TOKYO, JAPAN - Women in Japan will soon be able to have their own hand-held beauty consultant after games company Sega teamed up with cosmetics giant Shiseido to offer make-up tips on the Nintendo DS.

"Project Beauty", which will go on sale from November 27 in Japan, is used with a scanning device that feeds digital images of the user's face into the DS, which analyses the shape and position of the eyes, lips and other parts.

The software, priced at 6,090 yen (55 dollars) including the scanning device, matches faces with one of four groups - cool, active, cute or feminine.

It would then show a user's face with no make-up on one screen and a proposed make-over on the other.

"The same user can have a variety of make-up tips for different occasions such as business, dating or formal gatherings. You would find colours that are good on you but you never realised before," Sega spokeswoman Rei Sugiyama said.

"The new software targets women in their 20s and 30s," she said, noting that the Nintendo DS has attracted many users, "including children, elderly people and women who were not considered core game players."

For users who want to choose their own make-up, they can simulate a full make-over by selecting different shades of colours and other details of the foundation, blusher, mascara, lipstick and other make-up.

They can also learn how to apply foundation along with other basic skills. --AFP