At a time when the cosmetics industry is facing a downturn due to COVID-19, L’Oréal decided to offer a new makeup line — accessible only through augmented reality (AR) technology.
That makeup products generally depend on a customer’s physical presence to be sold is not a new notion. So when the coronavirus outbreak struck, beauty companies began to prepare for the worst.
L’Oreal, however, offered a fresh approach to grab their audience’s attention in the aftermath of COVID-19.
And what did L’Oréal do to get the beauty community talking? In November 2020, they released Signature Faces, their first-ever digital makeup line. It comprises augmented reality art pieces users can try out on different platforms, all of which you can access using your phone.
The filters are divided into three categories. These are the Volumising Capsule collection, Plump Shot collection, and Fire Match collection, according to the brand’s official website.
In 2018, the French beauty company had acquired the Canadian startup Modiface to adapt to the digital world. Through this partnership, L’Oréal was able to digitally provide users with the means to try out hundreds of looks with their products, as well as supplementary
Today, Signature Faces is their new brainchild.
The Filters in L’Oréal’s Augmented Reality Makeup Line
Signature Faces has a total of ten filters. The virtual makeup line’s styles range from subtle looks to full-on glam.
Under the Volumising Capsule collection are the Pearl Capsule, Metal Eye Capsule, and Glitter Capsule.
As for the Plump Shot collection, the filters are Glossy Plump Lips and Glossy Plump Eyes.
And lastly, under the Fire Match collection, you will find Fire Match Cheeks, Fire Match Lips, Fire Match 1, and Fire Match 2.
What to Use the L’Oréal Augmented Reality Makeup Line For
Makeup has always been used for a myriad of reasons. One might feel drawn to the idea of using makeup as an armor of confidence and beauty, like in the case of Nikkie de Jager (NikkieTutorials), and another might use it to appear presentable at work.
In the case of L’Oréal’s Signature Faces, their virtual makeup line seems to be ubiquitous and varied enough for any occasion occurring on any digital platform. But the most appropriate time to use these filters appears to be when you’re doing recreational activities, such as video-calling your friends or uploading a story on Snapchat or Instagram.
We echo the sentiments of Marketing Dive. In an article, they say L’Oréal’s makeup filters are a smart approach to engage their target audience, who could not frequent physical stories in 2020 — and even in the months to come.
These augmented reality pieces are by no means a substitution for L’Oréal’s physical products, which are far superior to their virtual counterparts. After all, this set of filters is free. It merely lends itself to a good and optimal marketing strategy given the present situation.
Where and How to Access the Augmented Reality Filters by L’Oréal
As we said, these filters are everywhere, which is no accident. This is because L’Oréal designed Signature Faces to be available on the platforms that matter.
These platforms include:
- Zoom
- Skype
- Twitch
- Google Hangouts
- Snapchat
- And more
To access Signature Faces on Instagram, go to L’Oréal’s official Instagram page (@lorealparis) and click on the filters tab as seen below.
If you’re on Snapchat, go to the same L’Oréal handle and look for the augmented reality makeup line on the lenses tab.
Lastly, you can incorporate these amazing makeup filters into your video calls by downloading Snap Camera, which is a desktop application that makes Snapchat filters available on your favorite video chat applications. Simply download Snap Camera, and you can instantly use all of the ten chic makeup filters.
According to L’Oréal, “Our cameras are always [on].” And through Signature Faces, they were able to maximize this truth with a strategy that highly engages and entertains their followers.
How these AR Filters Work
In a previous blog post, we explained there are two ways augmented reality art is triggered. The first one is the
The latter is precisely how filters appear on your screen, and L’Oréal’s Signature Faces collection is no exception. Essentially, the markerless augmented reality art embeds itself into the real world through different cues, and in the case of these filters, the visual cue is the human face.
Aside from makeup filters, another example of markerless augmented reality art is a few projects NarraSoft did for several of its clients.
Our AR artists have customized numerous AR pieces, including furniture, eyewear, and other accessories. Some of the work we produced employ visual cues aside from the human face to trigger AR art. In the case of AR furniture, the visual cue is an area indoors or a specific type of flat surface.
In Summary
L’Oréal’s first-ever AR makeup line Signature Faces, which people can access only digitally, has created a buzz for being an innovative — and almost necessary — product in the time of COVID-19. The filters, according to their categories, are as follows:
- Firstly, under the Volumising Capsule collection are the Pearl Capsule, Metal Eye Capsule, and Glitter Capsule.
- Secondly, for the Plump Shot collection, the two filters are Glossy Plump Lips and Glossy Plump Eyes.
- And lastly, the Fire Match collection showcases four stunning looks, which are Fire Match Cheeks, Fire Match Lips, Fire Match 1, and Fire Match 2.
The filters are most suitable for casual video chats with friends and video- and image-based social applications such as Instagram and Snapchat.
You can easily access these filters by downloading Snap Camera for your video calls. For some social media fun, visit L’Oréal’s Instagram and Snapchat pages by clicking the handle @lorealparis on both apps.
The two ways AR art is triggered are (1) through a specific image or (2) through certain cues. In the case of L’Oréal’s and NarraSoft’s work, AR art appears via visual cues.
If you’re looking for a company that designs and creates augmented reality art, you’ve landed on the right page! NarraSoft offers top-notch augmented reality art development services at a very reasonable price.
Contact us today at sales@narrasoft.com, or send us a message on our chat box or form.