Prime Minister Gordon Brown acquired another light dusting of woe when his make-up bag was left in the back of a taxi last week.

Rather more seriously the bag, left by a junior aide, also contained information on how he and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith would be getting to Yorkshire for an official visit.

The four stage process is a bit more elaborate than the quick bit of powder usually required for telly appearances.

Brown starts with an illuminating foam then a touch of concealer for under his eyes. Stage three is Clinique super-balanced make-up which goes all over his face and eyes, followed by a touch of terracotta Guerlain powder for that bronzed look, the Sun reports.

The A4 paper included idiot-proof instructions for applying the slap. The bag was handed into the Currant Bun by the cabbie.

Mr Brown might be glad of the distraction - it's got to be better than more revelations about MPs' expenses. It might even cleanse us of the memory of his YouTube appearance which was meant to end the scandal. ®

Related stories

• Updated Office admin sacked for Blears abuse (6 July 2009)
• Comment MPs turn to Black Blob to preserve their dignity (20 June 2009)
• Hunt for MPs' expenses leaker hots up (18 May 2009)
• Comment Browncasting: Why can't Downing Street do digital? (6 May 2009)
• Brown finally wins something (29 April 2009)
• Comment What on earth do you think you are doing, Darling? (24 April 2009)
• 'Leccy Tech Brown pledges to make Britain's drivers greener (8 April 2009)
• Lies, damned lies and inflation statistics (29 March 2009)
• Prime Minister's health records breached in database attack (2 March 2009)
• Prime Minister out-nonsensed by Conservative Wikifiddler (11 February 2009)
• El Reg pays tribute to father of Playmobil (6 February 2009)