cosmetics
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Chanel's AI Lipscanner app will find lipstick in any shade
The company is announcing today its new Lipscanner app that lets you use your phone's camera to identify a hue — whether it's on someone's lips or just the color of your favorite purse.
Prime Gaming members can claim a free wintry 'Fall Guys' costume
You can snag extra freebies this month, including 'Overcooked' and 'Yooka-Laylee.'
Lady Gaga's cosmetics line is just for Amazon
You won't find Lady Gaga's new beauty line at Sephora or Ulta, or even alongside the Fenty counter at your local department store. The songstress announced that Haus Laboratories -- her upcoming line of cosmetics -- will be sold exclusively on Amazon. The musician's line is the first major beauty brand to sign an exclusive deal with the online retailer.
Amazon creates its own skincare line called Belei
Amazon loves to capitalize on popular products, and that apparently extends to the recent fascination with skincare products. The internet giant has introduced its first "dedicated" skincare line, Belei, to snap up customers who'd otherwise hunt down coveted Korean products. The initial catalog includes everything from basics like facial wipes ($9) to a slew of moisturizers (typically $35) and multi-purpose serums (up to $40), helping you deal with everything from acne to wrinkles. Notably, Amazon's own name is conspicuously absent -- it clearly doesn't want to you to associate your eye cream too closely with the company that made your Echo speaker.
'Fortnite' is adding NFL team jerseys, emotes and more
Epic Games has landed a major partnership for Fortnite -- it's bringing the National Football League into the fold. Starting Friday at 7PM ET, you'll be able to buy NFL team outfits from the Battle Royale Item Shop, which you can customize with any of the NFL's 32 team uniforms (as well as a Fortnite team) and add your own squad number from 1-99. The NFL cosmetics don't stop there, as there will be gliders. emotes and resource harvesting tools with a football theme, while you can also pick up a referee outfit.
Target's AR 'studio' helps you try on makeup at home
You don't need to spring for a Galaxy S9 just to try makeup from the comfort of your living room. Target has unveiled a Beauty Studio feature that uses augmented reality to try a selection of cosmetics (including lipstick, blush and eyelashes) on Target's desktop and mobile websites as well as kiosks in 10 retail stores. Tech from YouCam maps the products to your face either in real-time or through a photo, saving you the trouble of visiting the shop and creating a mess.
The ethically murky marriage of technology and beauty
The last time I bought foundation, I couldn't decide if I was a "Fair" or a "Light." Confusing names aside, shades of cosmetics are particularly tricky for me -- a relatively pale Asian woman with yellow undertones in my skin. Colors designed for Asian complexions tend to be a bit dark or dull for my liking, while those for white skin look unnatural on me.
Spotify sells cosmetics now
Spotify is extending its merchandising partnership with Merchbar not just to include t-shirts from your favorite artists, but the makeup that they're using to look on-point this season. The first entry in this new business is a tie-up with beauty brand Pat McGrath Labs, which is selling a collection exclusively through the music service. McGrath is the makeup provider of choice for singer-songwriter Maggie Lindemann, and the pairing will offer lipsticks and lip pencils, as well as eye pallets and pencils. All users need to do is head over to Lindemann's artist page, and scroll down to her Merchbar to find what's on offer.
Panasonic's smart mirror finds your flaws, prints makeup to fix them
Panasonic has discovered a profitable new business in the last few years: beauty tech products. Facial moisturizing tech, hair dryers and very relaxing eye masks that I may have tested out (multiple times) at my local Japanese tech store. This time, the tech giant pitched its latest beauty concept as an "interactive mirror." Same old story, right? Not quite. It says it could be a makeup-applying "revolution" that scans your face, decides what needs a little cosmetic help and prints a combination pad of foundation and concealer to fix it up, with little to no makeup wasted. It sounds like a nonsensically vague future concept, but Panasonic thinks otherwise, and has the demo to prove it.
L'Oreal is 3D printing its own human skin to test cosmetics
The L'Oreal Group hasn't tested its products on animals worldwide since 2013, instead relying on a predictive model that utilizes a "Reconstructed Human Epidermis" -- basically bits of skin grown in a lab -- to ensure that its products are safe. Now the French cosmetics giant is teaming up with 3D bioprinting company Organovo to create the real thing...or at least as real as human skin that comes out of an ink jet nozzle can be.
Panasonic's smart mirror turned me into a 1970s space princess
It was going to be either me or my male colleague. That's a lie: It was absolutely going to be me. It was my last day at IFA, Europe's biggest technology show, and Brad Molen and I were sitting inside a sparsely decorated smart home that Panasonic had built in the middle of the demo area. Panasonic needed a volunteer to sit in front of its prototypical smart mirror, which applies digital "makeup" so you can sample new looks. I exchanged a look with Brad, imagining his bearded cheeks with blush on them. Then I sat down and agreed to let a machine tell me everything that was wrong with my face.
Global Chat: Being the bad guy
As an MMO enthusiast blog, Massively has always had a special appreciation of the dedicated (and unpaid!) writing that gamers put out on their own blogs every day. Every week there are dozens if not hundreds of terrific posts on MMOs out there, and since I'm the resident loon here who reads pretty much all of them, I decided to start up a biweekly column to point you in the direction of some of the best discussions going on in the blogosphere. We'll see posts on specific games and general topics, geeky gushings and zany rantings. For our inagural edition of Global Chat (yes, I'm recycling the name from a long-dormant feature on this site), we'll take a look at how outfits tie into identity, surviving MMOs as a chicken, a requiem for a gold farmer, and so much more!
World of Warcraft previews cosmetic class accessories
What's the immediate visual difference between a Warrior and a Paladin in World of Warcraft if they're not using abilities? There's not much of one. Which seems a little odd, seeing as these are two classes with immense difference in lore. That's why the art team is showing off a preview of things to come in the form of cosmetic class customization. The idea is that classes should have bits of visual flair to distinguish them without being tied to stats. The preview shows off potential accessories for Rogues, Hunters, and Paladins, accessories that start off simple and get more elaborate over time. The design blog also points out that this is not something likely to be in for launch of Warlords of Draenor, although whether it might be included in a later patch or the next expansion altogether is somewhat ambiguous. Check out the full design preview for more details about what the designers envision.
Mink will let you 3D print custom makeup at home
Here's a little secret that the cosmetics industry doesn't want you to know: the base materials for most makeup, from the cheapest lip gloss to the highest-end eye shadow, is basically the same. The markup comes from either the brand name or a lack of scale for a particular color. Larger outlets like CVS or Walmart buy only the hues that sell the best so they can order in bulk and score a discount. Mink hopes to bring the entire industry to its knees by eliminating all that nonsense. It's a 3D printer that mixes ink with powder, cream or whatever other raw material necessary to create an endless variety of cosmetics on your own desk. [Image courtesy of TechCrunch]
Amazon executive gets a taste of his own medicine in heated trademark dispute
Whoever said that revenge was sweet probably wasn't thinking about the smell, but that can be sweet too. UK soap and cosmetics company Lush has decided to get its own back on Christopher North, the head of Amazon's UK division, after some fisticuffs concerning the latter's search practices. Currently, Lush doesn't sell its wares via Amazon, but search for the name and you'll be directed to misleadingly similar products -- a move that even the UK's High Court has frowned upon. Despite the ruling, however, Amazon has refused to change, prompting Lush co-founder Mark Constantine to trademark "Christopher North" for a new line of cosmetics. It's not available on shelves just yet, giving Amazon a chance to back down, but it's possible that we could soon be showering in a product that's wittily described as "rich, thick and full of it."
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite in-game outfit?
Every Monday night my cabal meets in The Secret World supposedly to run instances and tough group content. In actuality, we get together to show off whatever new outfit that we've put together over the week and see who looks the most dashing, fashionable, or interesting. Guys and girls alike, we're all suckers for an eye-catching outfit. Of course, I always have the best. Visuals almost always mean more to me than stats, which is why I prize a good-looking piece of gear highly. I love MMOs with wardrobe or cosmetic outfit systems, and I'm constantly fiddling with new outfits to see if I can make something that stands out from the crowd. So for my fellow fashion fiends, what are your favorite outfits? A description is fine, but bonus points if you can link to a picture! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Why do you play a tall race?
Let me put my capital-b Bias up front and center here: Tall races are awesome. From Draenei to Roegadyn, Norn to Bahmi, I'm always tempted to play a race that towers above the others. My characters in Champions Online and DC Universe Online both tend to be elevated above the crowd, which can occasionally prove problematic when attempting to slip into smaller passageways. Even the shorter characters I play are on the tall side for their races. Why do I do it? A lot of the time I just prefer the overall demeanor of the taller races, compared to smaller races that often come across as overbearing (Guild Wars 2's Asurans) or annoying (World of Warcraft's Gnomes). Aside from that, taller races have an easier time conveying a variety of attitudes from body language, posture, and dress. And I'm relatively tall myself, so there's a touch of familiarity there. There's no shortage of players who take playing diminutive races as a point of pride, but people who play taller races don't have that same sort of community. So today I say stand up, look down, and tell everyone: Why do you play a tall race? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Would you get married in-game if you could?
In-game marriages are largely a thing of the past. Outside of outliers like RIFT, MapleStory and Final Fantasy XIV, most games don't and won't feature the option to tie the knot inside your game of choice. Which might be seen as a bit sad, but it also raises the question of whether or not you'd use the feature even if it were available. Maybe you enjoy roleplaying, maybe you want to have a tongue-in-cheek ceremony, or maybe you play with your spouse and want to be married on multiple levels. Or maybe you think the idea of being pretend married in a pretend game is kind of hopelessly silly to begin with. So today we ask -- if you had the option of getting married in your game of choice, would you take advantage of it? Or do you think it's more or less the apex of unnecessary fluff features in games? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: What simple things endear a game to you?
In the grand scheme of things, Guild Wars 2's guesting isn't a feature that will add new content or new ways to play the game. But it will allow you to play more easily with friends on other realms, and that's been welcomed by some players. Star Wars: The Old Republic's upcoming reputation system might just be adding titles, but more titles mean a lot to some players. Final Fantasy XIV allows you to jump, and if you played the game for a year beforehand, you'll be looking forward to that addition. Sometimes, what matters isn't the big things that get you addicted to a game but the little elements that improve your overall experience. Cosmetic flourishes, nice-looking equipment, convenience and quality-of-life upgrades -- none of them makes the game good or bad, but sometimes they bring a bigger grin than actual content or systems. So what simple things have endeared a game to you, now or in the past? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Get EVE Online: Inferno for $5 this weekend only
If you're thinking about dipping your toes into the warm, sunny waters of EVE Online, CCP Games has a limited-time offer just right for you. The studio partnered with Amazon to offer the newest expansion, all previous expansions, and 30 days of game time for just $4.99. Sweetening the deal, this offer is for the limited edition of Inferno, which means that savvy shoppers can also snag a special ship, a cerebral accelerator booster, and in-game shirts for both avatar genders. The fee will deliver a code that can be used only to upgrade new or trial accounts, so current or previous subscribers are not eligible.
