Digital makeup mirror brings a sense of fakeness and embarrassment

Consumers found that digital mirrors promoted by brands including Charlotte Tilbury, L’Oral and Amazon enhanced their self-imagination as they were able to imagine themselves looking like their favorite celebrity or how they looked in the past. However, when compared to the ‘real’ shopping experience of buying makeup, AR mirrors create a stronger sense of authenticity of their own. This is due to factors including:

• Trying on makeup at a store evokes a feeling of joy, while looking at oneself through a digital makeup mirror elicits a feeling of ‘horror’.
• Individuals experience feelings of embarrassment when using digital make-up mirrors and are less likely to feel inclined to share digital content in their quest for social acceptance.
• Make-up is an emotional experience: shopping for actual instore make-up is treated as a journey of self-reflection that’s hard to compare with a digital make-up mirror
• Individuals view themselves through a lens of how they should appear based on collective online observation of friends, celebrities or influencers. A digital make-up mirror disrupts the way people discover their proxy-selves.

This sense of self-inauthenticity initially dampens consumers’ desire to use online makeup mirrors. However, for consumers to feel ‘complete’ and ‘enjoy’ their shopping experience, they would rather be physically inside a makeup store. Meanwhile, while these apps and devices allow them to send a picture of their transformed selves to social media, they fear embarrassment from their social networks. So, instead of using an AR make-up mirror to try on make-up, consumers prefer to find a make-up influencer who shares a similarity with their own look, such as skin type or face shape and follow their recommendations.

Are digital make-up mirrors useful and effective?

Users of the digital makeup mirror for the study criticized AR’s lack of understanding or respect for human skin, ethnicity or feelings when applying skin color, especially with luxury makeup brands. They also claimed that it is an ’embarrassing surprise’ of how they look when using the AR makeup mirror. For example, although they appeared surprised to see the AR colors on their faces, they were quickly ashamed of their AR look and shared their AR photos ‘privately’ with close family and friends rather than publicly sharing them online. Will share with.

One participant said, “That’s my face. I want it. I want to feel it. I want to try it.” [real makeup products] Feather. I want to see consistency…with makeup it’s not something I can rely on for a decision like any kind of virtual augmented anything, like what I’m putting on my face.”

Khalid Al-Shamandi Ahmed, co-author of the study, said managers and creative companies were “a different world” from consumers in the experience, adding that consumers must be involved as co-creators if progress is to be made.

However, he added that online AR make-up apps may increase the number of consumers to visit make-up stores ahead of Black Friday – with the most recent retail footfall figures in 2019 being the pre-COVID comparable period Take 14 percent off — and enjoy the ‘real’ makeup shopping experience. “Digital make-up mirrors do not enhance the self, but on the contrary, create a sense of inauthentic self that can result in embarrassment and shame. This is despite research that promises AR will transform consumers’ shopping experience. Will give

“Those surveyed described getting the right makeup as an ’emotional process’ and ‘a journey.’ This study makes clear that technology, while a powerful and progressive tool in the service sector, can be a negative and disruptive There may also be an effect on the consumer.

“Technology companies and consumers are worlds apart in terms of expected and perceived digital service experiences, and customer experience managers have a responsibility to balance the fun factor with reality.”

Source: Eurekalert