I'm a total beauty product junkie, but I fear the beauty counter because it seems like no one just wants to sell you a lipstick, they want to experiment on your face, and you can't walk away without purple eyelashes or fushcia cheeks. A new RFID makeup application simulator in Tokyo could make the dreaded "makeover" a lot less painless because a camera puts your face on the monitor and when you select various cosmetics and put them on the RFID reader mat, a visual recognition system will identify the product and apply the color swatch to the appropriate part of your image on the monitor. If you like a particular shade of lipstick or eyeshadow, the system can recommend other complementary products and apply them on your virtual face palette.

This simulator is being tested at the Seijo department store in Tokyo through March, but I hope will make its way to the US soon. I get chills of germ fear when someone asks me if I want to try out a lipstick that looks like it's been chewed on by the last makeover victim.

From Digital World Tokyo.