Beauty and Fashion Tech

All Entries Tagged With: "Beauty Tech"

New Beauty Technology: Using Cell Phone Photos to Receive Makup Color Recommendations?

Check out this online article from Scientific American about upcoming technology for the automatic recommendation of makeup colors from your cell phone: Coral Lipstick—It’s You! Or So Says a New Cosmetics Algorithm.

According to the article, Hewlett-Packard has developed an algorithm that will allow cell phone users to snap a photo from the phone and then receive specific recommendations about makeup shades. The results are sent via text message and the process takes just seconds. The technology will become available when Hewlett-Packard announces the cosmetics company that it is partnering with.

There is no word yet on who that cosmetics company is. Nor is there info on how it will be made available or what it will cost. I am quite curious to find out. I also am a bit skeptical about it really working, but according to the article, women who tested it were pleased with the results. Stay tuned…..

Popularity: 4% [?]

Hottiedots Adhesive Beauty Marks

A few weeks ago I was sent a fun little product to try called Hottiedots. These are stick on beauty marks that come in a range of shades. I always was kind of fascinated by beauty marks, so I had a good time giving these a whirl. The “dots” adhere easily and are comfortable to wear. According to the company, they are skin tested. The colors appear quite natural, but I did note that they are very perfectly round. That was OK with me, but I think a slightly rough edge might look more natural. Then again, a slightly rough edge might look weird? So I’m just not sure there! They stayed on well for me and I was surprised to find that I didn’t really notice when I had one on. I thought I might feel it or something, but it was completely comfortable. I tried them after applying light makeup, but before using powder. I then read that the inventor suggests using them before makeup application, which makes quite a bit of sense. I think they would look the most natural that way. Plus, that would assure that they adhere well, although I didn’t run into any problems with them staying on.

I had fun wearing some, and they are quite inexpensive. I suppose the only downside is that people who know you are going to know you are wearing a fake. But for a bit of cheap fun, or for anyone looking for a simple way to add a beauty mark, it is a neat little product!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Home Microdermabrasion: Spa Sciences Professional Skin Exfoliation System

I have been using the L’oreal Dermo-Expertise ReFinish Micro-Dermabrasion Kit for some time for exfoliation and have been quite happy with it. But being a gadget freak, I always wanted to try one of the battery operated home microdermabrasion systems. So when I saw the Spa Sciences Professional Skin Exfoliation System on sale, I picked it up.

I was satisfied with the purchase and liked it about equally as well as the L’oreal kit, which does not use a machine. The Spa Sciences kit comes with a sponge tip and an abrasive creme. A bit of the creme is spread on the face, and the machine is used to rub it in over a period of two to four minutes for each area treated and around 15 to 20 minutes for the entire face.

Warning! This stuff is not for sensitive skin! It can easily leave a person red and/or irritated after use, and comes with a moisturizing creme for soothing the skin after each treatment. Anyone with sensitive skin or who is easily irritated by exfoliating products should use this and similar products with caution. Also, it is not a miracle machine that will erase your wrinkles, and it is not the equivalent of a professional microdermabrasion treatment. But I did find it to be an effective exfoliator, as is the L’oreal kit.

The product definitely exfoliated my face just as well as, or perhaps slightly better than, the L’oreal kit. I was a bit red and flushed after use, and I often am with the L’oreal kit as well. That wore off over the next hour or so and my skin had that well exfoliated smoothness. The machine itself vibrates a lot, which took some getting used to. In that sense, I prefer the L’oreal kit, which is simpler. However, the L’oreal kit always makes my face feel rather raw while I am using it and I can feel the abrasive creme scratching. With the Spa Sciences machine, it felt quite comfortable as I was rubbing in the creme.

The moisturizer that came with it for use after the treatment is OK. I didn’t love it and didn’t hate it. I feel the same about the creme with the L’oreal product. In both cases, the creme is a bit too oily for my tastes. But each is fairly effective as soothing agent.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Zeno: Zap Your Zits!

I have been trying the Zeno acne treatment device for some time now. While I don’t have serious acne problems, I do have the occasional breakout and am always interested in treatment products.

I was fairly skeptical of the Zeno at first, but after some use, I do believe that it works pretty well in some instances. But that is the catch. In other instances it might not work as well as the buyer hopes. At $150 or more for the device, that could matter to some.

The Zeno claims that when used early in acne formation, it can clear up a lesion in as fast as 24 hours. The gadget works by delivering concentrated heat to the pimple over a period of two and 1/2 minutes. Zeno calls this a “heat shock response” in the bacteria that causes acne lesions, which causes the bacteria to “self destruct.” My first question about this was, where does that bacteria go when it “self destructs?” Surely it must go somewhere? For some instances I found out–it brings the pimple to a head.

That is what my first tries with the Zeno induced. Essentially the pimple would come to a head much quicker than it might otherwise, and then I would end up doing that thing we are all not supposed to do, yet often cannot stop ourselves –pop the pimple. I can’t really complain too much since the whole process with the Zeno still got rid of the acne quicker than normal. But it hardly met the advertised promise of making it go away in as fast as 24 hours and the price seems rather steep for nothing more than expediency in pimple popping.

HOWEVER, on several recent occasions, I managed to use the Zeno when the pimple was very new and very small. Both times, the pimple never became anything larger and indeed did disappear between 24 and 48 hours later. After those experiences, I think that if used early enough, this product can make a meaningful enough difference to warrant to price. To be fair, the product liturature does state that it is best when used early.

Something else that anyone contemplating a purchase should consider is that the Zeno does not claim to work on blackheads, whiteheads, or severe cystic acne. While the web site does not seem to clearly state that, the brochure that came with mine specifically said that it is not meant for those types. From my experience, it doesn’t do much at all for any kind of deep cyst-like acne, except perhaps bring them to a head a bit quicker.

Finally, the device tip only lasts for a set number of uses (mine is 90) and then the tip must be replaced. Replacements are available at Walgreens or online, and run around $25. That extra cost, while not hidden, is not widely advertised with the product and could be overlooked by some consumers. It is something else for a person considering a purchase to consider.

Comparison shop for Zeno products

Popularity: 9% [?]

All Entries Tagged With: "Beauty Tech"

New Beauty Technology: Using Cell Phone Photos to Receive Makup Color Recommendations?

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