Beauty giant L’Oréal Paris, which just named Blake Lively its new face, is following the example of a slew of beauty brands that use vending machines to create buzz in public spaces.
On Monday, L’Oréal will launch a kiosk at the 42nd Street-Bryant Park subway station, where women can digitally shop for mascara, lipstick, eye shadow and nail polish, priced between $5.99 and $9.99, from a machine that uses a camera and sensors to analyze color and gives choices for matching their outfits.
The two-month trial is a collaboration between the MTA and L’Oréal’s digital agency, R/GA, part of the Interpublic Group. It will run through December and cost $700,000 to $1 million. There will also be Taxi TV spots to promote it.
Lisa Capparelli, senior vice president of integrated marketing communications for L’Oréal, said the digital shopping experience to buy a customized color palette takes less than two minutes. Men can also make purchases.
The MTA expects more than 4 million people will go through the 42nd Street station and pass by the machine. “Projected sales are impossible to gauge because this is the very first time the MTA has ever done something like this,” said L’Oréal.
Sephora, Benefit and U*tique have also launched beauty vending machines. Benefit has launched 14 beauty kiosks, including one at JFK airport last month that sells its top 30 cosmetics. U*tique launched its vending machine at Fred Segal in 2009, selling prestige beauty products, and provided the first beauty vending machine at JFK.