The aim of the study was to find out if there are any major differences between metaphors, and other linguistic phenomena, in the advertisements of cosmetics in the English and the Swedish editions of magazines for adult women ('ELLE') and for teenage girls ('J-14' and 'Julia'). Representative groups of advertisememnts were chosen from the four magazines (two English and two Swedish ones) - two November 2005 issues of 'ELLE'(a Swedish and an English one), and two March 2006 issues - 'J-14' and 'Julia', an English and a Swedish one respectively. The features selected for comparison were: the textual versus the visual medium (in advertising), the use of metaphor and metonymy, highliting and hiding, cultural adherence, new meaning, personification, emotional branding. It was found that in the ads in magazines for adult readers the metaphors focus on 'pleasure' (the English 'ELLE'), or 'functionality' (the Swedish 'ELLE'), whereas in the teenage magazines the most important factors are friendship, being 'trendy' and fun.