10 fashion and beauty apps we wish existed
When it comes to style apps on your phone, what are your must-haves? My old standbys are pretty basic (I’m a Vogue Runway girl). Recently, though, I discovered another digital fashion tool to add to my collection: COAT. Essentially, COAT is an app that operates the same way my mom did when I was in grade school: it takes the time to scan the weather for the entire day ahead and lets me know what I’ll need to stay comfortable. COAT’s the perfect example of a marginally timesaving, frivolous app I don’t really need but had to have. Sure, I could probably take the two seconds required to read a forecast for ourselves, but where’s the fun in that?
Downloading COAT got me thinking: where else could my personal style get a digital helping hand? In the perfect world, here’s how I’d put my smartphone to work. Click through to see the fashion and beauty apps we wish existed.
Outerwear planner
A winter that’s promising to be all over the map (hi, El Nino) calls for a step up from a simple “coat or no coat” notification. What about tights or no tights? Gloves or no gloves? Most importantly, if meteorologists everywhere are wrong and this year involves another snowmaggedon, where’s an app that orders me to ditch any semblance of style altogether in favour of saving my limbs from frostbite?
Eye level YouTube beauty worshippers and cat eye enthusiasts everywhere would likely become instant fans of an app that could tell if your winged liner is really, truly even on both sides. This lifesaver would scan a selfie and give you a definitive judgement on whether your cat eye was truly on fleek (or decidedly not). Next up: an app that rates your Instagram brows and maps out where you should strobe and contour.
To wash or not to wash?
Dry shampoo is a must-have on my vanity for good reason, but there always comes a point where no amount of Batiste can make up for a much-needed wash. I can’t be the only one who would do well with an app that would remind me a few times a week to put down the spray can and just lather up already (bonus points if it included styling ideas for second or third-day hair).
Group chats—condensed
Ever been dragged into the notification bomb that is a group convo revolving around outfits for a night out? Hitting the town with your #squad is all fun and games until clothing coordination comes into play. Avoiding the “What are you wearing tonight?” black hole would be simple with an outfit-planning group messaging app—you’d just snap a selfie and be done with it. Think of it as Snapchat meets that prom dress Facebook group you had in high school.
WWJLD?
Sure, I could catch a glimpse into Kylie Jenner’s closet if I shelled out the money for her app (I have a hunch that it contains a whole lot of crop tops and Balmain), but what about other celebs with covetable wardrobes? If there was an app that had closet tours of all my favourite style icons, next time I wondered, “Would Jenna Lyons wear this?” I’d actually know.
Humidity alert
Sweltering, sweaty, sticky summers in the city would be made a whole lot easier with an app that could let you know point blank if your foundation stood a chance against the humidity (or the broken A/C on the subway) on any given day. I’m already daydreaming about how much time I could spend sleeping in if I knew ahead of time that all the primer and powder layering in the world was ultimately futile.
Sandal season
While I’m down with the socks-and-sandals look (hey, if it’s good enough for the likes of Hermes and Prada, it’s good enough for me), an alert system for upcoming toe-baring weather would definitely be a welcome addition to my app collection. Come springtime, I’d be thankful for a heads up as to when I should start prepping my winter-worn feet to be exposed to the outside world.
High heel warning
One of the perils of online shoe shopping is having a dreamy pair of stilettos delivered to your doorstep only to discover that they’re instruments of torture. The solution? A shoe-shopping app that includes a no BS pain scale for that pair of sky-high heels you’re eyeing. The rating system could involve a scale of 1 to 5, 1 meaning “could easily be worn while outrunning a zombie” and 5 meaning “don’t plan on standing for more than 5 minutes at a time”.
VPL
Not all of us can be like a Kardashian and sport second-skin pencil skirts with nary a lump or bump in sight (granted, that may be the work of Spanx, subtle photo editing, or a combination of the two). For those of us in the real world wearing curve-hugging outfits, an app with a subtle, vibrating alarm if you’ve got a dreaded case of panty lines would certainly come in handy.
Ex-factor
Carrie Bradshaw said it best. An app devoted to warning you if your ex is in the neighbourhood would give you the option of either running for cover or strutting your stuff (I’m not sure how the technology would work for this one, but I’ll leave that to the pros).
. Recently, though, I discovered another digital fashion tool to add to my collection: COAT. Essentially, COAT is an app that operates the same way my mom did when I was in grade school: it takes the time to scan the weather for the entire day ahead and lets me know what I’ll need to stay comfortable. COAT’s the perfect example of a marginally timesaving, frivolous app I don’t really need but had to have. Sure, I could probably take the two seconds required to read a forecast for ourselves, but where’s the fun in that?
Downloading COAT got me thinking: where else could my personal style get a digital helping hand? In the perfect world, here’s how I’d put my smartphone to work. Click through to see the fashion and beauty apps we wish existed.
Outerwear planner
A winter that’s promising to be all over the map (hi, El Nino) calls for a step up from a simple “coat or no coat” notification. What about tights or no tights? Gloves or no gloves? Most importantly, if meteorologists everywhere are wrong and this year involves another snowmaggedon, where’s an app that orders me to ditch any semblance of style altogether in favour of saving my limbs from frostbite?
A photo posted by J A C L Y N ? (@jaclynhill) on Oct 4, 2015 at 5:03pm PDT
Eye level YouTube beauty worshippers and cat eye enthusiasts everywhere would likely become instant fans of an app that could tell if your winged liner is really, truly even on both sides. This lifesaver would scan a selfie and give you a definitive judgement on whether your cat eye was truly on fleek (or decidedly not). Next up: an app that rates your Instagram brows and maps out where you should strobe and contour.
A photo posted by Ken Paves You Are Beautiful (@kenpavesyab) on Nov 25, 2015 at 4:25am PST
To wash or not to wash?
Dry shampoo is a must-have on my vanity for good reason, but there always comes a point where no amount of Batiste can make up for a much-needed wash. I can’t be the only one who would do well with an app that would remind me a few times a week to put down the spray can and just lather up already (bonus points if it included styling ideas for second or third-day hair).
Group chats---condensed
Ever been dragged into the notification bomb that is a group convo revolving around outfits for a night out? Hitting the town with your #squad is all fun and games until clothing coordination comes into play. Avoiding the “What are you wearing tonight?” black hole would be simple with an outfit-planning group messaging app—you’d just snap a selfie and be done with it. Think of it as Snapchat meets that prom dress Facebook group you had in high school.
A photo posted by J.Crew (@jcrew) on Feb 13, 2015 at 3:53pm PST
WWJLD?
Sure, I could catch a glimpse into Kylie Jenner’s closet if I shelled out the money for her app (I have a hunch that it contains a whole lot of crop tops and Balmain), but what about other celebs with covetable wardrobes? If there was an app that had closet tours of all my favourite style icons, next time I wondered, “Would Jenna Lyons wear this?” I’d actually know.
A photo posted by Cara Delevingne (@caradelevingne) on Sep 23, 2014 at 9:15am PDT
Humidity alert
Sweltering, sweaty, sticky summers in the city would be made a whole lot easier with an app that could let you know point blank if your foundation stood a chance against the humidity (or the broken A/C on the subway) on any given day. I’m already daydreaming about how much time I could spend sleeping in if I knew ahead of time that all the primer and powder layering in the world was ultimately futile.
A photo posted by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on Sep 19, 2015 at 2:47pm PDT
Sandal season
While I’m down with the socks-and-sandals look (hey, if it’s good enough for the likes of Hermes and Prada, it’s good enough for me), an alert system for upcoming toe-baring weather would definitely be a welcome addition to my app collection. Come springtime, I’d be thankful for a heads up as to when I should start prepping my winter-worn feet to be exposed to the outside world.
High heel warning
One of the perils of online shoe shopping is having a dreamy pair of stilettos delivered to your doorstep only to discover that they’re instruments of torture. The solution? A shoe-shopping app that includes a no BS pain scale for that pair of sky-high heels you’re eyeing. The rating system could involve a scale of 1 to 5, 1 meaning “could easily be worn while outrunning a zombie” and 5 meaning “don’t plan on standing for more than 5 minutes at a time”.
A photo posted by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on May 31, 2015 at 7:20am PDT
VPL
Not all of us can be like a Kardashian and sport second-skin pencil skirts with nary a lump or bump in sight (granted, that may be the work of Spanx, subtle photo editing, or a combination of the two). For those of us in the real world wearing curve-hugging outfits, an app with a subtle, vibrating alarm if you’ve got a dreaded case of panty lines would certainly come in handy.
Ex-factor
Carrie Bradshaw said it best. An app devoted to warning you if your ex is in the neighbourhood would give you the option of either running for cover or strutting your stuff (I’m not sure how the technology would work for this one, but I'll leave that to the pros).){kind=link}