Have you ever found yourself on the Glossier homepage wondering “What tint shade am I?!” Don't despair—figuring it out is really quite easy. First of all, the Perfecting Skin Tint is very sheer, so if you have even an inkling about which shade you are, that inkling is probably right. Go with your gut, and know that this, honestly, is very hard to screw up.
But if you're having doubts (as is common when purchasing any skin-colored product online), we're here to help. As is our brand-spanking-new shade finder tool, debuting on Glossier.com this week. It's simple: Upload a picture of yourself in direct light (don't whitewash yourself, though), and through the wonders of technology, we'll figure out what shade you are. In seconds! Never wonder where you fall on the color spectrum again. Also exciting to note: We've released two darker tint shades—Deep and Rich.
But this shade finder didn't come out of thin air fully formed. In honor of the beautiful struggle that is building things that optimize customer experience on the internet, here are a few of the versions that didn't see the light of day.
The Wheel of Shade Selection
It's nice to have another chance to look at all of our lovely shade finder models, but self-identifying is a slippery slope for some. In your mind, you might look like a Medium, when really, you're closer to Light. Both beautiful, but definitely not the same skin tone. The user experience here was too difficult. Next!
Tinder Your Right Shade
This one might be the office favorite. Just like online dating, here, the user would have to answer a bunch of questions (except these questions were about skin tone, not about what you like to do in your spare time). After a few rounds, It's A Match! Again, a little difficult for the user—but made up for by the sheer fun of Tindering your way to ideal makeup.
Be Your Own Tint Cam Girl
Similar to the final product, this tool asked the user to take a photo of him or herself, but with a white piece of paper in the frame to color-balance. Accurate, sure, but not convenient. What if you want to find your ideal shade while you're on your phone, riding the subway? The receipt at the bottom of your purse probably won't work in lieu of paper. On to something more convenient...
The Mask
Back to the upload-a-photo-of-yourself drawing board, this iteration was meant to do exactly what the tint does in real life—provide a slight airbrushing effect on top of the skin. But when it comes down to it, a digital overlay of tint looks about as realistic as those Try On This Haircut apps. A full face of digital makeup looked awkward—so what about swatching?
Once the swatch idea took hold, things started to heat up. It's how we arrived at the final form of the tool—upload a photo, focus in on a swatch of your skin, we'll analyze it, and tell you your shade. It's easy, it's quick, and most importantly, it's accurate. No more guesswork. It's a beautiful thing.
Photographed by Tom Newton.
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