We’ve probably been using apps to edit our selfies so they look even more Instagram-ready, and are familiar with how SnapChat uses augmented reality (AR) technology to offer you fun filters. Now, these same technology is being applied onto “virtual try-ons” that allow you to see how you’ll look when you use certain products.
One of the first brands that uses AR technology to take the guesswork out of our beauty routine is Benefit Cosmetics. The brand has been aggressive with its brow product offering, and it isn’t surprising to us when they announced the launch of the Brow Try-On Experience, in partnership with Modiface.
ModiFace CEO Parham Aarabi explains that eyebrow hair is one of the toughest facial components to render in AR, but “Benefit’s Brow Try-On Experience uses Next Generation Brow Transformation Technology to actually detect and replicate each user’s unique hair”.
How it works
First, go to Benefit Cosmetics homepage, then choose your experience. You can select one of the following experiences:
1. 3D LIVE: This means you can see immediately how the brow styles you’ve selected look on you right now. This gives you the most accurate visualisation since you’ll be able to see it with your current hairstyle and skin tone.
2. Upload your own selfie: This is the next easiest option especially if you’re using a desktop that doesn’t come with a webcam.
3. Pick a model image: Honestly, where’s the fun in choosing this function? :)
Once you’ve chosen the mode to try the brows in, you can customise them by adjusting shade, arch, thickness, definition and placement.
Finally, select “Get the Brow” to check out the products that you can use to create the brow look that you like most, or book a brow service at the Benefit Brow Bar.
Daily Vanity tries it
Kristen’s experience
I could easily find the Brow Try-On Experience on the website. Upon entering it, this is the first thing I see on my screen.
I was using a desktop that doesn’t come with a webcam function, so I could choose to upload my own photo or choose one of the model images. I selected the “upload a photo” function.
Once my photo was uploaded, the application immediately detected the position of my brows. I could increase its accuracy by placing the dots more precisely along my brows, but I find that I didn’t have to do so. I’m impressed by how accurately it outlined my brow shape!
Now, it’s when the fun begins. There are several brow shapes you can choose from, and then you can select the colour you prefer and how arch, defined and thick you’d like it to look. I decided to try on a thinner brow shape – something that I haven’t ventured in my life. Here’s how it looks:
It actually doesn’t look as bad as I would imagine, but it probably isn’t something that I’d go for at this point.
But after going through all the different shapes available, I found the shape that I really liked. This was the one:
What Kristen thinks: I’ve tried the live experience at a Benefit Cosmetics media launch event and really enjoyed playing with the application. I like that it is a web-based application that doesn’t require me to download anything, so I can use it immediately. The brows turned out very natural on the application, I couldn’t believe that they weren’t originally there. It definitely help me to see how I’d look if I were to try a new brow shape – no more risk or fear of the unknown!
Mandy’s experience
Besides finding what works for you, you could also use the app to see what you want to stay clear of.
For instance, high arches may look sleek on some people, but they may overwhelm Mandy’s more delicate features.
Straight brows, on the other hand, suit Mandy better.
What Mandy thinks: I’ve always been hesitant about using these AR apps for beauty because it always looks like an obvious mask or filter on your face, but I was pleasantly surprised by how natural it looks. I’ve never been very experimental with brow shapes or colour, so this was actually a great way for me to gauge how I’d look with all the different kinds of brow shapes that I’d probably never have tried in real life. Bleaching and dyeing my brow hairs is also too huge a commitment for someone as non-experimental as me, so I really liked how the Benefit Brow Try-On was able to show me the result without the cost and commitment. I now know that strong arches and overly defined brows don’t suit my face at all, and I should stick to more natural-looking shapes.
Keith’s experience
Keith has very faint brows and brows are a huge concern for him.
He doesn’t know it, but I’ve also uploaded his picture to help him find a new set of brows. Yes, you can try it on your friend’s photo and surprise them with it!
I would probably ask him to go for either of these brows and not to go overboard with brow thickness:
The Benefit Brow Try-On Experience is now available and you can try it by clicking here.
