The make-up aisles of today's pharmacies are a bright spectrum of colour – but there's always that one perfect shade of lipstick no company seems to make. Harvard Business School graduate Grace Choi is eliminating this irritation with Mink – a 3D printer just for make-up.

Will L'Oréal’s new volume-boosting 'Miss Manga' mascara – designed to recreate the Japanese ‘anime eyes’ look – appeal to Western women? And how will real anime fans react to the appropriation of their subculture?

Augmented reality can create immersive user experiences, but little thought has been given to the powerful sensation of touch. REVEL is a new form of technology that changes the feel of real objects by superimposing virtual textures onto them.

People aspire to make well-informed decisions about purchases both prior to and at point of sale, either online, on their mobiles, or in-store. But there is evidence that the emphasis is not necessarily on making ethical or rational choices.