How much time do you spend on your smartphone? According to a recent study by dedicated mobile news portal Mobile Statistics, we spend 23 days a year just starting at our mobile phones. Many of our day-to-day tasks have become tied to our smart devices, and yet we hardly realize just how our phones can help us stay beautiful.
As we continue to use our phones for more than mere communication, many developers have begun to realize the important to launching mobile products. According to Gaming Realms, a company that designs the games on mobile-optimized slot website Spin Genie, tablet and smartphone user bases were expected to exceed desktop and laptop user bases in 2013, prompting many developers to begin looking towards mobile-optimized solutions. This has ushered in an era where mobile apps reign supreme, and even big names in the industry have invested great resources into the development of smartphone apps.
As the British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph reported, cosmetics giants L’Oreal and Yves Saint Laurent have both been hard at work developing what could very well be the future of cosmetics shopping. L’Oreal has released an app called “Makeup Genius”, which allows users to take advantage of facial mapping technology to try out different makeup products and looks. The effects of the items appear on the user’s face as the app works as something of a magic mirror, and users can then purchase products right from the app. The app can even be used when out shopping, to try out products before you buy them – a convenience that all women who love makeup should appreciate.
Yves Saint Laurent, on the other hand, wants users to learn how to do their makeup themselves, and as such, they’ve teamed up with Google Glass to allow stylists to record the process of applying makeup. Videos of how makeovers are done are sent to customers so they can learn how to recreate the look at home, as well as some before and after shots. “We used to say that luxury is more than product, it’s service. But this is even beyond that – it’s personalised service. The video is a gift for the customer. It’s a very consumer-centric approach,” said Stephan Bezy, international general manager for YSL beaute.
Actress and style diva Jessica Alba has also recently come out with a mobile app of her own, allowing users to purchase looks from her Honest Beauty line, a line that “uses a lot of natural materials and has a commitment to “carefully sourced” materials, but doesn’t call itself “natural.”” The app doesn’t just let people buy products, however – it also gives them makeup tips straight from Jessica Alba herself. The app is expected to be a monumental success as more people use their phones for beauty. “The size of the beauty market is much larger than the other categories we are claiming today, so does it have the potential to be larger than The Honest Company? Absolutely,” Brian Lee, cofounder and chief executive officer of The Honest Company, told WWD in an interview this August.
These days, you can do more than just shop for products with your phone. There are also apps that allow you to book home service stylists and makeup artists, consult with certified dermatologists through in-app communication (sharing skin problems and photos in order to receive prescriptions and personalized skincare treatment plans), and even develop a completely new beauty regimen.
The most common beauty app, however, is exemplified by beauty-online Instagram, Sephora, providing sources of beauty inspiration, with different styles and looks in a beauty feed that is updated regularly, as well as hints and tips for pulling off the perfect look with their video tutorials, and also allowing users to purchase products and keep track of past purchases, all through the app itself.
Apps that integrate all of these features have become the norm in the beauty industry, and everyone is constantly looking for something that offers more. Developers in the beauty and cosmetics industry are being challenged to create the next big beauty app, and this spells nothing but good things in the future for us. With so many beauty apps to choose from, we’re sure to find one that perfectly caters to our needs.
Do you use any beauty apps yourself? What are you looking for in a good beauty app?
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Originally posted in Beauty & Health Tips
