Lacura Skincare: Fountain of Youth at a Bargain Price

I always figured I’d be the kind of woman who would happily embrace the aging process.

You know, the type who insists “age is just a number” and who celebrates every single laugh line as the sign of a life well lived.

But then, I hit my 30s.

That was when Father Time began marching across my face in the form of age spots, fine lines and laugh lines that stick around long after I stop smiling.

And I’ve got to admit, it kind of freaked me out.

Why was my complexion suddenly looking so ruddy?

How in the world did my pores get that big?

And the brown spots? Ugh. The very bane of my 30-something existence.

That’s when my approach toward aging kind of did a 180. If there was a cream, an elixir, a serum or a spray that would help slow down the aging process (and get rid of the stupid brown spots), I was all over it. In fact, when it comes to anti-aging creams, I can confidently say I’ve pretty much bought every promise in a bottle I could find.

Problem is, nearly all of those promises come with a hefty price tag.

So, when I learned discount grocer ALDI was planning to bring the award-winning German skincare line Lacura to the states, I found myself letting out a little squeal of delight.

Made with a slew of active ingredients such as bioflavonoids, coenzyme Q10, retinol complex, hydrating sea minerals and vitamins, the Lacura line features facial creams, cleansers, toners, masks, peeling gels — even eye and lip care products — with prices 75% to 95% less than competitors.

Did you catch that? 75% to 95% less. Prices range from a high of $4.99 for a facial cream to $1.99 for a 3-pack of lip balm.

Lacura has won high acclaim in Europe by both beauty experts and everyday volunteers, who have ranked it up there in quality with Lancome, Olay, L’oreal and Helena Rubenstein. In fact, in an independent blind test of 2,000 volunteers, Lacura’s anti-wrinkle day cream was voted best for anti-aging. When women in Britain read about it, they literally cleared ALDI shelves, buying 35,000 jars of cream in a single day.

I tried the Lacura Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream, which is designed to deeply moisturize, help smooth out wrinkles and protect against aging.

It is easily comparable to several of the more expensive anti-aging creams I’ve bought in the past. It goes on smooth, feels quite hydrating and is not sticky or oily. It really does seem to smooth out wrinkles and provides a great base for makeup application.

My only complaint about the day cream is the scent. If you’re not big into floral scents, you might find it a little overwhelming. The good news is, the scent fades relatively quickly after application, the bad news is for five minutes you might smell like your grandma.

(Incidentally, I understand the other creams have very different scents, so don’t write off all the creams based on the floral scent of one. For $5 a jar, heck, you can try them all and find the one that works for you.)

Seriously. Affordable skincare that helps fight the aging process and won’t cost an arm and a leg?

That’s a promise in a bottle worth considering.

Lacura Skincare is now available at all U.S. ALDI stores.