Beauty Reporter.

A Trend In Itself

Easy on the Eyes

Maybe spring really is about renewal: Cosmetics companies are actually determined to breathe a little fresh air into the season's usual crop of pastel eye shadows. The frothy Estee Lauder Pure Color Cool Eye Mousse and Smashbox Transparencies whip up the iridescent pigments to make them lighter and sheerer than cream makeup. Neutrogena's Skin Soothing Eye Tints have a similar gossamer consistency and leave an almost imperceptible veil of shimmer. Kevyn Aucoin Beauty and Prescriptives Custom Beauty are also lightening up with new liquid gel shadows that feel less greasy than creamy ones. "You don't have to know a lot about how to apply eye shadow with these," says Poppy King, Prescriptives color designer. "They're not about makeup artistry." Bottom Line: Mousse is the airiest and sheerest form of eye makeup; the liquid gel delivers a bit more color.

JENNY BAILLY

Makeup Trend

Base Hits

Any good dry cleaner can iron out the creases, but when it comes to undereye concealers, that's a tough order to fill. Several new arrivals, however, claim to stand up to the body heat, skin oil, and eye-area movement that cause makeup to migrate. Nars Eye Brightener is a double-sided wand: On one end is an oil-absorbing primer; on the other is a concealer that's free of the oil and wax that create creases. Dior's SkinFlash Radiance Booster Pen uses polymers that the company says tighten skin, leaving fewer lines. And M.A.C.'s Studio Stick Concealer contains micronized pigments, which are less likely to settle into fine lines. Bottom Line: While we did stay crease-free all day, it took multiple layers of these lightweight formulas to sufficiently cover up our circles.