Product photos vs. in person: Milani

I don't want to put you off from ordering cosmetics online, but this is one major discrepancy between the color represented by the website and the color of the item in reality ...

Milani Perfect Color lipstick in Beloved

I won this Milani lipstick in a giveaway, and had looked up the color, Beloved, online to see if I would like it. It looked like a pinkish nude, which seemed good to me. The bullet of the lipstick looks pretty close to the online "swatch," too, but it's a whole different story on application.

Giving the dollar-something lipsticks another chance

It's cheap, why not? - a mantra that can lead to trouble, depending on how often you repeat it (and your definition of "cheap"). In this case, the Wet n Wild Mega Shield Lip Color SPF 15 range has a retail price of only $0.79*, so as long as I don't go too crazy, it should be okay ...

Wet n Wild Mega Shield Lip Color SPF 15 in Salsa Lessons

This time around I selected a color I had actually seen swatches of online, not trusting myself to grab another one at random lest it should contain frosty shimmer. Presenting the vivid orange (Tangerine Tango, anyone?) Salsa Lessons!

Subtle blackberry from Morgana Cryptoria

Last month, I finally got my first (and also second) Morgana Cryptoria lipstick. For those of you who don't know, Morgana has earned a cult-like following for the fantastic range of lipsticks and glosses offered at the shop - anything from traditional colors like pink to way-out-there colors like yellow with purple duochrome (seriously)!

Morgana Cryptoria 1920s collection lipstick in Speakeasy

After battling my jealousy of everyone's gorgeous Morgana lipsticks for about a year, I finally caved and placed my first order during a sale. The 1920s collection was discounted, so I happily ordered Speakeasy, a "creamy raspberry" according to the item listing.