If you ask my friends, I think all of them will say I spend most of my money on food and makeup. Priorities, people. At night, I usually scroll and watch a couple of YouTube tutorials. Although I am far from being a professional artist, I do enjoy playing with contour and liquid lipsticks!
It’s easy to say that I was very excited when the news came out this week that Charlotte Tilbury, a very well known makeup artist and makeup brand, has a magic mirror in her new launched store in Westfield London. No, the mirror does not tell you you’re the fairest of them all. The magic mirror is an augmented reality mirror that lets you ‘try on’ different types of looks.
Magic mirror specs
The mirror shows 10 signature looks created by Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup artists together with Holition (augmented retail solutions). The different looks are applied to the customer’s face in real-time as they sit in front of the mirror. Reportedly, the mirror can:
– serve you 10 different looks in 40 seconds
– transform the look from day to night with little adjustments (change of lip color, for example)
– save the looks and send them to your email
Increase engagement = increase sales?
Brick and mortar stores are finding new ways to engage their customers. Giving customers different makeup options in the magic mirror will allow them to get accustomed to new looks that may inspire them to try out and buy more products.
Applying makeup before buying it isn’t a new concept, and neither is AR. However, with AR technology it is easy to experiment with different looks in a short period of time without ruining your face. I don’t think AR will replace makeup artists in stores completely because, if I speak for myself, feeling the product on the skin is a whole different experience than just seeing it (in AR).
I think the biggest advantage the mirror has above a normal makeup artist is the ease with which the makeup is applied. Getting your makeup done by an artist in the store is time consuming and limiting in the amount of looks you can do. I don’t know about you, but if I get my make up done at MAC, I only get 1 complete look.
AR & beauty
Back to the creators of the mirror: Holition. Holition is a software company that bridges the gap between technology and retail. Charlotte Tilbury is not the first beauty brand to use their services. Some of their clients include Rimmel London, Douglas, Sally Hanson, and Holland’s own Hema.
Holition of course isn’t the only company to provide such awesome AR technology. ModiFace and Map My Beauty are other examples of software companies who work in the beauty industry. ModiFace even has a very similar magic mirror to Holition.
Unfortunately, I don’t live anywhere near London. So, I am calling upon my British followers and like-minded lady nerds in the UK to go check it out for me. If you have had the opportunity to visit, please let me know!