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.

Denise is a 28-year old paralegal from Phoenix, Arizona. Denise has long strawberry-blonde hair and blue-green eyes, and a super fair complexion with combination skin. Her skin does not tend to break out very often. Denise is still looking for the "perfect" cleansing regimen, and having fun looking!

Finally! It has arrived - the official beginning of fall. Of course, here in Arizona, it still feels like summertime, but at least now there is an end in sight. Fall is one of my favorite seasons for a variety of reasons, one of which is the emergence of the fall color palette. I adore the warm, rich hues of autumn, whether it be in the changing of the foliage or, even more fun - MAKEUP!

This season, I have been fortunate to try a sampling of the fall products from some wonderful cosmetic companies. Here are my thoughts on the highs and lows of the season.

Smashbox "Inside the Image" Fall 2004 Collection
Anyone who has read my reviews in the past knows that I am a huge Smashbox fan. I believe that their products are some of the most high-quality and creative products on the market today. This fall, the experts at Smashbox did not let me down. The Inside the Image collection truly brings out the best of the season. First, I tried Smashbox Pressed Powder Eyeshadow Duo ($24) in Smashing View Point. This duo contains a beautiful buttery yellow, which I used as a base all over my lid, and a gorgeous deep green shade perfect for accenting. When I first looked at these colors, I had my doubts about their wearability. Once I tried them, though, I was sold. The colors are just too pretty and true to go wrong. Next I tried Smashing Super Natural ($24), which turned out to be my absolute perfect shadow duo. The lighter base color is a faintly shimmery golden beige color, and the accent color is a deep golden brown with a hint of shimmer. They both are such beautiful colors, and I've found that the deeper brown works really well doubled as a liner. I like to pair the green from Smashing View Point with the Smashing Super Natural shadows for a truly knockout eye look. I also tried Smashbox Eyeshadow Single ($16) in Smashing Sensory, a very versatile rosy bronze, which is great for a neutral daytime look. Of course, all of Smashbox's eyeshadows stay put through thick and thin, with no signs of creasing or fading.

The experts at Smashbox selected Smashing Emotion ($24) as the blush to accompany the Inside the Image Fall collection. I am so happy with this blush that I have retired my old favorite, MAC Strada. Smashing Emotion is a warm peach blush that looks totally natural and gives my face a nice glow. I also found the perfect tool to apply my new Smashbox blush, as well as bronzer, and loose powder, and pretty much anything else a makeup diva desires to brush on: Smashbox Brush #19 Face and Body Brush ($52). The Face and Body brush is big, but also nice and firm, so it is easy to control. This multi-tasking brush is a must-have in my makeup kit.

The Inside the Image Fall 2004 collection is topped off with two lipsticks, Vibe ($16), a great sheer rose color, and Surreal ($16), a sheer russet. Both of these colors would look great with any skin tone and the formula is fantastic. They are sheer, but not wimpy. The color and moisture last for hours on end. For a fun touch, top either lipstick with Mood ($14), a golden shimmery lip gloss. I really like to wear Mood on bare lips with a touch of liner for a natural daytime look.

Although it is not a part of the Inside the Image collection, I want to give you gals a heads up on another of my favorite Smashbox products - the Emulsion Lip Exfoliant ($18). No matter how great your lipstick is, dry, cracked lips are never pretty. This product has saved my smile, I'm telling you. It's a fabulous, sugar-based, peppermint-infused, gentle exfoliating scrub for lips. You simply rub it over your lips for a minute, and then wipe it off. I follow each exfoliation with Smashbox Lip Treatment ($16), which is a super-stick packed with shea butter and honey. It tastes and smells so yummy, and makes my lips feel fantastic. Your lips will thank you.

You can find out more about Smashbox and the new fall collection at smashbox.com, qvc.com and Sephora.com.

Jane Iredale Natural Mineral Cosmetics
One of the latest and greatest innovations taking the cosmetic world by storm is mineral makeup. Jane Iredale touts her line as "The Skin Care Makeup," and for good reason. These products are made from natural, crushed inert minerals. They are do not support any bacteria growth, and are also completely non-comedogenic and oil free. Many dermatologists recommend mineral makeup to their patients who have recently undergone microdermabrasion or chemical peels. Mineral cosmetics can be applied immediately after the treatments to camouflage residual redness and even aid in healing.

All that being said, I wanted to find out if these cosmetics would fit into my everyday makeup routine. I tried several Jane Iredale products, and in fact, would really like to try some more in the future. From the mostly color-oriented products I tried, I do not believe that I got a good "feel" for the potential benefits of the line.

The fall colors that Jane Iredale has put out for 2004 are stunning. To prep my eyelids for the shadows, I used Jane Iredale's Eye Primer in both Canvas and Petal. Both are really nice light shadow bases that evened out my lids perfectly and really gripped onto the powder eyeshadows. In fact, Canvas and Petal both make great natural-looking eye shadows all by themselves. For a more put-together look, I tried two of the eyeshadow trios. I was very impressed with how flawlessly the shadows applied and how long they lasted. Khaki Kraze consists of a shimmery pink base color, a nice golden khaki greenish beige, and a dark golden brown. These colors really made my blue/green eyes pop. I love the combination for everyday wear. I also tried Truly Denim, a shimmery neutral-colored base with a gorgeous matte denim blue and a rich navy. The navy is great as a liner, too.

One of the newer Jane Iredale products is their cream-to-powder eyeliner cakes. Now this product I didn't have such good luck with. The colors are nice enough - one set is a trio of blues called Blue Plus, another is Black Plus, and the third is a quad of pretty shades called Jewel Plus. I tried and tried to make these liners work for me, but to no avail. I just made such a smeary mess every time I used them until I finally gave up. I couldn't get the line to "set" properly, and when I'd go to either correct my messy line or smear it artfully, I'd end up wiping the whole thing off. These might do for one of those days when I have all the time in the world to fuss with my makeup application, but certainly not for everyday use.

Finally, I had the pleasure of using four of Jane Iredale's liposome formula lipsticks in four new gorgeous shades for fall 2004. The lipsticks were so smooth and moisturizing that I had a hard time believing that they would last for long. I was pleasantly surprised, though! The new fall shades are all very classic and wearable, too. They are all given fun, girly names - Melisa and Bridget are both soft mauves that compliment this season's romantic pinks. while Kelly is a warm beige that I totally love with my primarily neutral makeup palette, and Ashley is a neutral rose brown that would work well for everybody.

All in all, I was very pleased with my experience with Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics. They are very high quality, and Jane Iredale really hit the nail on the head when she said, "The most beautiful cosmetic you can wear is a healthy skin." I wish that more cosmetics were so skin-friendly. You can check out the entire Jane Iredale product line and read more of the company's incredible story at janeiredale.com or by calling 1-800-817-5665. Enjoy!

We hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!