Cosmetology Games

Bratz Girl Beauty Salon

• The Bratz girls need cosmetology assistance in "Bratz Girl Beauty Salon," accessible at the GirlsGames1 site. Players choose the girl they prefer to style and proceed to choose from options such as hair (color, streaks and style); makeup (blush, eyeshadow, glitter, lashes and lipstick); nails (color, decal and length); and torso body art (decals and glitter). For the "Hair" category, players click on an item in the top "Style" section to modify the hairstyle selections that appear below. For "Makeup" and "Torso," players drag selections to the girl on the left. For "Nails," players click on their desired length and drag all other selections to the appropriate spot on the girl. When players finish with their beauty choices, they click "Done" to display the final image.

PC Games

• Barbie and friends need help preparing for glamorous events in Vivendi Universal's "Barbie Beauty Boutique," available for various Windows systems. Players give Barbie and the girls complete makeovers, including hair, facials, makeup and nails, also selecting outfits and accessories for their big night. Upon completing a makeover, players may view their work in a step-by-step photo montage.

  Players help Sally grow her solitary beauty salon into a chain in "Sally's Salon," available as a free trial Windows XP and Vista download at the Games Cafe site. Sally sets up shop in the mall, and by providing exceptional service, players help her move from location to location as the business grows. Players must reach daily monetary targets to advance from level to level. Once players earn sufficient amounts of money, they may upgrade equipment and staff to improve customer service and satisfaction. Though the business only provides hair services initially, additional stations for eyebrows, nails and tanning appear as the game progresses. Players may purchase the full version of "Sally's Salon" as a download, CD-ROM for Windows and Mac, or a video game for the Nintendo DS platform.

Video Games

• Assuming the role of Jenny, a recent New York Beauty Academy graduate, players help build her a career in Zoo Games' "Dream Salon," available for the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms. Players stylize numerous models for runway shows and fashion magazines, customizing hair, makeup, nails and fashion to fit models' needs.

  Players operate their own beauty salon and try to master various aspects of cosmetology when playing Jack of All Games' "Salon Superstar," available for the Nintendo DS platform. Choosing from game modes such as "Career," "Training," "Free Play" and "Design Studio," players experiment with hairstyles and makeup and learn style and application techniques.

Role-Play Games

• Kids with an interest in cosmetology may assume beauty salon owner and customer roles by engaging in role-play games, setting up a pretend salon at home. The salon should include essential hair, makeup, nails and skin care items. While kids should not cut each other's hair, they may practice skills such as hairstyling, light makeup application and nail polishing on one another. If younger kids engage in role-play games, a parent or another adult should supervise, especially if the game involves items such as hair products, makeup, nail polish and products, scissors and skin creams.

  Kids also may practice cosmetology skills on a model head or old dolls, preferably ones that they could "mess up" in the beautification process and not care how they look afterwards.