Beauty Review: American Beauty Line Smoothing Pressed Powder

I recently purchased my first cosmetic item at Kohl's. While shopping for the normal things I buy at Kohl's like kids' clothes and dishtowels, I wandered into the cosmetic section in the front of the store. I found a wide selection of cosmetics by the brand American Beauty.

The American Beauty cosmetic line is manufactured by the well known upscale skincare and fragrance company Estee Lauder. This line was launched in 2004 and American Beauty products are exclusively sold at Kohl's. It includes skincare (cleansing products), makeup and facial care (wrinkle creams). Ashley Judd is the model for the line. According to a People magazine article about Judd, American Beauty targets the demographic of women aged 25 to 54.

Price

The product I tried was called "Perfect Lighting Line Smoothing Pressed Powder". I used the color "02 Light". I paid $16 for the compact of makeup. This price falls between the drugstore brand L'Oréal and the high end brand Estee Lauder.

CVS.com sells a similar L'Oréal brand pressed powder for $10.49 (this was on sale when I checked). On the other hand, Estee Lauder pressed powder compacts range in price from $25 up to $32.50. American Beauty cosmetics are usually not included in the weekly sales at Kohl's, so the normal everyday price would be $16.

Packaging

The Line Smoothing Pressed Powder comes in sturdy, white plastic packaging. The stylish container is rectangular and the words "American Beauty" are written in silver. The amount of product included is .28 oz (net weight). It comes with a mirror on the inside of and the applicator is a small rectangular sponge.

Benefits

According to American Beauty website (wwww.americanbeauty.com), the ingredients of pearls and mica act as a light diffuser, working to soften the look of fine lines and wrinkles. The powder is supposed to set your foundation for longer wear and it claims to have a lightweight formula for medium coverage.

The powder comes in six shades. The shades are: Fair, Light, Light-Medium, Medium, Medium-Deep, and Deep. Since I am fair skinned, I chose the Light shade.

How it Worked

I was pleased with this product. I usually use the L'Oréal brand pressed powder and I recently tried the Physician's Formula Organics Pressed Powder. I liked the quality of the applicator and how it worked in applying the powder to my face.

I found the color to be perfect for my skin tone. I usually use a liquid foundation first and then use a pressed powder to mat out the shine from the foundation. American Beauty pressed powder stayed on all day and didn't rub off. I liked the sturdiness of the packaging, since I plan on carrying this in my purse on a daily basis. The container snaps shut, so there's no chance of the makeup and applicator spilling out.

I recommend American Beauty Line Smoothing Pressed Powder, especially to women who like expensive department store brands of makeup. For half the price of department store compacts, you can get a great product with the same type of fancy packaging.