Picture this.

Imagine waiting for your flight at the airport and flipping through the latest issue of Vogue.

As you're sitting there, you stumble upon a full-page ad featuring Rhianna's hot new cosmetics line, Fenty Beauty. 

The ad features a group of women from diverse backgrounds getting dolled up for a night out.

One of the models catches your attention - her makeup *flawless* and that lip color she has on... you've been looking for that shade everywhere.

You pull out your smartphone, snap her photo with the Messenger app and 💥BOOM!💥

Suddenly, your smartphone becomes a portal to a Sephora's cosmetic counter where you can try on different shades of Fenty Beauty lip gloss.

Thanks to augmented reality, you've just stepped up your lip gloss game and with just a few taps, that lip gloss is going to be delivered right to your door. 

Doesn't that sound amazing?

Well guess what, that technology is already here.

Facebook Messenger and augmented reality is

the future for online shopping.

Earlier this week at the Facebook F8 conference, Mark Zuckerberg announced the newest features of the Messenger app, among them is a way for brands to use augmented reality to flip the game on how consumers shop online. 

Sephora is one of the first companies to test drive augmented reality in the Messenger app, giving customers a chance to try on different makeup looks. 

Here's a sneak peek at how it works: 

I don't know about you, but when I was done playing around with Sephora's augmented reality experience, my brain was swimming with ideas! 

Look, I'm a mom of a threenager - I'm short on time.  

I rarely have time to head to the mall and try things on so I buy things via Amazon Prime.

Sometimes the dress I ordered doesn't fit the way that I want it to and it ends up getting sent back.

With this new technology, I could "try on" a new dress or earrings to see how it looks then decide if I want to buy it. 

And you know what?

This technology isn't limited to the beauty industry. 

Nike created an AR experience where sneakerheads could look at a pair of limited-edition sneakers up close, share it with friends and then purchase it right then and there. 

👏🏽TAKE 👏🏽MY 👏🏽MONEY

Oh and did I mention that Kia is using augmented reality in Facebook Messenger too?

After the conference, I summoned the Kia Stinger and told hubs we had a new car in the driveway. 🤣

Seriously, I think this is badass and I'm curious to see how brands will embrace this new technology.

What do you think of AR in Facebook Messenger?

Tell me in the comments below. 

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