Welcome to the Cosmetic Report^™ newsletter. It's our goal to bring you unbiased information about cosmetic products and trends so you can make educated buying decisions. If you've been searching for straightforward beauty information and advice, you've found it here. The Cosmetic Connection Panel of reviewers are consumers just like you who face the same issues and challenges, and look to the beauty industry to help solve them.

Kristen is 28 years old and from a Texas town just east of Houston. Kristen frequently makes trips to Houston for cosmetics and skincare and the people at the Laura Mercier counter and the Sephora store know her by name. She has combination skin that is exacerbated in the summer (due to the extreme humidity in Texas) and normal to dry in the winter. She is acne prone with redness around the nose and chin and a handful of red acne scars, which she is always looking for something to even those out. Kristen has large, almond-shaped blue/green eyes that she considers to be her best feature.

L'Oreal
With summer breathing down our necks, it's time to toss out any pasty colors you're still wearing and get some warmth in your skin. I am not suggesting you fry yourself in the tanning bed. My solution is much simpler and safer: I am always looking for the next best bronzing products. While in Walgreens one evening, I came across the L'Oreal Glam Bronze display, complete with all sorts of bronzing goodies that promise to deliver warm, sun-kissed skin sans damage. The selection consisted of pressed bronzing powder, loose bronzing shimmer powder, shimmering bronzing gel, and an assortment of lip glosses. There were light, medium and dark in which to select the powders and gel, so I chose Monte Carlo Medium (looked like the best fit for my skintone). Not that I already don't have plenty of bronzing products to use, but I really couldn't help myself. So I purchased both powders, the gel and a lip gloss. I love these products! They do not make you look orange or streaky at all. I first tried the bronzing gel when I got home that night, so I still had the day's makeup on. It blended on perfectly when applied to my cheekbones. Then I added a bit more and blended it all over my face and it gave me an instant tan. I really like this gel because I can use it to warm up parts of my face, or I can apply it all over for an immediate "tan", then wash it off later. Or I can mix a bit with my foundation to match my "tan". I will say that a little bit goes a long way, so apply sparingly, then add as needed. It can also be used on your body and I like to apply it to my chest and cleavage or my stomach if I am wearing a midriff-baring top. Next up is the shimmer loose bronzing powder. Again, another winner! It's got the right amount of shimmer to wear on your face without looking greasy, but it's also got enough shimmer to be added to your shoulders, arms, cleavage, or anywhere else you want to apply it. It looks really nice when the sun hits it. It comes with a puff, but I found it to be useless. Use a big, fluffy brush. I also love the pressed bronzing powder. I use a pressed bronzer year-round, so this was definitely a must for me. I am quite impressed with this, too. It gives me the perfect warm glow. I can apply it where the sun would hit my face naturally, or I can blend it on my entire face for an all-over tanned look. Finally, I finished my bronzy skin with a swipe of the new Glam Shine lip color in Champagne Chic. Since I generally do not like bronze or brown shades on my lips, I chose one of the two lightest shades available and I couldn't have picked it better than if I actually tried it on at a department store counter. As the name implies, it is a champagne color that makes my lips look smooth and glossy and understated, which is ultimately what you are aiming for when you have the rest of your skin looking like an Olympic Bronze medal. I really love the smooth texture. It's not goopy or tacky. It doesn't have the best staying power, but I'd still love it if I had to apply every half-hour.

All in all, I loved all four products. I actually like the pressed powder better than the one I've been using for years from Laura Mercier. They all are so easy to use and give you perfectly bronzed skin. I will say one thing: run, do not walk, to buy them if you are wanting them. It says on the packaging that they are for a limited time only. I am hoping L'Oreal reconsiders because I'd definitely be a repeat customer.

Laura Mercier
Laura Mercier has also welcomed the hot summer season with her new Mercury Rising palette. Generally, her palettes come in a silver case, but this is burnt orange and houses some nice colors promising to get you ready for the hot season in style. This compact comes with three lip colors in Passion Fruit, Pixie, and Soleil; three eyeshadows in Oyster, Mermaid, and Antique Gold; and two cheek colors in Sunkissed and Golden Bronze. Actually, the Golden Bronze shade can be used as an all-over bronzer. When I first saw this palette, I immediately noticed the Mermaid eye color, a seafoam green shade. It stuck out amidst all the bronze shades and I thought to myself, "Who in the world put that color in there?" It certainly didn't look like it belonged. It was only after the makeup artist showed me how to apply it with the other colors did I understand. She applied the Mermaid to my lids, then blended the Antique Gold, a brownish gold shade, in my crease. Then she highlighted my brow bone with Oyster, a buttery shade with a hint of shimmer. I was actually impressed with combination of these colors. The light green shade really brought out the color in my green eyes. She then applied the Sunkissed cheek color to my cheeks using a light stroke and only concentrating on the apples of my cheeks. Since it is heavily pigmented, you definitely need to apply it lightly to avoid a very strong cheek. I personally didn't care for the Sunkissed shade. It looks more of a reddish-brown color and I've never liked those colors on me. I prefer the Golden Bronze color to use on my cheeks. She finished off my look with the Pixie lip color, a bronzy brown shade with a hint of pink. The other two lip colors in Passion Fruit and Soleil are okay. Passion Fruit was a bit lighter than I care for. It is similar in color as the L'Oreal Champagne Chic lip gloss, but I guess I just didn't like it in lipstick form. The glossiness is the key for me. The Soleil shade looks like the Sunkissed cheek shade, a reddish brown, but it doesn't go on so dark. But it certainly is complimentary to the rest of the bronze shades.

You can find this palette at Neiman Marcus for $50 in stores or online at neimanmarcus.com. I think it is exclusive to Neiman Marcus. Laura Mercier's website doesn't even have it.

Paul Mitchell
Although I've had my hair straightened, I still can't help but scope out the latest in haircare promising smoother, glossier strands. I saw Paul Mitchell's new Super Skinny products and just had to see if they lived up to the hype. Claiming glossy strands and less drying time, I was certainly intrigued. My hair is pretty thick and even after having my hair straightened, it still takes a while to dry because it is still just as thick. The Super Skinny Daily Shampoo did a good job of cleaning my hair, and the Super Skinny Daily Conditioner also worked very well in getting the tangles out and my hair felt nice and smooth when I rinsed it, which is very important to me. When I first brushed my wet hair, my hair didn't feel soft and I found that the brush didn't go through it easily, which was a surprise since my hair was very soft when I rinsed it out. My hair also felt almost rough and gritty. To style, I used the Super Skinny Serum with my usual straightening gel product, which I think made the rough feeling turn to a gooey feeling. After drying my hair, which took the same amount of time anyway, my hair just felt rough, frizzy and slightly greasy. I tried the system again using less serum (although I didn't use any more than I normally would the first time) and had the same results. Then I used the shampoo and conditioner only and the results were the same. I also tried the serum alone and it just made my hair feel a bit greasy, kind of like your hair would feel after not washing it for about 4 or 5 days. The nice, fruity smell is the only thing this set has going for it.

AG Hair Cosmetics Hardjel
I really don't use gel as much as I used to since I've had the straightening, but I find that this one is useful for the regrowth of curly hair around my temples. My husband also found it quite useful. He thought that it provided excellent hold for his hair. Not too stiff, but it held his style very well, and that's a compliment coming from him! I also found that the curly, unruly mess that my daughter has around her hairline was tamed with this gel. Of course, with all gels, don't use a whole lot. Apply more as you need it.

AG Hair Cosmetics Mousse Gel Extra-firm
Since my hair still has a bit of curl in it even after having it straightened, I got the urge to see what it'd do if I attempted to style it like I used to with mousse and gel. Well, I really didn't care for this mousse. I found that it weighed my hair down. Since I am on the subject of mousse, nothing beats Paul Mitchell's Sculpting Foam. I used that for 10 years before I straightened my hair and it is the best styling product I've ever used. I really can't give my stamp of approval for this one from AG.

AG Hair Cosmetics Re:coil Curl Activator
Again, when I was trying to see how well my hair would curl up, I used this curl activator, which did nothing. It didn't have any "hold" to it and it also weighed my hair down. When I used to wear my hair curly, I needed a gel with some hold to define my curls. This didn't have enough hold to do that. It was more like a styling cream that did make my hair soft, but it didn't activate anything. To further confirm this, I used it on my daughter's hair. Same result. However, since it did make my hair soft, I used it to style my hair straight and it worked nicely. Hmm. I wouldn't buy it again for that reason, though.

AG Hair Cosmetics Waxx Gloss Pomade
I've never been a huge fan of pomades. While I've searched for one that would give me that "piecey" look, I've generally found them to be bottles of gummy, greasy, gooey mess. This one from AG is not too bad. It doesn't give me that separated, sexy look, but it does smooth down the hairs on my part and I did find that it helped out with some flyaways when my hair was clean and super soft and needed a bit of "dirtiness." I wouldn't buy this again just because I don't like pomades that much, but this is probably one of the better ones I've used. However, my favorite is from the Wal-Mart brand, "got-to-be."

We hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!