Women's secret weapon: £250 bagful of make-up

IT'S A tiny bag of magic tricks found at the bottom of handbags. But for most women their make-up bag is an vital "non-negotiable" item they would never contemplate leaving home without.

Now it has emerged British women are, on average, carrying around more than 250 worth of make-up every day - more than the cost of their mobile phone and camera.

Women in Glasgow, Leeds and London were revealed as wearing the most "slap" - carrying an average of 20 beauty items around with them, including eyelash curlers and false eyelashes - while women in Edinburgh appear to favour the more natural look, with only five items in their make-up bags: mascara, lipstick, powder, handcream and perfume.

The study found that on average 13 items were considered essential, each costing about 20 each, giving a grand total of 256 per handbag.

Mascara easily topped the list, with 95 per cent of women saying they wouldn't go anywhere without it. A favourite bottle of perfume and foundation came next - carried by 79 per cent and 76 per cent of women and costing on average 50 and 25 respectively.

Mondays and Fridays are the days that the 1,000 women who took part in the poll admitted getting most "tooled up".

One woman who was interviewed said: "I take pretty much all my make-up with me on a Monday morning. I do my make-up when I get to work so I can have longer in bed after the weekend."

Fridays were a big day for make-up bags, with women applying a "new face" for going on a night out. While women aged 18 to 25 carried the most make-up, researchers found it was professional women aged 35 to 44 whose make-up bags were stocked with the most expensive brands.

Ruth Attridge, spokeswoman for Debenhams, which carried out the research, said: "British women are renowned for their love of beauty products, as shown by the weight and worth of their well-stocked make-up bags. However, when your make-up bag becomes the most valuable item in your handbag, it's time to ensure your insurance is up to date."

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Dr Mary Brown, lecturer in psychology at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, said make-up bags were often used as a "weapon" to compete with other women.

"Many women have a make-up bag they use at home which has cheaper brands in it, such as a 4.50 Rimmel Hide the Blemish concealer, and another with its more expensive counterpart, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat costing about 24, for taking out in public," she said.

"But when you think about going out and standing in front of a mirror in the ladies' loo under the eagle eyes of women waiting in the queue it is hardly surprising that women feel vulnerable and become competitive. It gives them the chance to check each other out and see how much another woman values herself."Dr Brown added: "There is also the job element and the pressure on women in many industries to 'look the part'."