Long Lasting Lipsticks

You've seen the ads for lipsticks which claim to "last for hours". But do the colours really last that long?

Consumer Reports' ShopSmart wanted to see if long-lasting lip colors really do have the staying power they promise in ads. Over a two-week period, it had staffers try four long-lasting lip colors.

Panelists tried out the $ 32.00 Est�e Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place

Lip Duo, which says it will "last up to 8 hours." And there were three less expensive ones: L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour; Cover Girl Outlast All-Day Lipcolour;

And Maybelline Superstay Lipcolour, which all claim to last up to 16 hours.

"First you apply the color, and then you apply the gloss. And you can continue to reapply the gloss throughout the day," described Lisa Lee Freeman of Consumer Reports' ShopSmart Magazine

"You had to be very careful because it was hard to blot away if it went over or under your lip," explained tester Elizabeth Duque.

"I had to reapply the gloss often because my lips felt really dry," complained tester Rachel Zuckerman.

To train volunteers on how to grade coverage, testers used photos with "5" being best and "1" the worst -often designated too the dreaded lip-liner effect where the only lipstick that stays is around the edge of your lips. In ShopSmart's tests, none of the lip colours consistently delivered on the 16-hour claim, but they did have staying power.

"All of the lipsticks had great colour intensity for at least four hours," said Freeman.

Consumer Reports says to save money skip the $ 32.00 Est�e Lauder Lip colour and opt for any of the others that go for around $14.00.

ShopSmart magazine found that 20 per cent of women had actually returned lipsticks, often because colours on display rarely look like what's in the actual lipstick tube.

To make sure you get the right colour try it on your finger

"The back of the hand is a little too pale, the inner part of the finger carries more pigment so it is closer to your natural lip tone," said Shona Smith of London Drugs.

"When you apply then you can always flip it over and look into the mirror to see if it compliments your skin tone," she demonstrated.

Matching to your skin tone is crucial. One last thing before you buy -- check the store's return policy. All of them are different. That's just in case after you do all steps the lipstick is not right for you.

Getting the Right Insurance

It's one of those things that many of us never think about -- and many of those who do -- find talking about life insurance uncomfortable. But a CTV viewer is sharing her story in the hopes that it will help others avoid the struggle she's been going through.

Beverly MacDonnell's brother Wayne Warren died last December of a heart attack at 61, and as executer of his will she had to deal with his financial affairs. In the event of his death, warren told his sister he had $75,000 dollars in life insurance to help pay for his funeral and other expenses.

But what her brother thought was life insurance, was actually accident insurance. After getting a mailing from a bank, he took out three polices worth 75 thousand dollars. But these policies paid out only if he died in an accident.

MacDonnell says no one ever phoned her brother to explain the kind of insurance coverage he had. Since warren died of a heart attack - the policy was null and void.

The funeral and other expenses cost over $12,000 dollars and MacDonnell had to pay for most of it herself. Accident insurance premiums are inexpensive - warren was paying less then 10 dollars a month, but MacDonnell says he would have paid more if he would have known the limitations of the policy.

MacDonell says companies selling accident insurance have an obligation to make sure people like her brother are aware of the policies limitations.

This is also why it's so important to see an insurance broker who will explain the differences in coverage.

It's tragic that this family believed they had coverage, that they had protection, when they did not.

And it also shows the importance of reviewing your coverage once a year --because mistakes happen.

Like this family, these days many people buy insurance through mail offers, over the phone or over the Internet. Those products are actually for the sophisticated buyer - one who knows all about insurance and can assess their needs properly. Yet they are sold as a mass marketed product.

I still think most of us are better off sitting down with an experienced insurance broker and having them explain what a policy covers --and more importantly doesn't cover - whether it's life insurance, home insurance or car insurance.