You use Tinder to find a date and Uber to get the best cab driver to take you home and finish it off, so why wouldn’t you also use an online app service to find the perfect person to cut your hair, get a cheap manicure, or even win at great skin? Now you can, step right up apps with beauty power:
This app is for those of us who aspire to the talons of Lily Allen, but don’t have a manicurist on speed dial. Simply select the look you want, and it provides step-by-step instructions on how to create the look. Admittedly, some are a bit naff (corset themed tips, anyone?), but the app as a whole is a revelation for those who need to step away from their staple black nail polish and experiment with different shapes and patterns. Best of all it's is free to download, with 20 free looks plus in-app purchases and of course you can share your new #nailart on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (sassy nail painting emoji obviously essencial).
A new online service that lets you select what you want from a hairstyle – such as long, short, dyed, suitable for curly or thick hair – as ruthlessly as you swipe left on every twat with a soul patch, before presenting you with a page-full of IRL haircuts that should be up your street. Click on your favourite ones and you’ll be able to see who did it, at what salon (including top names such as John Frieda), for how much and the phone number you need to get the hair of your dreams. ‘You might find a hairstyle you like in a magazine editorial but that person's been in hair and makeup on a shoot for three hours and that's not going to be a haircut that you can just wake up to on a rainy Tuesday’, the site’s co-founder Adam Symons told The Debrief. ‘It's a bit like the a street style blog in a way, but being able to say to the person pictured, "where do you get your hair cut, and how did you describe that to the stylist, and how much did you pay for it?".'
YouTube’s original MUA’s, Sam and Nic (and soon to be sisters-in-law of Tanya Burr) have pioneered this interactive beauty e-magazine for the make up fanatics amongst us, with stunning visuals and reviews of the latest in beauty innovations and trends. The products and ads featured in TWO are completely shoppable, all the pages are shareable, and of course, staying true to Pixi Woo grass roots, there are a few exclusive videos thrown in too.
We shudder to think of life before the front facing camera – there’d be no selfies for a start, and would Kim K even have a career? But, we also wouldn’t have a handy mirror on our phones and tablets to check our make up and hair in a moments notice. This is where the @Mirror app is upping the front facing camera’s game, with zoom and freeze settings and an all important high resolution image, you can see yourself as clearly as you would if you were using an IRL mirror. Also, there’s a NIGHTVISION feature. Need I say more?
So it’s basically Facebook for beauty. You do a 60 second beauty questionnaire (yep, it really does take 60 seconds) about your skin, hair, eye color, and beauty preferences (are you creative? Are you natural? It caters to all!) And you’re good to go. From there, you can follow beauty experts, browse beauty blogs, and watch the latest videos all from you’re the comfort of your newsfeed. Plus, the shopping feature is incredible, just search for anything you’re lusting after, read the reviews and compare prices from different shops to get the best deals.
Ok, so some shopping apps are just the online shop in an app, which if you ask me, is a waste of usage, storage and data. But this app offers a social hub, a video channel and a loyalty scheme. And, the Body Shop app also has a really cool feature called the Skin Diagnostic Tool for everyone who doesn’t have a fucking clue as to which products are best for your skin. Just put in a few details and it will recommend the best products to use and how and when to use them (and we trust the Body Shop because they are nice to women and animals).
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Picture: Francesca Jane Allen
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.