The Best Online Makeover

I've always wanted a free makeover. "Free" being the operative word. I'm not too big on make-up, and I'd rather dress comfortably than fashionably. But there are those times when I'd like to look nice, like on a first date, job interview, or going out for a night with my girls. But I don't have the extra cash for a professional consultation, and I lack some talent in the make-up application department- not only do I not know what looks good on me, but I wouldn't know how/where to put it on if I did! Now, I do know what I like when I see it, but I haven't had the opportunity to experiment with enough different looks to choose what's right for me.

A few days ago, I was feeling particularly motivated to research some makeup tips, and stumbled upon an online makeover site. I'm usually pretty skeptical about these kinds of things on the internet, and assumed it would ask for my credit card number, or just be a showcase of five different hairstyles you could try on a model's picture. But much to my excitement, I was completely wrong! The site was completely free, it had an impressive list of make-up options, and you could even download your own picture and make it over!

"Makeover-o-Matic" on iVillage.com is where the magic happens (see the link at the bottom of the article). They ask you to register, which requires an email address, and a few other tidbits of information, and then you're on your way to hours of makeover fun (I seriously spent about two hours here)!

Once registered, you can makeover the face of a model that is provided (perhaps one that you think looks similar to yourself), OR download your own picture onto the site, which is really easy and it works really well! A picture of yourself facing straight into the camera will work best, and they just need a shot from your shoulders up. You'll need a smaller size picture, too- nothing that takes up the entire computer screen.

You'll then be guided to put markers on your eyes and mouth, and pick your face shape from several different choices. Once you've done all this, the program will be able to precisely place the make-up and hair you select onto your picture. You can even adjust the tone in the picture to match your actual skin tone more closely.

Now you're ready to begin experimenting with new looks. The makeover choices include different hair lengths, colors, and styles. You can move, resize, and rotate the hair until it fits perfectly on your head. Next, try different lipstick and lipliner colors and amounts, and choose the mouth shape closest to your own for the best fit. The eyeshadow section of the makeover allows you to choose different shades for the lid, contour, and highlight (the three different areas where eyeshadow goes). You can also select the style, amount, width, and height of the eyeshadow applied. The eyeliner and blush functions work in much the same way. The final makeover options include different colored contacts, glasses, sunglasses, and headwear.

It's also really simple to clear a mistake, or go back to change makeup you tried on in the beginning of your online makeover.

See something you like? iVillage includes the brand names and shades that you've used, so it's easy for you to buy the products and recreate the look yourself.

When you're done you can save the look and go back to it later. They also save your original picture for you, so there's no need to download a new picture every time you re-enter the site.

Overall, this was an excellent site. The makeup looked so realistic that you would think I was made-up that way when the actual picture was taken. I ran out immediately after my two-hour online makeover session, and picked up some new products from the drug store, and I didn't even have to worry about wasting money on colors that would look awful on me.

I love my new makeup, and I will absolutely be back to this site!

Source:

"Makeover-o-Matic." IVillage.com. URL:(http://makeover.ivillage.com/IVillage/flashRemoting/index.html?)