Before I get started with this week's issue, I just wanted to share some exciting news with you - Cosmetic Connection is featured in the current issue of People magazine! If you have a chance, check out page 30 of the June 12th issue. There's even a picture of me :)

I've been playing with color and interesting new products lately - one of my favorite pasttimes! Buying color over the Internet can be a little risky, but as I found with these products, sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised.

Origins Bite Your Lips lipstick ($12.50)
I must be on every beauty site's mailing list, so when I got Origins.com's online newsletter about a month ago talking about their new products and colors, I got sucked in by the description of Bite Your Lips lipstick: "Hugs lips so softly, you'll never know it's there. Never feels greasy, gooey or tacky." This was not my experience. My tube of Just Bitten Strawberry went on thick, dragged unevenly across my lips, and was very difficult to blend. The color I chose was literally like smearing strawberry on my lips - bright reddish pink. On my fair complexion. it was too bright. Just Bitten Brownberry or Raspberry might have better, but I just didn't like the texture enough to exchange it. I sent it right back to Origins.com for a refund.

Stila Eye Gloss ($18)
Lately I have really been into makeup that I can easily and successfully apply with my fingers. Brushes get dirty so quickly and cleaning them thoroughly is such a pain, I've really preferred just eliminating that step! For eyeshadow, creamy color is the way to go and these new eye glosses from Stila are definitely unique. They look and feel like lipgloss but in vibrant eyeshadow colors of neon green, solid gold, hot pink, electric blue, cosmic purple, and lightning white. The texture definitely takes getting used to so that you don't apply too much, but I still can't figure out how to prevent it from creasing, and boy, does it crease. Even when I am very careful to apply it just to the eyelid, it manages to travel up to the crease and settle in. I want to like Eye Gloss, but as cream shadows go, BeneFit and Calvin Klein have much better textures that last all day without budging.

As of December 2000, Stila is now available on Sephora.com!

Poole makeup kit ($55)
Considering how much makeup I have, I have never personally found a need for an all-in-one makeup kit. I end up using one shade and wishing I hadn't wasted my money on the rest. When I heard about these new kits from Poole, I thought it was just another set of boring browns. Wrong! These kits give you everything you need to create a particular makeup look. The colors are numbered and come with full instructions and two application brushes (though all the colors can be applied with fingers if you prefer). From fourseasonsproducts.com I got the Groupie kit, a mix of dark grey and black, and neutrals. Groupie comes with three eye shadows (white, grey and black) plus a black eye liner pencil to create a smoky eye look. Cheeks are subtle thanks to a creamy pearl shimmer, and lips are neutral in a medium fleshy beige-brown (with optional shine gloss as a final touch). I've had fun with this kit and definitely appreciate the step-by-step instructions on how to create the look. It's like having a makeup artist right there with you. The colors in Groupie aren't for everyone, so thankfully there are other kits to choose from, include Delta of Venus, Beach Ball, Afterglow and Alphabet City. You can find Poole makeup kits at fourseasonsproducts.com.

smell THIS Flagrance Edible Fragrance ($15)
This new spray from smell THIS has to be the most unusual and unique product I have seen in a long time. Basically these are perfumes you can taste; smell THIS calls it a "unique multi-sensory experience". Sound strange? They are! Flagrance comes in Minty Fresh, Peach Iced Tea, Sugar Cone, and Raspberry Jam, and in true smell THIS fashion they do all smell (and taste!) like their names. Flagrance would make a fun gift or a little treat for yourself if you've always wanted to taste like an ice cream cone!