Yves St. Laurent Touche Éclat

RATING (out of 5 stars): 4 stars

COST: $40 for 1 ounce

THE SKINNY: The claim on Sephora’s website is that the YSL (that’s the industry slang for Yves St. Laurent – I like feeling like an insider) Radiant Touch brings “light and radiance to the skin, immediately erases signs of fatigue and brightens the complexion.” As a girl whose dark circles around her eyes can only be compared to a raccoon on a bender, I was willing to try anything. I have found that Jackie O sunglasses are the best concealer, but unless I’m impersonating Karl Lagerfield, I can’t get away with wearing them indoors. At night. I needed to find a different solution.

I was extremely hesitant to fork over $40 for what amounts to a Sharpie, only in prettier plastic. For that price, I could buy Lagerfield’s glasses! I was pleasantly surprised (shocked, rather) to find out that it works. It actually works! The application couldn’t be easier, just a press of the button on the bottom of the pen and it deposits a small amount of luminizer on the bristle tip. The creamy texture makes it easy to blend without tugging (what lady wants to tug on the eye area?) I’m not sure how YSL does it, but the highlighter manages to disperse light and make the dark circles disappear. I look as well rested as if I’d gotten 10 hours of sleep at a luxury resort in the Turks and Caicos. Without the kids. And with a venti Starbucks.

In addition to hiding the hungover raccoon who’d gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson look, a little YSL on the tops of the cheekbones really makes them pop. It helps define the lip area, which makes my red lipstick look even better! No mere Sharpie can claim this kind of magic pixie dust!

KEEP OR TOSS: Keep! I will not leave the house without this stuff. You will catch me without lipstick before you catch me without YSL and for a lipstick junkie, that speaks volumes. Yes, it is pricey, but a little goes a long way – one tube lasts for months. This is as close to a supermodel as I’ll ever get and I’m good with that! Now if you’ll kindly excuse me, I have a catwalk to strut.

CHECK IT OUT: For application tips, shade finder and shopping visit YSL online (and they offer free shipping on everything).

-- Tested by Laura

Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration SPF 15

RATING (out of 5 stars): 2 stars
COST: $36 for 1.4 ounces

THE SKINNY: I really, really wanted to like this daytime moisturizer. I mean, in reading just the description who wouldn’t?

It contains natural anti-irritants and antitoxins and is touted to provide “weightless hydration as it controls excess oil, minimizes the look of pores and protects skin from future damage with broad-spectrum SPF 15 protection.”

Awesome, right? Good for your skin and good for the planet.

But I just didn’t like the lotion.

First of all, it smelled funny. Like plants. Flowers or herbs would be OK. But smelling leafy is just kind of weird.

Second, it really didn’t do much to make my skin feel softer, smoother or really even protected.

So for $36 a bottle, I’ll pass.

KEEP OR TOSS: Use the free sample. Don’t buy the big bottle.

CHECK IT OUT: Find out about all the ingredients in this lotion on the Boscia website.

-- Tested by Shay

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start Shampoo, Conditioner and Hair Serum

RATING (out of 5 stars): 3.5 stars

COST: $5 each

THE SKINNY: This was a great travel combo – I totally love samples that have everything you need. The John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start package included shampoo, conditioner and hair serum.

The shampoo and conditioner were nice at first; the shampoo had a rich lather and the conditioner really made my hair smooth. My issue with this product – and many other smoothing shampoos as well – is that they seem to smooth hair by weighing it down. For the first couple hours, I looked great and my hair felt soft and shiny.

But that only lasted a few hours. After that my hair really just started to look and feel limp.

The hair serum is also not not one of my favorite items. A big problem for me has always been static. (Nothing is worse than strands that stick straight up and out or cling to your face all day.) This product did not help combat that frizz energy at all. And the texture -- you have to apply it by hand -- grossed me out a bit.

KEEP OR TOSS: I doubt will will buy a full size of this product.

CHECK IT OUT: Just because I did not like John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start does not mean there is not something in the line for you. Find out which product the company suggests for yourself.

-- Tested by Carrie

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

RATING (out of 5 stars): 1.5 stars

COST: $59 for 1 ounce

THE SKINNY: I had really, really wanted to like this foundation. Reading reviews, this was the

foundational equivalent to Ewan McGregor showing up on my doorstep with a Starbucks venti in one hand and Perugina chocolates in the other — nothing short of miraculous. When I found myself at Saks in New Orleans and came across the Armani counter, I knew I had to bite the bullet, pay BIG bucks and try this miracle in a bottle. I can justify vacation spending much easier than say, shopping on my laptop while watching the Dance Moms marathon.

I was very excited to see that Armani carries a shade light enough for me, “light ivory,” which is just a prettier way of saying “pasty.” I was so enthusiastic that I even let the sales guy talk me into buying the special Armani foundation brush (which for the price of $35 must have been made with the hair of a rare Himalayan frost yak or yeti or something completely ridiculous). I was all set to drink the Kool Aid and prepare to gush right along with the hoards of fans.

Unfortunately, the delusions of spinning around while singing on a mountain top with perfect looking skin ended when I got home. The bottle is a pump dispenser, which means lots of product left congregating in the bottom (and for $60, you should be able to wring it like a wet rag to get

every single expensive drop of miracle). I applied it diligently with my frost yak brush, stippling as I went (I listened to the sales guy) and it took a long time to get it right. It had a light feel for a foundation and coverage was good. For a while.

Within two hours, the miracle in a bottle had ran. And slid. And puddled. And pooled. I looked like I had been running a marathon. (Stop laughing, I can run … if something is chasing me.) My skin was a hot mess. This was after I had prepped the canvas using Armani primer. And applying with the rare Himalayan yak brush! I tried to work out this relationship. I needed it to work. I tried different approaches to coax it into staying in place — no primer, fingertip application, sponge application, setting with powder. Zip. Zilch. Nada. I filed for divorce two weeks later, citing irreconcilable differences. My oily skin simply could not get along with its hydrating ways.

KEEP OR TOSS: Toss if you have oily skin. Extremely expensive and will not adhere to oily skin. Although, I couldn’t bear to throw the bottle away. I keep it tucked away in my makeup drawer and look at it longingly and think back to the days I used to have such high hopes for our happily ever after.

CHECK IT OUT: For the complete line of Armani beauty products visit Armani Beauty USA.

-- Tested by Laura

L’Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base

RATING (out of 5 stars): 5 stars

COST: $12.99 for .5 oz

THE SKINNY: Having run out of my usual mattifying primer, I ran out to the local CVS and picked up L’Oreal Magic Perfecting Base. The first great thing about this is that it is widely distributed at every drugstore and big box store — no special trips or ordering off the internet (plus, I get to stock up on Toblerone, which, for some reason is absent at Sephora). The price is one fourth of what I usually pay for my favorite primer, so I felt that I wasn’t risking too much in purchasing it.

The primer comes in a little pot (which, the ick factor may turn off some) and goes on smoothly. No heavy silicone to weigh the skin down. Win! No flowery smell. Double win!

It fills in the potholes that I call pores and helps uncrepe the party streamer look I have going on under my eyes. Makeup glides on smoothly over it and the base keeps it in place. My skin is the facial equivalent of the Exxon Valdez, so it is a Herculean task to keep foundation from sliding down to my knees. This little pot does it! And with it being much cheaper than my usual primer, I can stock up on Toblerone for a month!

KEEP OR TOSS: Keep. Absolutely! Pocket friendly, widely accessible and it really works.

CHECK IT OUT: Shop from the comfort of your home at CVS online or Ulta (which has tons of other positive reviews and a buy one, get one for half price deal).

-- Tested by Laura