ESTEE CAM

A virtual makeover program that's so real, you might never log off.

Online makeover tools often seem like a good idea, until you actually try them out. Suddenly, there’s lipstick on an area that’s definitely not your mouth, garish eye shadow painted on thicker than you thought humanly possible, and two big circles on your cheek that the program claims are blush.

So color us surprised to find out that it took one of the oldest beauty companies in the country to get it right. Estee Lauder just launched a new widget called Let’s Play Makeover. Once you download it to your desktop or social networking pages, just upload a photo of yourself and prepare to be amazed. From eyeliner to lipstick to concealer, the program offers up endless beauty combinations. And unlike previous attempts, Let’s Play Makeover is frighteningly correct; at the start of each session, you help “map” your face, so that lip-gloss ends up on your lips, and not on your chin.

You can mix and match to create your own look, or choose from a rotating list of seasonal “faces” (for the end of summer, they’ve got a bronze beauty option). It’s a good way to figure out if bright coral lipstick really works with your skin, or if lining both your upper and lower lid is better than lining just the top. And if you see something on your computer screen that looks like you, only a bit better, you can just click to pick up the products in play.

The only downside? You might never want to log off.
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

Visit esteelauder.com/letsplaymakeover for more info.



This story was published on August 26, 2009.