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Copyright © 2004 Kleinman.com Inc. and Cosmetic Connection. All rights reserved.


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THE COSMETIC REPORT
January 4, 2005

Greetings from the Cosmetic Report newsletter! We hope you enjoy our straightforward approach to beauty products and trends. If you've been searching for real women's experiences and advice on beauty and wellness, that's what Cosmetic Connection is all about. Our panel of reviewers are consumers just like you who face the same issues and challenges, and look to the beauty industry to help solve them. Thanks for reading!

All of us here at Cosmetic Connection would like to wish you a Happy New Year, and share with you some of our favorites from 2004. May you have a healthy, positive, and fulfilling 2005!

Heather's Favorites of 2004
It seems the beauty biz is forever focused on newer, better, improved, more technologically advanced - some reason for us to either switch or give up on our favorites formulas and colors. This year I found myself reaching again and again for those products I could trust to deliver the results I expect time after time. Consider these my stand-bys, the products I count on every day.

Cover Girl CG Smoothers Aqua Smooth Makeup ($7.69)
On both good skin days and bad, this makeup always gives me a smooth, even-toned finish that lasts all day without creasing, fading, or caking. It looks and feels natural and light on the skin, has excellent medium coverage without looking like a lot of foundation, and comes in a nice range of colors (the shade I use, Creamy Natural, is the best match I've found to my skin).

Sugar Cosmetics Lip Fever ($19)
I am a lip balm kind of girl; you won't often catch me wearing something as buttoned-up and high-maintenance as lipstick. On those occasions when I'd like a bit of color, this is the gloss and liner duo that I keep coming back to. I like to completely fill in my lips with the liner shade (in my case, I like the Light shade, a brownish-rose liner with matching rose gloss), then layer the gloss on top. The color is subtle, polished, and just a step up from plain lips. I also love the subtly sweet flavor of the gloss - more creme brulee than cotton candy. You can see the shades at SugarDaisy.com.

Lush Trichomania Solid Shampoo ($6.40 for 3.5oz bar from Lush website) and American Cream Conditioner ($18.95 for 16.9oz)
Trichomania means love of hair, and I definitely love mine after I use these two products. The solid shampoo bar is perfect for the shower - no pesky bottles to pry open when you are half asleep - just run the bar all around your head and massage in the suds. The creamed coconut is nicely moisturizing for parched hair. Oh, and FYI, it's vegan. I like to follow it up with the American Cream conditioner, easily the most amazing I've tried in a very long time - super moisturizing, detangling, and the scent, like a vanilla milkshake, will make you want to toss your hair all day just to catch a whiff of that delicious smell. Yum!

Lush Celestial Moisturiser ($14.70 for 1.5oz)
I would have to say that I am very picky when it comes to my skin and what goes on it, and my skin is pretty picky on its own. Of all the skincare I tried this year, this cream from Lush stands out. The combination of cocoa butter, almond milk, and glycerin makes the skin soft and comfortable, and the vanilla water and orchid extract give it a lovely light scent. I often use it at night, but have also been known to wear it during the day if my skin is particularly red or rashy - very soothing. Another bonus for me personally - it's vegan.

Check the Lush website for more info and a list of shop locations.

That's it for me. I wonder what the list will be at the end of this year...


Judith's 2004 Faves
As I've grown older, I find that want my makeup to be lighter, so I often wear a tinted moisturizer. Bobbi Brown Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm ($45) is my current favorite tinted moisturizer. Applied to a clean face, with no other moisturizer needed, it provides a lovely sheer finish and moisturizes without leaving your face shining or greasy. The first time I used this, I applied it over a light moisturizer and was very disappointed with how greasy my face felt. I then realized that this is, after all, a heavy duty moisturizer and needs no other moisturizer product. With an SPF of 25, it's all you need if you want your face to glow! Extra light is the perfect color for me. It's my favorite find of 2004.

I've tried more concealers than I can count and this is the first one I can heartily recommend to you. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit ($32) is comprised of two compartments: a creamy, easy to apply concealer that really covers, as well as matching sheer powder to use to set it. This nifty little kit also includes a tiny powder puff, although I prefer a brush for application. The Creamy Concealer Kit comes in 11 different colors, and you should know to not automatically choose the same color as your BB Foundation. Bobbi Brown's website has a chart telling you which concealer shade will work best for you.

To carry your concealer with you, Bobbi has Creamy Concealer To Go, a tiny little three partition compact with you favorite concealer, corrector and powder. At $15 each they are a great way to try out these products before you purchase full size. Also available in 11 color combos, check the color chart on Bobbi Brown's website to see which color combo will be best for you.

Bobbi Brown is available at bobbibrown.com, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue stores and on their websites, too.

Benefit Georgia ($26) is a perfect sheer peach blush that will brighten up your face! Just like last year's Dandelion, which is still one of my favorite blushes, Georgia is packaged in a little box with a small brush, which is the perfect width for your cheeks! You can find it at benefitcosmetics.com, Sephora.com and macys.com.

The minute the weather turns cold, my hands turn to sandpaper. L'Annine Hand Cream is the first hand lotion I've found in a long time that softens my hands immediately with absolutely no greasiness. With a silicone base, L'Annine is available in three scents, mango, avocado and lemon. I've been using lemon on both my hands and feet and can't recommend it highly enough! At $10 a tube, you can order L'Annine from beautyhabit.com or ritecare.com.

Poshe Fast Drying Topcoat ($10) is fabulous! It's the first top coat I've found that lets me get through a week with no chipped nails! Poshe has many other nail products which I plan to try. If this fast drying topcoat is any indication, they are worth investigating! Find it at PureBeauty.com or your local Pure Beauty store.

L'Occitaine Shea Butter Lip Balm Stick ($10) was first given to me as a freebie on an international flight. This is the best lip balm I've come across in a long time. Made with L'Occitaine's trademark Shea Butter, it's creamy and easy to use... and it works! Visit usa.loccitane.com or your local L'Occitaine store.

Most major skin care lines have joined the marine biology craze first started by La Mer. I've been using L'Oreal Age Perfect Day Cream with SPF 15 and Age Perfect Night Cream for several months and am very pleased with the results. Containing marine collagen, the day cream is a firming cream which is perfect under makeup. It dries with no shine and makes a perfect base for my foundation. The night cream is more emollient, which is what I want in a night cream. Both contain Marine-Collagen, which, besides moisturizing, is supposed give natural support to skin and Dermo-Peptides, which is supposed to firm and tighten the skin. Affordable at around $15 each, you can find these products and more in the Age Perfect line for mature skin are available at your local drugstore or from drugstore.com.

Happy New Year and Happy Shopping!


Lisa's 2004 Favorites
Every year, I find a new bevy of cosmetic goodies that I consider to be real standouts among the competition. While the list could go on and on, here are my ten favorite discoveries in 2004.

Neutrogena Soothing Under Eye Corrector ($8.99, at ULTA.com and drugstores everywhere)
I bought this product on a whim, not expecting much, but I absolutely fell in love with this under eye concealer. While it certainly doesn't have as much pigment as some other formulas, it has more of a "treatment" aspect that really sets it apart. I have big issues with under eye circles, and this formula reduces puffiness, uses light-reflecting pigments to camouflage darkness, and has a wonderful cooling sensation when applied. Its nifty "click" dial advances product up into the brush, so it doesn't get all gummed up. I also found it did a great job covering broken capillaries, and other blemishes. A wonderful product I now use daily. On days when my dark circles are particularly ghastly, I just add a bit of my regular concealer on top.

Lush Afterlife ($34.60 for 1.5 oz, at lush.com)
This facial moisturizer is expensive by Lush standards, but really, not so much when you look at the whole of market competition. I use it as a night cream, and am amazed at how beautiful and smooth my skin looks the next day. In fact, I'll go so far to say that it rivals La Mer as my favorite "treatment" moisturizer. Packed full of mango extract, honey, wheat germ oil, and other natural goodness, this cream is rich, but never causes me to break out. My skin is moisturized, firm, and clear, which makes for a truly beautiful morning.

Smashbox Cream Eyeliner ($22 for single color at Sephora.com, $27 for a palette of 10 at qvc.com)
I tended to shy away from cream eyeliner because I though it would be a hassle - I couldn't have been more wrong. I love this product; it applies smoothly and (I use a slant brush) wears like crazy. The color choices range from soft to dramatic, and will suit a wide range of preferences and skintones. In my opinion, this is Smashbox's best product.

Comodynes Oats makeup remover cloths ($6 at Trader Joes, online sources at comodynes.com)
I have no idea how I survived without this product. Made in Spain, these (no water needed) cloths are so much bigger than the competition, as well as being more moist, which helps them remove makeup quickly and easily. The formula is very soothing, and despite the fact they are quite moisturizing, they don't cause me any breakout woes. I buy them three packages at a time.

Bloom Skin and Tonic ($16 at Sephora.com)
A perfect "fresh" facial every time - just cut open the packet of liquid (which is filled with essential oils and botanical extract) and drop in the "tablet," which is actually a compressed facial cloth. After all liquid is absorbed, just lay it on your face for about 10 minutes. Breathe deeply and relax. Ahhhh. Your skin will look fresh and revived, and feel wonderfully moisturized. Diva hint? Pop the liquid in the fridge for about 20 minutes first if your skin is especially puffy.

Styli-Style Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Rio" ($8 at CVS, and cosmeticmall.com)
This flat pencil gives amazing control, and changes the line from thin to thick in the flick of a wrist. The color is smooth, and pigment is good, but it is really the color that sets it apart. This color is the perfect light violet/blue (think tanzanite) to make green eyes GLOW. I use it whenever I'm looking a bit tired, and am surprised at how well this color cancels any redness. Be sure to pick up the special sharpener that goes with it!

Lush Honey I Washed the Kids ($5 at lush.com)
This bar of soap smells gorgeous (a rich honey scent, with a bit of nut) and is so moisturizing! Packed with honey, it seems to smooth almost any skin irritation - it's so gentle, I can even use it on my face, too. Definitely the best bar soap ever, hands down.

Jing Jang Creme ($22 at Sephora.com)
This 100% botanical formula is the perfect skin cure-all. It soothes burns and scrapes and moisturizes skin from lips to cuticles, and everything in between. I keep one in my cosmetic stash, as well as one in the first aid kit.

MAC Studio Stick foundation with SPF 15 ($25 at gloss.com)
As far as I'm concerned, MAC rules when it comes to stick foundation. This formula is creamy, but dries to a demi-matte finish. It blends effortlessly, and has medium to full coverage; just swipe, blend, and go. It even has SPF 15. With 15 shades available, complexions from the palest to the darkest will be perfectly covered.

DuWop Venom Gloss in Jessamine ($15 at Sephora.com)
This sparkling pink-nude gloss has the trademark "Venom" bite. Filled with extracts of cinnamon and ginger, this tingling gloss plumps lips and moisturizes while adding sheer color. Careful, this formula encourages lots of kissing :)

We hope you enjoyed this special issue of The Cosmetic Report!


 

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