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Whilst the fashion pack bicker about which is the IT bag for S/S 2012, there’s one bag that, year upon year, rears its ugly head for the beauty throng to contend with.  Perhaps Soft Goth of A/W 2008/2009 and Grunge Glamour of A/W 2010/11 would have been accepting of a dark make-up look to compliment the chiffon, lace, dirty denim and Nirvana-esque style that made these trends a fashion frenzy. Yet, each season the return of the dark purple hue of the under-eye bag has offered only anguish and woe to women; seemingly battle of the bag is battle of the bulge’s better half.

With Paris being one of the world’s most prominent fashion destinations, it’s perhaps apt that a native has a solution to the extra baggage and viscious circles that womanhood worldwide are forced to reckon with.

Pardon me for letting the cat out the bag, but Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer is a blessing to all women who find that their handbag is not the only carrier laden upon their body each day. In fact, even if the cat was still inside the under-eye bag, it could be easily concealed. A moisture-rich concealer for under and around the eye discolourations and dark circles, it creates a brighter, more youthful look to the face. Available in six colours, Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer should be applied after foundation has been applied. Mercier is an advocate of using finger application to create a flawless face; just a small amount on the pinky finger will provide ample coverage. Setting the concealer with Translucent Setting Powder will keep dark circles at bay, until another day when Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer comes out to play.

www.spacenk.co.uk

£18.50

The bleak outlook of the current economic climate forces cutbacks on life’s little luxuries. With beauty being touted as one of the most vulnerable industries in these credit crunching times; should us gals stop the super spending?

Being a (wannabe) die-hard advocate of save-over-splurge, I think it’s time to test the waters of the cheaper beauty brands on the market. ‘To the glam streets of Selsdon!’ I instructed my driver (aka my mother, DBL), last weekend.

Indeed, Croydon is the birthplace of one of the most famed and most beautiful people on the planet; Dane Bowers of Another Level fame. Kate Moss is another notable ex-resident. Croydon even has its own beauty trademark, the Croydon facelift, where a pony tail is so tightly scraped back off the face that it gives a facelift like appearance.

Discount supermarket chain, Aldi was our destination.  Their strap line is ‘Like the best. Only better.’ Could it be, that Aldi’s in-house beauty brand Lacura, is rubbing shoulders with the big boys in the beauty industry? I exited the store laden with some absolute steals - the Lacura Concealer Pen, Eye Roll-On, Lip Gloss, and Facial Cleasing Wipes. Lacura deserves to be rolling with the beauty’s finest. The Lacura Concealer Pen, having been voted ‘Star Buy’ in the Daily Mail, April 2010, is worthy of its winning status. Hiding wrinkles around the eyes, covering pigment disorders and balancing out surface irregularities, its soft brush applicator also enables precise application. Its natural moisturising factor reduces dark shadows and keeps skin feeling soft and supple. When I’m lacking in shut-eye, the concealer is a god-send. It does however, have an accomplice in combating dark circles and puffy eyes; the Lacura Eye Roll-On.  My many caffeine fixes of the day (Diet Coke, coffee, tea) got nothin’ on the eye roll-on; containing caffeine, pro-vitamin B5 and hylauronic acid, with this little number I feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

So, after the weekend, I came in to the office feeling like a new woman.  I am of course both taken and an employee of an all female office, but that didn’t stop me from releasing my inner seductress on Monday morning. The Lacura Lip Gloss promised me a ‘seductive sheen for irresistible lips’ and as I slicked on the gloss, my colleague Roxanne, complimented me on my pretty pout. ‘Get down that Aldi’ I told her, and needless to say, she did.

In the life of CBL, taking off my make-up is one of life’s pleasures, and now, with the Lacura 2-in-1 Facial Cleansing Wipes by my side, my skin feels soft, soothed, cleansed, toned and moisturised, and with thirty in a pack, we will see each other day in day out in September.

Aldi is quite simply, an Aladdin’s Cave of girly goodies. So, before the masses head to their nearest store, if I were you, I’d hotfoot it down there and get your array of beauty supplies.

Lacura Concealer Pen - £3.59

Lacura Eye Roll-On - £3.49

Lacura Lip Gloss - £1.99

Lacura Facial Cleansing Wipes - 89p

Log on to www.aldi.co.uk to find your nearest store

At age fifteen, I was hot-footed down to the local pharmacy to buy a concealer for the outbreak of pimples that had kindly decided to take a short vacation ‘pon my visage. Armed with my concealer, I was convinced I had won over the zit monster. Unfortunately, the concealers on the market back in ’04 offered war-paint type coverage. While ‘sunny beige’ sounded like a luxurious coverage to hide my imperfections; it simply drew attention to my skin.

Fast forward to 2011 and L'Oréal Paris True Match Touche Magique Concealer is the answer to my teenage prayers. Unlike its predecessors, one shade does not fit all, six are on offer to suit a host of complexions. Magique this product certainly is; hiding dark circles and fine lines, it matches skin tone and texture perfectly, leaving imperfections under wraps. Its soft brush applicator eases application so that skin looks radiant and smooth and I find it offers flawless coverage. Even when I long for the banish of breakouts, L'Oréal conceals and heals. A great find which lasts for yonks!

£7.19

www.loreal.co.uk

Available from Boots, Superdrug and all good beauty stores.