YouTube AR lets you try on makeup during beauty tutorials

Google has revealed that YouTube will soon get a feature that lets viewers digitally test out the makeup that their favorite beauty gurus are reviewing in their videos.

Google announced on Tuesday an upcoming YouTube tool called AR Beauty Try-On “which lets viewers virtually try on makeup while following along with YouTube creators” via machine learning and AR technology.

When enabled, this feature splits a user’s screen approximately in half, sliding YouTube videos to the top and opening the selfie camera on the bottom.

Viewers can then select from a list of products and colours to test on their digital selves and, if they like what they see, they can follow a “shop” link that directs them to the brand’s website.

According to Google, the virtual products work on all skin tones and are realistically presented. Based on the results of recent tests, the company found that 30% of viewers used the AR Beauty Try-On tool when it was available.

Though the tool is currently in alpha, brands can still use it by partnering with FameBit by YouTube, a platform that helps creators and influencers find brands to sponsor.

Mac Cosmetics has been the first to launch a campaign using the feature.

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