August 2007
BEST
Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow ($17.50) has been reformulated, and although the previous version was amazingly silky and applied beautifully and color-true, this one is even better! It has an enviable silkiness and ultra-smooth texture that meshes with your skin rather than looking like powder sitting on top of it. Another refinement is the departure of the chunky Lucite containers. Now each shade is packaged in a flat compact that includes a built-in mirror and throwaway sponge-tip applicator (applying eyeshadow with a brush is always the preferred method). None of the singly-sold shades are truly matte, but the almost matte options (which have a slight reflective quality suitable for daytime wear) include Sand Box, Chocolate, Mink, Taupe, Ivory Box, Plum Pop, and Slate. In line with the “pure color” name, the rest of the shades include traditional and trendy options, with the shades Ivy, Cherry, Aqua, and Lagoon being either too difficult to work with or too clownish for anything but high fashion or theatrical makeup. Pumpkin is a deep orange shade that is tricky to work with, but it is an attractive pairing for darker skin tones when blended with a deeper brown. Find It

WORST
Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Lip Rejuvenating Treatment SPF 20 ($16.09 for 0.33 ounce) does not contain the UVA-protecting ingredients of titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or avobenzone, and is not recommended for daytime protection. The lip balm itself leaves much to be desired, and isn’t as good as the other lip options from Neutrogena.