When I opened the BeneFit spring colors I was going to review, I almost wished it were Halloween, because upon first impression these colors appeared very out of date. I was sure they would make great costume make-up!

I am a big fan of BeneFit Creaseless Creme Shadows ("speed bump" is my favorite.) The new spring colors are "have her home by..." and "my date's my brother!" When in the little pot, "have her home by..." is truly what I would call Sparkly Avocado Green. The first thing that came to mind was, "Who would wear this and actually look GOOD?" I never thought I would leave the house wearing green eye shadow but when applied, it is very sheer and goes on just as smoothly as other colors I have tried. It doesn't really look green as it blends in with your own skin tone to give a nice glow. "my date's my brother" is a light marine blue also with shimmer. When applied, it too gives a sheer glow with hints of periwinkle. I intend to use these colors for an upcoming Caribbean vacation because they let you have a fresh, glowing look when applied to the entire lid. Very tropical, yet not gaudy and I giggle at the "prom theme" color names for spring.

Two of the newest lip gloss colors ($12) are "corsage" and "slow dance" (prom theme again). I had never tried BeneFit lip glosses before so I was a willing guinea pig! I must say I am disappointed. Both lip glosses are gritty (maybe from the micro-glitter) and feel like they are trying to exfoliate your lips. Both smell like strawberries, too. YUK, unless you're 12! Of the two colors, I preferred "corsage" because it is a sheer, sparkly white and would enhance just about any lipstick. "slow dance" is the epitome of the cotton candy pink trend some years back. Since pink is IN this year, I really tried to make "slow dance" work for me, but this lip gloss just does not go on evenly, and makes me look like a bad 70s teen idol. I believe that if the lip gloss formula were updated, the colors would stand the test of time.

Although not necessarily in the new spring collection, I was also very eager to try Mr. Frosty ($14) because of the current "white eyes" trend. This pearly white chubby pencil can help do that, but I was still skeptical that I wouldn't like the "white look" on me. Although the pencil goes on smoothly, I didn't like the fact that it went on unevenly, leaving little "chunks" here and there. This pencil is just too chubby to be able to use it subtly. What is nice is the look it gives, although I found that I needed to blend a lighter shade shadow with it or else my eyes would look lost. I did use it on the inside of my lower lids (although your eye doctor will tell you not to put ANY make-up here) and it brightened my eyes up a little. I have very big eyes, so I imagine this would be a better product for those with smaller eyes that need "opening-up." I like the white pencil for the evening look and also think it would look great with a tan, but I don't think I would use it everyday!

Another product to accomplish the "white" look is Lightening ($18 for 4 ounces). This body lotion has such subtle highlights in it that I bet I could even get my 50+ mom to wear it! (Sorry, Mother!) This lotion goes on very smoothly and gives my skin a dewy look whether used on face, legs, arms or cleavage. Even if I'm all covered up during the winter I like to use Lightening as a hand lotion. It's not greasy and gives me soft skin for hours. I recommend this for those of you who think all of the shimmer products out there today are just for "the girls."

For shimmering "ethereal" faces, BeneFit has High Beam. This pink shimmering lotion comes in a small bottle with a brush applicator. It has a really nice consistency compared with similar products from other brands and blends more easily than others I've tried. BeneFit is not first out with this product (I bought one from Maybelline 2 years ago that wasn't half-bad), and MAC has a multipurpose cream compact than doesn't blend as easily as High Beam. If you just want to experiment, I recommend the drugstore brands because they're only $5-7 versus High Beam for $18 for .5 oz.

You can find Benefit products at BenefitCosmetics.com, Sephora.com, Sephora stores, and Benefit cosmetic counters at department stores near you.