Hello Cosmetic Connection Readers!

Being of African-American descent, I want to share with all the women of color my best picks for finding the best foundations, powders, and colors out of all the lines currently on the market.

Here's my rating system:

**** =  The best thing since sliced bread!
***  =  All that and a tube of lipstick!
**   =  Can get better results if I used
        Crayola Crayons!
*    =  Don't go within smelling distance of
        that counter or wall display at your
        neighborhood drugstore!

*** MAC Cosmetics
MAC is, of course, one of the best and most popular lines ever! All of their foundations are divided into two categories: C 1-10 and N 1-10, with C1 being the lightest and N10 being the darkest. The foundations come in three formulas: matte liquid, moisturizing liquid, and a powder-based foundation.

A lot of my friends use MAC foundation and it looks wonderful on them, but on me, I look like a corpse! Because of the undertones of the foundation (most seem to be yellow based), it didn't do a thing for me.

In my opinion, I think most Asian women look the best in MAC, as far as the foundation goes. The store that I frequent has a lot of Asian salespeople and when they wear it, their skin looks flawless. I would say that MAC foundation is also really good if you are having professional photos taken.

**** Bobbi Brown Essentials
I highly recommend this line! Professional makeup artist Bobbi Brown has created a line of cosmetics that practically anyone can wear. I would have to say that this line is full of basics; Bobbi Brown isn't into what the latest color or trend is. The company feels that if a particular product is needed, then they will incorporate it into the line. All of the colors that are offered can be used alone or mixed to created a myriad of colors that can easily fit into what the latest style is for the current time. Currently, I'm using Bobbi Brown Essentials face powder in Basic Brown. It gives me the smooth and velvety finish that I've been looking for in a powder and I don't have to blot a whole lot during the day because the powder really controls the oil in my skin.

The foundations come in three formulas: Oil-Free, Moisturizing, and a Foundation Stick. The Oil-Free and the Moisturizing foundations have a light, silky texture. The Foundation Stick comes in a large lipstick tube style container. The texture is creamy, but very light. It provides a heavier coverage, while still being quite sheer. This Foundation Stick can be used as a concealer as well. The foundations come in ten colors, with the lightest being Warm Ivory and the darkest, Espresso.

Side Note: I recently attended a Bobbi Brown Essentials Makeup Workshop with Bobbi Brown's "top" National Makeup Artist and right hand man, Curtis Phelps. It was absolutely fabulous! The purpose of this class was to help the average consumer "duplicate" some of the techniques and styles Bobbi Brown uses when she's doing fashion shows and photo shoots, so we could incorporate those looks into everyday life. This hour long session gave me the chance to ask a lot of questions about applying makeup the way the professionals do, and how to use colors that I normally don't used on an everyday basis. The models that were used were everyday women and when the session was over, they looked as though they were ready for a magazine cover! If you ever get a chance to attend one of these classes, please do so! It's well worth it! You can also visit Bobbi Brown online at www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com.

**** IMAN
Again, this line is a top choice! You can't go wrong here! Created by supermodel extraordinaire, Iman, this line offers so much for so little. I like this line because the prices are easy on the wallet compared to so many others, and the company markets the line specifically to "women of color." If you can't find a color to fit you here, than you can't find it any where as far as I'm concerned.

Iman's Second to None foundation is made to match your skin's "natural intensity." The foundations are divided into three categories: Sand 1-5, Clay 1-5, and Earth 1-6. All of Iman's colors are rich and vibrant. The only thing to keep in mind about Iman is when you visit the counter (located at J.C. Penney's), don't go by the colors in the display, especially the nail and lipcolors. They really aren't true to life. Ask the sales person to see the actual colors. You can also visit Iman online at www.sheen.com/iman.

**** Prescriptives
Whoever came up with the concept of creating 115 foundation shades has to be an angel from heaven! You cannot, absolutely cannot go wrong here. After you get "colorprinted" for the right shade, if your shade isn't readily available on the shelf, you can have one custom blended for you! Isn't that super?! Colorprinting at Prescriptives is a method of matching your true skin color by determining its undertone. Prescriptives believes that all of us fit into one of the four color families no matter what your race or ethnicity is: Red/Orange, Blue/Red, Red, and Yellow/Orange. There are at least four, if not five, foundation formulas at Prescriptives. The one I'm currently using is called Virtual Skin in Real Pecan, which falls in the blue/red category. When I first got colorprinted, I thought that I would fall in the Red category, but when the Prescriptives rep. matched me up as blue/red and proceeded to test the Real Pecan color on me, I couldn't believe it! It was the perfect color for me! I bought two bottles! The Virtual Skin foundation is a new formula created by Prescriptives. It's one of the sheerest formulas you can buy. It acts like a tinted moisturizer and it contains an SPF of 10. It retails for $28.50 for about 2 ounces.

** Maybelline Shades of You
Because this is a drugstore brand, I found that it's not easy to test the foundation that you want to try. I did try the concealer in Dark and it did nothing for me. The Dark was actually too light and yellow-ish for me. Luckily I was able to take it back and get a refund, but I would still encourage indulging in the colors Maybelline Shades of You has to offer. Their "coffee" kind of colors are very pretty and I use them to go along with my fall wardrobe. They look good on everyone in my opinion.