Microsoft Teams will now do your (virtual) makeup for you
If you’ve ever felt you don’t look quite your best on a Microsoft Teams call, a new update could solve that worry for good.
The video conferencing platform has announced possibily its strangest partnership yet, which sees it team up with cosmetics giant Maybelline to provide “virtual makeup” filters that give your appearance a boost for that big meeting.
The Maybelline Beauty app in Microsoft Teams will allow users to pick from “12 unique looks”, as well as selecting from different digital makeup colors and blur effects, which can be previewed and “applied” before joining a call.
Microsoft Teams makeup filters
“Regardless of where they are working, employees want to stay engaged and feel empowered when collaborating with their colleagues,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post announcing the news.
“The new Maybelline Beauty app in Microsoft Teams from Maybelline New York can help – allowing users to adjust their personal style quickly and easily from within a Teams meeting. The virtual makeup looks let people try out different styles, giving more ways to express themselves at work.”
When trying a look, users will also be provided with a run-down of which physical Maybelline products and shades are being replicated by the filter, in case they want to try it in the real world.
“Maybelline’s mission is to give everyone self-confidence to express their beauty. Whether you are working in-person or virtually, feeling good about yourself can help put your best foot forward” said Trisha Ayyagari, Global Brand President of Maybelline New York. “That’s why we partnered with Microsoft Teams to develop virtual makeup looks – now even on the busiest day, you can put makeup on with just a click. We hope we make people’s lives a little easier.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the app uses AI-powered functionality provided by Modiface, an augmented reality technology for the beauty industry owned by L’Oreal, the parent company of Maybelline, which identifies over 70 points of the users face to create a “virtual map” that enables the seamless application of the digital filters.
Virtual try-on services have become increasingly popular across the fashion and beauty sectors in recent years, but this is the first major expansion to the business and video conferencing market. Modiface has been used by the likes of Estee Lauder and Sephora, and the new Teams app has been developed in collaboration with the Geena Davis Institute with the goal of representing a broad and diverse population.
The app is available now, initially in preview and only for Microsoft Teams enteprise customers, although we’d expect a wider launch soon. Users can access it through the “Video effects” menu after joining a Microsoft Teams call.
The news follows a similar attempt by Microsoft Teams to boost their users, following a recent update that adds profanity filters to block out any untoward language uttered during a meeting.
The addition should hide extreme language not only from live captions in your meeting, but also from the overall transcription itself, hopefully leaving you free of any embarassment.
Via The Verge