CoverGirl's Makeup Is Formulated Specifically for Selfies

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Before one of CoverGirl's cosmetics hit the shelves, it goes through a battery of tests in order to find out what it looks in a variety of different environments, like harsh sunlight and unflattering fluorescent lightbulbs. Now, to keep up with the times, CoverGirl has started testing its foundations using an iPhone lens, The New York Times reports.

The added test is meant to identify how different foundations look when photographed and when exposed to a flash from the camera. In July, CoverGirl introduced its first iPhone-approved foundation, Outlast Stay Luminous. The product went through 43 different versions, many of which were sent back to the lab after they didn't meet expectations when shot through the staff's own iPhones. The iPhone test complicated things as matte lasted longer, but looked lifeless in photographs; mica particles combated this, but then looked too glittery on camera.

How makeup looks in selfies has become a crucial part of the equation for brands like CoverGirl. "We've got one type of consumer who is constantly taking pictures, and what really matters to her and her social group is how she looks in a selfie," CoverGirl's principal scientist Sarah Vickery told The New York Times. "It's something we really have to pay attention to."

It's not just foundations that are being affected. To achieve a bolder selfie-ready lip, Avon has developed a lipstick that packs in 50 percent more pigment, which would normally look dry, by using a special "dispersing aid." CoverGirl has also released mascara designed to make eyelashes appear more voluminous in selfies.