AR Makes Its Broadway Debut on Makeup App

The Broadway musical War Paint is teaming with augmented reality cosmetics app YouCam Makeup to promote the show on iOS and Android devices. The musical, which centers on the famous rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, two cosmetics industry pioneers, has been the talk of Broadway since its premiere in March 2017.

Developed by Perfect Corp., YouCam utilizes Snapchat-like filters through a device's camera view. The app now includes filters inspired by the historical musical's main characters played on stage by Christine Ebersole (Arden) and Patti LuPone (Rubinstein). I tested the new filters for this story, but you, dear reader, will be spared the results. Rest assured, the features work as expected.

YouCam Makeup app added filters inspired by Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden, main characters of Broadway musical War Paint.

YouCam Makeup app added filters inspired by Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden, main characters of Broadway musical War Paint.

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"Our collaboration with YouCam provides another way for audiences to extend their WAR PAINT experience beyond the theatre, and for people around the world to engage with the legacy of Arden and Rubinstein," said War Paint producer David Stone in a press release.

YouCam Makeup applies tried-and-true filters and facial recognition to cosmetics.

While the collaboration breaks new ground in promoting a Broadway musical, it also demonstrates what has fast become the standard use of augmented reality in consumer marketing—selling cosmetics and publicizing entertainment.

We are constantly looking for out-of-the-box partnerships that allow us to showcase YouCam's unprecedented facial recognition technology and offer beauty fans a unique entertainment experience.

YouCam stands alongside virtual makeup artists apps such as Meitu's BeautyPlus and those powered by Modiface for cosmetics companies like Sephora, which use facial recognition to enable consumers to try on cosmetics and accessories before buying them.

Meanwhile, the entertainment industry has also been quick to adopt augmented reality, mostly through image recognition, to promote television, movies, and music. Recent examples include efforts to promote Gorillaz, Smurfs, and Archer.

What other collaborations between entertainment and retail could you see occurring in augmented reality? Pitch us your ideas in the comments section below.

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Cover image via Perfect Corp

Screenshots by Tommy Palladino/Next Reality