A New 'Do, A New You: The Best Virtual Makeover Websites - Women Campus
You may have seen Taylor Swift’s new straight hairdo in this month’s Elle, and thought she looked stunning. 
Similar sites also allow visitors to mix outfits or makeup before cashing out during their virtual shopping experiences. We’ve tried some of the sites out, and this is what we’ve come up with. Can’t get enough of online shopping, but hate that everything looks good on the size 0 model? Us too! Online shopping leaves us with high hopes for finding the perfect formal dress or swimsuit - sure an outfit looks flawless on a model, but we’re not all model material. Seeing outfits fall perfectly on the 8 percent body-fat figure often gives us a false sense of hope for how the same outfit will look on us. We think we’ve found the perfect outfit… until a package arrives at our doorstep and the contents just don’t flatter us.
Luckily, just as it has for banking, social networking and mapping driving routes, technology has made online shopping easier. Many sites allow shoppers to preview outfits on models with similar body types, ranging from curvy to athletic, eliminating the ambiguity involved in the process. These same sites also allow shoppers to mix and match clothing and accessories at the click of a mouse, simulating a complete outfit. Now you can find the perfect shoes to cap off your outfit, without even leaving your dorm-room! (what could be better?!).
We fell in love with Couturious.com’s virtual dressing room, allowing us to match the perfect Tory Burch clutch with our favorite Kate Spade dress. We could even see how our outfit looked from the back! Instead of visiting different departments, every section is just a click away! Check it out for yourself and tell us which outfits you come up with. Pick up the latest People magazine, and you’ll see dozens of celebrity hairstyles that you could only get in Hollywood or New York. But Daily Makeover.com, allows you to upload your picture and then match different celebrity hairstyles to fit your own face. You no longer need to spend time figuring out if your face is heart shaped, round, or oval to see which style best flatters you. With just a few mouse clicks you can go from Carrie Underwood’s long blonde locks to Rihanna’s short spikes. But don’t say we didn’t warn you, this site can become addictive! Check out what we did with Halle’s face and Kristin Cavallari’s hair below.
If you want to adjust more than just your hairstyle, visiting Taaz.com is a must! We had so much fun playing on this site. Avoid the crowd at Sephora, and the chance of running into someone after trying on a lipstick color that really didn’t work for you by using this site’s virtual makeover makeup finder. The site allows you to upload a picture of your face, then try different makeup products on it. We uploaded our faces and tried on everything from M.A.C eye shadows to Chanel lipsticks (and now we know exactly what shades are perfect matches for our face shapes and skin tones!). Shades of red we would have never dared to try on before were so much fun to test out. We also avoided making a mess of our face, and staining it with too many colors, as we would have in the store. We’ve always preferred lip gloss over lipstick, but now we realize it’s not just for our moms. The site also allows you to buy the products with a click of a mouse. The products will be at your door in 4-6 business days.
These sites are great for your hectic college schedule, when you don’t have time to play with makeup for hours at the mall. From your bed, desk, or school library you can mix and match makeup, plan your spring wardrobe, and get a hairdo inspired by the stars in just a short time! And did we mention that all these sites are free – how’s that for staying stylish on a college-friendly budget?!
Sources: Couturious.com DailyMakeover.com Taaz.com
