If you were a teen in the early 2000s like I was, you likely painted your cheeks with sparkling bronzer — the more, the better. Thank God Myspace is defunct, because photos from that era make me cringe. Do a quick Google of «bronzer makeup early 2000s» and you’ll see what I mean.
I wish they taught makeup application in women’s health class. A session on «how to apply bronzer or blush» would’ve been an important life lesson. Instead, I learned algebra (that I’ve never used).
Oh, to be a kid these days with AI to turn to. While there was always YouTube to learn application techniques, I needed to see a makeup or beauty therapist to get specific advice for my skin.
But who has money for that as a student?
So, if you can use AI to see how you’ll age, test out new hairstyles, try on outfits, predict your future baby’s face and create headshots, you can use it as a makeup artist.
Prompt your way to complexion perfection
Yes, you can turn your ChatGPT into a color consultant for all your beauty needs.
A color analysis looks at your skin tone, hair color and eye color to create a color palette for makeup and shades of clothing to wear to make you look fabulous.
Girlies, you know what I’m talking about. There’s usually one color that makes your eyes pop or your skin glow. It’s the color you’re wearing when you get the most compliments.
Here’s how I did it.
In terms of setup, all I needed was a ChatGPT account and good lighting for a selfie. I took the selfie without any makeup on to get the most accurate result. I also checked my camera roll for any recent photos of me head on, just to provide more context.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against ChatGPT maker OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
I uploaded two selfies and three supporting headshots to start with, along with this first prompt:
«You are a makeup artist and beautician. Provide a color analysis by assessing my skin tone, eye color, hair color, face shape and features. I have attached two selfies and three candid headshots.»
For someone who has worn the same plum-colored lipstick for years, the bar for improvement is low.
Here’s what my ChatGPT «color consultant» said:
I learned my eyes are referred to as «sunburst green» in makeup artistry. Fancy! It was pretty bang on with my wardrobe of choice, suggesting some of my favorite colors like teal and lavender. Surprisingly, it told me to avoid mustard.
It even provided the best nail colors and material textures that suit my skin.
Next, I asked ChatGPT for a personalized color palette. I discovered my ideal color palette is «soft summer,» which includes muted or neutral tones that enhance my natural features.
It generated tables and hex codes, so I asked ChatGPT to provide a photo of each hex code color so I could easily see them all. It generated a chart in seconds, with instructions that correspond to each line. For instance: pinks and mauves for lips, cheeks and tops; blues and teals to highlight my eye color; and makeup-friendly nudes for nails, natural lips and soft tones.
This is super handy because I can reference it whenever I’m buying a new makeup product, clothing item or outfit. I could even take it one step further and upload the product I’m purchasing to ask if it fits within my color analysis.
For example, I want to get a non-toxic replacement for my trusty plum lipstick that’s almost gone.
I found a new item and shade I like, so I fed ChatGPT a product link and asked if it will suit me well. It gave me a thorough analysis of why it’s a good color choice. It even linked to TikTok reviews.
Another fun request is to ask ChatGPT to create a personal mood board for more inspiration. You could do this for every season and adjust your makeup and wardrobe to suit. This would be handy, as I tend to wear the same shades year-round.
I asked it to make me one for summer 2025.
Cute!
I love how it even added accessories, which I hadn’t thought about (but I also struggle to mix and match).
The verdict
No one really teaches you how to apply makeup or make choices based on our skin tone, eye and hair color. Big sisters and girlfriends lovingly call you out on bad choices, but we rarely spend time optimizing makeup application.
I learned a lot from a quick conversation with ChatGPT. I’ll save the personalized color palette on my phone to check when I’m shopping. If I have a special event coming up, I could consult with ChatGPT about my outfit and makeup color choices.
It’s like having your very own personal stylist.
But just be careful not to outsource all your style decision making to ChatGPT. Some of my best outfits break all fashion rules but just «work.»