I get frequent email from readers like you who love our $10 Challenge feature and would like to see more of them. I love doing these, but I have found the prices of many drugstore cosmetics getting higher and higher. This time I expanded it The Challenge to $15 :)

Maybelline Express Makeup 3 in 1 ($8.99)
(or only $6.77 in the Cosmetics area of Planet Rx)
I think just about every major cosmetic line now has a stick foundation (Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Prescriptives, L'Oreal, Lancome, and Garden Botanika to name a few). Maybelline finally joined in, and their version is worth looking at. It comes in a nice selection of colors (I chose "ivory"), and I like it quite well. The texture is very light, easily to blend, easy to build on for more coverage (the initial coverage is sheer to medium), and is fairly non-comedogenic (I got a few little blackheads at first, but they subsided after a few days). You can apply it with your fingers just on spots that need coverage, or use a sponge to apply it over your whole face - it looks natural either way. I'd say this foundation works best for normal, combination, or normal-to-oily skin that doesn't have any flaky dry patches (foundation sticks always grab onto flaky skin and accentuate it). Like most foundation sticks, this one promises a powder finish but really still needs a setting powder to last throughout the day.

Almay One Coat Color & Curl Mascara ($6.50)
I only have one word for this mascara - YUCK! If I thought the store I bought it at would take it back, I would return it right now. Not only is this mascara incredibly goopy and clumpy, but it doesn't even come close to curling your lashes (unlike L'Oreal Le Grand Curl which does curl slightly). Maybe I'm just too picky about mascara, but I don't think you should have to wipe down the brush just to get a clean, even application. There are so many great mascaras to choose from that go on well without clumping (L'Oreal, Cover Girl Lash by Lash, Bobbi Brown, Lancome, Neutrogena) - and this is not one of them!

I've gotten several requests for a review of La Bella Donna mineral makeup ($42.50), so I recently selected a shade from my favorite New York spa, Bliss!

I reviewed the mineral foundation from Youngblood several months ago, and I'd say this is a very similar product. La Bella Donna is slightly less shiny on the skin, but otherwise it has the same natural finish, adjustable coverage, and long wearing benefits. You can apply it with a powder brush for light, allover coverage, or with the enclosed sponge for fuller, complete coverage. Personally, I like the silkier texture of La Bella Donna and I found I can use less product to achieve the same look.

Unfortunately, you always take a chance ordering makeup without seeing the colors; this shade is just not the one for me. After browsing through the spring Bliss Out catalog, I thought "Catarina" looked the best for me, but, alas, it is not :( Now that I have my summer catalog in hand, their newest color addition, "Crema," looks like a better color for my pale complexion.

For more information on La Bella Donna at Bliss Spa, check out the Bliss website at http://www.blissworld.com/blissworld_main.html (click on Bliss Out catalog, then scroll down to La Bella Donna).

I am pleased to share an update to my recent review of MAC Studio Line Full Coverage Cream Makeup (June 6th issue): it does in fact have sun protection! The sample I got didn't have the full ingredient details, but when I recently ordered it from MAC (you can, too, by calling 1-800-387-6707), the package clearly states SPF 15 sun protection from titanium dioxide (2%) and octyl methoxycinnamate (5%). What a great discovery!