to the skin by bringing the perforation 8 into contact with the skin.

As shown in Fig. 1, the make-up stick 1 further comprises a cap 9 which can be put over the case 5 to cover and thereby protect the sponge 7.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the case 5 is held on the container 3 by friction between the outer surface of the container 3 and the inner surface of the case 5. The materials, constitution and dimensions of the container 3 and the case 5 are therefore selected such that on the one hand the cylindrical case 5 is held sufficiently in the axial direction while being sufficiently movable around its axis. For example, the inner surface of the case 5 and/or the outer surface of the container 3 may have a constitution which facilitates movement around the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical case 5 while making movement along that axis more difficult.

The general principle underlying the closing mechanism of the embodiment of Fig. 1 is the provision of two parts which are operable relative to one another between a first position in which make-up can be released from the container 3, and a second position in which the container 3 is closed. This principle can realised by various other ways than the illustrated embodiment.

For example, the mechanism used in many pens which allows the movement of a lead inside the pen relative to the pen housing could be adapted for the make-up stick 1 in order to form a closing mechanism.

In an alternative embodiment, an opening is provided at the container 3 instead of a perforation.

The size and shape of the first and second perforations 4 and 8 are adapted to the requirements of a particular make-up. Also, the constitution of the sponge 7 is selected to suit the make-up to be used. The sponge 7 may be formed only on the surface of the case 5 (in which case the second perforation 8 is not only formed in the sponge 7 but also in the wall of the case 5), but may alternatively from part of the wall of the case 5. The second perforation 8 may be omitted if the constitution of the sponge 7 is such that the make-up can penetrate the sponge 7.

Since the case 5 comprising the sponge 7 can be removed, it is possible to use different cases 5 comprising different sponges 7 dependent on the make-up to be applied. For this purpose, the container 3 may be mounted to the handle portion 2 through a screw connection in order to allow for the container 3 also to be replaced, for example, when a different make-up is to be used. Alternatively, the container may be arranged to be refillable.

Also, the handle portion 2 may be omitted by using a longer container which at the same time serves as a handle. This increases the container storage capacity.

In an alternative embodiment, the sponge 7 does not extend around the whole circumference of the case 5. Instead, only that part of the surface of the case 5 being in the proximity of the second perforation 8 is formed by a

sponge. This alternative embodiment may also be used with a liquid make- up. However, in this case, the second perforation 8 is omitted. In use, the liquid make-up stick is rotated into the first position in which the first perforation 4 overlaps with the sponge portion formed in the case 5. The sponge portion then soaks up the liquid make-up released from the container 3 through the first perforation 4. The case 5 is then rotated as described above into the second position in which the sponge portion does no longer overlap with the first perforation 4. The liquid make-up absorbed in the sponge portion can then be applied to the skin.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment as described above. It is envisaged that various modifications and variations to the above described embodiment could be made without falling outside the scope of the present invention as determined from the claims.