No, don’t panic. I am not going to ask you to wade in when football fans are getting nasty, to talk down hostage-takers in a life or death situation or walk away when your other half has got their knickers in a twist. No, I am talking about diffusion lines. The less costly ’sibling’ ranges of the high-end designers allow more people to own the ’style’ at a much lower cost entry-level.
YES!!! Let’s face it, we want designer quality but without the mark-up so what to do?
Here are some of the main lines and the diffusion lines.:
Ralph Lauren
Black Label- expensive. You can still get a bargain at the Ralph Lauren shop at Bicester Village. Yep it may be two years old but quality NEVER dates, baby!
Blue label – More accessible but we’re still talking 3-figure sums here. Get it two years later from designer discount outlets.
Lauren
Pink Pony- Yep, the logo we all know. Personally, I would prefer it to not be EVERYWHERE but, I suppose, the whole point of wearing designert is so that others can see we can afford it!
Chloe – High end designer wear.
See by Chloe- cheaper but still gorgeous. If you are lucky, you will be able to pick up pieces from a discount outlet like T.K.Maxx.
Gianni Versace Jeans Couture – The diffusion line of Gianni Versace. Other diffusion lines from the house of Versace include:
Istante
Versus Versace Classic
Versace Sport
Boss by Hugo Boss – diffusion line of Hugo Boss
Armani Collezioni – Diffusion line of Giorgio Armani. There are also:
Emporio Armani
Armani Exchange
Armani Jeans
Prada Sport- Diffusion line of Prada.
Miu Miu – Started up as baby sister of Prada but is now a fully-fledged label of it’s own
Y’s by Yohji Yamamoto diffusion line of Yohji Yamamoto
Marc by Marc Jacobs -Marc Jacobs diffusion line.
Pleats, Please – diffusion line of Issy Miyake
McQueen – Alexander McQueen’s lower-cost option
Diffusion lines are not just restricted to clothing ranges. You can also buy the more accessible entry-level equivalents of ‘of-the-moment’ beauty products that still deliver but at a price that is more ’shaving-rash discomfort’ than ‘bikini-wax-eye-watering’. Obviously, the products will not have as many expensive ingredients, as their plush sibling, neither will the packaging be as covetable but the products will be effective and, in many ways could be more effective as you won’t need to worry about economical application, you can afford to just slather the products on wantonly.
THe best diffusion lines in beauty are:
Kings and Queens – the diffusion line of cult Greek range Korres. Available in Boots the Chemist.
Bodyworks – Lower price but no less ,wonderful for that relative of ‘This Works’. A beautiful range of aromatherapy bath products designed by ex- Vogue Health and Beauty Director Kathy Phillips.
Soap and Glory – Marcia Kilgore of Bliss Spa and Fitflops has a range of bath and beauty products in Boots.The Glow Job Daily Radiance Moisture Lotion (£7.99) sold out as soon as it hit the shelves at Harvey Nichols.
Cosmetics
Love the latest Chanel make-up but don’t want the expense? Most makes are owned bby just a few companies, use the same laboratories and scientists so more companies benefit from the same research. Look for the lines that come out of the same stable . You may need to wait for a few months for the technology to diffuse down into the cheaper ranges but a lot of the cheaper ranges, such as Bourjois and l’Oreal have benefitted from all the research and product testing that the more up-market brands such as Chanel and Lancome.
Bourjois, the French make-up house that has been making powder blush since 1862, also owns Chanel. Have you never wondered why both their blushers are dome shaped? Well, now you know. So, if you love the idea of Chanel’s ‘Vitulumiere’ but not the price tag, try Bourjois’ ‘10 Hour Sleep Effect’ anti-fatigue foundation.
Founded in 1946 when Joseph Lauder and his wife Estee started making creams, it now has 21 companies under its umbrella.
Estee Lauder – especially the wonderful powder compacts that are on sale for Christmas. The Advanced Night Repair Complex which is so fabulous it got rid of my contact dermatitis in 3 days. The ReNutriv Ultimate Youth Cream gives a fabulous youthful glow and sinks in easily for a rich cream.
Clinique – The Dramatically Different moisturiser and their 3-Step Plan have been consistent top sellers.
Prescriptives – Bespoke foundatons and skin-colour matching to make absolute sure that your face and neck match.
Origins- A much more holistic brand. THeir range of Ginger products and the Salt Rub smell divine, as do all of their shampoos and the Peace of Mind massage Oil.
MAC – Make up designed by make-up artists. The whole range is fabulous.
La Mer- Invented by Aerospace physicist, scientist Dr Max Huber, after a scientific experiment went completely wrong, exploded in his face and caused severe chemical burns. The rather unremarkable ingredients have been fermented to create a ‘miracle broth’
Bobbi Brown
Tommy Hifiger
Aveda
Jo Malone
Bumble and Bumble
Darphin
Missoni
Aramis
Lab Series
Kiton
Donna Karan
American Beauty
Good Skin
Flirt!
Sean John
Unfortunately, none of these are diffusion lines but, if you are looking for a bargain, you can always get the specially priced boxed sets at Christmas that are hugely discounted. Maybe wait until the January sales? Or wait and only buy if there is a special gift with purchase.
L’Oreal , which is partly owned by Nestle, owns all the following brands:
Lancôme -great mascaras and, of course, the market leader in lip-gloss: Juicy Tubes.
The Body Shop- Great for their range of body butters, long-lasting gel blushers and Vitamin E range.
Maybelline- Maybelline mascara, beloved of models worldwide – its iconic pink and green packaging and non-clogging formula deliver at a geat price.
Biotherm- Not so well known French dermatological containing thermal plankton and other marine extracts and which is great for all skin types.
Kiehl’s- Started out as a New York pharmacy in 1851, Kiehl’s now has a devoted following worldwide. Big sellers are the amazing Lip Balm Nr. 1, the Creme with Silk Groom hair treatment and the Ultra Facial Moisturizer.
Shu Uemura- named after the Japanese make-up artist who set it up. Most famous products are the cleansing oils and the Shu Uemura eyelash curler – the best in the business and even earned itself a mention in the fashionista’s favourite movie, ‘The Devil wears Prada’
Cacharel- Most famous for the fragrance Anais Anais, Cacharel has several scents in its stable as well as ready-to-wear and accessories line.
Giorgio Armani – unbelievable foundations and lipcolours
Helena Rubinstein
Dermablend- camouflage cover for scars and uneven pigmentation.
SkinCeuticals
Vichy Laboratoires
Kérastase
Redken
Garnier
They obviously thought the above were worth it!!!
Revlon owns Almay.
