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Facebook lets you 'try on' clothes and makeup with AR ads

Your News Feed is getting augmented.

Sean Keane Former Senior Writer
Sean knows far too much about Marvel, DC and Star Wars, and poured this knowledge into recaps and explainers on CNET. He also worked on breaking news, with a passion for tech, video game and culture.
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The AR ads let people "try on" clothes and makeup.

Facebook/Screenshot by CNET

Facebook is bringing augmented reality (AR) to its ads by letting you "try on" clothes and makeup before you buy.

The AR ads appear the same way as any other in News Feed, with a new "Tap to try on" option in the photo. If you do so, Facebook accesses your phone's camera and allows you see how the item would look on you.

If you like the item, you can "seamlessly" go from the AR experience to actually buying it, the social media giant says in its blog post.

Michael Kors was the first brand to test the ads, by allowing people to try on and purchase sunglasses. Facebook plans to expand its AR ad offering later in the summer, with brands like Sephora.

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Nyx Professional Makeup, Bobbi Brown, Pottery Barn and Wayfair will join the push too, Buzzfeed reports.

The move brings Facebook into an AR market previously dominated by Snapchat, which offered  sponsored Lenses, CNBC notes.

In May, Facebook revealed a new, easier to use version of its AR Studio that will be compatible with Messenger and Instagram.

The company also hid AR Target Tracker tech secret portals in Ready Player One movie posters earlier this year.

Dominating the format has been in among the Facebook's goals since 2017, when CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that it was testing ways to implement the tech.

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