Our lives have been enhanced by technological innovations and advances in so many ways over recent years. We order our travel, food, and products instantly from wherever we are, virtual assistants organise our schedules, and we can communicate in a face-to-face way from all over the world. The major benefits of these developments are through making our lives easier and saving us lots of precious time.
Without exception, the way this technology works is through an intelligent understanding of what is required for the ultimate method of completing the task, whilst complimenting the lifestyles of its users.
However, the way that we apply makeup, and approach our skincare routines, remains largely ignored by these new innovations and processes. We still follow the age-old methods that have existed for hundreds of years and across generations of women, bound to bathrooms and dressing tables with a variety of mirrors that we constantly poise, angle, and turn, whilst delving into dark, cluttered makeup bags to find what we need.
Looking for the right light is often the main goal of these activities. There are now so many different environments that we move through in the course of an average day, and the majority of decisions we make for how different colours, blends, and applications will perform in the light of these environments is often nothing more than guess work. All of which becomes a laborious and time draining experience that we go through every single day.
This was the driving force of our approach to the use of applied technology for the Beautifect product. I wanted to encourage some game changing techniques in the way we can adapt our makeup and skincare routines to suit the lifestyles we now have. In the simplest terms, I was looking to create the same revolutionary effect of moving from the fixed, restrictive experience of a desktop computer to the freedom of a laptop or tablet.
As we all know, getting makeup and skin care right always starts with the light. You should always be looking for the ‘Goldilocks Area’ that isn’t too warm or too cold to avoid those makeup mishaps and create the perfect look for every occasion. Using the Colour Rendering Index (CRI) as a reference for lighting allowed us to strive for a true reflection in the Beautifect product, whatever environment you are in. For over four years in the design process, we worked on creating this ideal light source that takes all of that guesswork away to provide an even glow for makeup application and skincare routines.
Importantly, all of this approach is built upon the foundation that make up and skin care activities should be designed to make us feel good. As soon as these processes start to become a chore, there is a clear disconnection between the products and the desired outcome. If we can successfully realign our attitude to new methods of makeup and skincare routines through innovative uses of technology, then we can enjoy the same benefits that it already brings to us in other aspects of our lives.
All of which should ultimately mean that in half the time, with half the effort, we can look twice as good.