YouTube AR lets beauty blog viewers digitally try on makeup

Google has revealed that YouTube will soon get a feature that lets viewers digitally test out the makeup that their favorite beauty gurus are reviewing in their videos.

Google announced on Tuesday an upcoming YouTube tool called AR Beauty Try-On "which lets viewers virtually try on makeup while following along with YouTube creators" via machine learning and AR technology.

When enabled, this feature splits a user's screen approximately in half sliding YouTube videos to the top and opening the selfie camera on the bottom. Viewers can then select from a list of products and colors to test on their digital selves and, if they like what they see, they can follow a "shop" link that directs them to the brand's website.

"Today we introduced a new feature in YouTube that we're calling AR Beauty Try-On. It lets you virtually try on makeup while following along with YouTube creators," tweeted Clay Bavor, vice president of virtual and augmented reality at Google.

According to Google, the virtual products work on all skin tones and are realistically presented. Based on the results of recent tests, the company found that 30 percent of viewers used the AR Beauty Try-On tool when it was available.

Though the tool is currently in alpha, brands can still use it by partnering with FameBit by YouTube, a platform that helps creators and influencers find brands to sponsor. Mac Cosmetics has been the first to launch a campaign using the feature.