This week, I am pleased to bring you a few more beauty splurges, and bargain basement deals, to add to your cosmetic collection. Whether you are looking for the creme de la creme eye shadow, or a steal-of-a-deal lip color combo, we've got a little something for everybody.

Even with a cosmetic box full of shadows, lipsticks, and foundations, I still like to track down new colors, textures, and formulas to create a variety of looks. Walking through a local department store recently, I was spotted by a Christian Dior makeup artist and invited to have a free makeover to try their new colors. Naturally, I couldn't resist! The skin care and foundation did not excite me nearly as much as the Effets D'Ombre eye shadow palettes - four eye shadows and a powder eye liner in a handy mirrored case. It comes with a pointy sponge-tipped applicator for the liner, and a dual ended brush/sponge applicator for the shadows; however, considering the steep $49.50 price tag, I wanted a few full size professional makeup brushes thrown in, too!

Once I got over the sticker shock, I was really impressed by the quality of these shadows - silky smooth, richly pigmented color that looks freshly applied all day. I actually like the pointy sponge liner applicator, too! It makes a perfect smudgy line, and it's easier to control than some eye lining brushes. If you like multiple color eye shadow compacts, and you don't mind paying almost $50 for it, these Dior shadows are a great splurge.

Another great, but overly pricey, find was Christian Dior's Blush Final ($32). I can't say that any blush is worthy of a $32 price tag, but this one does have a beautiful silky texture that blends softly on the skin. As nice as this blush is, unless Dior has the one color in the world that you can't live without, I'd sooner take my money to the drugstore (Jane blush $3), to Stila (blush $14), or to MAC (blush $12) any day.

For my final bit of Dior fun, I couldn't resist trying their new Mascara Flash hair mascara ($19.50) in Champagne. Mascara Flash comes in a range of colors from almost white to deep brown, and a very fun and wild cobalt blue (Opaline, Champagne, Amber, Chestnut, Cedar, Henna and Cobalt, to be exact). I think I would have liked it more had the Dior woman told me not to put it on hair that had been hair sprayed - all I got was a goopy mess around my face where I use hair spray to control my bangs. Ick! Everywhere else, these colored mascaras are a fun way to give yourself temporary highlights (or a hint of blue) that wash out in one shampoo. Just brush the color in with the mascara-style wand, comb it through, and you're done. Dior claims that shampoo, and not plain water, is required to wash the color out - what a relief for those of us in rainy climates!

Two new products out this week at your local drugstore or cosmetic outlet will make quick work of putting on lipstick: Revlon Line & Shine ($8) and Max Factor LipSilks ($6). Revlon's clever little lipliner plus lipgloss duo made me think - why didn't anyone think of this sooner? Line & Shine comes in 6 great wearable shades (Bare, Nude, Flesh, Coffee, Berry, and Chocolate) with a liner on one side and a complementary shade of gloss on the other. After trying them all on the back of my hand, "Flesh" won out for me! I love having the complete lip color look in one little package, and the gloss gives just enough color and shine without looking messy or goopy.

Max Factor's newest lipstick, LipSilks, looks just like all the other long-wearing lipsticks - long slim case, slanted lipstick tip - but it's not a long-wearing formula at all. Instead, LipSilks are very creamy, very silky looking colors that remind me of Origins Slipcovers, or Stila Lip Shine. The texture is velvety, but it just doesn't last - drink one glass of water or eat a little something and it's gone. If you like more of a creamy, glossy feeling, and you don't mind reapplying, LipSilks does come in some great colors (I like #10).

Adding to my collection of makeup colors is not my only beauty passion - following the latest skin care "breakthroughs" is another hobby of mine! At my age (mid-twenties), I'm only beginning to think about preventative wrinkle control. My day-to-day interest is still controlling the occasional blemish or two. Luckily, alpha hydroxy acid products can target both acne and wrinkles by helping to keep pores clear and dead skin cells exfoliated. Since I'm always interested in trying AHAs from different lines, I was happy to give Regeneration Gold ($55) from BeautiControl a shot when my BeautiControl friend, Jana, told me about it.

What makes Regeneration Gold different from other AHAs I've tried is the dual product system - a gel in one chamber of the bottle, a lotion in another. When you pump the product into your hand, you get a shot from each chamber that you are supposed to mix, then apply to your face. I must say that trying to read and understand the ingredients of this product almost requires a degree in chemistry! BeautiControl claims that the lotion part is "advanced alpha hydroxy acids", which is apparent by the lactic acid and tartaric acid in the ingredient list, along with a number of thickeners and emollients.

The gel portion is supposed to contain "skin stimulating ingredients". What those are, I don't know, but I can say it does contain some of the oddest chemical substances I have ever seen! The end result when you mix them is a cream that feels tingly on the skin and really does make the skin look and feel smoother after just two weeks. BeautiControl won't disclose what percentage or concentration of AHAs this product does contain, but after using it for over three weeks, I'd say whatever it is does the job quite well. I've noticed my skin feels smoother in the areas that normally have little bumps, I've had fewer breakouts in my target areas, and my skin color is more uniform and less ruddy on my cheeks. No cream is a miracle product, but if you are looking for a high-powered AHA cream to help (and the key word here is "help") soften lines, normalize the skin, and smooth rough spots, BeautiControl's Regeneration Gold is a great choice.

Comparison is the name of the game if you ask me, so after using BeautiControl's AHA product for three weeks, I decided to give Philosophy cosmetics another chance with their "The Damage Is Done" glycolic acid exfoliating moisturizer ($24). I haven't had too much luck with their other skin care, but I was intrigued by the ingredients in this cream - the second ingredient is glycolic acid. Cosmetic ingredient labels are just like food ingredient labels - the higher the ingredient is on the list, the more of it there is. I thought for sure this would mean a huge concentration of AHAs, but Philosophy tells me it's only 8 percent (a good amount, but not extreme).

I wouldn't say I saw as rapid results with "The Damage Is Done" as I did with the BeautiControl product, but this one has next to no fragrance and could pass for a regular moisturizer (not just an AHA treatment) for someone with normal, normal-to-oily, or combination skin. If you are looking for gentle exfoliation and you like what Philosophy is up to, "The Damage Is Done" is worth a look.

The Makeup Diva is In! When you put your makeup on, you want it to stay on, right? Too bad it's not that simple. Suffer from creasing, fading eye shadow no more! This week the Diva reveals her personal secret to long-lasting shadow. Don't miss it!