There are many rites of passage from childhood to adulthood: learning to ride a bike, discovering the truth about Santa Claus, your first kiss — just to name a few. These are experiences that are forever engraved in our minds. Here at Bella, however, I'm more concerned with another important memory: your first beauty purchase. Whether it was when you were 6 or 16, chances are you still remember what you bought. We're beauty junkies, after all, and who can forget her first fix?

There were so many fun bookmarks this week, but in the end, I went with the product that the majority of you purchased first. That honor goes to Maybelline's Great Lash Washable Mascara. TeamSugar members elements, chiquita25, and magalaya all bought this as their first mascara. elements even said "I felt so much older and mature when I first bought this classic mascara!" Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Check out the rest of your first beauty purchases below:

Almay has announced model and actress Leslie Bibb as their newest brand ambassador. You may remember this funny lady from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Iron Man, or even from her brief stint on Entourage.

This time, Leslie will be acting in commercials and appearing in online, in-store, and print ads. Also, I just discovered that she is going to be in the new Summer movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, which I can't wait to see. Looks like big things are happeneing for Ms. Bibb, no? Other Almay ambassadors include the lovely Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp (who kinda looks like Blake Lively, don't you think?) and model Marina Theiss. Do you think Leslie is a good fit?

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One thing I'm really loving is the way L'Oréal creates products around its spokesmodels. Take, for instance, this Wear Infinite Star Secret eye shadow quad ($7.15). These bronze colors are "Kerry's Bronzes" — as in the actress Kerry Washington — and although I haven't the foggiest idea as to whether she's had any input on the colors, they're very pretty either way. The four shadows all complement each other, and if you have trouble applying them, you can simply flip the package over for some easy-to-follow diagrams.

These colors would look gorgeous on a variety of skin tones, including Kerry's cocoa complexion and my fair visage. To see some pictures of the how it all looks, read more

The last time we discussed skin-whitening creams, a lot of you had something to say. But after reading this article, I want to revisit this complex topic. In India, skin-lightening products flood the market; many contain harmful chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic. Despite the health issues, the belief that "white is right" keeps many people buying the creams. This isn't the same thing as Caucasians applying self-tanner to get a sun-kissed glow; instead, many people believe that light skin is simply superior to dark skin. (This ad gets that message across.)

But now it's not just adults who want their skin to be lighter. To find out how kids are getting into it, read more