Since sharing Stila's new fall colors last week, I can barely wait for the first leaves to fall so I can sport every line's new colors! This week, Bobbi Brown announced her new products and new shades for fall (available in some stores now and others coming in September).

Everybody is jumping on the nail polish bandwagon, and Bobbi is no different. Her new nail washes ($12.50) come in three sheer colors (pink, shell, and white), and three shimmers (white, sand pink, and pale gold). These soft, subtle colors are classic and great alone or over your favorite shade.

What really got my attention from Bobbi's new products is her new professional concealer ($22.50). As much as I love her foundation stick as a concealer, this new concealer in a very handy mirrored compact is a real improvement - better coverage, better staying power, and I think a better package. It comes in four neutral shades - ivory sand, natural beige, golden orange, warm almond.

For fall, Bobbi's new lipstick shades ($16) are a bit different from the deep plums and vibrant reds of many other lines; instead, her new Sandwash Pink and Soft Rose shades feel more like spring than fall. To give these shades more of a fall "spin", add one of her three new gloss colors ($18): buff (natural nude), fudge (sheer chocolate), and aubergine (gorgeous plum).

For those of you who love Bobbi's yellow-based foundations and powders but have had trouble finding the right shade for your skin, her two new powder colors ($29) should help bridge the gap. "Soft sand" moves into the number two spot between the lightest "pale yellow" and "sunny beige", and "warm natural" moves in between "sunny beige" and "golden orange".

Anyone who knows me knows I can't resist trying new products, and I certainly can't resist free samples! This week, I had the pleasure of finally trying a few skin care products from Arbonne International, a botanical, cruelty-free line started in Switzerland. Arbonne's product literature is steeped in their belief that botanical, herbal, and "natural" ingredients are inherently better for your skin that synthetic formulas. If botanical is important to you, Arbonne is a perfectly good, albeit expensive, choice. The one thing I particularly liked about Arbonne is their catalog, with skin type descriptions and helpful information about what some of the ingredients they use actually do.

Cleansing Lotion ($13.50 for 3.25 ounces) - an effective lotion cleanser that removes all traces of makeup, so you don't need a separate eye makeup remover. If you have normal, slightly oily, or combination skin and prefer a cleanser that doesn't lather, this a a great choice.

Bio-Hydria Gentle Exfoliant ($22 for 2 ounces) - a very gentle jojoba bead scrub with Arbonne's "bio-hydria" complex of comfrey root, cucumber, watercress, birch leaf, clover blossom, and ginseng extracts that is supposed to increase moisture retention and help soothe the skin. Again, if you like a more botanical approach to skin care, the "bio-hydria" line is full of them. This is a nice, basic scrub for really any skin type.

Toner ($17.50 for 8 ounces) - an alcohol-free, witch hazel based toner with peppermint, plantain, rosemary, papaya, comfrey, and lemon extracts, and a dash of aloe vera gel. If you are sensitive to plant extracts, this might not be the best choice for you. It left my combination and sensitive skin a little tight but thankfully not irritated.

Bio-Hydria Naturesomes serum ($37 for .95 ounce) - unless you have oily or slightly oily skin and could use this product alone, this serum is an expensive and unnecessary step. The "bio-hydria" botanicals are supposed to somehow increase the benefits of your moisturizer, but all you are really doing is moisturizing your skin again.

Bio-Hydria Eye Cream ($23.50 for .75 ounce) - a standard eye cream that will moisturize the eye area and nothing more. Any moisturizer can do this.

Bio-Hydria Alpha Complex Moisture for Day SPF 8 ($33 for 2 ounces) - an ordinary lotion with too little sun protection (SPF 15 is more realistic) and a dash of 5% fruit acids. Unless you can't live without all those botanicals, you can get the same benefits from Neutrogena Healthy Skin lotion for less than $10.

Bio-Hydria Alpha Complex Night Serum ($38 for .95 ounce) - this serum is basically the same as Naturesomes, but with their "alpha complex" of fruit acids thrown in. Its 5% AHA concentration will exfoliate very gently, which would be great for someone with sensitive skin, but you don't have to pay $38 for such a simple AHA product.

Overall, I'm glad I tried Arbonne but I don't plan on making it my new skin care routine. With so many other choices right down the street at my local department store, I wasn't impressed enough with Arbonne to go out of my way to order the products.

I'm always searching for something new and different online, so when I found a lipstick line called Three Custom Color Specialists doing business on the web, I had to investigate! In the spirit of true entrepreneurship, three friends from New York decided to ditch their day jobs and use their knowledge of chemistry and color theory to develop a line of 15 ready-to-wear lipstick shades (7 warm, 7 cool, and one neutral), and to offer custom color creations to match anything you want - a flower, your favorite wallpaper, an old shirt, whatever. Let me just say, these lipsticks are fabulous! The texture is amazing, the shades are incredibly natural and easy to wear, and the color will actually last through your morning coffee! At $15 a tube for the ready-to-wear shades, or $45 for two tubes of custom blended color to your specifications, you won't want to pass these up.

For more information about Three Custom Color Specialists, you can call them at 1-888-262-7714, email them at info@threecustom.com, or visit their website at http://www.threecustom.com

As part of our continuing series on makeup brushes, we've got a great review from our Product Panelist, Kanita, on Prescriptives' brushes. Don't miss her terrific descriptions and technique ideas.

The Makeup Diva is In! A new lipstick shade is a great way to play with color, or update your look, but how do you know which shades suit your skin tone? This week, Miss Diva shares the secret to mistake-proof lipcolor shopping. Don't miss it!

Make your opinion count! Have you ever searched and searched for the best cleanser or foundation out there, only to be completely overwhelmed by all the choices? Make it easier for your fellow cosmetic junkies to learn about the best products out there with Cosmetic Connection's Best Beauty Products Reader's Survey. Speak your mind today!