Contour control

New York – Beauty retailer Sephora has launched a new augmented reality tutorial app to teach customers how to face contour correctly.

• Make-up tutorial is one of the most searched for terms on Google
• Made famous by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, facial contouring is one of Sephora’s fastest-growing categories

Created in collaboration with Map My Beauty, the mobile app asks users to upload a selfie before it deploys mapping technology to analyse the shape of the user’s face. The app then immediately provides personalised make-up application tips based on individual facial features. Shoppable links enable users to click through to buy the product recommended or to share the content via social platforms. Sephora expects the technology to appeal to Millennials. ‘They want it fast, they want it on mobile and they want it personalised,’ said Bridget Dolan, vice-president of interactive media at Sephora, in an interview with Women’s Wear Daily.

The Big Picture: Beauty consumers are experimenting with digital tools and increasingly expect technology to offer product recommendations and tutorials in a way that feels more personalised. For more on digital tools facilitating hyper-individualised offers, read our Opinion piece by Louis Desazars, CEO of NARS Cosmetics.