The video screen shown in the picture above surely can't answer the question, ". . . who's the fairest of them all?” However, if you need to know what kind of makeup you would require to give that title a shot, without actually applying any of it, the “Virtual Realtime Makeup System” is for you. All you need to do first is to stand in front of the screen that takes a snap of your face. Then just pick up the cosmetics that you think will work for you, and as and when you scan their electronic tags, you can see their results on your face instantly in the video screen. To get a better perspective, both the “before” and “after” pictures are displayed side by side.

While the idea as such is innovative, I see quite a few problems with the system. Firstly, the system is based on image processing algorithms that try to guess how a particular makeup would look on your face. Since there are so many unpredictable factors that will have to be taken into consideration for these to work really well (such as lighting, face texture etc.) , the results can at best be approximate. Moreover, I would surely miss the personal touch of an in-store professional who could recommend the ideal combination for my face. However, any system does have its place, and I can see shy ladies who want to keep things personal giving this a try. Also, stores should be happy with this concept since they no longer have to dole out extra samples and can axe some more human jobs. For me, though, the minuses beat the pluses squarely.

To check it out yourself, head over to Tokyo where it is on an experimental trial for a month.

Via New Launches.