I asked AI to do my makeup for a date night… my husband would be shocked
THE beauty world is having its AI moment, with brands from NYX and Boots No7 to YSL, Laura Mercier and Armani all offering customers the ability to try on different products virtually, without leaving home.
Forward-thinking foundation brands like Dcypher even use artificial intelligence to analyze skin tones to create a perfectly matched product.
But how accurate is it – and can a robot really give beauty advice?
I wanted to find out.
So I enlisted the help of ChatGPT – a powerful, free-to-use AI chatbot – and asked him how to do my makeup for different occasions.
I then performed the step-by-step instructions with the help of professional makeup artist Lisa Coleman.
But even when a professional handled the brushes, the results were: see for yourself. .
Look 1: Daycare
I START with an easy one and ask ChatGPT to design “a makeup look suitable for the nursery”.
It only takes a few seconds for a detailed response to emerge, stating that this look should be “quick, easy and natural while making you feel good and confident.”
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Hallelujah! If this works, it will be a miracle.
It’s almost like it’s spying on my early morning grooming attempts as I try to keep a toddler from chewing on a makeup brush.
The step-by-step routine it proposes seems very sensible.
It starts with a tinted day cream or a BB cream.
“Choose a formula with SPF to protect your skin from the sun during outdoor activities,” says my skin-conscious digital friend.
I’m a big fan of sun protection every day of the year, but since it feels like it’s been raining heavily for weeks, the chances of me doing any “outdoor activities” seem optimistic.
It then suggests a simple, neutral, understated eyeshadow (to be honest, I don’t normally bother with eyeshadows, but I’ll give it a try); mascara – “choose a waterproof formula if you’re concerned about smudging or flaking during the day”; tinted lip balm; optional brow gel and setting spray for a dewy finish.
Although it takes Lisa a little longer than the maximum five minutes I normally give myself, the result is natural, flattering and completely appropriate.
With one exception: there is no color in my cheeks, which makes me look a bit flat.
I’d probably swap the eyeshadow for a bit of blush and, as Lisa points out, the setting spray isn’t really necessary for light daytime makeup.
Easy to apply: 5
Last look: 5
Look 2: Date night
I was now convinced that ChatGPT could pull off a dressed-up daytime look, but what about date night?
Wanting to spice things up, I ask the company to design “a sexy makeup look for a date night.”
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Within seconds my virtual Charlotte Tilbury is there.
“Absolute!” it responds. “A sexy date night makeup look is all about accentuating your features with sultry shades and seductive finishes. This is how you create a fascinating look.”
The recommended base is a bit heavier, while the eye make-up starts with a neutral base, before progressing to a smokey eye with an extended line “for a seductive wing”.
Then I contour my cheeks with a matte bronzer, a highlighter “with a champagne or rose gold undertone for a romantic finish” on the cheekbones, forehead and bridge of my nose, before finishing with a striking lip in “classic red , deep berry or sultry plum”.
“Remember, confidence is the key to a sexy date night makeup look,” says my virtual makeup artist, who also seems to have become something of a life coach.
“Embrace your inner goddess and let your beauty shine through as you enjoy your special evening.”
Meanwhile, my real makeup artist was a little less impressed.
“It was really beautiful until we added the lip,” she says. “It looks very difficult for a date. You look a bit like a flight attendant.”
I have to agree.
I think my husband would be shocked if I looked like this on date night, and as someone who is paranoid about the size of my nose, the idea of emphasizing the bridge horrifies me.
Easy to apply: 3
Last look: 2
Look 3: Party face
AFTER the date night look left me feeling as sensual as a turnip, I was concerned about what ChatGPT could create for a dramatic party look.
And I was right to be concerned. . .
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The base was pretty heavy: a pore-minimizing primer, a full-coverage foundation, a concealer, and then a translucent powder to set it all.
For the eyes, a primer was first applied, then a matte neutral shade and then a ‘deep and richly pigmented eye shadow, such as plum, emerald green or navy blue’, worked from the corner to the center – with a metallic or shimmer shadow on the eyes . inner corner and center.
Finally, a gel or liquid liner on the top lashes with a smooth wing, then a smudged dark shadow on the bottom line and “several coats” of volumizing mascara, with optional false lashes.
Since the eyes brought so much drama, I assumed the rest would be minimal.
Not really.
Matte bronzer to contour the cheeks, a “highly pigmented blush in a bold shade, like coral, berry or fuchsia” on the apples, and then a highlighter.
I’ll look like Aunt Sally.
I thought everyone knew that you never go for dramatic eyes AND dramatic lips. But not ChatGPT.
It says: “Choose a bold lipstick that makes a statement, such as red, deep berry or vampire plum. For extra intensity and dimension, apply a matching lip gloss or metallic lipstick in the center.”
Lisa does her best not to make me look ridiculous, but her assignment was to follow the instructions.
ChatGPT says: “This dramatic party makeup look is sure to turn heads and leave you feeling confident and glamorous.”
Basically my eyes are watering, my skin feels caked and I don’t feel like myself.
Pass on the makeup wipes!
Easy to apply: 1
Last look: 0
Cannot cover up errors in AI makeup routines
THE instructions that ChatGPT spit out make it look at first glance like it knows what it’s talking about.
But talking to Lisa, it becomes clear that, unsurprisingly, it lacks the human touch.
The AI recommends using powder right after foundation, which makes it harder to blend creams and clean up mistakes, says Lisa.
She would use it eventually.
And the way it suggests applying the outer corner of the eyeshadow first is unorthodox to say the least.
The difference in people’s faces is also not taken into account.
Lisa says, “You may not want to accentuate your nose, but you also have good cheekbones, so you don’t really need contouring there.”
At the bottom of the ChatGPT website it says: “ChatGPT can make mistakes.
“Consider checking important information.”
Well, that was right.
Professional makeup artists, your job is safe.