Thanks to everyone who emailed me suggestions for reviews. As I make my way through my current stash of goodies, I will continue to add your ideas to my list. I am also happy to say we have quite a few new reviews on Cosmetic Connection, including Rimmel Cosmetics, Lancome Photogenic foundation, Mary Kay Timewise skin care, and Ramy Beauty Therapy.

This week I am pleased to feature our new Panelist Krishna making her Cosmetic Connection debut. If you love color, her review of the new vibrant hues from Bobbi Brown's ColorOptions line is sure to pique your interest.

Krishna is 42 years old, African-American (Peruvian Indian, American Indian, Black, and Creole), and the mother of five children. She lives in Los Angeles, but is a New York transplant. Her skin is sort of honey brown (a yellow/orange color type by Prescriptives) and combination, with an oily T-zone is the summer. Krishna's hair is naturally wavy and black, and she wears it just past her shoulders. Her eyes are dark brown. Krishna is always looking for good skin care, and makeup lines that cater to darker skin tones.

  I have had success with Bobbi Brown Essentials foundation and powder, thanks to the selection of shades for darker skin tones that are yellow based instead of red or pink. The one area that Bobbi Brown and I disagreed on was color. She is into a very natural subtle look, but I'm not! Once I'm happy with the foundation and set that with powder, I'm ready for COLOR. If my skin color is fawn, why would I want lipstick or eyeshadow the color of fawn?! I want to see the blush and eye makeup and lipstick. So, I was so pleased when Bobbi came out with Color Options. I went to Neiman Marcus to the Bobbi Brown counter and discussed with makeup artist Nora what I wanted to do. I also needed some new pink/fuschia colors for the summer (I look especially good in red and fuschia). This is what I tried:

Sparkledust ($20)
This comes in a small jar in Platinum, Ice Pink, Baby Blue, Amethyst and Lime. I tried the Ice Pink and purchased it (I said I was into pink this summer!). I applied my full face and lined my eyes with a navy pencil and raisin shadow. I then applied the Ice Pink sparkledust over the entire lid. It looked great, and FYI, a little goes a long way. I applied this with a shadow brush, then took my blush brush and just dipped it and brushed the sparkledust across my cheeks over my blush. It was a nice shimmer for an evening out. Not loud, just enough, and I would only use this for parties and special occasions. None of the other colors interested me, but I might try Amethyst or Platinum another time. This jar, used sparingly, would probably last a long time. I do break out from time to time, but I did not have any reactions to this powder.

Artstick ($25)
This is a fat stick, about the same length as a eye pencil, just thicker. The colors available are Bright Pink, Pumpkin, Black Current, Poppy, Clay, and Magenta. I purchased the Bright Pink. Artsticks are designed to use on lips, cheeks, and eyes. To me, the Bright Pink did not look so good on the eyes. I loved how easy it is to apply, so I use this on my lips; on my cheeks, I would need a deeper color. I am going to purchase the Magenta Artstick, since this color would be more versatile for my skin color. All the colors are nice, and I liked the Poppy and Black Current also. Again, I think anyone would be pleased with how they glide across your lips and how well the color lasted. I used this color as a base for the Magenta Liplacquer. Nora strongly suggested that I purchase the Artstick sharpener, and I did for $3.

Liplacquer ($18)
I love this stuff!! The colors are Magenta, Cherry, Baby Pink, Hot Pink, and Tangerine. As I mentioned, I got the Magenta. When you first put it on (I suggest using a lipbrush), you faintly smell grapefruits, very pleasing. For a long day or evening I suggest using a pencil lip liner or a long-lasting lipstick as a base or the Artstick. I even had a couple of women ask me what kind of gloss I was wearing. I like to put the Magenta on with a brush, by itself. After about an hour it's still there, but settled with a very natural look. When this runs out I will definitely restock. Neiman's was completely out of the Tangerine, which I really wanted to get, but I called Nordstrom and they are holding one for me. Evidently the Tangerine is a hot seller. Nora said the Baby Pink was another hot one. So, yes, I do recommend Liplacquer.

Lipglimmer ($17.50)
This was the only product I did not purchase. I was told that it is like a lip stain with glitter, and slightly transparent. It comes in Platinum, Flame, Port, Bronze, Concord (grape), and Hot Flame.

All in all, I was very happy with my purchases, and I am very happy Bobbi finally got some POP in her colors!

You can learn more about ColorOptions and see the shades at bobbibrowncosmetics.com. They have online ordering as well as a store locator so you can find a counter near you.