Sephora by OPI is giving us just that with the “Virtual Polish Change,” a tool that offers the wonderful ability to test different nail polish colors without purchasing and wasting money on a color you won’t wear. And for online purchases, it’s surely more of a deal closer than the paint drops that shoppers have to rely on (unless they’re already familiar with the color). Users have the ability to change the skin tone of the hand, as well as the length and shape of the nails in an attempt come as close their own hand. By clicking on a color below, the user can “paint” their virtual fingernails.

One of our favorite features is the ability to efficiently sort through colors with the tabs in the upper left corner. Tabs like “Pink” and “Blue/Green” sort polishes into color categories, while tabs like “Trend” and “Havana Nights” will turn up colors that are currently on trend or reflect colors in a certain collection.

The tool also lets you try the more unique colors that Sephora by OPI produces, like Leaf Him at the Altar, a leafy, sparkly green color that is quite uncommon. {Sephora}

Pixel perfect: Topshop pushes their new beauty offerings via virtual testing

Topshop has teamed up with TAAZ.com for an online makeover tool that will allow visitors to virtually try on Topshopâ€s makeup products using preloaded photos that match their skin tone and facial features or by uploading a photo of themselves. {TAAZ}

The trendy fashion retailer is right on, well, trend.

If you remember a time before everything moved online, you might have flashbacks of makeover software that offered similar tools (directly on your desktop, of course). Lately it seems fashion magazines and websites have rediscovered virtual makeover tools to keep readers more engaged. And fortunately, most tools have come a long way since Cosmo’s CDs that turned any photo into a weird, doll-like version of yourself.

Web surfers can try on celebrity hairstyles at InStyle or enjoy a free hair and make up makeover from Harpers Bazaarâ€s Web site. iVillageâ€s Makeover-O-Matic is a virtual makeover game that allows users to save looks they like in their own look book or send saved images to friends for an opinion. In our opinion, there are a few hairstyles swiped from one of those 90s CD-roms, but few programs have an end result that’s picture perfect. Glamour, Mary Kay and countless other websites give you an opportunity to test drive new hair and makeup choices. And then there are sites like Looklet and Coutourious whose entire website is dedicated to virtual fittings.

For those wondering if these online tools are worth the time, check out our break down of the pros and cons of using virtual beauty stations:

The appeal: No risk or purchase necessary.

Putting a beauty product on an uploaded photo to find it doesn’t work well with your face means no wasted money on something you’ll never wear. If you try a hairstyle and hate it, there’s no counting the months before it grows out or, in the case of time consuming evening styles, scrambling to get hair back to normal before going out. One click and those bangs that weren’t as cute as you thought, or lipstick that washes you out are cleared away. In addition, all of the tools are free to use.

The limitations: Talking to a stylist or beautician in person about what works best may yield better results. For starters, think about all of the pictures you’ve taken. Inevitably you have favorites where the light made your skin glow, or you looked at the camera in just the right way. Then there are the ones that leave you insisting an evil, strange looking photo double shows up in your pictures from time to time. That’s to say, you look completely different than your normal, gorgeous self. Assuming you’re basing your makeup choices and hairstyle on that super flattering shot, will the options still look the same when you don’t get the right angle or lighting? For makeup, web makeover users may not think to even try certain products that would look great, and creating hairstyles online has its own downsides.

Canadian stylist Arran Elliot said she prefers consultations the old fashioned way – in person – so she can feel a clientâ€s hair texture and see their face up close. “Doing colour is like painting the hair, and sculpting is like framing the face,” she says. {Ottawa Citizen}

Online hairstyling tools don’t always take into account hair type and texture, so a customer may show a stylist a printed photo of themselves from a virtual hair makeover site and end up with a cut that falls flat. Add to that the many variations in photos, even among the same person, and there’s a good chance that reality doesn’t match what you’ve pictured.

The verdict: Online makeover tools are great, especially to avoid wasting money on unused beauty products, but makeup counters and live hairstylists don’t have anything to fear just yet.