Bright coats are considered to be a must have for the Fall 2009 (think colors like teal and amethyst). This is a welcome change from the usual neutral colors. CoverGirl is right on this trend with their Eye Enhancers 4-kit Shadow palette in Tropical Fusion 205. The colors are vivid and will go perfectly with the colors in style this season. Although the colors are very vivid in the palette, they don’t go on very heavy. If you want a more extreme look, try dampening the applicator before applying.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

Bold lip color is making a comeback, and we have found the perfect shade of red in the MAX Factor Vivid Impact Lipcolor line- 80 Gilty Rose. We can see why this was a winner of Marie Claire Magazine’s 25 Best Beauty Products of the Year. The pigment in the lipstick is bold, but the texture is lightweight and moisturizing like a lip balm. Cakey red lipstick is horrific, and thanks to MAX Factor we can wear daring lip color without looking like we’re celebrating Halloween early.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

Eyeshadows may last forever, but it’s important to always have  fresh mascara.  We really liked L’Oreals new Extra Volume Collagen Mascara. Although it didn’t do much lengthening, we got a lot of volume. This mascara works by plumping the lashes from the inside out with hydra collagen. The brush is designed to get even your smallest lashes as well. What we liked best about this mascara is that we could keep layering without having to worry about clumping.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

Yet another reason that our feelings our hurt that Max Factor won’t be available in U.S. stores in 2010. Max Factor’s ColorGenius Foundation is what we’ve been looking for. It’s lightweight, but it provides full coverage. The formula is mineral enriched, and has a ‘patented smart pigment technology’. So what does that mean to you? Even if it’s not the perfect shade for your skin, after application the foundation will adjust to your color. Best of all, it’s designed for sensitive skin.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

Olay Regenerist has a really great freebie offer. With the purchase of any two Regenerist facial moisturizers, facial treatments, or facial cleansers by 10/11/09 you can get a free Anti-Aging Roller. Go to http://www.olay.com/Club_Olay/sept2009/images/Regenerist_Rebate_Form.pdf for the rebate form. The Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye roller has precision micro rollers (which reduce puffiness) that gently massage an anti aging treatment into the eye area. The result, like the rest of the Regenerist line, is younger looking skin. All of Regenerist products feature a unique complex that renews the skin’s outer layer with ingredients including green tea extract, allantoin, and vitamin E.

The quicker we can get ready to go to work, the better. L’Oreal Brow Stylist 3- in- 1 Brow tool not only saves space, but time rummaging through your bag looking for your tweezers and eyebrow brush. The liner is a powder based formula that gives soft lines (no circus eyebrows!). The cap for the liner is actually a brow brush, which you can use to blend the color on your brows. On the other side of the liner, there is a cap that contains pull out tweezers. The colors available are Blonde, Light Brown, and Medium-Dark Brown.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

It is important to a customer that they feel you are knowledgeable about your product, your competition and their problem. Following are a few tips to becoming an expert:

SEEK KNOWLEDGE – To become an expert in your field, you need to seek knowledge at every opportunity. Talk to people in your industry who have experience. Research and read everything you can on your specific field – the internet makes this almost too easy these days. Become an expert on trends in your industry. Learn about technology that is changing business processes.

KNOWLEDGE GAPS – As much as you can become an expert in your field, you cannot know everything. If you do know everything – congrats, you can stop reading here. However if like the rest of us, you run into a question that you do not know the answer to, admit it. Promise to find the answer and get it to them shortly. Do NOT make up an answer or not answer at all. The customer needs to trust that you know what you are talking about and if you fib or prevaricate, then you run the risk of losing that trust.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS – It is always better to under-promise and over-deliver than the other way around. Some sales people think that their product/service can fix everything under the sun and then some, which is just not possible. Know your product, know your customer and determine their problem. Figure out if your product/service is a good fit for their issue. This can mean the difference between a repeat customer and years of partnership or one-time only sales and negative word of mouth.

KNOW YOUR DIFFERENCE – How is your product set apart from others on the basis of superior performance in one or more areas? Your ability to differentiate your product or service probably is one of the most important factors in the customer’s decision. Why should they use you instead of their current provider? Know your competition and their benefits as well as their downfalls.

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER – Know your customers most common problems. When are they most likely to happen? What are the causes? What can be done to solve them? Make yourself valuable to them by becoming their problem solver for a specific set of issues and making their job easier.

Helping your customer by being their own personal expert in that field will help you to create repeat business and increased sales. If you are satisfied with where you are or think that you have nothing else to learn…well, you probably wouldn’t be reading this, would you? Instead, seek to be the best, strive for knowledge and try to become an expert in your own little corner of the world.

“Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience.”  Denis Waitley

This article was written by Tracie Gilbert, VP of Business Development at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Tracie direct at Tracie@cosmeticpromotions.com.

For years there has not been a comparable product to Estee Lauder’s best-seller, Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher, which retails for around $46.50. So we applaud L’Oreal for coming out with a product that’s just as effective, but is available in local drugstores.

Selling at around $19.99, the Skin Genesis Pore Minimizing Skin Re-Smoother is one of the few skin care products that we’ve seen that gives instant results. Unlike many of the all natural organic products that are being launched today, L’Oreal has a more scientific approach for the Skin Genesis line. However, all the formulas are dermatologist tested to be safe and gentle.

To start with, even the packaging is advanced. Pore Minimizing Skin Re-Smoother has a unique airless pump, which protects the formula. It also doesn’t hurt that the tube is really neat looking! This product claims to tighten pores and retexturize skin, and it actually delivers. After one application, our pores looked smaller and our skin was softer.

The active ingredients are pro-xylane and hyaluronic acid (used by dermatologists for wrinkles). This product is to be used daily, underneath moisturizer. This formula absorbs in the skin very rapidly, and we found that we could not use it without moisturizer. It’s also very lightweight, so we didn’t feel like we had a lot of product on our skin.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

We are always a fan of multi-purpose products, and Dove Ultimate Visibly Smooth Anti-Perspirant Deodorant is our new favorite. This formula works well as an anti-perspirant and deodorant, but Dove took it a step further and made it so it conditions your skin AND decreases hair growth. It really works, and you’re less prone to razor bumps this way. This is a must for anyone who enjoys wearing sleeveless tops on a regular basis.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

When people are searching for a gentle cleanser, they usually don’t think to go to product lines that are targeted to teens with acne. However, Clearasil’s StayClear Skin Perfecting Wash is the gentlest exfoliator we’ve ever tried. The microbeads are extremely small and rounded, so you don’t have to worry about irritating your skin. Salicylic acid can be drying, but this creamy face wash also contains moisturizing ingredients so your skin can be acne free AND soft. Since this product is gentle enough for everyday use, this is our new daily face wash (luckily the bottle has a generous amount). This particular face wash also removed makeup off better than the other Clearasil face washes we’ve tried.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.