Welcome to the Cosmetic Report Drugstore Extravaganza! This week I ventured into the aisles of my local drugstores and supermarkets for Part One of our new drugstore series. From lipstick and eye shadow to concealer and powder, this series will be your ultimate drugstore shopping companion!

As a bargain shopper and deal finder by nature, I always love finding drugstore alternatives that work as well or better than department store brands for a lot less money. Tired of spending $25, $30, and even $50 on eye creams that are supposed to firm, unwrinkle, depuff, and otherwise perform the impossible on my eyes, I decided to try L'Oreal's Revitalift Eye (around $10) in hopes of saving some money. The most important thing to remember with eye creams is that their primary function is to moisturize. That's it. Vitamins like A and C may help reduce the *appearance* of fine lines and sun damage (meaning the moisturizers will plump up the lines to make them look less pronounced), but nothing (except daily sunscreen) is going to keep those lines and wrinkles from forming.

L'Oreal's Revitalift Eye does a great job of moisturizing the eye area without feeling greasy or heavy. It absorbs quickly and completely so you don't have to wait 15-30 minutes before you can apply your makeup (if you apply eye makeup to an over-moisturized eye, the makeup will slide right off). This product is a great find that easily compares in quality to the more expensive brands like Clinique, Bobbi Brown, and Lancome - all without the sticker shock.

While combing the skin care aisles at Drug Emporium and Thrifty Payless drugstores, I discovered the Freeman Beautiful Skin line and decided my face could use a good peel-off mask. I chose Freeman's Sugar Cane & Guava AHA peel-off mask ($2.89 for a special 7.5 ounce size) for my normal-to-dry, sometimes combination skin. If you are looking for a soothing and refreshing treatment for your face, this is it! I loved the fresh, fruity fragrance and cooling feel. Unlike clay masks that can dry the skin, this one exfoliates gently and leaves your skin feeling soft and looking healthy. Learn more about Freeman products at their website at http://www.freemancosmetics.com

I didn't have quite a much luck with lipsticks. I set out to find a nice, neutral shade and ended up with pink at every turn! I narrowed down my choices to Cover Girl's Continuous Color Self-Renewing lipstick and began the search for a good color. I thought I couldn't go wrong with "Almost Nude" in the "neutral" color group - until I got it home. It was the most awful shade of ultra frosty bubble gum pink I've ever seen! Thankfully, most drugstores understand how this can happen, so I returned it for what I hoped would be a better shade. On the second go around, I selected "Mocha" from the "cool" color group, but I ended up with an awful shade of pink again! "Mocha" is not even remotely brown, and the texture of this formula is extremely greasy. Yuck! What is Cover Girl thinking?!

Ask anyone who knows me - I am extremely picky when it comes to perfume. All the brands everyone else loves smell too powdery, too musky, too floral, or just too heavy to me. The one perfume I do like I have to mail order from a tiny parfumerie in Louisiana! When I decided to try a Body Splash ($10 for 7.8 ounce spray) from Bath & Body Works as part of our bath product series, I was skeptical that I could find a scent I would actually like. After smelling everything from raspberry to juniper, I finally found one that suited me: Fresh Lilac. I love the light aroma and ease of the spray; just a few spritzes after a shower or bath lightly moisturizes your skin, and the fragrance stays with you all day without being overpowering. There's sure to be a scent that's right for you!

Continuing with our series on bath products, this week I treated myself to two new fragrances at Garden Botanika that are perfect for a little pampering - heavenly heather (love the name!) and cool cucumber. Whether you like body lotion, bubble bath, or a cooling body mist, you'll love these fresh and light scents. The heavenly heather body mist is a personal favorite! For a Garden Botanika catalog or list of locations, call 1-800-968-7842.

It's Beauty Pack time again here at Cosmetic Connection! Congratulations to September's lucky winners... Mary Bean of Geneseo, Illinois, and Michelle Anastasia of New York, New York! September could be your lucky month to win a customized Beauty Pack of cosmetic and skin care samples. All you have to do is enter (one entry per person, please)!

The Makeup Diva is In! Don't live with short-lived lipstick! Learn a few handy tricks to make your lipstick last in this week's Ask The Makeup Diva column.

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 new Reader's Survey. Speak your mind today!

After you've contributed your favorites to our Survey, read in this month's new Feature what our resident Makeup Diva thinks are the ultimate beauty products. From the best cleanser to the best makeup brushes, you'll have a complete guide to the best products for your next trip to the counter. Don't leave home without it! The Makeup Diva's Ultimate Picks