Tricks for when your favourite make-up is DISCONTINUED

You’ve relied on it for years then, suddenly, disaster! But don’t despair, here we reveal...

BEAUTY junkies were abuzz this week with the news that Armani’s Face Fabric foundation was being brought back due to popular demand after it was discontinued a few years ago.

We all know the pain of popping to your local pharmacy or department store to replenish your favourite beauty product — only to discover that it’s been discontinued. Speak to any woman and she’ll have a story about her own personal bereavement.

A quick survey of my friends revealed women lamenting the loss of Liz Earle Spot- On spot treatment, Chanel’s Cristalle Shower Gel, a particular shade of L’Oreal hair dye — the list goes on.

So just why do brands suddenly stop making a certain shade or product?

Caroline Hirons is a beauty industry expert who has held roles with Liz Earle, Space NK and Chantecaille. She says: ‘The decision to discontinue a product is made by the sales department. Bluntly, if a product isn’t selling, it won’t last. Every square inch of shelf space in a department store or pharmacy has to pay its way, so if a product doesn’t perform, it will have its space taken by one that does.’

Changes in laws can also mean that products disappear from shelves in one country, but can still be bought in another. And often, they will have been reformulated.

So what can you do if your favourite make-up vanishes from the shelves. Well, there are a number of options … TIME TO LOBBY FOR A REVIVAL Bourjois Pamplemousse Lipstick IN 2007 Bourjois discontinued a shimmery coral lipstick called Pamplemousse, that launched in 2000. Dedicated fans were up in arms, and were desperate to buy old stock. Tubes fetched up to £100 on eBay.

However, fans also lobbied the company and eventually — seven years later — Bourjois brought back the shade in its Rouge Edition line (£7.99, Boots).

Similarly in 2015 when Mac fans begged the company to make its limited edition Patentpolish Lip Pencils a part of the main range, the company did exactly that.

While Rouge Noir may now be a staple of Chanel’s nail polish collection, that wasn’t always the case. It was first launched in 1994, but despite the initial frenzy it was discontinued and didn’t reappear until 2003 after demand.

These days social media makes it easy to galvanise support for a campaign. Try Twitter — if you’re missing a product, someone else probably is, too. GO BESPOKE Maybelline Lash Stylist Mascara IN 2009 Maybelline discontinued this ground-breaking mascara, that bucked the trend of brushes and had a comb applicator instead. It was particularly good for lengthening and separating lashes. However, while fans can’t get hold of the original, you can have a mascara made to similar specifications. Eyeko ( eyeko.com) has an inhouse mascara editor at London’s Selfridges who will guide you through the options in terms of formula and brush and, of the 100+ combinations available, pick the one that’s right for you.

For those not in London, a similar service is available online — simply describe your lashes and what you want to achieve, pick a brush, and they’ll send you a bespoke mascara (£30). TRAWL THE INTERNET Chanel Duo Platinum Holographic Nail LAUNCHED in 2007 as a limited edition, this duo of Chanel nail polishes sold out within days and remains one of the most sought-after limited edition nail products. However, you can still track it down on eBay — albeit for about £230 — almost six times the original price. If your favourite isn’t there, it’s worth setting up searches on eBay and Gumtree so you’re alerted to anyone selling the product. And check out online beauty forums — see buyswapsell.co.uk and swapz.co.uk.

As with any online purchase, it’s buyer beware, and there are bound to be some counterfeit items floating around. So keep your wits about you, check out people’s profiles and know what you’re buying before handing over any money. STOCK UP ON HOLS Jil Sander Sensations perfume MY SISTER was devastated when her signature scent, Jil Sander’s Sensations was discontinued in the UK, but as it’s still available in other parts of Europe, she stocks up whenever she travels.

Many companies may discontinue products in one country, but continue to sell them in another. A bit of hunting on the internet should help you find out, then you can keep your eyes peeled in duty free or when you’re abroad. GET IT RECREATED Clinique’s Different Lipstick in Raspberry Glace WHILE Clinique has, in the past, given in to pressure to bring back old favourites — Black Honey Almost Lipstick was a case in point, revived due to demand after it was discontinued. But the popular Raspberry Glace hasn’t been given the same reprieve.

However, if you have a stub of it left, you can have it recreated. Take it to the Beauty Concierge desk at Harvey Nichols in London ( harvey nichols.com), and they’ll send it off to Three Custom Color in America who will recreate it for you. It costs £70 for two lipsticks and takes about four weeks. SEEK AN ALTERNATIVE Lanvin Scandal LANvIN’S iconic scent, a leather chypre from the nose behind Arpege, launched in the Thirties and was discontinued in the Seventies to the dismay of perfume lovers — it frequently appears top of the list of most loved discontinued fragrances. However, there are some great resources that can help you find a replacement.

Fragrantica.com can suggest similar scents to discontinued lines, and staff in independent perfume shops are often a mine of information, too. In the case of Lanvin’s Scandal, scent fans recommend trying Chanel’s Cuir de Russie (£140, chanel.com) which echoes the leathery notes of the original. FIND A DUPLICATE Benefit 10 Highlighter and Bronzer IF YOU’RE missing something, the chances are that someone else out there is too, and the internet can help. Beauty forums were besieged in 2013 when Benefit discontinued this bronzer and highlighter combo.

However, many devotees looked to other brands for similar products. They found W7 Double Act Powder (£5.95, w7cosmetics.co.

uk), which looks almost identical to the Benefit product.

If you’re looking for something to replace a make-up staple, type the name of your muchmissed cosmetic into Google, alongside the word ‘dupe’ short for ‘duplicate’ and you will probably find a number of obsessives who have tried to find similar products. CALL THE COMPANY Origins Warm Down Lava Scrub ORIGINS recently discontinued its self-heating scrub (although johnlewis.com still had some stock left).

Fortunately Origins is part of Estee Lauder Companies (which also include, Clinique, Jo Malone London, Bobbi Brown and more) and it has a Gone But Not Forgotten Programme that will hunt down products that have been discontinued within 24 months, gonebutnotforgotten@esteelauder.

These days almost every brand has a customer careline and they should be able to let you know if the product has been discontinued, whether there’s a replacement or similar shade coming up, and, if you’re lucky, where you can find any remaining stock, so you can snaffle it up and stockpile it. SHIP FROM THE STATES Olay Professional Deep Wrinkle Treatment THIS is a super effective cream — proven in trials to be as effective as prescription strength anti-wrinkle creams, but with less irritation. But it was phased out of the UK market a few years ago. However, it’s still available in the U.S. as Olay Pro-X and you don’t have to travel to get your hands on it. Many American websites, such as target.com will ship products to the UK (although you may have to pay import duties) while amazon.co.uk stocks many international products.