The total opposite of the mysterious Lorac palette is the Ready-to-Wear/ Pret-a-Porter Dual Look Palette from Tarte. It's another limited edition (did I just hear a groan in the audience?) combination of eye, cheek and lip colors, based around two looks (but, of course, could be mixed and matched). The difference here is not only in the detailed description of the colors and textures, but also in the option to zoom in and see every piece and color of the set up close.

(A note to the webmasters of Barney's, Bergdorf and all the other top-of-the-line stores: Do you really think I'm going to drop $75 for a Serge Lutens lipstick without being able to see each and every color in the highest resolution possible?)

I'm not sure that the two lightest lip colors are right for me, but I have a serious case of coveting nonetheless.

Another product that has been calling my name is bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipstick.  I might not buy the "natural" hype without some questioning, but I'm a huge fan of calming and moisturizing lip color, and this one sounds like a winner. The Ripe Fig color looks especially right, but there are also several mauves and plums which would work for me (the Duchess of Windsor might have been channeling Paris Hilton when she quipped about how one can never be too rich or too thin, but she got it all wrong. One can never have enough plum lip color, and I'm the walking proof of that).