The three genius apps every beauty lover needs on their phone.

Image: supplied

I spend so much time on my phone, I often forget that actual people and things outside my screen exist.

The reason? Surprisingly not Facebook. Even Instagram has fallen to the wayside. Nope, the new apps commanding my screen time are, well, beautiful. Yes, I now have a serious addiction to beauty apps.

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 It started off innocently enough. A recommendation from a friend here, an online review there.

Then before I knew it, I was hooked. Forget the photo editing and beautifying apps (We’re strongly #photoshopfree here at The Glow), these new ones are Pure. Genius. And addictive. Did I mention how addictive they are?

So after much testing and playing around, I've rounded up the three best apps every beauty lover needs on their phone now.

Oh, and they're all free too. Goodbye, social life.

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ShadeScout

Making all your Pantone-coloured dreams come true, ShadeScout allows you to scan colours that you like to bring you makeup products in that exact colour.

No longer do you have to spend hours swatching every lipstick onto your hand - now you can simply snap, scan and shop. Talk about living the life!

User friendly? Very. Simply hold the camera in front of the item, press 'scan' colour and your matches will soon appear. You can select which type of product you want to find (e.g an eyeshadow, lipstick or foundation) and even try them on, without, you know, the hassle of trying them on.

It really works too - even something as silly as a waterbottle lid in a gorgeous baby blue threw up several almost perfectly matching eyeshadow options.

Verdict: Addictive. I envision I'll soon have to restrain myself from scanning everything (and everyone!) in sight.

Available: iPhone and Android

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L'Oreal Makeup Genius

Getting ready to go out and lacking makeup inspiration? This app is the genius (sorry!) solution that allows you to try on makeup looks without all the mess and fuss of doing it in real life. It doesn't require any log ins - which is always a plus for me - simply take a selfie of your expressionless face and you're good to go.

User friendly? Definitely - and fun too. You have the option of trying on specific makeup-artist created looks or just particular products. It's a great way to become more familiar with all the products on offer, and while some looks work better than others (ahem) it's a very useful tool for tips and inspiration.

Verdict: A good one to try out looks and test out new products before investing your money and time in them properly. If only you could trace their winged liner in real life...

Available: iPhone and Android.

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Beauty Keeper

This one is for all the control freaks out there. Beauty Keeper lets you itemise and file every single beauty product in your makeup bag in one handy app that will remind you when everything expires.

User friendly? Yes. And so, so pretty looking. The equivalent of taking pictures of your shoes and taping them onto the shoeboxes, this app is a great way to keep track of all your makeup and products in handy list form. It also collects information about when each product expires, and reminds you when things need replacing.

Verdict: Simple but satisfying. Perfect for keeping organisational freaks like me happy.

Available: iPhone only.

 Have you used any of these beauty apps? Got any others you'd recommend?