iPhone App of the Week

If you're always at a loss to explain what you want to stylists, Aveda has just debuted a new app that's a great resource for styling and color. The app, My Aveda Style (free), has everything from Fashion Week backstage styling videos to a hair lookbook that allows you to show your stylist what you like. Instructions for getting the looks are included, as well, so if you go to an Aveda salon regularly, it definitely facilitates good communication with your stylist. And even if your salon isn't Aveda, it's pretty informative and helpful. Plus, the backstage Fashion Week videos are the perfect way to get a taste of designer hairstyling's glamour (and craziness).

There are a ton of random beauty apps out there, but few of them are as genuinely helpful as MyChelle's Pocket Esthetician. Downloading this little beauty is gratis, but it'll score you a weekly tip video, and if you have FaceTime, you can also book free consultations with a licensed esthetician over your phone. So whether you've got some irritating redness you'd like to get rid of or a disastrously huge zit pops up right before your high school reunion, you can get live, personalized advice from a professional without taking time out of your day or shelling out big bucks for a facial. If you don't have FaceTime, though, don't feel bad; you can still get a free consultation over Skype and AIM by messaging mychelle.dermaceauticals and onemychelle, respectively.

Have you always wondered what you would look like with larger breasts? Then, search no further than iAugment, the free iPhone app that allows you to get a virtual breast augmentation in an instant.

All you have to do is upload a picture of yourself, highlight each breast, adjust the "circles" to your body, accordingly, and then pick your implant size, ranging 210 cc to 690 cc. While the app flips and slightly distorts your image, because it's free and slightly addictive (you can really get ridiculous with this one), it's worth a download — if not just for the laughs it will generate.

See how my augmentation turned out when you read more.

She's a YouTube sensation, an author (her book, Lauren Luke, launched last year), and even has her own beauty line. So it makes sense that the savvy Lauren Luke would launch her own iPhone app, Made Up ($5). I just tried it out, so to see what I thought, just keep reading.

With the semirecent launch of the iPhone 4, comes the ability to magically transform your phone into a "mirror" thanks to the second camera feature. And because this feature now exists, ModiFace, the makers of the popular (and fun) Makeup app, has developed a new one that allows you to virtually apply makeup in real time directly onto your face.

Makeup Live ($1) uses 3D technology to enhance your mug with virtual eye makeup. All you have to do is choose from one of eight eye makeup looks, hold the phone really steady so that your face lines up with the app's eyeball outlines, and listen for instructions on how to get the look — all while a virtual brush applies the virtual makeup. To see what I thought, just keep reading.

Celebrities often look younger than their actual ages. But what about the rest of us? A while back, most of you said you don't look your age, but the PhotoAge app ($2) will tell you for sure. Or will it?

Using perception technology, this app guesses your age based on dimensions of the face. All you have to do is upload a photo of yourself or a friend, and PhotoAge scans it, spitting out an estimate of your age. And while I'm sure Halle Berry, who is actually 44, would love that PhotoAge thinks she's 22, this Bella is not so certain of the accuracy of the app. Case in point: one photo I uploaded of myself says I'm 26, but another photo that was scanned approximates that I'm 39. In reality, I'm somewhere in between, but a 13-year difference isn't exactly what I'd call accurate.

If you want to spare the $2 to get a good laugh, PhotoAge is silly fun. But if you want to have other people guess your age, why not ask the BellaSugar Community instead?

Ever wondered what the best way to use that Urban Decay Setting Spray ($29) is, or how to get the brand's lipstick shades to stay? Well if you have a smartphone and a Sephora shopfront, that information is quite literally at your fingertips.

All you have to do is download the QR code reader app, then aim your phone at the quick response codes (they look like colorful, jumbled barcodes) on the Urban Decay displays at Sephora. Tutorial videos explaining how to use the product in front of you will pop up and start playing — no explanation from a Sephora beauty associate required. Will you be excited to check these out, or would you still prefer to get in a chair and let a live salesperson work their magic?

If you take your sun protection seriously, here's just the app for you: Coppertone MyUVAlert. Even if you're not quite as diligent about SPF, you'll at least take away some sage advice from this application.

Just type in your zip code, or the zip of any other US city, and you'll get the current UV index, along with advice on what to do to protect yourself based on the reading. You can then customize by activity levels to receive product recommendations (Coppertone, of course). You can even set a timer to remind you to reapply your SPF at regular intervals. FYI: Every two hours or so is the standard.

There's even a tips section chock-full of helpful words of SPF wisdom, and a link to the Weather Channel website. Will this app blow your mind? No, but I could see it coming in handy at the store or while on vacation. And since it's free, and you get a $1 off coupon just for downloading, it's worth a few minutes of your time to check out.

For this week's iPhone App of the Week, we look at GoNappturale ($1). This app allows you to find natural hair salons — a godsend for any woman who's ever searched for an expert with natural Black hair. There are no bells or whistles here, just a pretty straightforward Yellow Pages-like service.

Upon opening the app, your phone will search for nearby businesses, and spit out a list of salons. You're provided with each establishment's distance and phone number, and by tapping the blue arrow at the right, you'll be sent to a map where you can get directions. Eventually, it would be nice to be able to add reviews and to search by zip code — in case you're wondering what's around elsewhere. But for $1, this app definitely fills a void in the natural hair market, and I can see it coming in handy during travel, if you're new to an area, or if you're just in need of a new stylist.

Lipstick personality tests have been around forever, and guessing what that funny shape your lipstick becomes as it wears down "means" is probably as old as the product itself. But now the hokey-yet-entertaining game has moved into more technologically sophisticated territory with the Lipstick Personality Test iPhone app. It's free — which is a good thing, since the concept isn't exactly complicated. Alternatively, you could just assume that the way your lipstick wears down has more to do with the shape of your lips than with your thoughts, but where's the fun in that?