I've been trying so many new things lately! This week read my thoughts on a few things from Poppy cosmetics (from Australia) as well as a new foundation from drugstore brand Physician's Formula. In coming weeks I'll have reviews of Oil of Olay's new Daily Facials, Sundari skin care, Dr. Dennis Gross, MD Skincare, and Perlier Honey hand and body products. Keep those review suggestions coming!

Poppy All-In-One Compact Foundation ($19.50)
As far as I'm concerned, summer makeup has to be uncomplicated and fairly heat resistant. Here in Oregon, we don't get that much humidity or stretches of 90+ degree days, but it can still feel pretty toasty. I was hoping this powder foundation would work for my summer combination skin (most powders are too chalky and dry), and I'd say from a formula point of view it does. My skin didn't get overly shiny throughout the day, and it didn't dry me out. I didn't have the best luck with the colors, though. I bought shade #1 (the lightest), like I almost always have to, and it's still too dark. I'm not ghostly pale - I even have a little (accidental!) color from being outside - but this shade is still too dark and somewhat orange on me. If I apply it with a fluffy powder brush, I can almost get away with it, but why would I choose to? It's just not the right match for me. If you can find a color that works for you, this is a pretty decent powder foundation at a nice price.

Poppy Eye Spy ($14.50)
I have been really happy with this cream eye shadow stick. It looks a bit like a lipstick but has a rounded shape that fits perfectly in the eyelid crease, so you can apply color to the lid and just above the crease in one swipe. It's creamy but not greasy, lasts fairly well through the day, and comes in a nice selection of colors with catchy names: Catch, Me, If, You, Can. I have "If", a medium cool gray (looks great with blue eyes!).

Poppy Sheer Lipstick ($12.50)
Sheer lipstick sounds great for summer, but my tube of Sheer Power (a blackberry shade) is too thick and doesn't glide easily on my lips. The result is a goopy, sticky mess that makes me wonder why I bother with lipstick at all. Could it be just this one tube? Hard to say, but I wouldn't take a chance buying it again.

Poppy Loose Powder Blush ($15)
If the people at Poppy cosmetics are reading this, I have a message for you: go back to the drawing board with this product! It's not the blush that needs help, per se, but the packaging. This loose blush is packaged like face powder, in a very small plastic jar with a shaker top. You are supposed to apply it with the enclosed powder puff, but with it sitting over the shaker holes, it picks up so much blush that you'd look like a circus clown if you patted it on your cheeks. You could use a brush, but the container is so small, no brush can fit in it. You really have to tap some onto a tissue and dip the brush into it.

As for colors, it comes in Chaste, Coy, Demure, Shy. I bought Shy, an earthy medium rose brown, and have decided to keep it and just throw out the powder puff applicator.

Poppy Liquid Lipstick ($12.50)
For shine like a gloss but depth of color like lipstick, this lipcolor is a winner for me. It's not too thick or goopy but has a nice amount of pigment so the color stays after the glossy layer has worn away. I bought the shade "100 degrees", a fairly vibrant true red, from their latest collection of 80, 90 and 100 degree shades. These are all variations on red and look great freshly applied or lightly blotted for a subtler finish. Liquid Lipstick also comes in neutrals Flash, Strip and Tease.

You can find Poppy cosmetics online at Sephora.com.

Physician's Formula Beauty Spiral Brightening Liquid Foundation ($9.95)
Here is another of a growing number of "brightening" or light-reflective foundations, like MAC Hyper Real, Lancome Photogenic, or L'Oreal Translucide. This one falls flat in my opinion - it is not brightening and comes in a mediocre selection of just 4 colors. I bought Ivory thinking it was the lightest - and it was the lightest available at my local store - only to find out Cream Ivory is the lightest and Ivory is too dark for me. I also found the finish to be too heavy and opague, and it needed a setting powder to keep it from settling into the fine lines on my face - not my idea of uncomplicated summer makeup. I'm glad I only bought a small trial size of this makeup so I don't feel guilty when I throw it in the trash.