I have a ton of new things to review, so for this week and the next several to come, I'll share with you my findings on a wide range of goodies. Enjoy!

Santa Maria Novella
I routinely like to poke around the various online stores to see what's new and interesting. It's like my virtual trip to a department store or beauty boutique. Last week I spotted this fancy Italian brand of skin care on eLuxury.com and I was pulled in by the following claim: "Santa Maria Novella is the only Florentine monastery pharmacy that continues to apply time-honored recipes and techniques to prepare its fabulously luxurious creams, soaps, floral waters, and scents. These amazingly modern potions and elixirs have attracted the world's most exclusive clientele, from Hollywood's A-list to international style-makers." Sounds pretty impressive! I decided on the Cleansing Milk, Skin Tonic, and Cream for Face and Neck.

Cleansing Milk ($48 for 8.5oz)
The translated literature on this cleanser says it is "a delicate cleansing milk with hints of rose and gardenia" but I don't think that description could be any further from reality. Those "hints" are so strong, my nose was overpowered, and my skin was very unhappy with the level of fragrance. I had to immediately wash this cleanser off with a different, gentler one (I used Renee Rouleau Gentle Gel Cleanser) just to stop the burning sensation. Part of me is tempted to try again with a smaller amount of cleanser, to see if it's just so concentrated that you can't use very much, but in all honesty I refuse to use or recommend something that is so overpowering and potentially irritating. Even without the perfume, the cleanser itself is nothing special: water, coconut oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, some thickeners. I can think of several other lotion cleansers that I like much better.

Skin Tonic ($28 for 8.5oz)
As if the scent from the cleanser wasn't enough, this extremely perfumy toner is a complete disappointment. The basic formula (water, aloe, vitamin C, some moisturizing ingredients and preservatives) is okay - slightly hydrating, a little filmy feeling - but the fragrance is so heavy that I simply can't recommend it at all. It's positively stifling.

Cream for Face and Neck ($45 for 3.3oz)
By the time I got to the cream, I was ready to dump all three products in the trash. Again, this cream is so chokingly perfumy, I can't imagine how anyone could wear it. Even a tiny dab has such a concentrated scent, it makes me feel sick! The cream itself doesn't seem bad - it has some great moisturizing oils like wheat germ, avocado, and jojoba, plus coneflower, ginseng, and arnica extracts. If it were fragrance free, I'd give this cream another try.

You can find these and other Santa Maria Novella products at eLuxury.com.

Ellen Lange Velvet Vinyl Wearable Treatment ($45)
This two-product kit (Velvet and Vinyl) is brand new and an interesting spin on the growing number of light-reflecting foundations and treatments already available. Velvet is a slightly tinted, light-diffusing shimmer lotion with a smooth, velvety feel, while Vinyl is a clear gel that gives the skin a dewy look. Both have soybean seed extract, olive oil and ceramide 3 to moisturize. You can use them independently or layered together, with makeup or without. The packaging indicates that Velvet Vinyl is for all skin types, but I think it best suits normal to dry skin; oily skin will feel a bit suffocated under all that olive oil. I really like the set used together, and with a dab of concealer where needed. It gives my skin a nice glow and moisturizes well all day (more than I can say about some ordinary creams). If you have normal to dry or dry skin and need a little pick-me-up, I recommend trying Velvet Vinyl.

You can find this and other Ellen Lange products at Sephora.com, CosmeticMall.com, and ibeauty.com.

Lippmann Collection The Stripper ($16 for 4oz)
Stinky, chemical-smelling nail polish remover never really bothered me until I started painting my three-year-old's toes. Every time she wanted a new color (at least once a week), I'd have to endure that awful smell - until now. I am so glad to have The Stripper polish remover from celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann's collection of nail goodies. This is first one I've ever used that smells good, like lavender! I also love the professional-style pump bottle, so I don't have to worry about spilling. This costs more than a basic remover at the drugstore, but I will happily pay it to get the benefits.