Designer Anthon Raimund initially began photoshopping his images to make his friends laugh, but when he became inundated with questions about his ‘cosmetic procedures’ he quickly realised the power of Instagram to project a personal mythology. Anthon is fascinated by the fluid nature of digital identity, and how it can be used to construct an online persona wholly different from our IRL counterparts. Although his Instagram is undeniably a parody of mainstream accounts, it is also a homage to them. Anthon feels that excess, glamour and artificiality are qualities to be celebrated, not scorned at.

Hello, I’m Anthon Raimund; an IRL beauty and an online goddess. We live in a screen age where fantasy is reality, and perfection is just a key-tap away. Although I’ve always adhered to a natural look, I can’t advise others do the same. Most people just aren’t beguiling; they can’t light up a room with half-smile or use bare legs to bring boys to their knees. I’m the one percent and I shoulder that burden daily. With great beauty comes great responsibility and because of this I’d like to offer some advice. Altering your IRL looks is expensive, but thankfully there are many apps you can use to make your face fanciable on-screen. I tested a few and here are my thoughts.

Beauty Editor Plus

This is a fabulous feature for beginners. It includes basic tools for smoother skin and you can add an abundance of accessories which you resize and move into place. This pearl necklace, while not as beautiful as my late grandmother’s, draws hungry eyes to my swan-like neck. 

Rating: 6/10
Download here

Visage Lab Selfie Cam Plus

Love the name, hate the interface, but beauty isn’t supposed to be easy. This app offers a huge variety of filters; some will alter the colour gradient of your hair and others can give the illusion of a burning face. Effects take irritatingly long to load and some fail because there is no way of tweaking it once applied. However, the app enabled my skin to sparkle like the night’s sky, so I’ll forgive some of its sins.

Rating: 4/10
Download here

Hairstyle Try On

I am an heir to great hair, but others may not be so fortunate. Framing your features is vital but one should not feel confined to one crown. This app enables you to drape your face in many different styles; you can even embrace the bald. There are hundreds of hairstyles but all of them are lit harshly so it’s difficult to make them look real. The app does let you reshape the hair to fit it around your face though which is helpful. My main critique is the lighting has to be perfect or you’ll end up looking like a headcase.

Rating: 3/10
Download here

Facetify

This is an all-rounder in terms of make-up and beauty. It allows you to remove your face from your selfie and paste it onto an image from their vast selection of backdrops. While basic, it is also hilarious and kitsch. By far the most delicious discovery is that I can insert my visage into an artwork. In my life I have been a muse to many, and I’m sure if Gustav Klimt were still here he’d agree his painting has been perfected by my pout.

Rating: 7/10
Download here

ZCamera

This app is very limiting, and it wasn’t to my taste. Novelty photo-editing includes tattoos, sixpacks, hairstyles and cartoonish fancy dress. You can choose how extreme the effect should be. In the end I opted for wrinkles. While that is an impossible reality, I am comforted that I managed to carry it gracefully.

Rating: 2/10
Download here

Looks

This Korean app is all au naturale. Subtlety is my style and these soft enhancements offer a barely-there beauty. Warning: if you are facially-unfortunate this probably isn’t for you. There are many make-up looks that can be applied to your face on camera (not just in a selfie) and some are even inspired by K-pop stars. The app also includes tutorials on how to use products in real-life.

Rating: 8/10
Download here

YouCam

Absolutely divine. Exquisite make-up looks, high-calibre contouring and lovely lighting. You can re-mould your mouth to mimic mine or edit your eyes to excite. Completely customisable. J’adore.

Rating: 10/10
Download here

Perfect 365

This is very similar to ‘Looks’ and ‘YouCam’ where you can select whole make-up looks to superimpose onto your face. They all blend into your image amazingly and are based on products which you can actually buy. All aspects are fully customisable down to the smallest detail. A MUA in a phone because sometimes lifting a lipstick can be too tiresome.

Rating: 9/10
Download here