This week I am pleased to share new Fall color collection reviews from our terrific Panelist Kristen. Enjoy, and happy shopping!

Laura Mercier La Dolce Vita Collection
Of course, being the Laura Mercier fan that I am, when I received my FYI postcard from Neiman Marcus to let me know new goodies were on their way, I jumped at the chance to try the new stuff from Laura's new La Dolce Vita Collection. I love her stuff, so I have high expectations since I've had such great success with most of her products. Nice, muted fall colors were what I was looking for and these new things looked like they'd do.

Laura introduces Fall with a set of five new eye colors in Fresco (brownish rose), Hazelnut (light brown), Toasted Almond (an off-white cream color), Truffle (a dark brown), and Antique Gold (a shimmery burnt brown with hints of gold); four lip colors in Sienna (brownish red), Chianti (a dark red), Paprika, and Fig (a pinky/peach brown); a new Kohl eye pencil in Brown Copper (a soft creamy formula of brown); and, two cheek colors in Nectar (a soft peach) and Rose Bloom (a soft brownish-pink). I let one of the national makeup artists put the makeup on me, but I really didn't care for what she did. She blended several of the colors together, but rather making my eyes stand out, they just looked "dirty." She used the blush shade Nectar, the soft peach color, and it looked like I had splotchy cheeks. The only thing I liked was the lip color, Fig, which I purchased. As soon as I could do it discretely, I went to the counter and attacked the eye makeup remover and cotton balls and promptly removed the eye colors and took some powder and went over the blush. Leaving the counter, I was sorely disappointed. I'd expected much more out of Laura Mercier, but I didn't give up just yet.

I went back to the counter at a later date, gracefully declining any offer for makeup application, and played with the colors. I found that Nectar was not good for my skin tone as I have some redness in it, but Rose Bloom is perfect. Her application just made the color look splotchy, but I knew better since I am a fan of the line. It wasn't the product, it was her application of it. Laura Mercier's blushes have always been some of the best - beautiful, silky and sheer. The eye colors were pretty, too - just not the way she put them on. Truffle is a perfect dark brown shade great for lining that made my green eyes stand out. Antique Gold was pretty also as it had a bit of shimmer and also contrasted well against my green eyes. Toasted Almond is for highlighting. Fresco is a brownish rose matte color and Hazelnut is a light brown shade. All of these colors looked great against my eye color, but I didn't purchase anything except the Fig lip color. I already own the Eye Paints set, which has similar colors and more, so there was no need to duplicate.

All in all, I liked the line, but there isn't anything I couldn't live without, or I already own a similar product. The moral of the story is: if you are not pleased with the application, don't dismiss it just yet, and I mean this for ANY cosmetics line. I firmly believe that application is everything, then the quality of the products come a close second, but if you have the best products in the world and someone does a poor job in putting it on, then it doesn't matter how great the products are if they are not applied properly. Similarly, I've seen makeup artist do great things with drugstore cosmetics because of their skill.

Stila Mod Style Color Collection
The last (and only) experience I had with Stila wasn't a glowing one. Since I liked some of the stuff, but really disliked the things I didn't care for, I shied away from Stila... until now. I actually got quite excited at the new line. Inspired by the looks of the 60's - beautiful smoky colors for eyes, light on the lips and cheeks, which is my favorite look for an evening out - this line was right up my alley. They are housed in the signature Stila design in portable rectangular "books" with magnetic closures. Plus, the pans are removable, so you can mix and match, which is what Stila is famous for. Stila has three looks to choose from, each with two eyeshadows and a blush, so there's something for everybody.

Mod Look 1 contains a duo of shimmery frosty beige and cocoa eyeshadows, and a pinky-peach nude cheek color. The cocoa is for lining and the shimmery beige is for highlighting. Personally, I line my eyes in black, then would use the cocoa to put on my lids, then put the beige in my crease, blending in to make the line between the colors blend. The blush is your typical nude pinky/peach shade. It's just enough to keep your cheeks simple while you go for a heavily lined eye.

Mod Look 2 has a black coal liner paired with a silvery shade and a sheer dusty pink cheek color. This is my favorite trio as I am really drawn to black colors. My eyes are the feature I choose to play up and I love black.

Mod Look 3 contains plummy colors in a pure plum, a frosty lavender and a mauve cheek color. I didn't think I'd like this set because of the plum/purple colors (which usually don't look good on me and I find them not to look good on most people, especially the fair skinned), but it was actually pretty nice. The colors go on as sheer as you want them, or as dark as you want them, so you have a lot of latitude with the application. Just looking at the blush, I thought it would go on too dark, but it went on incredibly sheer.

What would great eyes and subtle cheeks do without a sheer lipcolor? Stila's convertible lip colors come in a double-ended tube with the sheer color on one end, with the corresponding matte color on the other end. They are in the cutest containers! A silver tube with little pink lettering on it. Nude Bloom is your typical nude shade that gives your lips something, but only a little. Pink Bloom is your basic adult pink, while Plum Bloom is a brighter pink than Pink Bloom, but more of a plum color as the name implies. All colors, whether matte or sheer, go on incredibly smooth and have nice staying power. Nude Bloom goes more with Mod Look 1, Pink Bloom goes well with Mod Look 2, and Plum Bloom goes with Mod Look 3. This double-ended concept is great. You basically get two lipsticks for the price of one overpriced one, so the set is quite a bargain at $24 each.

Stila has a winner with the Mod Look sets. The certainly redeemed themselves from my prior review, but I've always given Stila credit for having great blushes and even better eyeshadows. They glide on effortlessly and blend great. Nice silky textures, they are. And the convertible lip colors are wonderful in texture and concept.

Check out the selection at Sephora.com and many other locations. If you happen to live near Willowbrook Mall, I'd certainly pay a visit to my new friend and new Cosmetic Connection reader, Youane.

Urban Decay Last Call Collection
When I want cosmetics that are fun and sassy, I turn to Urban Decay. With their signature glitter, a girl could have lots of fun with their products. Last Call introduces some pretty new things, which always makes me wonder - what could they think of next?

A brand new item to the Urban Decay line is Moonshine, a clear lotion spiked with silver glitter. With its clean scent and smooth consistency, it glides on effortlessly and provides the right amount of glitter, great for a night out - perfect for shoulders and arms.

Another new product to the lineup is Cream, which is the only Urban Decay cream eyeshadow. Moonbeam is a clear color with lots of silver glitter. It provides a nice, iridescent sheen on the eyes when you don't want a color, but some brightness. I don't generally like cream eye colors, but these were very nice. It comes in a small tube with a lip gloss-type applicator wand, which makes applying pretty easy. I found that I could apply with my fingers for a sheer look, then apply with the applicator for more color. This cream is really nice in that it can be as sheer as you want it, or as dramatic as you want it. As far as the staying power, it has the best of any eyeshadow, cream or powder, I've ever used. I purchased Go Army, a beautiful army green color with sparkly silver glitter in it, and wore it out one night. Well, I don't want to admit this, but I have to for the purpose of providing the accuracy of the staying power. The night I wore it, I fell asleep with my makeup on. Yes, I broke the cardinal rule of makeup: don't sleep with it on. But I did, and when I woke up, the eyeshadow was still there. It didn't fade much or crease at all. While it glides on easy without a problem, it is kind of dry and can be a little sticky (depending on the amount of humidity), but that's what makes it stay. I also purchased Gotham, a very black color with little specks of glitter. I like to line my eyes with it because it stays on better, and longer than my cake liner and doesn't fade, and I didn't think I'd find something that could do that. I also use it as an eye shadow just on my lid. There's a huge range of colors, twelve total, so you can have it as outlandish as you want, or as subdued as you want it.

The Liquid Liner in Soot is not a new product, but a part of this collection, so it deserves a mention. It is a black liquid liner with a thin brush for an applicator. I think the brush is way too small and thin and it is not tapered, so it makes application more work. I use my pointed liner brush from Laura Mercier, and that does the job. It stays on pretty well, but I don't like the extra work of a liquid liner.

The three featured powder eyeshadows are Oil Slick (black with tons of rainbow glitter), Last Call (plum with an iridescent sheen), and Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (same as Midnight Cowboy, UD's best selling shade - a beige with tons of silver glitter). They go on great and pretty smooth considering they have glitter. XXX Shine Gloss in Heatherette is a nude-beige, champagne color with, you guessed it, tons of silver glitter in it. It goes on smooth and has good staying power. I've always had great success with the XXX Shine Glosses. I already own almost all of them and added this one. The Pleather Pencil in Lucky is probably the only thing I didn't care for in the lineup. The concept is neat in that it is like a fat lip pencil. It goes on smooth, but I didn't care for the color. A natural plum color, I found that it "sat" on top of my lips, not really melting into my lips, so it looked fake and frosty. I like lip colors that seem like they become one with your lips, regardless of the color, and this one didn't do that. The new FX Powder in Midnight Cowboy Rides Again is the same color as the eyeshadow mentioned above, but it is not just for your eyes. I like to pat it in my hair with the big black puff. It can also be used for your eyes, lips, cheeks, or anywhere you feel like putting it.

Benefit Marvelous Makeup Collection
Benefit is a line that I adore. You can find just about anything you want in it. Whether you want something for work or for play, you can find it with Benefit. Taking a cue from the recent makeup trends of black, smudgy eyes and pale pink lips, Benefit introduces the Marvelous Makeup Collection sure to make you have the sex kitten look of the 60's. Benefit introduces three new powder eyeshadows in Mr. Right Now (a light purple/taupe shimmer), Half Past Midnight (a charcoal black), and Dear John (a pale pink). There are many looks you can achieve with this trio. I put the Half Past Midnight on my lids, blended Mr. Right Now in the crease to soften the line, then Dear John on the browbone to highlight - a perfect smoky look. Or, you can line your eyes with the black and use the other colors as singles for a daytime look. Benefit stays true to the trend of heavily made up eyes by keeping the blush and lips soft. The new powder blush shade in You're Getting Warmer is a perfect rosy pink shade that is incredibly sheer and glides on without streaks. The lipstick in Flirt is your normal plain pink shade. It is more matte than shimmery, and it is very creamy. Not new, but included in the line, is Plush Mascara in Black and the concealer Boi-ing. The mascara is nice, non-drying and made my lashes nice and full. The concealer is nice, too, in that it will cover undereye darkness. It's not dry, so it blends well and doesn't crease.

Benefit has a winner with this set. Anything that blackens the eyes and keeps the rest of the face simple is what I like, but all of the colors are pretty versatile so you can make it glamorous or really muted. The choices are endless. Happy shopping!

Thanks, Kristen, for a great first look at Fall. I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!