Beauty at Aldi | Lacura Cosmetics

I've had good experiences with Aldi's own brand Lacura's skincare in the past, but had never tried any of their cosmetics, so when I spotted some make-up bits and pieces on this week's Special Buys I just couldn't help myself! I only went in for teabags but somehow came out with a selection of make-up as well... Let's have a little look at what I picked up.

I actually needed a new brow pencil as I've just finished one, and I love that this has a little comb on the end; I'm forever breaking my brow combs so this will be super handy! This was available in two shades, of which I chose the darker 'Brunette', but it's also available in 'Blonde' for fairer ladies. I've found the pencil to have a nice firm texture which makes it easy to apply precisely, and the pigmentation is about right for me - good but not too good! This was £1.99 and I've actually been back to pick one up for my Mum, too, since she claims I "permanently borrowed" her brow pencil and she's never got round replacing it; she just whinges about it every time she wears make-up, bless her!
I also picked up an eyeliner (which I definitely didn't need...) in the shade 'Emerald' - this is also available in 'Smoke' and 'Black'. This has a lovely creamy texture and comes with a spongey smudger on the end which is meant to help blend the liner out for a smokey eye, though I haven't tried it yet. The eyeliner was also £1.99. Both pencil products do require sharpening, and both include a sharpener which will come in handy for sure - I can never find a sharpener when I want one! I found that both lasted well once applied, without smudging or fading. Keep scrolling for swatches of these...

I also picked up the CC Cream in the shade 'Fair' (there's only two shades to choose from, with the other being a slightly darker 'Medium'; sadly not much good for women of colour). Alongside SPF 15, this CC Cream claims to offer flawless coverage to give a naturally radiant complexion, with a moisturising complex including Porcelain Flower Extract and Vitamin B3. I've really liked the CC Creams I've tried in the past, so I was keen to see how this would compare at a bargain price point of only £3.99.

I've not had chance to try the CC Cream out as thoroughly as I'd like (I wanted to get this post up while the products were still available!) but I've found that it applies really nicely with both my fingers and a dampened sponge (I use the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge). It gives a decent level of coverage for me, such that I only need to touch up with concealer under my eyes and on any particularly bad blemishes, whilst still looking really natural. 'Light' is a great match for my skin-tone. which was a pleasant surprise for me, as often products with such a limited shade range are too dark/orange-toned for my pale skin.
The CC Cream sits really nicely on my skin, without settling in fine lines, clinging to any dry patches, or pooling in my pores, and feels extremely comfortable to wear. I have oily skin so I always set my base products with powder, and this was no exception; I found that shine started to come through on my forehead after around three hours, which isn't actually at all bad, and I was shiny all over after about six hours' wear. However, there was no oxidation of the shade, and it didn't go patchy even on my oiliest areas, which I was impressed with. I've picked up a back-up tube already as I really like this so far and at £3.99 you can't go wrong!

Aldi's Special Buys are only available while stocks last so if you like the look of these you'll need to get your skates on! There are some other products available which, from memory, included lip gloss, a pen-style concealer and a couple of types of mascara. Have you ever tried Aldi's cosmetics? Would you?

xo