Custom Make Up Digitally!

At the May Tech Crunch's Disrupt, a Grace Choi of Mink reveals her 3D make up printer

Can you imagine? A make up artist's dream! Print your own custom make up sets at home! I know sounds insane. Maybe it is. Be like a professional make up artist without spending all your money.

Tech Crunch Disrupt is a technology conference held annually where tech startups launch their products and services in a competition for venture capital investors.

I'm sure it is all over your twitter news feed, artists creating vaginas and who knows what with these 3D printers. I mean, 3D printers have been in the media lately.

However Mink's concept is pretty cool, I watched it a couple of times: Snap a picture on your smartphone or pin it on your Pinterest board send to the computer selecting the colour you want, place the make up pan in the printer, press print and voila! Out pops the exact the color of eyeshadow you wanted you made. Custom cosmetics at your finger tips!

Mink's target market is the  13-21 year olds millenials. Her

Choi also wants to use the Beauty Influencers and Beauty Bloggers such as Michelle Phan to market and promote this product. As the sole founder and employee Choi's Mink is a comment on the beauty industry - that beauty does not have to be dictated by the mass corporations on how beauty is defined.  At $300 a pop I should hope so!

"What we're doing is taking out the bulls**t. Big make up companies take the pigment and the substrates and mix them together and then jack the price. We do the same thing and let you get the make up right in your own house," 

With Choi's above quote, I totally admire her tenacity. However I do have a problem with this.  I have been working in the beauty and fashion industry a very long time.  I can foresee a lot of problems with this.

1. As  a consumer, I love shopping for make up. I love packaging and the advertisements that are associated with it, and Brand history.
2. As a make up artist, this printer will not teach you how to shade a crease or contour your cheek bones. It will also not teach you technique.  I mean to a make up beginner, this 3D make up printer will not make a difference in anyone's life. Also, does the printer know the difference between matte, iridescent, and shimmer? With a gold hue and silver specs?  What translates in the naked eye can be never recreate from just looking at a digital printer especially in different lights.
3. To add to the above, you still have to pay for packaging. That is where a lot the revenue comes from as well.
4. You can't recreate consistency of product. Also how do Mink try approach different skin types? 
5. As a marketer, ok,  maybe I'm confessing that I'm part of the machine here, I enjoy brands. I really do. Revlon, Covergirl, Mac Cosmetics have so much brand equity, I don't think that this 3D printer will ever make a dent competing against these giants.

But what do you think? Leave comments below!

Read all about her Grace Choi's Mink Tech Crunch interview about MINK, her custom Digital custom make up printer here!


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