I know what you’re thinking…

In essence, you’re not wrong, but I’m proving a different point here. You see, I’m what I’d like to call an “on-again, off-again” selfie lover. This means that when I make the herculean attempt to look nice – y’know with highlighter and eyeliner on fleek – I must take a picture to document my efforts and never otherwise. So, when regular pictures make my face look like a rolling stone, hell-bent on gathering no moss, selfies turn it into “Dayuum girl, you so foine!!“

So when my Editor entrusted me with the job to come up with a fun way to review the new OPPO F5 phone, my inner basic bitch did a little jig. So I decided to do what I do best – selfie the crap out of my week and see how having this phone makes a difference. CAUTION: A whole lot of narcissism up ahead.

Day 1: The Phone Arrive’th 

It was just a regular Thursday at work. Enter the OPPO F5 and my first thought, “Damn, I’m not dressed for a selfie!” So after the initial unboxing and tinkering around with the sleek interface, I made a beeline for the camera. This phone has a 20 MP front camera, 16 MP rear camera, crystal clear FHD+ display and India’s first-ever A.I. Beauty Mode for added finesse. So I put it to the test and after a few minutes of getting to know the modes, here’s my first selfie.

Verdict: Not bad, at all!

I like how dewy my skin looks in this. I’m loving the doe-eyed effect it has added. My cheeks are ever so slightly contoured and the soft focus on the background is making me stand out just a bit. 

Day 2: Must. Dress. Better.

As I rolled out of bed in the morning, got through yoga, breakfast and the quickest shower ever, I was actually putting quite a lot of thought into what I should wear for my selfie. Such is the mind-bending power that the girl who shows up to work in torn denim, chappals and t-shirt is throwing on jhumkis and carefully drawing her eyeliner on. The struggle to look perfect is real. So with the sunlight streaming in my balcony, and with my Uber seconds away from cancelling my ride, I hoisted my arm and clicked a picture. 

Verdict: Yaaaas Queen!

Turns out, A.I. Beauty mode works wonders in natural light! And if you’re in the mood for some light tweaking, you could hit “Edit” on your image and toggle the beauty mode even further. While the edits present an extreme scale, like natural to anime-level blemish-free skin, I opted for a ‘2’ on the Beauty Settings and got this hawtness! The result? A new DP for all my social media accounts. 

Day 3: Weekend, boo yeah!

I didn’t sleep much last night. Why? Because Stranger Things 2 was here and well, some things are more important than sleep. So with little sleep and my very adorable cat Maximus waking me up at the crack of dawn, I felt the A.I. Beauty had its work cut out. As soon as a snuggle-happy and purring kitty hopped on my lap in the morning, I put the phone to the task. 

Verdict: OMG, what is happening? 

Now with the adorable exception of my 4-and-1/2-year-old Cato throwing magnificent shade, the picture came out pretty well. My eyebags were non-existent, my tiredness was replaced with a glow and the soft focus yet again put the selfie taker into the spotlight. What alien technology is this?

P.S. Max disapproved of my wanton selfie-taking skills and soon found a paparazzi-free spot to curl up and nap.

Day 4: Eat. Sleep. Paartaay. REPEAT!

Turns out, when you’re out on a daily spree to post on Insta, you really have to step your game up. While the ‘Beauty Mode’ was werking my pictures in all the right places, it was up to me to come up with new and interesting outfits and places. Since everything was so easy for the OPPO F5, I took an “against-the-light” selfie just to throw a googly. This was the result…

Verdict: Oooo, nice 

Now would be a good time to mention how effortless the whole process has become. Despite a couple of clicks where my expression is a bit off, I was doing fewer do-overs than before. And that’s an awesome aspect, TBH! 

Day 5: Let’s deck up!

By now I was convinced that the selfie camera is the shiz. But will the A.I. Beauty Mode extend its magic to the primary camera as well? My thigh-high boots had arrived and with my cute outfit in place, I took the phone for a spin. Even with an overcast day, the feature did not disappoint. Here’s proof. 

Verdict: I’m in love. 

‘Nuff said, really!

Day 6: Polka dotted Tuesday

“On Wednesdays, we wear pink!”, claimed a ditzy Karen Smith in Mean Girls, but fashion rules are meant to be broken. Hence, I fished out this little pink and white number from a decrepit corner of my wardrobe, put on a borderline annoyed expression and took a selfie. By now, everything is just clockwork and I am beginning to realize that having a camera that does all the work really amps up your picture taking skills. 

Verdict: Hellloow rosiness! 

My daily makeup routine involves a CC cream, eyeliner and lip balm, but after I took this picture I realized that the A.I. Beauty Mode had added a natural flush to my cheeks. Like whaaaa? The sensors read the ambient colour tones (in this case, pink) and enhance the image accordingly. Mind=Blown!

Day 7: Peak squad goals happening today

So here’s a thought, if the A.I. Beauty Mode can turn my pumpkin face to flawlessness, then can it do that to more such faces? Considering how much I hate being in group selfies, I grit my teeth and rounded my team for a picture. What happened next was 5 minutes of primping, hair brushing, retouching (*rolls eyes*) and then this happened…