Beauty Product of the Week: Smoothers Pressed Powder

What is it? Cover Girl's Smoothers Pressed Powder promises you will get "a perfectly-finished look with this silky-smooth power. Special light-reflecting pigments help minimize the appearance of fine lines and imperfections. Can be worn alone, or over your Cover Girl foundation to help your look last." Available in a plethora of shades for less than $6.50 at most drugstores.

What did you think? I was a little hard on poor Cover Girl last week, so today I'm going to be positive. I love this pressed powder. It's a classic beauty item that, while not very exciting, is a beauty work horse.

If I'm feeling a little shiny, a quick pat of pressed powder is all I need to knock out the shimmer. If I want my lipstick to last longer, a quick hit on my lips and then an application of lipstick does the trick. Hell, if I need to check myself out to make sure my lashes aren't clumping or that funny stray chin hair isn't too noticeable (hey--we all have to deal with these things!), I pull out the compact and use the handy-dandy mirror.

This is a very basic product, but it does what I want it to: it cuts shine and makes my skin look better. There is a fragrance-free version of this product, but I sort of like the clean, powdery smell of the classic version.

The final verdict? I've been using this product ever since I started using makeup. While I sometimes use fancier products in lieu of pressed powder, I almost always have one of these compacts of pressed powder in my emergency makeup kit. Cover Girl has a winner on it's hands, and thankfully they haven't messed with perfection over the years. Now if they would just quit their animal testing, this product would be perfect.