AR Mirrors
Built an AR mirror installation for Trends' Valentine's Day activation. A circular display embedded in the wall running Snap AR technology locally, connected to a webcam. Visitors step up to the mirror and see themselves transformed - candy hearts floating with themed love phrases, or blowing a smoke heart kiss that drifts off-screen. No phone needed, no app to download. Just walk up and interact.
The entire system ran on-site with zero cloud dependency - Snap AR lenses processed locally with the webcam feed piped directly to the in-wall display. Real-time, responsive, and designed to feel like magic.
The Installation
A circular AR mirror embedded in the wall at Trends for their Valentine's Day event. No signage needed - the mirror format is universally understood. People walk up, see themselves with AR effects overlaid in real time, and the interaction happens naturally. The webcam captures the scene, Snap AR processes the lenses locally, and the in-wall display reflects the augmented version back instantly.
The Concept
Valentine's Day at Trends
Trends wanted an interactive centerpiece for their Valentine's Day activation - something that would draw people in, create shareable moments, and feel on-brand for the holiday without being generic. The AR mirror concept hits all three: it's inherently social (people gather around mirrors), the effects are themed to the event, and the interaction is instant with zero friction.
Why a Mirror
Retail activations face a core friction: people resist unfamiliar technology in public. Touchscreens need commitment. QR codes need phones. A mirror bypasses all of it - everyone already knows how to use one. By augmenting the reflection instead of replacing it, the barrier to engagement drops to zero. People approach, see themselves transformed, and the interaction just happens.
AR Effects
Candy Hearts
Classic Valentine's candy hearts float around the visitor's reflection, each stamped with themed love phrases - “Be Mine,” “XOXO,” “Love You” - the kind of messaging that resonates with the holiday without overthinking it. The hearts are face-tracked and drift naturally in 3D space, reacting to the user's movement. Playful, on-theme, instantly recognizable.
Smoke Heart Kiss
The signature effect. Visitors blow a kiss at the mirror and a volumetric smoke heart forms from their lips, drifting upward and dissipating off-screen. The Snap AR lens detects the kiss gesture via facial landmark tracking and triggers the particle system in real time. It's the kind of moment people immediately want to record and share - exactly the behavior the activation was designed to create.
In Action
Smoke Heart Effect
Real-time generative smoke particles forming a heart shape, triggered by the kiss gesture. The physics system responds naturally to each user.
Hardware Detail
The circular display recessed into the wall with a webcam mounted for face tracking. Snap AR processes everything locally - no cloud, no latency.
How It Works
Webcam
A webcam mounted at the mirror captures the visitor's face and upper body in real time. The feed is piped directly into the local Snap AR runtime.
Snap AR
Snap AR lenses run locally on the machine - no internet connection required. Face tracking, gesture detection, and 3D asset rendering all happen on-device at 60fps.
Display
The augmented output is sent to a circular display embedded in the wall, creating the mirror effect. The visitor sees their reflection with AR overlays in real time.
Interact
The system responds to natural gestures - movement triggers candy hearts, blowing a kiss triggers the smoke heart. No buttons, no touchscreen, no instructions needed.
