'Hi-def' makeup: A new wrinkle in cosmetics | Cosmetics & Makeup

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'Hi-def' makeup: A new wrinkle in cosmetics

Canwest News Service-The newest trend in beauty products may have women declaring they're ready for their close-ups.

Taking a cue from the electronics industry, cosmetics are going "hi-def." At least a dozen brands have recently introduced, or are about to launch, products whose names borrow from technology -- from Cargo's blu-ray Collection to Dior's High Definition Serum Foundation.

The implied promise is that Makeup 2.0 is advanced enough to withstand even the merciless magnifying glass of high-resolution cameras.

Every social event caught on camera will soon be an opportunity for friends to analyse every flaw in your complexion.

"If anything, beauty companies are trying to keep up with consumers and their interests by using this sort of terminology," says Juliette Baxter, beauty director of Flare magazine. "The HD link is really smart and fun."

Even product descriptions are starting to sound less glamourpuss than gearhead. Dior's High Definition Serum Foundation, launching Feb. 1, contains HD Liquid Crystal Pigments which reflect light by following their "constantly varying wavelengths and providing a unique hologram effect." Likewise, Cargo's upcoming blu-ray Collection is promoted as having components such as "photochromatic pigments" and capacity for "optical blurring."

"Half of it is marketing," says Baxter. "But the truth of it, too, is that pigments in cosmetics have gotten a lot finer over the years

. . . You can't see the makeup on your face the way you did 10 or 15 years ago."

But Lynda Steele, co-anchor of Global News Edmonton, said: "I'm not convinced that HDTV makeup is anything other than a scam to make us spend more on products we don't need. Regardless of the makeup brand, if you have to whip out after work to emcee a function, you're going to look like a drag queen."

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