Style Lab: Makeover
Common Sense says
- Nintendo DS
- $29.99
- 2009
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this beauty sim could serve as a first introduction into the world of make-up for children who are too young to actually start using it themselves. If the game is being played on a DSi, players can create a model to work with using their own face as a guideline. There is a multiplayer mode where up to four friends who all own copies of the game can connect via the DS's local wireless Internet connection to swap models and photos, send gifts and go shopping together.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
GREAT for tween gils!
What's it about?
STYLE LAB: MAKEOVER is less of a \"game\" in the traditional sense and more of a simulation where players get a glimpse of what it's like to be a beauty stylist by applying various kinds of make-up, cutting and styling hair, and accessorizing a model. With the DS stylus doubling as a variety of different applicators and tools, the player can take part in make-up challenges where they're either shown a finished style and have to mimic it using the correct colors and types of make-up, or given a certain color palette and told to let their imaginations go wild to make a custom look.
Is it any good?
Makeover is one of two games released to kick off Ubisoft's new Style Lab series (the other being Style Lab: Jewelry Design), and it's by far the weaker of the two. In spite of the wide ranges of tasks -- which include applying eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and blush to the face; clipping, buffing, and polishing finger nails; cutting, curling, braiding, and coloring hair; and accessorizing with bobby pins, earrings, sunglasses, and jewelry -- the stylus is simply not precise enough to recreate the styles perfectly, resulting in make-up that looks clumsily applied no matter how carefully it's put on. Also, the colors on the bottom half of the screen don't match those on the top, so it can be hard to select the right shades of make-up. On the plus side, the game offers 200 beauty tips that can be used in the real world.
Online interaction: Online interaction is done locally between friends who each own a copy of the game.
Talk to your kids about ...
What color combinations do you think look great together? What colors might not look so good when combined?
Do you prefer the made-up look or the "natural" look?
If you could dye your hair a different color, what would it be?
Game details
- Platforms: Nintendo DS
- Price: $29.99
- Available online? Not available online
- Developer: UbiSoft
- Release date: November 10, 2009
- Genre: Girl
- ESRB rating: E
- Last updated: June 19, 2019
For kids who love fashion
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.