Parents' Guide to

Picture Perfect Hair Salon

By Christopher Healy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Fun to get a new look, but don't take it seriously.

Game Nintendo DSi 2009
Picture Perfect Hair Salon Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Picture Perfect Hair Salon Game: Screenshot #1
  • Picture Perfect Hair Salon Game: Screenshot #2

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

latestgame
latestgame Adult
December 22, 2011
age 17+

best

it's cool

This title has:

Educational value
BrailynIsMe
BrailynIsMe Parent of 9, 10 and 13-year-old
July 3, 2010
age 8+
To parents, There are is a slight issue in safety. Children can take pictures of there faces and then if someone near by has the same game and your child presses multiplayer the person on the other end can see your childs stylist. [this is not accesed though wifi] The messages are fine but if your child gets addicted to the game that may have an effect cause some of the messages say something like i am so ugly i need to be beautiful can you do that??? To kids, This is a great game but make sure you don't take pictures of something else.....besides your face like no private areas....If you follow this simple rule this game will be as fun as possible
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

In PICTURE PERFECT HAIR SALON, you work in, well, a hair salon. And by you, we mean you. With the DSi's built-in camera, you can take a photo of your own face and place it on your avatar. You can then cut, style, and dye your virtual hair and paint your face with blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow. You'll do the same for clients that come into your shop, making sure to follow their precise requests for length, texture, and color. Winning enough positive reviews will allow you to compete in hairstyling competitions and win money that you can use to buy new supplies for your salon.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (2):

Picture Perfect Hair Salon can be strangely addictive fun. Snipping bits of hair from an animated face, curling a bit here, straightening a strand there -- there's quite a bit of precision involved, but it's rewarding to watch a new 'do come together. It would be nice if there were a little more variety earlier on in the game -- in the beginning, far too many clients walk in asking for virtually the same cut and color combo. And sadly, there's no way to apply blush and have it really look good. But barring those complaints, Hair Salon makes for an entertaining and creative pastime. The ability to put your own face into the game, and then layer that face with ridiculous hair and overpowering eyeshadows and lipsticks also makes for some enjoyably silly times. If only the virtual clients in the game didn't seem to have such low self-esteem.

Online interaction: Kids can share photos of themselves -- complete with customized hairstyles and makeup -- with friends who also have a copy of the game. This is only done through wireless connection between DSi units and not over WiFi Internet.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about our beauty obsessed culture. Why do the girls in the game feel it is so important to look pretty? Why do they think they are not pretty when they walk into the salon?

  • Parents can also aks their children what it is like to put themselves into a game like this. More than just an avatar, this is actually you. Is it fun to change your own appearance? Why did you make the choices you did in terms of hair style, color, and makeup?

Game Details

  • Platform: Nintendo DSi
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: 505 Games
  • Release date: December 1, 2009
  • Genre: Girl
  • ESRB rating: E for (No Descriptors)
  • Last updated: August 31, 2016

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