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There are some products you end up trying a lot of (mascara and skincare spring to mind). With skincare, I often feel that applying daily is an act of faith — I think they're working? — but I've found a few with such clear results that I have to tell you about them.

Kinerase Cream

I admit, it's been a while since I stopped by the Clinique counter, but their new High Impact lipsticks are definitely worthy of some attention. They're Clinique's best lipsticks yet (just my opinion) — impressively long-lasting and pigmented. And they're still just $14 (ahem, YSL).

Citrus Rose was too bright for me (never thought I'd say that

Bobbi Brown's Shimmering Nudes Palette is a collection of 7 shadows and a dual-ended eye shadow/eye liner brush for $50.

These eye shadow palettes attract quite a following — I think her Stonewashed Nudes and Chocolate palettes command ridiculous prices on ebay — but this was the first time I'd seen one in person. I was a

Special thanks to guest swatcher orangewasabi, who graciously photographed Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils. Any discussion of smudgeproof, budgeproof, "even for the waterline" eyeliners usually includes 24/7 liners ($16), Laura Mercier's cake eyeliners ($20), MAC Powerpoint pencils and Technakohl pencils ($14.50), and most recently, Sephora's Flashy Liner ($8).

Many (but not all) of

Yves Saint Laurent's Rouge Volupte is their best lipstick to-date. It's full coverage, creamy, long-lasting, and mango-scented (is the scent is stronger in these lipsticks, or is it my imagination?). It also contains SPF 15.

I first saw the product on Sephora.com, accidentally listed before its September release date. I was instantly smitten by the gorgeous case

Bobbi Brown's Metallic Lipstick comes in 15 shades, each $22. Swatching the Cocoa Mauve Nordstrom set first piqued my interest in her lipsticks, and though I usually love a bit of shimmer in my lipsticks, I'm still deciding between this formula and her "Creamy Lip Color." Clearly a subject for future discussion.

Urban Decay lipsticks are $22, and every one of them is vegan (containing no animal products). My favorite vegan (and the leading expert on this product), Sixxmum says:

The full coverage lipsticks are nicely pigmented and really do have full coverage. The semi-sheers are decently pigmented and most could be layered to full coverage. The sheers are

Make Up For Ever's HD Foundation is $40 for a 30 ml (1 fl. oz.) bottle. It comes with a pump (finally!) and is a little thicker (and slightly fuller coverage) than the previously swatched Face and Body. It's waterproof (as all MUFE foundations are), oil-free, contains no SPF, and is purportedly camera-ready for all

Cult of Cherry is a huge and hugely anticipated release, most prominently featuring dark, vampy lips (doesn't this trend come around every fall?).

The untold story of CoC, however, is that the eyeshadow quads are of unexpectedly excellent quality. Several of the colors are repeats from the permanent line (Tempting, Shadowy Lady, Deep Truth) and several are repromotes (Nanogold, Next

Makeup lovers, hang on to your wallets. Overrich pigments are the best MAC has created so far.

It's not just that I love the colors (and I do), but these are a dream to apply — creamier, smoother, less fallout... it's like they're not even pigments. If you've been resisting loose eyeshadows, this is the time to give them

In the not-too-distant past, YSL eyeshadow duos sat in their cases side-by-side, without the imprinted logo. YSL rejiggered the packaging, changed the colors, and re-released them in their current form. (So if you buy Duo #1 of the old style, you'll get bronze and green, not beige and brown.) These are $39.50, and do come with two

Chantecaille Just Skin tinted moisturizer should be the lightest of the brand's foundations, but I actually thought it was less sheer than Real Skin. The 1.7 oz (50 g) tube is $62 and contains SPF 15. The tube is also apparently equipped with a special valve in the nozzle, to prevent light or air from

Yves Saint Laurent's Rouge Pur Shine lipstick is $29 and provides SPF 15.

Shiseido Hydropowder eyeshadows are sparkly cream eyeshadows, $23 for .21 oz. (6g). They look quite pigmented here, but would be more sheer in application.

Goldlights and Whitelights are really more sparkle than pigment, and the four "spring" colors (Languid Lagoon, Rose Tulle, Lemon Sugar, and Clover Dew, released in spring of 2008) are less pigmented than