An application that simulates a haircut helps you change your look without difficulty or insecurity!
The Mary Kay Virtual Makeover app can help you make the best decisions for your new personal style.
The application was developed to simulate makeup and hairstyles. Lets you try out different female hairstyles on your images.
That way, the user can imagine a new look before actually changing it. And the results can be presented to your hairdresser for inspiration. This app does not simulate men's haircuts.
Mary Kay Virtual Makeover Tutorial
We provide a complete tutorial on how to use the app to try out the haircuts available in the exclusive version for Android.
Step 1: Install
First, you need to go to your phone's app store and install Mary Kay Virtual Makeover and select Portuguese in the app.
Then click on the photo and upload it to the forum so that your face can be used in the application to test hairstyles.
Step 2: Get started
The app will guide the look of the photo, placing the face in a well-lit environment, pulling out the hair and other details. Make photos suitable for use with the app.
Once you have your ideal photo, just click on the “Next” button to move on to the next step.
Step 3: Adjust the hairstyle
In the bottom bar of the screen, slide until you find the “Hair” option. Tap on the options depending on the style you want, be it short, medium, braided or long.
Different clips appear in a bar at the bottom of the screen. To test it out, just click on it and the hair will be applied to your photo.
Step 4: Adjust
If the hair is not the ideal size for your simulation, you can adjust it by clicking on the “Adjust Appearance” column, then you can adjust the position of the strands.
This way, you can simulate with maximum precision, ensuring that you really understand how the cut will look on your hair.
Then click on the photo area to zoom in and out with the tools on the side. Drag the mannequin's hair so that the root line is in the correct position on his face. If there is something strange in your application that simulates the hairstyle, if so, click on the image again to open the appearance adjustment bar and select “Shape” to adjust it.
Always click on the part of the hair you want to change and drag until you get the desired shape. It is to achieve the most natural result.
Step 5: Save the hairstyle you want
Once you have the desired effect, click on the menu and select “Save this look” to save the image. Then you can do other tests and save your favorite options.
That way, you can have a database of your favorite images and hand it over to the professional of your choice for the necessary editing.
Did you like these tips? There are several apps that give you the option to test your hairstyle! Use the app's efficiency to change your look more safely, if you've already used the app, leave your comment.
How to choose between the options
- It works without internet. Editors who process photos on their own device work offline. Those that rely on a server do not—and send your photo externally.
- Resolution of the exported file. Some reduce the image size when exporting without a signature. If the photo is for printing, this is a crucial factor.
- Watermark on the free version. This is the most common trick: the app lets you edit for free, but then stamps the logo on it when you save. Check this before investing your time.
- App weight. Full-featured editors can exceed 300 MB. On devices with limited storage, a lightweight app will handle the basics without crashing.
What these apps don't do
This is the part that almost no list mentions, and it's precisely what separates expectation from result.
- No app can see through clothes or walls. What exists is simulation — a generated image, not a captured image.
- Recovering deleted photos only works on images that haven't been overwritten yet, and the chances of success decrease with each use of the device.
- Beauty filters alter the image; they don't alter the person. It's important to remember this when comparing the result to an unedited photo.
- They don't remove watermarks from third-party photos. Besides not working properly, using the image without a license is a copyright violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to recover a deleted photo?
If there's a backup in Google Photos or iCloud, yes. Without a backup, only if the space hasn't been overwritten—and that chance drops quickly.
Can I edit without a watermark for free?
Yes, in several applications, but with limited features. Check beforehand by saving a test image.
Is a free editor safe?
Check the permissions requested. A photo editor does not need access to contacts, messages, or microphone.
Does the photo lose quality when edited?
Each export recompresses the file. Edit once and save, instead of saving after each adjustment.
Which format should I save it in?
JPEG for general use, PNG when there is transparency or text, and the original format when archiving.
How to use it in practice
- Work on a copy. Duplicate the image before editing. Good apps do this automatically, but double-checking prevents losing the original.
- Save only once. Each export process recompresses the file. Make all the necessary adjustments and export at the end.
- Export at the highest quality available. If you're going to print, look for the high-resolution export option — some free versions reduce the resolution without warning.
- Crop with the purpose of taking into account where the photo will end up. Square and vertical 4:5 for social media, 16:9 for screen. Crop after exporting and recompress again.
What goes wrong most often?
- Increasing the resolution in the hope of revealing detail — the program estimates pixels, it doesn't retrieve information.
- Send a photo of a document or a child to an editor who processes it in the cloud.
- Discovering the watermark only when exporting, after half an hour of editing.
- Saving after each adjustment and watching the image lose sharpness without understanding why.
Before installing: what's already on the device
The phone's built-in gallery editor already handles cropping, light adjustment, object removal, and perspective correction in recent versions of Android and iPhone. For quick adjustments, it solves the problem without installing anything or sending the image externally.
Three variables that the simulation ignores.
The hair preview overlays a hair image onto your photo. It adjusts the size and angle, but works on a pre-made cutout made with someone else's hair.
The actual cut depends on three things that none of these screens measure: yarn texture, density, and actual length.
Hair texture refers to the natural behavior of the hair strand: straight, wavy, curly, or kinky. Density is the number of hairs growing per square centimeter of the scalp, and should not be confused with the thickness of each individual strand. Current length defines what is currently possible to style.
The same Chanel design applied to a photo of two people produces the same image on the screen and two completely different results on the chair.
The texture determines the final length.
Curly and kinky hair shrinks when it dries. A stretched wet strand marks a certain length; as it dries and forms its curl, it rises. Those who cut their hair by looking at a simulation often ask for a shorter length than they can handle and get a shock when they wash it after the cut.
That's why haircuts on curly hair are usually done with the hair dry, so the stylist can see where each strand will end up.
- Bangs on wavy or curly hair open up and rise. The straight, heavy bangs seen on screen require daily blow-drying and brushing to maintain their shape.
- Fine, low-density hair doesn't hold very short layers well. The ends at the top lack weight, resulting in volume at the top but a lack of body at the bottom.
- Very thick and straight hair requires careful thinning, because the wrong layering creates a helmet effect on the sides.
Face shape as a reference for volume.
The discussion about face shape works better as an idea of volume balance than as a list of prohibitions. No one is obligated to follow it.
- Round face: volume at the top and vertical length tend to elongate; volume concentrated at cheek level tends to widen.
- Square face: loose strands and soft waves around the jawline soften the jawline.
- Oval face: accepts almost anything, which already reduces the usefulness of the rule.
- Long face: bangs and horizontal volume shorten the impression of length.
- Heart-shaped face: volume at chin level compensates for a wider forehead.
Use this as a starting point in the conversation, not as a verdict.
What to bring when you go for a haircut
The simulation alone is a weak reference within the salon, because it shows your face with someone else's hair. Bring more material.
- A reference photo with hair that has a similar texture to yours, and not just the image that the app generated.
- Two or three references are needed for the professional to understand what is repeated between them and to grasp the central idea.
- A picture of what you don't want. This item prevents more frustration than any positive reference.
- A photo of her hair dry and natural, without brushing. It shows the starting point.
Simply put, describe what you expect: lighter, shorter in the front without sacrificing length, with bangs that can be pinned back.
Combine maintenance before the scissors touch
Too many beautiful haircuts can be unsustainable in the routine of the person who requested them. Before deciding, consider three points.
- How often does the haircut need a touch-up to maintain the same style? Short haircuts and bangs lose their shape much faster than long hair.
- If the result depends on using a hairdryer, brush, or straightener every day, then add that time to your morning routine and make your decision with that number in mind.
- What products and techniques did the professional use to achieve that finish on that day?.
A haircut that only works with thirty minutes of daily styling isn't the haircut you should wear.
Color is even less reliable on screen.
If shape simulation is already inaccurate, color simulation is even more so. The colored image on the screen ignores the chemical history of the hair fiber, and it is this history that dictates the result.
Hair that has already undergone coloring, bleaching, straightening, or henna treatments reacts unpredictably. The same formula can produce different tones in the lengths and roots of the same hair, because the roots are virgin hair and the rest is not.
That's why the strand test exists: the professional applies the formula to a hidden strand of hair, monitors the time, and sees the true tone before committing to the entire head. It's a step that digital previews cannot replace.
Talk about everything that's been done to your hair, including what you've done at home. Chemical residue remains in the hair until it's cut.
The inexpensive test to do before deciding.
There's a free test that tells you more than the simulation: tie your hair back to the length you intend to cut it.
Fold the ends inwards and secure with clips at the desired height, letting the volume fall as it would normally. Look at it from the front and side, in the mirror and in a photo.
Do this for a few days in a row, at different times: in the morning, at work, at night. The first impression is almost always one of strangeness, and it passes. What remains after three or four days is useful information.
If you don't get used to your face being framed like that on any of those days, then the haircut isn't what you want, no matter how good it looks on screen.
