Description:
Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover 2002 makes it easy to create a whole new you in minutes. (Just try not to take it too seriously or expect any life-changing transformations.) Installation is quick and easy and the program's interface is clean and easy to navigate, once you click around a bit. The first thing you need to do after installing Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover is import a headshot of yourself, either from your digital camera or a scanner. The program does come with some standard photos of models you can use, but that's hardly as fun. Getting the photo right is the most difficult part of using this program. You'll need to make sure you're well lit, you're in front of a plain background, your hair is completely pulled back, all your accessories are removed, and the photo is straight on from the front. Any weirdness will potentially make you look freakish. The best part of this program by far is playing with hairstyles--there are hundreds of styles in just as many colors. While some of the styles are decidedly awful, many are acceptable and even cute. There are some styles that might be suitable for men, but only if the guy wants to look like a member of the Strokes. The makeup section is clunkier to use and slightly less practical--we found it hard to make any of the makeup choices look natural. It should also be pointed out that most of this program seems to be paid for by sponsors, so your choices for, say, jewelry, are limited to the one company that wanted to pay for placement. Incidentally, the box is loaded with so many coupons, flyers, and ads that you might wonder why you're even paying for the product at all. Though we had a few doubts, we really enjoyed using Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover 2002, and decided that we should never, ever get bangs. Click on "See more pictures" to see how we fared with the software. --Ara Jane Olufson
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