L'Oréal Launch Super Fancy Make-Up Genius App: Is Swiping the New Swatching?

L'Oréal have something new for us to play with. The drug-store beauty favourites have just gone one step ahead of the pack by launching The Make-Up Genius App, which you can test out this October.

If you've ever found yourself regretting your beauty purchases - though really, you should never take home a foundation, for example, without at least swatching or sampling it first - the folk at L'Oréal say you'll not have to endure that feeling again.

With this app, you can virtually test out make-up before committing to a purchase. Of course, given the brand behind the app, you'll only get to try out their particular products, but if it works, it should give you an overall indication of what colours do and don't suit your skin tone.

You can test all their products, wear the looks and even buy from your smartphone. So does this herald the end of Saturday afternoon browsing in town?

And things get more interesting because you'll also be able to access professional tutorials from the app, should you be lacking in inspiration and application know-how.

Here's how it works:

Researchers and animators developed a patented technology and protected facial tracking algorithm that gets the most precise facial recognition through a live mirror camera. The camera captures 64 facial points and up to 100 expressions. Plus there’s no need to stay fixed as the application tracks
head movements up to 60 degrees. our make-up in augmented reality moves with you, detecting your facial expressions and reproducing them on your smartphone. The technology behind MakeUp Genius has been used in over 50 games, films and videos too.

This will be available from the App store for use on iPhone and iPad from October. Now, while I'd certainly be interested in a genuinely good hairstyle app that would give me a realistic idea of what cuts and colours would work for me, I'm not sure I need to test out eye shadows on my phone. But maybe I'll be won over by the little screen yet.

Have you found yourself pressured into buying something when sampling on the back of your hand in a shop? Would you find a benefit to trying an app like this?