Fashion
All The Beauty Service Apps: Explained
We've all had moments of weakness when it comes to beauty, especially when it comes to laziness or lack of time. Luckily, the tech industry has finally caught on to the fact that its cosmetics-minded constituents occasionally don't have the time or energy to step out for a ninety-minute blow-dry or a manicure that somehow stretches past the two hour mark. Enter in the new crop of on-demand beauty service apps. Much like on demand pay-per-view movies and television, the apps offer a menu of salon services to clients in their home/office or gym. The apps are so comprehensive in their promises that I wonder if one day it may become the norm to see manicures being performed on the subway.
No matter what service you're looking for or price range you hope to stay within, there's an on-demand app for you... provided you live in a major cosmopolitan area in the United States. So the next time your hair resembles a crunchy bird's nest or you'd like your cosmetics to look more professional and chic than five-minute-makeup-routine, try out one (or several) of these handy apps. And just in case that busy schedule of yours allows for an exercise break, one app even allows you to book a group Zumba session. Convenience, it appears, is currently at a premium.
CITY MANI
Where You Can Get It: New York City
Services Offered: Manicures
Who's Doing Your Nails: Seasoned manicurists like Gerry Holfield, who is best known for detailing the nails of models at New York Fashion Week.
Price: $34 for a single manicure, and $23 per person for groups from two to five people.
How/How Far In Advance To Book: Book anytime online, and the City Mani app is slated to debut later this Fall.
PRIV
Where You Can Get It: Manhattan
Services Offered: Makeup, blowouts, haircuts, manicures, massage, and fitness lessons.
Who's Doing Your Hair/Makeup: Professionals ranked into tiers of 1, 2, and 3 based on their credentials and experience level.
Price: Anywhere from $50 for a blowout and style to $160 for group fitness training and $200 for mink lash extensions.
How/How Far In Advance To Book: Simply submit your credit card information to the Priv app, select your preferred time, and available professionals in your area will pop up as search results.
VENSETTE
Where You Can Get It: New York City and Los Angeles
Services Offered: Hairstyle and makeup application, each based on a series of prescribed styles.
Who's Doing Your Hair/Makeup: A staff of trusted professional makeup artists and stylists who have been carefully instructed in the art of recreating each look on Vensette's menu.
Price: $150 for either hair or makeup, but a combination of both is available for the discounted amount of $225.
How/How Far In Advance To Book: Select your preferred time and location at least three hours prior to the appointment time you'd like, and a professional will attend to your requested service.
STYLEBEE
Where You Can Get It: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Silicon Valley
Services Offered: Blowouts, updos, and makeup application. The website promises other services are soon to be added.
Who's Doing Your Hair/Makeup: Vetted makeup artists, hairstylists, and masseuses who have extensive experience in their fields of expertise.
Price: A 60 minute blowout will cost you $50, a full makeup application runs at $85, and updos run for $85 a pop. If you combine two services, you'll receive a discounted price.
How/How Far In Advance To Book: Simply select your time and address from StyleBee's convenient appStyleBee allows for reservations as little as two hours before the desired appointment time, and services are available from 7:30 AM to 10 PM for early risers and night owls.
THESTYLISTED
Where You Can Get It: New York City and Chicago
Services Offered: Hair and makeup application
Who's Doing Your Hair/Makeup: Hair and makeup pros whose profiles you can browse to select your favorite.
Price: Prices are rated via dollar signs; a less expensive stylist will have a single dollar sign marking their profile, while more costly service providers may have up to four.
How/How Far In Advance To Book: Using the app or TheStylisted website, select a convenient time and location, and get ready to be pampered. The app offers slots as early as 5 AM and as late as 9 PM for those whose work schedules don't allow midday appointments.
BEGLAMMED
Where You Can Get It: Dallas, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles
Services Offered: Glam makeup, hair downdo, and hair updo; further packages are offered for groups.
Who's Doing Your Hair/Makeup: The Beglammed website boasts that customers will be taken care of by "the industry's top hairstylists and makeup artists".
Price: Glam makeup runs for $115, a hair downdo for $80, and a hair updo for $95. Extras including false eyelash application and makeup touch-ups are available for an added fee.
How/How Far In Advance To Book: You may book appointments as little as three hours before your desired time by selecting a service, time, date, and location via the Beglammed app.
GLAM SQUAD
Where You Can Get It: New York City
Services Offered: Hairstyling, makeup application, and blowouts from a menu of inspiring looks.
Who's Doing Your Hair/Makeup: A staff of expertly trained employees whose superiors are lauded makeup artists in the fashion and beauty industry.
Price: A simple blowout will cost $50, while a full-fledged updo runs for $85, and a makeup application costs $75 per session.
How/How Far In Advance To Book: After taking a peek at the app's convenient style menu, enter the appointment time and location you'd like, and await Glam Squad's confirmation email.
BLOW ME
Where You Can Get It: Los Angeles
Services Offered: Blowouts and hair styling
Who's Doing Your Hair: Local hair gurus whose client-generated ratings must stay above four stars, or the stylist will be let go from the service.
Price: $40 for an appointment request, $50 for a last-minute appointment, and $80 for an updo.
How/How Far In Advance To Book: Plug in your address, contact information, and credit card information to the app, then send a requested time, date, and service to Blow Me.
Images: Vladimir Voronin/Fotolia.com; iPhone Apps
