I've been a little heavy on the skin care reviews lately, so this week I am switching my focus to makeup. With all the shopping I've been doing lately for my updated online store reviews (see below), I've got a new collection of makeup just begging to be reviewed :)

Three Custom Color Specialists Jungle-icious Lipgloss ($15)
Before beautyjungle.com fully launched, they were giving away free beauty bags full of goodies on a first come, first serve basis. This lipgloss color from 3C was created exclusively for beautyjungle, and what a color it is - sheer red and highly wearable. It comes in their signature swing-out pot, and has a smooth, creamy feel with just the right amount of shine. I love red lipcolor, so this is a keeper for me.

philosophy supernatural lash darkener ($15)
Also included in the beautyjungle.com bag was this mascara from philosophy. It has all the benefits of regular mascara - darkens and defines lashes - but it does not clump or flake. The thinner gel texture lightly coats the lashes but since there are no fibers, you won't get those annoying mascara blobs. You can find supernatural lash darkener at philosophy counters or online at ibeauty.com, and philosophy.com.

Tony & Tina Frequency Eye Shadow ($18)
I picked up this shimmer shadow duo in Romance/Happiness (light pink and light brown) from indulge.com. These shadows are touted for their vitamins and botanicals that are supposed to make you look awake and refreshed, but please don't believe all that! They are simply nice shadows that last well through the day and come in a nice selection of colors from neutral to vibrant. I had a little creasing by the end of the day (7-8pm), and a fair amount of fading, so if I were to go out at night, I would retouch.

Tony & Tina Nail Color ($10)
I run hot and cold with nail polish (sometimes I use it every week, then not again for months), so when I decided to paint my nails recently and found most of my bottles were old and goopy, I was glad to have a new bottle of Sociable, a pretty light pearl pink, from my eve.com Hanukkah gift set. This color is stunning and has a very shiny finish. You also get the color that you see in the bottle with just one coat. I do not mind spending $10 a bottle for this.

L'Oreal Colour Endure Light Stay-On Makeup
I have been searching for a foundation that would look natural, have decent but not full coverage, be at least somewhat transfer resistant, not aggravate my hormonal acne tendencies but also work well on my normal-to-dry skin. Pretty tall order, eh? Well I think I have found a serious contender. Apparently L'Oreal did some reformulating and repackaging, so this new "Light" version is smoother than the previous version. I bought a bottle in "Soft Ivory" and have been very happy with the coverage and feel. It is also safe for acne sufferers. At around $10 at drugstores and supermarkets, this is worth a look if you are searching for something new.

New Feature for December:
Online Shopping Reviews UPDATED
The feedback from this summer's online shopping reviews was so positive, and quite a few new sites have gone live since then, that I decided to do an update. We've got reviews of beautyjungle, beautyscene, gloss, indulge, and sephora for starters, with beauty.com, ibeauty, neimanmarcus.com, and reflect to be added on the 15th.

Winner of the Cosmetic Connection Trivia Contest
Thanks to everyone who entered last week's trivia contest to win the eve.com Hanukkah gift set. Our winner, Nina C. from Seattle, Washington, was the first person to correctly (and completely) answer the question, "What cosmetic line was created by the grandsons of makeup legend Max Factor, and what are the grandsons' names?" The correct answer is... Dean and Davis Factor, creators of Smashbox Cosmetics. I was pleasantly surprised that most of you knew the answer! I'll have to come up with something trickier next time :)