It’s 2015, the year in which Back to the Future told us we’d finally have hoverboards. Well, that hasn’t happened yet but can we at least get the futuristic beauty products that we deserve? We can do so many things with technology now, from long-lasting gel manicures to changing our entire faces with plastic surgery. And yet there’s still plenty of annoyances and struggles involved in the average woman’s beauty routine. Is it so much to ask for a lipstick lasts all day without drying out our lips, or for a foolproof way to trim our own bangs?
We certainly don’t think so. In a world where you can do laser hair removal at home, surely anything is possible. Whether it’s to save some time, improve our appearances, or even take pain out of our beauty rituals, here are ten solutions to our most annoying beauty problems that we wish someone would invent. Like, now. Please.
1. Matte lipstick that doesn’t dry out your lips
A matte red lipstick is a staple for every woman’s makeup bag, but the glamorous look can go downhill fast thanks to matte lipstick’s drying properties. Flakey, cracked lips does not make for a good look. Lip balm doesn’t always work under lipstick, and the problem only gets worse in the winter. Some brands are close (NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils come to mind) so can we please finally figure out how to have a truly matte, long-wear lipstick that makes lips feel soft and hydrated even hours later?
2. Self-adjusting tanner
We’ve all been there: applied self-tanner only to find that it either turned out orange or barely showed up at all. It can be a long, frustrating process to find the right self-tanner for your skin tone. Well, we have foundation that matches to the wearer’s skin tone so why not self-tanner? You put it on, wait a few minutes as it adjusts to the perfect bronze shade, and you’re all set! No more guesswork on your part (or Oompa Loompa comparisons lobbed your way).
3. Nail-filing machine
Listen, we don’t all have the free time to sit around filing our fingernails. There’s texting to be done! Wouldn’t it be great if you could have one hand free while the other hand sits at rest inside a small machine that gently and quickly files your nails within seconds? It could buff them and add a clear coat of strengthening polish too, because why not? I’d buy one for myself and one for every guy I’ve ever met who’s too lazy to trim his nails.
4. Nail polish that doesn’t chip (and that you can peel off)
Imagine being able to paint your nails, leave the polish on for as long as you like without it chipping, and then simply peel it off in one piece when you’re done. This would be especially handy when it comes to glitter nail polish, which is notoriously difficult to scrub off of nails. Plus you won’t have to worry about buying nail polish remover anymore.
5. Fragrance that doesn’t fade until you shower
It can be frustrating to spend a lot of money on a nice fragrance only to have it wear off within a few hours of applying. Some fragrances, such as pretty much every Tom Ford fragrance ever, do have impressive longevity, but they all wear off eventually. Can someone please invent a way for a fragrance to stick to your skin without fading until you wash it off in the shower? This body wash has the right idea with its long-lasting touch-release technology, so let’s see other lotions and perfumes emulate it.
6. Semi-permanent makeup
Permanent makeup doesn’t seem like the best idea for most people, but it can be annoying to have to reapply your go-to liquid eyeliner every day. How about something in the middle, such as semi-permanent makeup? Eyeliner, curl-holding mascara, brow pencil, and lip liner that lasts for an entire week would save so much time. (Let’s not go that way with foundation and blush though, because it wouldn’t be good to clog your pores for that long.)
7. Hair-trimming machine
Lots of awesome hair tools have been invented, such as a brush that dries your hair. So it’s really not asking too much for a tool that cuts your hair for you. Nothing too drastic, of course; it will simply help with trimming bangs evenly and cleaning up damaged or split ends. Just input the amount of hair you want removed, stick the ends of your hair in, and wait while it trims everything in a perfect line. It will save so many trips to the salon to even out the new ultra-short baby bangs you accidentally gave yourself.
8. Instant calming cream for redness
As anyone who suffers from rosacea or any kind of facial redness, there’s not much that can instantly solve the problem. Often you have to rely on a slow regimen of diet, products, prescriptions, and even lifestyle changes. Sure, there’s makeup and green-tinted primers and even creams that claim to calm redness, but nothing that genuinely banishes redness immediately. It doesn’t even have to be long-term; just for the day would be nice. You put the calming cream on, wait a few minutes while it does its thing, and voila: you can finally join the celebrity trend of posting makeup-free selfies. Bonus: this would also work for getting rid of redness from sunburn. And just image the wonders it would work during an embarrassing situation when you can’t hide the fact that you’re blushing!
9. Self-adhesive false lashes
There are a lot of annoying things about fake eyelashes, but the most annoying part has to be getting the glue everywhere and ending up with the lashes stuck to your fingers or, worse, your fingers stuck to your eyelids. Sure, you can use a tool to hold the lashes but we say cut out the middle man and get rid of the glue entirely. Self-adhesive lashes would be so much easier to use: just open the box and stick the lashes on. Ideally, they’ll adhere for the entire day, of course. Revlon has actually gotten a head-start on this but we’d love to see it become the standard across the board.
10. Painless hair removal
There’s lots of options for hair removal, but every single one is annoying and painful in some way. Shaving irritates sensitive skin (that’s if you’re lucky enough to avoid any knicks), hair removal cream will probably give you a chemical burn, waxing and threading just plain hurt, and lasers are frightening. If someone invents some kind of cream that removes hair anywhere on the body immediately without the risk of skin irritation or chemical burns, they’re sure to make a ton of money. Even if it still smells horrible.
