20 Comments

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Miranda Avatar

Virtual try-ons never seem to account for skin texture, product texture, or lighting – the idea is nice, but if it doesn’t account for lighting or texture then you can’t determine how it plays with your undertones – so what’s the point?

Wednesday Avatar

Not in the least. I think it is the subtle nuances of colour and texture which can transition something from being nice to wow. Virtual try-on does not accomplish this imo. That said, if someone is not particularly well versed in colours, it might be a great starting point to get a general feel whether something will work or not.

Lucie Avatar

No. The lighting is never right in any photo it wants me to take right then and there for their virtual try-on. It almost always makes me incredibly washed out and look lighter than I am or there’s not enough light and makes me look far darker than I actual am and it’s just not…great. The idea is nice in a pinch in lieu of seeing and trying it in person, but honestly, I would just rather they put their effort into getting really good realistic swatch pictures on models of a variety of skintones and undertones.

Haley Avatar

Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I feel like it’s not really about being useful for the consumer but rather as a data collection tool (of our faces!) for the companies!!

kjh Avatar

‘’Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t plotting against you.’ Lol. JD Salinger quote. And agreed. They are phishing.

Sarah Avatar

I find your swatches and reviews wayyyy more helpful than virtual tryons. I’ve been following you for long enough (2007!) that I’ve bought products you’ve reviewed, and my impressions generally fall in line with yours. Virtual try ons don’t allow for texture to be taken into account, which is such a big part of your swatch/review process. 🙂

AJ Avatar

Nope. I don’t think they really account for things like the product’s opacity, or how it will react to the undertones of your skin, or even more complicated things like skin ph, oily vs dry skin, etc. They’re really just an interactive version of those obviously photoshopped swatches brands use.

BrandiD Avatar

No; I love the idea, but the colors are so off that it’s pretty much useless. I also find that the colors never apply correctly on my eyes/cheeks/lips. Apparently, my features are wonky and confuse the placement bots.

Nina Avatar

No. I don’t think the kinks have been worked out with lighting, skin tone. No doubt there will be a day when it all works out….not yet.

Debbie Avatar

If nothing else they are a fun amusement for a few minutes, and good for a laugh…especially when I am trying on shades that I would never wear in real life. But I have found some shades that were surprisingly not what I thought they would be, on the good side and on the very bad side.

kjh Avatar

No, but I highly enjoy the Google arts and culture fun page where you take a selfie and GA&C finds many artworks that match (presumably through facial recognition software) your face. That’s hella more fun than virtual try-ons. VTOs would be a nightmare for any base product. Btw, > 80% of my pix are Dutch. And I never thought that was part of my ancestry. Bet my 23 and me is the same, some version of Plattdeutsch. Try the app, people.

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