Have you ever used the camera in your phone to take photo of yourself to check that your make-up or hair look okay?
The inbuilt camera probably wasn’t created for that purpose but it comes in pretty handy when you don’t have a lot of time between engagements, or someone you can rely on to confirm you haven’t put your lipstick on crooked – or worse.
But that’s not all an iPhone (or iPad) is good for when it comes to how you look.
Now, of course, there are Apps – and lots of them.
From ‘A’ for Aveda to ‘Y’ for Yves Saint Laurent, you can get advice, latest products or recommendations. Some Apps even can show you how you’ll look if you buy what you’re thinking of buying.
The L’Oreal Paris Color Genius helps coordinate make-up with outfits. The InStyle Hairstyle Try-On shows you how you’d look with Heidi Klum’s or Jennifer Aniston’s hair-do.
While many of the Apps are purely commercial – and keep track of what you’re interested in and what you buy – some are in a grey area loosely defined as health. For example, with the Coppertone MyUVAlert, you can get local, real time sun information, sunscreen reapplication reminders, coupons and sun protection tips (most involving Coppertone products).
App developers say it’s an area that is likely to develop further.
Own, a three-year-old skincare company in San Francisco, introduced a free App known as 'My Own' this month. Using facial recognition technology to track 50 points on your face, the App assesses signs of ageing by the number of fine lines, deep-set wrinkles, percentage of pigment and number of age spots. Those numbers are then compared to others in your age group.
It’s a moot point whether we really want to know the answer!
And it could be they’re just terrific salespeople and want to make everyone feel good by saying we all look better than our cohort! Check it out for yourself here – and do let us know if you’re told you look older than others your age!
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