Makeover Games: Makeup Salon Games

You start in a salon chair with a client sitting in front of you and a station of tools on the counter. The first step is cleansing: a cleanser, a mask and a rinse. Each tool appears as an icon, and when you pick it up and hold it over the face, the area you can treat lights up so you know where to work. Her skin clears up as you go.

The toolkit runs in order from spa to finish. The spa section has face masks, cucumber slices and steamer treatments. The hair section covers a trim and blowout plus styles like a high ponytail or soft waves. Nails get their own station with polish colors, decals and little charms. Makeup comes last, with foundation, blush, eyeshadow palettes, eyeliner, a matte lipstick and a gloss, each in several shades. Everything layers, so eyeshadow sits under eyeliner and the lipstick can be changed without touching the rest of the face.

Where this makeover game differs from most salon titles is that the client reacts. Pick a shade that clashes with her outfit and she frowns slightly at the mirror; nail a color that suits her and she smiles. A round ends with a mirror reveal, where she checks the finished look and you see her reaction up close.

To get a better result, finish the entire spa step before touching makeup, since leftover redness shows under light foundation. Match the lipstick to the nail color for a look that reads as deliberate. And use the steamer twice in the hair section, because it is easy to miss and it makes the blowout hold its shape in the final reveal.