Beautified: the Last-Minute Beauty Appointment App
There’s just no getting around the fact that we live in a beauty-obsessed culture. We’re not the first, either. You can look back through history and see depictions of the beauty ideals that permeated Victorian England, ancient Greece, and other societies across the globe. These days there’s simply a lot more access to media (magazines, billboards, TV ads, fashion websites, and so on), not to mention beauty products and services meant to transform the average man or woman into something worthy of a runway (we wish). But what if you can’t calm your frizzies or your stress level has resulted in a monster pimple right before a big event? You might need some beauty intervention, stat, and have nowhere to turn. Well, the days when you couldn’t get last-minute beauty bookings may be at an end thanks to a little app called Beautified that seeks to give users an instant beauty fix.
The app, launched just last month, is available for free download on the iTunes store. The brainchild of current “it girl” Hannah Bronfman, a renaissance woman if there ever was one (not only is she a restaurateur, but she also models, spins discs and sets trends in upscale New York), Beautified seeks to solve the problem that so many of us have faced at one time or another; looking for immediate beauty appointments and being unable to find them because our favorite salon, stylist, or aesthetician is booked solid for the next three months. Whether we need to zap zits for a major event or we’re simply in need of some pampering after a rough day at work, finding a last-minute appointment can leave us frustrated and lead us places we’d never otherwise venture (Super Cuts?).
In any case, Bronfman teamed up with Annie Evans and Peter Hananel to create the Beautified application, which basically works off your current location to connect you with nearby salons, spas, and other houses of beautification that can accommodate your immediate needs by offering same-day appointments (the availability of which are released at 6pm the previous day, perhaps due to cancellations, changing schedules, and the like). The functionality is simple enough; all you have to do is select the service you want (manicure, waxing, facial, blowout, massage, etc.) and the app will populate a list of local vendors, complete with an indication of whether they have AM or PM bookings available (or both), as well as an estimated cost for the service and the distance of the shop from your current location.
From there you can make a selection to view further information (photos, a map, and available time slots) and book on the spot or share with friends. And this program not only provides you with a quick way to fix your crazy mane or tame those unsightly toenails, but also to streamline your entire beauty booking process. If you happen to find yourself with some free time or you’ve decided to give yourself a mental health day, just open the app wherever you are and you can fill up your day with all the appointments your busy schedule has stopped you from attending to. In this “click here” world of instant gratification, an app that delivers beauty bliss on demand is sure to be a winner. Sadly, Beautified is currently only available in New York City, but plans for expansion include Chicago, Dallas, L.A., Miami, and maybe your metropolitan center before long.