Set your face free with Mink: the world’s first 3D makeup printer

Buying makeup can be an absolute nightmare, especially for those of us that just don’t fit into the limited selection of foundation and eyeshadow shades. And then there is the hefty price tag attached to the more obscure, glorious hues. Well ladies (and refined gentlemen), the world of beauty is about to shift.

This past week Grace Choi, a Harvard business student, made a splash at TechCrunch Disrupt with Mink: a 3D printer that can produce any shade of eye shadow in a matter of minutes. The printer utilises affordable and readily available materials to create customised cosmetics, and the prototype is projected to only cost US$300. Mink works with hex colour codes that can be extracted from any pixel in any image, allowing users to virtually craft any shade they want — all they have to do is hit print. Imagine a world where the internet is your beauty isle. Incredible.

It’s a simple idea that stands to completely disrupt the US$55-billion beauty industry. Currently, affordable makeup is mass-produced. Giants like Wal-Mart buy only the most popular shades, in very large quantities, and sell them. More exclusive retailers, like Sephora, have variety, but it comes at an extreme price. With Mink everyone and anyone will be able to create their own gorgeous shades, at a fraction of the cost.

Currently Choi is looking for developers to help her take this project to fruition. We think now is a pretty great time to get involved. Mink’s future is looking bright, bold, and beautiful.

Image: Ashley MacKinnon via Flickr.