To be quite honest, my Neutrogena experience started out at the request of a Cosmetic Connection reader who was nice enough to send me e-mail and ask me about the line. We do read our e-mails from you, the readers, and answer your questions as best as we can. I had no experience with this line, and was somewhat jaded by "drugstore" lines being to "pink" for my skin tone, however I added this line to my fall shopping list of "must trys." I actually found the products at my local Giant Foods store, in the cosmetic aisle. Believe me, I was a little anxious about buying cosmetics from the supermarket. Being acne prone, I am a serious "hygiene" freak (who washes her makeup brushes everyday) and there are no testers, so I just picked the products from the middle and hoped that they hadn't been opened or "used" before I bought them.

I must say, many of the "drugstore" lines are starting to "upscale" their packaging, and Neutrogena is no exception. The packaging is a pretty, burnished gold tone. It's not something that you'd need to hide at all. The compacts are very nice (albeit plastic) and the bottles could reasonably be left on the vanity, if you chose. I purchased three of the foundations: the Skin Clearing Oil Free Makeup, Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup, and Healthy Skin Cream Powder Foundation. Each of the products was priced at $11.75.

Skin Clearing Oil-Free Makeup in Spiced Almond
The advertisements for this product say that it can improve skin clarity and that it has "microscopic oil absorbing powder to prevent oily breakthrough." Well, the oil absorbing powder is plain old talc, so no mystic solutions here. This is a silicon based (cyclomethicone, dimethicone) foundation with some Aloe Vera gel added to it. It provides sheer to medium sheer coverage and is fragrance free. On the positive side, it goes on very smooth, covers nicely and last through most of the day without any touchups. It contains Vitamins A, C, and E, as well as salicylic acid as the active acne-fighting ingredient. On the negative side, I've always found salicylic acid to be too drying (one of my biggest reasons for disliking the Clinique skin care line), and this product is no exception. Also, like many "drugstore" brands, this color, although a close match to my skin tone, is too pink and a little ashen on me. The "ashy" quality to this foundation is correctable, using some of my little makeup up tricks; however, the "pinkness" is not. Unfortunately, the other colors are either too light or too dark, so there is no color match for my skin. If you can find a good color match with this line and can use salicylic acid products, this one may bear a second look.

Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in Toasted Honey
This foundation does not contain the "acne-fighting" ingredients that the "Skin Clearing" product does. It does have an SPF 20 sunscreen due to it 2.4% titanium dioxide content. This product is supposed to "improve skin tone, clarity and firmness"; however, after four weeks of use, I didn't see any improvements. I was hoping for some, though! On the positive side, this foundation is water based, provides sheer to medium sheer coverage, is fragrance-free, and has vitamins A, C, E, and B5. It lasts fairly well, requiring only one or two touchups through out the day. This product comes in a broader range of colors, too - about 20 - for varying shades of skin. If you are a "warm toned and dark" woman of color there may be something for you here. On the negative side, this much titanium dioxide and talc does leave a "gray" cast to the skin. Also, the ingredients label is "microscopic" so although the product does not appear to contain any comedogenic ingredients, it's really hard to tell.

Healthy Skin Cream Powder Foundation in Spiced Almond
This product also contains an SPF 20 sunscreen, however, the active ingredients are 7% Octyl Methoxycinnate and 3% Octyl Salicylate. It is available in the same colors and unfortunately the same "pinkness" as the Skin Clearing Foundation. On the positive side, this product does provide lasting medium to heavy coverage. It contains Vitamins A and E. The texture is nice and fairly light. On the negative side, this product does contain octyl palmitate, a comedogenic ingredient, as well as beeswax, and microcrystalline wax. This product is also labeled as "not for use around the eyes." Personally, I prefer to use foundation around my eyes (and add an eye shadow base as necessary), so for me this is a definite negative. Unfortunately, this product does add a very "gray" cast to the skin, probably from the silica, mica, titanium dioxide and aluminum starch combination. It was hard to correct the problem with this product, too. I don't think I'd buy it again, not only from the perspective of a "woman of color" but also from the perspective as a person who is acne prone.

Overall, I'm neutral on this line. I appreciate that Neutrogena is trying to provide "a fair product at a fair price" and include "women of color" in the group. Some of the products are a little too pink for me, however, if you can find a good color match, this line be worth looking at. I hope this review helps out those readers that inquired about my opinion of these products. As I said, we do listen and respond to those of you who are kind enough to "drop us a line from cyberspace."

Neutrogena Cosmetics are available at many drugstores, supermarkets and beauty supply stores around the United States. They are also available online at www.drugstore.com.

Happy Shopping!