Imagine Make Up Artist is from the Imagine series of games for the Nintendo DS that are aimed at young girls. It's basically an adapted port of Cosmetic Paradise, a game that originated in Japan, the only main difference is that it doesn't use anime like graphics. Cosmetic Paradise was also heavily criticised for the fact that every single client wanted to be made over to impress a boy they liked; Imagine Make Up Artist has it so that each client has different reasons for being made over.
You take the role of a young girl who has come to study make up at the Make Up Manor, which is ran by a pair of twins called Alex and Alexis. Gameplay will depend on what day it is; weekdays are spent either helping clients with Alexis, or learning make up techniques with Alex. You are also helped by Niko, a cute white.. thing who introduces you to various jobs around the city and cheers you on from the sidelines. You then later meet Victoria, who becomes your rival during the various make up contests throughout the year. Weekends are usually free time, and can be used for going shopping, doing other jobs on the side for gems, or going on dates.
The aim of the game is to obtain your 'Pro License' after a year of studying through a exam that will test you on everything you've learnt throughout the year.
Tropes in Imagine Make Up Artist include:
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: If you complete the 'Hard Mode' on each of the jobs, you will be given a set of uniform for that job.
- When you complete the game and start a new one, you get the chance to buy a wedding dress, along with the final outfit that you wear in the game.
- Animesque: The game's art style looks like that of an anime cartoon.
- Artistic License: While the game does teach you vaguely about make up techniques and skin care, some of the looks you're instructed to do look garish enough in game, and would look completely awful in real life. Slightly justified in that the make up needs to look dramatic for easy game play.
- Berserk Button: Niko hates being called a dog by Victoria. He also hates it whenever anyone insults the protagonist. Oh, and he also doesn't like it when people don't call him by his ridiculously long name, but he seems to get over that.
- Big Brother Instinct: Alex has this towards the protagonist.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The three guys you can date; Chris is blond, Sean is brunet, and Aaron has red hair.
- The three default hair styles for the protagonist can count; the 'cute type' has brownish blond hair, the 'gentle type' has black hair, and the 'pop type' has red hair.
- British Rockstar: Aaron.
- Casual Video Game: Very casual. You can even skip over most of the make over elements if you chose to study with Alex instead of making over clients with Alexis, though a couple of times you will be forced to do one over the other.
- Character Customization: At the start of the game, you can choose what 'face' type you want for the main character. You can choose between a 'cute' style, a 'gentle' style, and a 'pop' style.
- Cross-Popping Veins: Shows up on someone when angry or annoyed, as part of the game's Animesque nature.
- Dating Sim: Of sorts; you can date one of three guys, but all the actual dates are scripted. The only choice you get to make are whether you want to go out with a guy or not. At the end of the game, you also get the choice to stay with the guy or leave to further your career.
- Everything's Better with Sparkles: When you apply the make up, small sparkles appear until you can't apply any more.
- Victoria literally sparkles whenever she laughs.
- Expy: Alexis looks very similar to Marina from Cosmetic Paradise, and Diane looks exactly the same as Juliet from the same game; they play the same roles in each game too, the make up advisor and make up shop owner respectively.
- Fictional Currency: Currency comes in the form of 'gems'.
- Fiery Redhead: Aaron, though he cools down a little once you get to know him.
- Guide Dang It!: Some of the make up tests and requests are ridiculously hard to get right. You can follow what few loose instructions you've been given and still fail because you didn't apply the right thickness or colour; in several cases you fail completely for applying additional make up, but in others you get bonus points for it. It's never outright stated what you should and shouldn't use either, except during the competition and some of the make up tests.
- You can even fail one request if you use 'beige' lipstick instead of 'natural beige'. And no, you're not given a hint about which one to use.
- Hot Teacher: Alex hands down.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Victoria.
- Sean and Aaron start out like this.
- Justified Save Point: You save by using your diary in your room.
- Limited Wardrobe: Averted with the protagonist, you get a wide variety of clothing for all four seasons, and certain special outfits as well. Alexis also changes outfits with the seasons.
- Played straight everywhere else.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Victoria shows signs of being this from time to time.
- Mini-Game: The protagonist can work part time at the flower shop, cafe, and restaurant. Each consist of a timed mini game, with three difficulties; the harder the difficulty, the more you get paid.
- The flower shop sees you giving out flowers for various clients from a choice of red, white, and yellow roses. Each client will ask for a different amount of each, and you slide the correct amount over to them to complete their order.
- The cafe sees you decorating cakes. You are shown a picture of what the cake should look like, and then you have to drag the correct decorations over onto a plain slice of cake to copy the image.
- The restaurant has you washing plates; you simply have to rub the stylus over the stains to make them fade away.
- Multiple Endings: Believe it or not, the game has four of them, three which are variations on one:
- For the first ending, whatever boy you dated the most will pester you not to move away. If you say yes, you'll get a cutscene one year later where you spend time with your date and become a couple. If you say no, you get the following scene below.
- If you didn't date any boys or you said no to the boy you mostly dated, you get a scene where you and Victoria start a makeup business, which becomes famous five years later.
- New Game Plus: You get to start a new game with 10,000 gems, you get the option to skip most of the make up tutorials, and all make up and hair styles are available straight away. You can also buy all three hair styles and default clothes for each 'type' of protagonist, a wedding dress and wedding hair style, and the pretty pink outfit you wear at the end of the 'Pro License' test.
- No Name Given: For the protagonist, you name her at the start of the game.
- Passing the Torch: If you choose the ending with the boy you dated the most, your character takes over Makeup Manor in the future, going out with your date in free-time.
- Rape as Drama: The last event of dating Sean has the protagonist accidentally bumping into someone at a concert. Said man then tries to feel up the under-age protagonist, despite her protests, until Sean comes over and punches him.
- Rich Bitch: Your rival Victoria, though she does mellow out over the year.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Niko is a white, round.. thing with ears.
- Running Gag: Victoria calling Niko a dog or a puppy.
- Alex not dropping his serious attitude outside of the classroom.
- Stock British Phrases: Aaron says 'bloody' a lot of the time.
- He also says 'blimey!' and 'bloke'.
- Surfer Dude: Slightly averted, Sean surfs and uses the slang, but he's also serious and composed.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Both Alex and Sean fit this trope.
- Team Pet: Niko.
- Theme Twin Naming: Alexis and Alex.
- Time Skip: The Multiple Endings. The ending with the boy you dated the most skips ahead one year, while the ending with Victoria skips five years.
- Timed Mission: The mini games are always timed. A competition at New Years gives you three models to make over, each with a five minute time limit.
- Virtual Paper Doll: You can customize your character with the various clothing and hairstyles, and even add makeup as well.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: After the credits, Niko tells the player the fates of the characters in the future, with the ones with your character changing depending on the ending..
