Coral Lipstick—It's You! Or So Says a New Cosmetics Algorithm

[FloridaJudy]

I don't know, folks. When they promised me that science would make all our lives better (back in elementary school), I didn't think they were talking about this:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=B70FFD3C-E7F2-99DF-3FCCB1A88955866C&ref=rss

Coral Lipstick—It's You! Or So Says a New Cosmetics Algorithm

Sick and tired of wasting time trying to find the perfect shade of makeup, only to discover that it's a mismatch once you go outside? Good news: getting the right foundation may soon be a mobile phone message away.

Hewlett-Packard has developed a new service capable of receiving photos from cell phone cameras, running them through sophisticated image-processing algorithms, and returning scientifically based recommendations for the shade of foundation, lipstick, blush and eye shadow that best suits a person's skin tone.

I'm convinced that this should be nominated for an IgNobel Prize. With all the problems of global warming, pollution, habitat destruction, emerging diseases, depleted fossil fuel reserves, and the scarcity of fresh water, do we really want our scientists devoting their time to this particular problem?

But I expect that if it makes money that's exactly what they'll do.