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HairstyleLite for iPhone

What is it?

HairstyleLite gives users six different (female) hairstyles that they can attach to an uploaded picture so that they can see what they would potentially look like with a new ‘do. HairstyleLite is the free version of Hairstyle ($2.99), which upgrades users to choose from sixty different hairstyles. For each ‘do, hair colors can be customized to resemble your current look or experiment with different colors. Both applications are extensions (get it?) of subscription-based hair site TheHairStyler.com.

How much does it cost?

Free.

Who is it good for?

Females looking to try out a new hairstyle. People looking to take a funny “Yearbook Yourself”-like look for various avatars and profile pictures. People who like to take fun pictures of themselves and their friends.

Summary

It’s a fun application, especially for the target demo, who will get a kick out of not only putting together new hairstyles for themselves, but their friends as well. However, with only six looks, the novelty will likely wear off, ultimately turning the application into one that just takes up space. If users are really looking to make a dramatic hair change, they’ll get to see the chosen hairstyle on their head after just one use, after which they won’t really have to use the application.

Keep it or Delete it?

Delete it.

After taking or uploading a picture from your photo gallery, HairstyleLite instantly puts its six different looks on your uploaded picture. The good part about the photo feature is that you’re able to move, shrink, and enlarge the image that you choose. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a way to tilt the image, but as long as you get relatively close to the guidelines (which focus on the eyes and the top of the head), the picture seems to turn out pretty well.

For our example, we purposefully missed the guidelines by a bit with our picture of Lauren Conrad. As you can see, the general effect of the new hairstyle on the photo still works, despite the fact that it wasn’t a perfect match.

You’re able to view the hairstyles all at once or get detailed views where you can change the color of the look and also get information on the actual hairstyle.

What is “Hairstyle Info?” You ask?

Not only is the hairstyle described in depth (which could be helpful when trying to describe it to a stylist), but the info also includes tips on how to achieve this look using styling products and techniques, all of which we thought were pretty neat.

As mentioned, you’re able to choose from a variety of different colors, which could be the best thing this side of a wig or a bunch of time on Photoshop to determine if you should take the dive into a different haircolor. With six different hairstyle options and 53 different styles, there’s a large number of combinations that could be attached to any photo, but ultimately, only having six available styles really makes it feel like a “free” app.
While we gave this application the dreaded “Delete it,” we did it with some reservations.

The application is definitely fun in the same way that YearbookYourself is fun, but outside of the couple times that you’ll use it for its designed purpose and to make a few fun avatars for friends, you won’t have too much to do with it. The full version definitely spices up the equation with ten times the styles of the free version, which could be a little more helpful, but it still feels like something you’d only use a few times, like Punch-O-Meter, just for the hairstyle conscious.

We’re not saying it’s not fun, but we’re saying that its appeal is shortlived and limited. The default styles won’t be a perfect fit for everyone, but some will definitely have some fun with it after downloading it.

But will they keep coming back to the free version of the application? Our guess is no.