Welcome to this week's Cosmetic Report^™ newsletter. It's our goal to bring you unbiased information about cosmetic products and trends so you can make educated buying decisions. If you've been searching for straightforward beauty information and advice, you've found it here. The Cosmetic Connection 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.

In this issue, I thought it would be fun to share what so many of you ask me in email: what am I wearing this spring? We've gotten some terrific colors, so here's a peek into my makeup bag to see ones I think are worth trying.

What's In my (Springtime) Makeup Bag
I've been a BECCA foundation devotee for almost 6 months and wasn't planning on changing, until I tried Cover Girl's new TruBlend foundation. This is the most amazing, most versatile, most natural looking foundation, of any kind (drugstore or otherwise), that I have used in a long time. For starters, the texture is fantastic. You do have to be careful to use the pump to dispense small amounts at a time, and not one big pump (you'll have enough foundation for an army). That said, you can pump out small dabs and apply and blend just to the areas of your face that need it, and you don't have to worry about it setting or drying too quickly. The texture is soft and velvety, but also light, blendable and breathable. The coverage is surprisingly good considering how light the foundation feels, so if you have some redness, mild to moderate undereye circles, or generally uneven skin tone, this should take care of it in one thin layer. I also could not find anything in the ingredient list that would cause or aggravate acne, and I personally have not experienced any breakouts while using it.

TruBlend comes in a nice range of four cool, four warm, and seven neutral shades - hopefully a little something for everyone. I wear Ivory, the lightest neutral shade and it is a perfect match for me (I have used it for sometime in their Aqua Smooth formula). I would absolutely, without question or hesitation, buy this again and recommend it to all of you :) As my mom used to say, try it, you'll like it!

With my dry skin, and the fact that I actually like a bit of sheen to my skin, I am generally happy with the finish that the Cover Girl TruBlend foundation leaves on my skin (natural, barely matte). For those times that I want a more matte finish, I use my favorite standby BECCA Fine Loose Finishing Powder ($38) in Ginger. I like to lightly dip my powder brush into the edge of the powder to get a small amount, then swirl it around in the lid to distribute the powder through the brush hairs. Using a really small amount helps keep the skin from drying out or looking cakey.

For blush, my current choices include BECCA Cream Blush ($25) in Turkish Rose, MAC Prism (from my holiday 2003 face palette), or the pretty rose shade in Stila's new Be Feminine, Feel Pretty collection Vintage Hankie 4 Pan Palette in Purple ($28) , which has the rose blush plus a creamy white shadow, light gray-lavender shadow, and deep plum shadow. All the Stila shades are classic "Stila" - sheer and wearable, easy to blend, and soft.

Since I use eye shadow every day, I've had fun experimenting with Pop Beauty Eye Cake for Blue Eyes ($19), Stila's hankie palette shades, and Reflect Make a Toast Eyeshadow Duo ($25). The Pop Beauty shadows are fun to play with because you get four flattering gold/beige/khaki shades in one container, so you swipe the brush across a few at a time to get a unique combination, or zero-in on just the one you want. There is also a sapphire blue shade that is supposed to be a liner, but honestly, I'm not that brave.

To give my lashes definition, Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara ($3.97) or Kevyn Aucoin Beauty The Mascara ($25) are the ones I choose. I love Rimmel as the perfect everyday stand-by: it's inexpensive and it works. For more impact, I choose Kevyn Aucoin. The technology behind it sets it apart from most mascaras - the color makes a tube around each lash that doesn't budge until you wash it off with water, and then the tubes just slide right off (no need for eye makeup remover!). If I feel compelled to use eye liner, my favorite (even though it's spendy for eye liner) is Vincent Longo Eyeliner Pencil ($16.50) in Brown. It glides on easily and gives my eyes the soft look that I like.

I don't use lip color very much, but when I do I like something light like Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss ($18) in Nude, Laura Mercier Lip Balm SPF 15 ($20), Kiehl's Lipbalm SPF 15 ($7.50) in hue 58B (sheer reddish apricot), or Reflect Lipsheer ($17) in Cosmic Ruby. Any one of these is easy to apply, has a nice tint that is a notch or two above a "natural" lip tone, and while none of them lasts for hours upon hours, they are easy to reapply as necessary without caking. You can really just swipe them on and go. For something with more pop, I like Kevyn Aucoin Beauty The Expert Lip Tint ($22) in Enchantaberry (berry red). The matte tint feels like a gloss at first, but settles in until you don't even notice that it's there. I have thought about getting a more everyday shade so I have the cool weightless feel more often.

What you are trying this spring? Let us know! We love to hear from you. We hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!