Guys, 'The Fifth Element' Is Real: There's a 3D Printer That Applies Your Makeup

Want.

makeup machine
(Image credit: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)

Probably every generation thought the same thing, but I truly believe we are living in The Future. Open your eyes, people! We've got lab-grown skin. Celebrities publish whole books containing nothing but their selfies. And after a lengthy apology tour, Justin Bieber has nearly redeemed himself.

But the thing that clinches it is the MODA by Foreo, a contraption that scans your face, then sprays mineral-makeup "ink" onto it via 3D-printing technology and 2,000 superfine nozzles. It's kind of cute to boot, like a toy washing machine or a space age-y speaker into which you can stick your head.

moda machine

(Image credit: Courtesy of Foreo)

Here's how the three-step system works. You scroll through an updateable collection of celebrity and runway images stored on the smartphone app and upload any one of Diane Kruger one to the MODA. The machine then analyzes your features and skin tone and accordingly applies three layers of makeup: primer, foundation (including highlighting and contouring), and color cosmetics. Did we mention this all happens in 30 seconds?

If you've read anything else I've written before, you're probably expecting me to react like this: "Where's the artistry? Where's the blending? Don't you want to *feel* the textures? Mer mer." But nah—I'm into this and fully intend to shove the rest of you out of the way when it becomes available for consumer purchase. Because I might be a curmudgeon about a lot of things, but the future—especially when it promises a full makeup look in less than a minute with almost zero effort—isn't one of them.

Chelsea Peng
Assistant Editor

Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at MarieClaire.com. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.