TAAZ: A Free Virtual Makeover & Hairstyling Platform Where Daters Try Out New Styles to Look Their Best

The Short Version: Once you’ve got a date on your calendar, the next question is inevitably: How do you make a good first impression? By looking your best, of course. For women, pre-date prep usually entails trying on dozens of different kinds of makeup along with outfit after outfit. TAAZ saves daters all that time by offering a virtual makeover wonderland for beauty enthusiasts. You can upload your photo or pick a model woman for free and apply any makeup or hairstyle you like to the image. The site’s advanced tools teach people what colors, styles, and brands create the most stunning looks. Now you can see which shade of lipstick or professional hairdo brings out your particular beauty without having to visit a store or hair salon. TAAZ gives members the freedom to test out their hair and makeup choices ahead of time, so that’s one less thing to stress about when the next date comes around.

Back in 1995, my family got our first computer, and I used it for one thing and one thing only: playing Barbie Magic Hair Styler on CD-Rom. The interactive makeover game was so fun that even my brother thought it was cool.

You picked Barbie or one of her three friends (I always went with the brunette named Teresa) and then got her ready for her date, wedding, party, or career by picking out her hairstyle, makeup, and accessories. I favored wavy hair, no highlights, a heart-shaped necklace, and subtle pink makeup. My goal was to make Teresa look more like me, because it was fun to envision myself meeting a handsome guy for dinner in a flowing purple gown.

By playing the game over and over, I learned what tones of makeup and types of jewelry I liked, but I couldn’t try any of it on for myself in Barbie’s pretend salon.

Now, on TAAZ.com, anyone can upload a headshot and apply virtual makeup, accessories, and hairstyles to their own images. From foundation to lip gloss, beauty lovers will find a nearly endless number of cosmetic options. TAAZ lets users play away, testing out different styles on their own pics and discovering what looks best on them.

A TAAZ virtual makeover can inspire you to up your primping game before your next date.

Their interactive tools and tutorials make it easy to ready yourself for a date without spending hours in front of a mirror applying and re-applying various makeup products. With a little online practice, you can get your real-life makeup right the first time and feel confident when picking out blush, foundation, eye shadow, lipstick, and other makeup or accessories.

“The realism of our virtual makeup application is our key strength and is what makes us stand out,” said Ozan Makinaci, the Vice President of Sales and Operations at TAAZ. “People just love to play with our virtual makeup tool.”

Additionally, using TAAZ’s makeover portal on the website or the app, you can plot out what makeup and hairstyles to rock in your next online dating profile pic. An attractive photo is the first step to getting more attention, more messages, and more date prospects on the web, so it pays to plan ahead and put your best look forward.

TAAZ has so many options to help you create totally original and beautiful looks. You can use your own image, someone else’s likeness, or one of TAAZ’s models as your baseline, and then begin exploring ways to accentuate the face, eyes, lips, and hair. You can do anything from whitening your teeth to applying eyeliner.

Don’t want to put together all those pieces yourself? You can pick a complete look courtesy of fashion icons like Lady Gaga, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, and Angelina Jolie. TAAZ will copy the celebrity’s hairstyle, makeup, and accessories onto your image, so you can see if you can pull off Penelope Cruz’s red-carpet look. There’s also some fun costume options from sexy pirate to wicked witch.

You can add and subtract as much or as little makeup as you like to a single photograph on TAAZ.

Ever wonder what you’d look like with blue eyes or strawberry blond hair? Find out with just a click. You can dye your hair anything from platinum blond to darkest brown or put in contacts ranging from hazel to purple.

When you’re finished and satisfied with your creation, you can share the finished product on your TAAZ profile page and your Facebook account so others can see your latest drop-dead gorgeous look. You can even email your crush a shot of your virtual makeover and ask what he or she thinks. It’s a flirtatious way to get someone’s attention and show off your beautiful self. You can unleash your creativity and discover your own individual beauty on TAAZ.

For online daters, the perfect profile picture is like the holy grail. You want something that shows your best features in the best light to make the best possible first impression on the web. Not sure how to pull off something so important? You can make a hair and makeup test run or get makeover advice on TAAZ for free.

You can get fast advice from the TAAZ community by posting a question or vote on your profile.

Some knowledgeable users submit public articles offering step-by-step guidance on doing your makeup like Olivia Wilde or how to rock a headband. Makeup artists and beauty lovers come together on TAAZ to share fashion recommendations and learn about cosmetic products. You might just pick up a great tip to fix up your hair just right before your next hot date.

If you’re wondering about something specific, you can always ask a question or create a vote. These get posted directly on your profile and are open to all TAAZ members. The polls are a great way to feel out how people view your various looks. You can add images of your TAAZ makeovers on the vote and see what people like best.

“We embrace the audience we have,” Ozan said. “We have a lot of young people who are really into beauty, and they love to create gorgeous looks and want to understand more about makeup products.”

In recent years, TAAZ has created their B2B brand, Sight Commerce, to help retailers instill trust and engagement among online clientele through their powerful visual commerce solutions. Alessio Rossi, Vice President of Interactive & E-Business Marketing for Lancome, said in a testimonial, “For Lancôme, luxury means outstanding service and constant innovation. It’s rare to find a partner who can deliver on that promise and have a significant impact on your business and sales. We are very excited about our partnership with Sight Commerce.”

TAAZ’s tools can be used by beauty enthusiasts for fun as well as for business.

When you shop in-store for makeup, you can take out a try-me sample to see how a particular brand of makeup looks in terms of color, finish, and coverage. TAAZ decided to replicate that experience virtually for people shopping on the web. Using their advanced features, online customers can get a realistic idea of what a certain kind of makeup looks like when applied, allowing them to make an informed selection.

TAAZ has partnered with top makeup brands, including Clinique, Aveda, and Revlon, to enhance the online shopping experience for fashionistas everywhere. Their makeover technology brings even greater convenience and confidence to people purchasing makeup online.

Technology has come a long way since 1995, and daydreaming girls don’t need to live vicariously through Barbie anymore — they can use their own photos to play at makeovers and create fabulous looks from their computers. TAAZ lets you effortlessly color your hair, apply your makeup, and change your look as much as you want with a few clicks.

It’s really simple and totally addictive. In this virtual interface, daters can figure out what shades of eyeliner or brands of sunglasses look best. You can even try on long luscious curls or a cute pixie cut without visiting a hairdresser. Users learn about cosmetics by playing with the virtual makeover tools and can also pick up fashion tips from contributors on TAAZ. With all that knowledge at your fingertips, it’s easy to dress for success before any date and walk out the door confident in your own unique style.

“Most people don’t have a lot of well-lit, high-resolution pictures of themselves handy — let alone versions showing different looks,” Ozan said. “On TAAZ, you can try a natural and pretty look or a more dramatic night-out look in an instant with just one click! Our technology makes it THAT easy.”