MoreBeaute: One touch airbrushing app for flawless selfies?

So, what's up with all of those girls who post gorgeous selfies with soft, bright lighting and perfect skin? Do they have amazing phone photography skills and flawless faces? I'm going to say, for the most part, probably not. Here's a dirty little secret that even I'm guilty of: MoreBeaute, a photo airbrushing app that can brighten your face and blur out your flaws with a single touch.

I think this app has been around at least since the iPhone 4. If you have a smartphone and don't have this app, get it! I'm not saying it's evil. It can be a really quick and easy way to spruce up a smartphone portrait that would otherwise be lovely except for poor lighting or some other minor flaw.

I don't have anything against MoreBeaute, in fact, it's saved quite a few selfies that I would have discarded. However, I think that one can easily get carried away in the pursuit of perfection and results may turn out quite unnatural, to say the least. Let me show you some examples.

Here is a selfie I took a few days ago in my dining room with overhead lighting from my little chandelier and with the blinds open at my window:

Other than cropping, this is the image taken as is. It's an okay photo, I guess. It seems to need a touch more brightness and the colors, overall, are a little orange-y.

This is what it looks like when I take it into MoreBeaute on the default setting:

Holy moly! Um, yeah, that doesn't look "shopped" at all! *sarcasm* My portrait is now way too bright and a lot of warmth from the photo has been removed. My face looks really flat now because so many shadows have been removed. Sorry folks, but this doesn't look very believable.

Now, here is the app on full blast with the settings maxed out:

Oh boy, that's really painful to look at. Scary, I look like an alien. It looks very two-dimensional and out-of-focus. I may as well be a cartoon. Don't do this, guys.

And, finally, here is my selfie with subtle adjustments to the settings:

So, the lighting is slightly brighter and cooler and my complexion looks a little softer, but you can still see the texture of my skin. It's still a huge difference, I think. I could probably ease up on the settings even more, but you get the idea. It's not as far-fetched as the other results. When it comes to MoreBeaute, less is certainly more. (lol)

Have fun using the app and airbrush responsibly! Hope some of you found this useful and thanks for reading!

Hugs,
Cat