As I mentioned last week, sheer color and a natural glow to the skin are all the rage this spring. Making a huge entrance in this category is the new Calvin Klein cosmetics line, now available in department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom and onlilne at Sephora.com. While there are traditional powder blushes and eye shadows, the highlights of this line are the color washes for lips, cheeks and eyes. I visited my local Nordstrom recently and sat down with Counter Manager Joseph for color suggestions and application tips on using these new products.

Eye Color Wash ($14)
This is my favorite product from this line. Eye Color Wash is a cream shadow in a squeeze tube that can be applied very sheer or layered for more intensity. You can also layer it with powder shadow, either under as a base or over to give the powder more sheen. I bought Misty Mauve and Red Sea to use for two different looks. Misty Mauve is the lightest shade, a pale silver lilac, that looks great alone either applied lightly to the entire eye area (all the way up to the brow) or as an accent with the powder shadows. When I want a little color with no fuss, I use this.

Red Sea is a reddish-plum that I only like if I use it with the Woodviolet shadow and Cocoa Plum liner (listed below); alone it is too red for my pale skin and makes me look tired or sick. Used a base for Woodviolet (applied to the crease and outer corner) and with a bit of Cocoa Plum liner at the lashline, it gives a nice dimension to the plum shades. Since it looks pretty with the other colors, I decided to keep it rather than exchanging it for another color.

Eye Color Wash is available in other shades like water lily, sea mist, pale gold, peach pearl and marine.

Lip Color Wash ($15) in Heather (light rose)
While I like the Lip Color Wash, it's not quite what I expected. I thought it would be a gloss or creamy sheer color in a squeeze tube like the eye wash, but it's actually a demi-matte lipstick in a thin, silver case that reminds me of the packaging for Clinique's Almost Lipstick. It has average wear but a nice soft feel. I like the lip wash for weekends when I want some color but don't want to look too made-up. It also comes in citrus (a very "in" tangerine shade), buff, brandy, wine and berry.

Cheek Color Wash ($23) in Radiant (rose mauve)
This is a cream blush with a light, slightly dry, powdery feel. If you don't normally wear cream blush because they are too emollient, you might like this one. I like this better than the powder blush because it gives a more natural looking glow to the skin, like it comes from within. You can apply a few dabs to your cheeks and blend them with your fingers, so it's fairly foolproof (it doesn't dry or streak like a gel blush). Compared to other cream or gel blushes I've tried, I like this one better than Bobbi Brown's cream blush stick, better than BeneFit BeneTint, and about as much as Cover Girl CG Smoothers Cheek Glaze. Cheek Color Wash also comes in hue, natural and blushing.

Eye Shadow ($15)
During my makeup session with Joseph, he used Pink Opal, Woodviolet, and Bittersweet on me. I ended up getting Woodviolet, a medium brown-plum, because it's versatile and brings out the blue in my eyes :) I can wear it alone on the lid, in the crease, or as liner, and I can layer it with either of my eye wash shades. It goes on smooth, blends nicely and wears well with minimal creasing and no fading.

Blush ($24) in Terra
As powder blushes go, this one is fine but nothing amazing as far as I'm concerned. I think the Cheek Color Wash is a much better product if you want a cheek color from this line.

Eye Definer ($14) in Cocoa Plum
I don't usually use pencil liners, but this one is nice and a pleasure to wear. It goes on smoothly with no drag. It also has a sponge tip on the other end for smudging and blending. I wore Eye Definer alone and with the Woodviolet powder shadow over it, and it wore well both ways. It comes in ebony, coffee, henna, graphite and dusk.

Lip Definer ($14) in Plum
The lip pencil is similar to the eye pencil: smooth with no drag, and it has a convenient lip brush on the other end so you can blend the liner into your lipstick. Lip Definer also comes in terra, nude, cocoa, rose and brick.

Calvin Klein Cosmetics also includes lipstick in 39 shades, lip gloss in 6 shades, mascara in 4 shades, sheer foundation with SPF 20 in 8 shades, light coverage foundation with SPF 8 in 15 shades, medium coverage foundation (compact cream) with SPF 8 in 12 shades, pressed and loose powders in 6 shades, and a cream concealer in 4 shades. There is also a small range of skin care products including gel and milk cleansers, makeup remover, 2 moisturizers, an oil control lotion and a scrub.

You can find Calvin Klein Cosmetics online at Sephora.com.