The spotlight is on drugstore products this week in our monthly Drugstore Issue. Thanks for all of your feedback and suggestions for this segment!

Almay Fall Color Collection
Don't let the new fall colors break your budget. Here are some beautiful shades right from the drugstore.

2-in-1 Creamy Blush and Highlighter Cheek Palette in Tempting Berry
I'd take a cream blush over powder any day, and this new duo from Almay is a nice choice if you are looking for something new for fall. The medium rose blush shade is fresh and classic, plus you get a highlighter that you use separately anywhere on your face, or layer with the blush for a little extra glow. The creams are smooth and blend easily without dragging, caking or staining.

Beyond Powder Eye Palette with Limited Edition Conditioning Base
The shadow collections come in three color sets: tempting spices, tempting wines and tempting berries. Each one has an eyeshadow base that you smooth on first to help the color last longer and prevent creasing. It's a great base that is limited just to these palettes. The powder shadows are incredibly soft and velvety, and they last well through the day (especially with the base underneath). I chose Tempting Wines but the colors seem more like browns to me; what Almay describes as "earthy beige, glowing peach and deep burgundy" to me look more like light peach, medium brown and dark brown. I encourage you to check out all three sets to see which most appeals to you.

One Coat Lip Palette with Limited Edition Conditioning Balm
This is a nice slim palette to throw into your purse or bag. It has a lip balm and two lipstick shades that are from Almay's One Coat Lipcolor collection. In the Tempting Berries palette I bought, the shades are Mauve (one of their best sellers) and Mulberry (a limited edition shade). Lip palettes like this are fun because you can mix and match the colors to create just the look you are going for. With the balm, you can also sheer out the other two shades if you are in the mood for a gloss with a hint of color. The only downside is that the compact has a lipbrush but no mirror.

You can see more details and colors at Almay.com.

L'Oreal Pure Zone skin care
Do you ever find that you are endlessly drawn to one particular kind of product? Like that illusive "perfect" foundation, or just the right shade of lipstick? That's how I am with skin care: I am forever on a mission for the perfect set of products that will stop my acne, satisfy my dry skin, and remove the red spots I have from old breakouts. Just when I think I am close, my skin starts reacting differently to something that was almost perfect. Or I see a new line and am tempted, only to have it undo all the work the other products have done. My experience with L'Oreal newest line, Pure Zone, is yet another example of this ongoing story. I saw the ads, I read the packaging, and it seemed like the perfect collection of products for someone like me with a breakout problem who can't tolerate harsh acne treatments. How did it fare? Read on...

Pore Unclogging Scrub Cleanser
Pure Zone gives you three choices in cleansers: foam, scrub, and cream. All are considered Step One. I picked up the scrub first thinking it would be perfect in the shower. This gel has small blue and clear particles that scrub, plus the gel foams when you add water, so it's quite an active cleansing experience. I can see using this as a daily maintenance to prevent breakouts, but for active acne, the scrubbing is not the best idea, as it can damage the skin and affected pores and spread bacteria. Since the scrub isn't on the skin for very long, the active ingredient of 1% salicylic acid helps loosen dead skin and unclog pores without being overly harsh or drying. My one complaint is the menthol - it makes the scrub smell like a cough drop, and it can be irritating to what is probably already fairly irritated skin.

Skin Balancing Cream Cleanser
Another choice in daily cleansing is this 2% salicylic acid cream cleanser. It also lathers like the scrub, but the less water you add to it while you are massaging it in, the less it foams. I like this one for daily (morning) use on all kinds of acne because it is gentle but effective for both active and pending acne. On my dry skin, I find it to be a bit drying, so I use it every other day in the shower. This is an active treatment cleanser, so don't try removing makeup or anything like that with it. It also has menthol, so sensitive skin, beware.

Pore Tightening Astringent
Step two of the Pure Zone system is this 2% salicylic acid toner, and it is drying. The second ingredient after water is denatured alcohol, which is very drying to the skin. Contrary to popular belief, the best way to get rid of acne is not necessarily by drying it out. The irritation and lack of natural sebum can easily trigger new breakouts and more oiliness. Maybe spot treating a pimple with a cotton swab soaked in it would be okay, but other than that, unless you have seriously oily skin, I don't recommend this toner.

Skin Relief Oil Free Moisturizer
By the third step, I am completely unimpressed at Pure Zone's ability to help my acne without drying out my skin and making the pimples worse. Step three is the typical oil-free moisturizer that's supposed to add some moisture back to the mess that the cleanser and the toner created. This one also has salicylic acid, but just .6% so it's gentler. Still, by this point the skin has had about all the salicylic acid it can take. Interestingly, the packaging on every Pure Zone product has a warning that reads: "Using other topical acne drugs at the same time or right after use of this product may increase dryness or irritation to the skin. If this occurs, only one drug should be used unless directed by a doctor." So basically if you use the whole system as it is directed (steps one, two and three), you are susceptible to an increase in dryness and irritation, just as the package states.

You can find L'Oreal Pure Zone products at drugstores, and discount stores like Target, Walmart and Kmart. If you prefer shopping online, ULTA.com sells them for $6.99 each.

I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!