We Put 3 Beauty Apps to the Test for New Year’s Party Makeup
With New Year’s Eve around the corner, it’s time to start planning our looks and spacing out our dresses to cover all our party needs. This season may be a little easier for us on the hair and makeup front, however, with the advent of on-demand beauty apps. With so many beauty options at our fingertips, it’s hard to figure out where to start and which app is best for what. Well, I took it upon myself to do the footwork and try out some of the top beauty apps on the market for you, dear readers.
Photo: Jenna Peffley
Before
Related: 10 Makeup Artist Tips You’ve Never Heard Before
Photo: Jenna Peffley
After: The Glam App
The App: The Glam App
How it works: Choose your service (hair, nails, or makeup), a style, and then your level. BSG gets you a stylist with a year of experience and/or a graduate of beauty school, JRS provides a stylist with two to five years of experience, and VIP is a sought-after stylist with five-plus years of experience or excessive callbacks. You can book a future date or schedule your artist to arrive as soon as possible.
The Look: I chose the Statement Lip look with a VIP artist.
The Artist: Emily @emilyoliver08
The Experience: Emily arrived a little early and began to set up while we talked about the look I wanted. I told her I was going to a party and wanted something a little glam. I like neutral colors on my eyes, don’t usually wear a ton of foundation, and am not afraid of a bold lip. She talked me through the application as we went, step by step, explaining what she was doing and why. Emily told me about all the products she used, going as far as to educate me on the uses and purpose of each. She gave me a bronzy/copper eye with some individual lashes to enhance the look. My skin was clean and glowing, and the look was finished with an orange-red lip. At the end of the appointment, she asked if I was happy and told me not to be afraid to ask for changes (there were none needed!). She sent me a personal business card via text through the app so I could easily rebook her services. Total time: 1 hour.
Photo: Jenna Peffley
The Verdict: I love the app’s ease of use and being able to narrow things down by look and level of artistry. My artist was confident, personable, highly knowledgeable, and an absolute pleasure to work with. I couldn’t have been happier with the finished product. Overall, I loved this look in person, as I felt the most like myself. It blew out a little in pictures, as lighter-handed makeup tends to do. I loved that the artist made it easy for me to find her in the future through The Glam App.
Price: $100
Get the Look: Face is Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, Giorgio Armani Liquid Summer for bronzing, and Giorgio Armani Cheek Fabric Sheer Blush. Brows are Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Blonde. Eyes are YSL Full Metal Shadow in Orange Plunge, Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner, YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Babydoll, and ArdellIndividual Lashes. Lips are Sephora Lip Liner and Rouge Cream Lipstick.
Related: How to Apply Foundation Like a Makeup Artist
Photo: Jenna Peffley
After: Vênsette
How it works: Choose a makeup style with the option to add a hairstyle.
The Look: I chose VIP, which includes a 15-minute consultation in order to customize your look. You will be camera ready in two hours or less.
The Artist: Heather @makeuphkp
The Experience: Heather arrived early to set up as I explained the look I was going for. I told her the same as before, that I was going to a party and wanted something a little glam. I like neutral colors on my eyes and am not afraid of a bold lip. Heather was professional and confident and glided through our appointment seamlessly. She gave me an allover wet-looking gold eye with corner lashes and tons of (burgundy) mascara to accentuate the look. My skin had full coverage with a bronzy finish and a true red lip. She made sure I was happy with the final look (I was).
Photo: Jenna Peffley
The Verdict: I love how simple and easy this app is to use. There are very few options, which makes ordering a service quick and easy. This look was a little more amped up from what I would normally do on myself, which I loved. It was the perfect look for photo booths. My face translated a little light and contrasted in the photos (which could be the result of setting powder) but looked flawless and seamless in person. I would have been happy and excited to wear this look out to any party.
Total time: 1 hour.
Price: $200
Get the look: Face was prepped with Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré and Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base and completed with Burberry Fresh Glow Foundation. Eyes are Ellis Faas Light Eye Shadow, Youngblood Eyeliner in Blackest Black, and YSLMascara in Burgundy. Brows are Youngblood Brow Artiste Sculpting Pencil and Powder. Face was finished off with Burberry Light Glow in Earthy Blush, Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelée, and MAC Pigment in Vanilla as highlight. Lips are IllamasquaLipstick in Box.
Related: The Secret to Finding the Perfect Lip Color for Your Skin Tone
Photo: Jenna Peffley
After: BeGlammed
The app: BeGlammed
How it works: Choose your service (hair and makeup, hair, makeup, or bridal). Choose glam makeup for a one-hour full makeup application or group makeup touch-up for touch-ups on parties of up to four people ($100 plus $25 per additional person). Choose your stylist’s experience level—Pretty Glam stylists are recent graduates with less experience than the higher levels, Beautiful Glam stylists have many years of experience and a wide range of clientele, and Glamorous Glam stylists are the most distinguished professionals with published work and celebrity clientele. Lastly, select a date and time, and leave notes to describe your look or specific requirements.
The Look: I chose the Glamorous Glam option with a customizable look.
The Artist: Tiana @tianaraeartistry
The Experience: Tiana arrived on time and set up while we discussed my desired look. I loved that the artist showed up in full glam, as it gave me a glimpse into what I could be expecting. Tiana was professional and so excited to gush over new products she’d discovered and things she absolutely loved. It was a fun experience that got me excited about doing my makeup in the future. She gave me a gradient smoky eye with full-strip lashes. My face had full coverage with lots of golden touches and shimmery highlights. The look was finished off with a dramatic ombré red lip. Tiana was amped with how enthusiastic I was with the finished product.
Photo: Jenna Peffley
The Verdict: This app gives you a lot of options in order to customize your experience. If you want to be sure of what you’re going to get, it’s the perfect app. Overall, I absolutely loved the way this look photographed; I was really feelin’ myself when I saw my photos pop up on the monitor. In person, I would say that this look was a little much for me. It was way more glam than I am used to wearing, and the coverage on my face was a little more than I feel I need (though it looked airbrushed in photos). I would wear this look out to a very fancy party, maybe something with a red carpet (but I can’t promise I wouldn’t pull the lashes off before getting inside).
Price: $250
Get the Look: My face was prepped with Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré and MAC Strobe Cream and completed with MAC Face & Body Foundation and Giorgio Armani Luminous Foundation. Eyes are various Milani, Pulse Cosmetics, and MAC Eye Shadows with MAC Extended Play Mascara and customized strip lashes. Pops of color on the face are MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul and Dainty. Lips are LA Girl Lipliner in Cherry, MAC Lipliner in Currant, and multiple colors from MAC Pro Lip Palette in Editorial Reds.
My Choice: If I were to use an on-demand beauty app, I would use The Glam App. I loved the ease of use of the app and the fact that I could choose the level of experience of my artist. I liked that she made things clear and simple should I choose to rebook her in the future, and I was surprised by the affordability of my services given my artist’s level of experience (London, Paris, and New York Fashion Weeks, oh my!). I had fun during my appointment and was beyond happy with the results, which aligned most closely with what I had envisioned for myself. At the end of the day, I’d be happy to use any of the three apps I tried, and I’d rebook with all three artists in the future.
Hair by Marley @marleythebarber, provided by The Glam App.
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