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It’s a mobile world out there and now you can get beauty tips and advice anywhere, anytime. A search on the social app superstore appitalism.com reveals 410 beauty apps and new ones are added all the time. Apps provide hair, skin and makeup tips in real time as well as offer discounts and coupons in addition to shopping and appointment booking advice. Here’s a look at some of our favorites.
HAIR APPS
Hair Cast – Free for Android – Enter your hair type, and this app will use GPS data to provide a daily “forecast†about how the weather will affect your hair. It will warn you of humidity or wind that could ruin a blowout, or rain that could dampen an updo. You’ll also receive a tip for styling your particular hair type in whatever the day’s weather is, so you won’t get stuck wearing a hat … again.
Marie Claire Beauty Genius – $1.99 for iPhone – This app features instructional videos on how to re-create celebrity hairstyles, runway makeup, and the season’s hottest beauty looks, along with general makeup and hair tricks. The app also features a new Wedding Looks section.
InStyle Hairstyle Try-On – Free for iPad – Never have a bad hair day again using this app. You can easily try on and adjust the hottest celebrity hairstyle on your own photo. Auto-detect technology helps to accurately determine your face shape and suggest the right star styles for you to try. You can share the results with friends, get tips to achieve the look and find an InStyle-approved salon. New looks are available every two weeks including editor picks featured in articles such as the Best Cuts for Your ‘20s, Low Maintenance Work Hair and Wedding Hair.
My Local Salon UK – Free for iPhone – This app connects you to the first online directory for the hair and beauty industries in the UK. Book a hair, waxing, spray tan etc. appointment anytime or anywhere privately. This is where you can literally book your appointment at the very last minute and even receive up to date discounts. GPS-tracked communication helps you book appointments in real time wherever and whenever you want.
SKIN APPS
Sunblock – $1.99 for iPhone – Using GPS data, this app calculates the UV index at your location. But not only does it recommend how much sunblock to use based on the index, it also takes into consideration important variables such as your skin type, what activity you’re doing (swimming or skiing), and even the terrain you’re on (like whether you’re at the ocean or on a mountain). In addition, it helps you select what SPF to wear and calculates how long you’ll be able to stay outside without reapplication, based on all these factors. Although setup takes a few minutes, the specific and individualized recommendations are worth it
LiveSunless – free for iPhone and Android – This app helps you find your local LiveSunless Approved salon location to get a sunless tan. You can browse by address, services or products offered and even get special offers only available through the app. You can watch a demo video before your appointment to ensure that your get the best result possible from your Sunless application. The app also features a FAQ tab and a personal profile page where you can share your experiences and read about others.
MyUVAlert – free for iPhone – Sponsored by Coppertone, this app is designed to help with sun protection information for the whole family. It offers local UV index and weather forecasts, product recommendations, coupons and importantly a reminder system to reapply sunscreen that you can set yourself based on activity or personal preferences. Whether you’re on the slopes in Colorado, hiking in the desert in Arizona, splashing on the beach in the Caribbean or shopping on the streets of Paris, this iPhone app will ensure you are reminded to apply, so you can enjoy your free time, home, away and  in between.
Age Defying Tricks – $.99 for iPhone – Look your best with this apps large collection of beauty, fashion, makeup and glamour tips gathered from leading fashion magazines and websites. Advice is condensed into information that is simple and easy to apply. The app includes over 100 tips and tricks culled from the pros at Cosmo, Glamour, Vogue, Aveda, MAC and more.
MAKEUP APPS
Ultimate Beauty Virtual Makeover – Free iPhone and Android – This next generation virtual makeover app features more than 1,000 cosmetic shades and 20 hairstyles you can try on your own downloaded image. Explore eye shadows, mascara, lip colors, blush, foundation and hairstyles with just a few touches of the screen. A unique feature allows you to actually touch facial features to activate makeover options. An instant look gallery uses your photo as the model. Create a look and share with friends through integrated email, Facebook and Twitter links. You can save favorite products to be purchases and use the mapping function to find a store.
Lookz – Free for BlackBerry and Android – With the tutorials this app provides, you can learn everything from basic makeup-application techniques to advanced-level looks like Goth, Emo, Clubbing, and Celebrity. Save your favorites and even download cool fashion wallpapers for your device. Perfect for teens to feed their inner stylist.
Age Defying Tricks – $.99 for iPhone – This app features an endless collection of beauty, makeup and glamour tips gathered from leading magazines and sites. Advice is condensed into information that is simple and easy to use, including 100 + tips and tricks culled from the pros of Aveda, MAC and more.
Makeup Tutorials – $99 for iPhone – Twelve step-by-step video tutorials show you how to apply makeup to get celebrity looks. Shake up your look with new makeup suggestions. This app will give you a fresh perspective and will show you the best ways to enhance your style. Celebrity looks featured include Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera and more as well as a Glam/Bridal look.
SHOPPING APPS
Beauty.com – Free for iPhone – This app gives you access to online resource Beauty.com’s more than 200 prestige beauty brands anytime, anywhere. You can read product ratings and reviews to find beauty must-haves, then restock your beauty stash quickly and easily with the app’s Your List function. You can shop from a plethora of skincare, makeup, hair care, bath & body, natural products, accessories, fragrance and stuff for guys too.
Sephora to Go – Free for iPhone – This app offers on-the-go updates on new product launches so you can browse your way through products and create shopping lists, and even place orders for delivery. In your nearest Sephora store (which the app can help you locate using GPS), you can also scan any item’s bar code for how-to videos and real person reviews. The app links with your Beauty Insider account to provide a detailed order history (so you’ll never forget which shade or formulation you use) and personalized beauty recommendations at the touch of a button.
Allure Best of Beauty iShopper – Free for iPhone – As good as a direct link to the editors of beauty manual Allure, this app puts Allure’s top beauty picks right into the palm of your hand. Browse hundred of Allure’s Best of Beauty Award-winning products, find stores to shop and save your favorites to shop anytime, anywhere.
OPI Virtual Polish – Free for iPhone – Like a no-commitment way to “try on†shades such as Argenteeny Pinkini or Over the Taupe, this app features every current OPI polish (including the latest seasonal collection) and allows the user to browse polishes and test what they would look like against her skin tone. You can also store your favorites so that when you arrive at the salon for a manicure, you can locate the shade you want in a snap.
Acuminder – Free – Sign up for emails or text message prompts about changing your lenses, reordering your lenses and scheduling your next eye exam. To sign up, go to www.acuminder.com. According to a new survey of over 700 contact lens wearers, nearly 95% of Acuminder users surveyed said that they find Acuminder useful in helping them remember when to change lenses, with 66% noting that it has improved their contact lenses performance. For those who wear two-week lenses, prior to Acuminder they changed their lenses on average every 19.9 days; since using this technology reminder, 76% say that now change their lenses every 14.7 days.
Glamzy – Free for iPhone and Android – Preloaded with MAC Cosmetics products and colors, you get to fill in blank makeup templates to create custom cosmetic looks. The face templates can be customized by style and shape, and completed charts can be saved and emailed to friends. The Pro version allows professional artists to save and tweak charts, and offers more options for detailed applications. Whether you need to order lip gloss on the fly or just figure out whether that pricey shampoo is worth trying, this is a fun app.
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