Lime Crime Lipstick: Sunglasses Required

With a brand tagline that screams "So bright, it's illegal!," it's no surprise that US indie make-up company Lime Crime is responsible for some shockin', well, bright products. Russian-born Xenia Vorotova is the gorgeous redheaded brains behind the enterprise, whose latest venture is a lip colour collection featuring some seriously bold and brash shades.

If you thought the likes of MAC or Illamasqua lipsticks were inclined to be wild and unwearable, well, this Lime Crime stuff will most likely not be for you. The 10 core colours in their Candyfuture lip colour collection range from cartoonish, sugary shades like turquoise blue and lilac to proper goth black, with further additions to the line planned for roll out early next year. The tea leaves tell me not to expect subtlety or nudes from the 2010 releases.

The lipsticks, $16 each, promise opaque colour that's chock-full of pigment with a low sheen finish and come packaged in a hot pink tube adorned with a shiny shimmery holographic unicorn. A bit tacky and retro, but it sort of suits the kinds of eccentric colours contained within.

Lime Crime will ship internationally for a flat fee of $10 if you do want to give them a whirl. Alternatively, budget conscious gals who aren't too fussed about unicorns on their lippie packaging but fancy unleashing their inner Rainbow Brite should check out Barry M Lip Paints - the colours are far more vibrant In Real Life than they appear on the website, there are crazies like bright orange and pastel lavender and black to be had, and the brand have recently added a royal blue to the line.