NEW YORK—Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty went pretty in pink last month. With the help of experiential agency Sunset/Studios, the beauty brand transformed white-box venue Lavan 541 in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood into a dreamy respite, decked out in pink hues similar to the ones found in its new Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil collection.
The goal was to create an experiential identity for this new advertising campaign, "Alive with Color." The launch event featured a glam station photo moment, a DJ set, and color-coordinated menu offerings. And, in true superstar fashion, Gomez stopped by to interact with the 150 attendees.
"We drew inspiration from the overall campaign, which was created in-house by Rare Beauty, and the uniquely distinctive shape of the physical product itself," said Jonny Szymanski, VP of accounts for Sunset/Studios. "We wanted to translate the feeling and intention behind the campaign and the amazing imagery the client created into the overall mood of the event."
Upon entering the venue, guests were ushered through the "Hall of Lip Oils," a series of illuminated archways that were custom fabricated to look like the newly launched product. Each archway revealed a shade from the Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil collection. This entrance moment—a favorite touchpoint among the Sunset team—opened into the main event space, which was filtered with soft pink lighting throughout.
In a nod to the lip oil collection's pretty-in-pink shades, soft pink lighting was filtered throughout the venue.Photo: Mark Davis/The Full Half
"It was an idea that we tweaked a few times to ensure the vision was flawlessly executed," said Sunset/Studios senior experiential producer Sydney Pringle of the entrance moment. "From the precise shape of the build to how we lit the tunnel to the sequencing of the shades, we wanted guests to be amazed from the moment they walked through the doors. From a production standpoint, bringing it to life was just as enjoyable as watching guests interact with the mesmerizing photo moment."
Another highlight was undoubtedly the green-screen video booth, where attendees could be superimposed on the backdrop of Rare Beauty’s "Alive with Color" campaign. The video booth content was then projected onto the walls of the venue's 270-degree projection room, where "guests were met by animated versions of themselves, eventually becoming part of the campaign," said Alex Latimer, partner and executive producer at Sunset/Studios. The end result was a fun, digital collage wall. This interactive moment was no easy feat, though.
The unique shape of Rare Beauty's lip oil products was the inspiration for much of the event's overall design.Photo: Mark Davis/The Full Half
"You can never be too prepared," Pringle said. "We had an adequate amount of lead time for the event, but solving exactly how to translate the guest video booth assets into a projected campaign wall in real time was a task that required some careful planning and testing between ourselves and our vendor partners. It took some workshopping to find the best output solution, but through great communication and teamwork, advanced planning and testing, we were happy with the final output!"
The F&B offerings also presented an interesting challenge. It was important to the Sunset team to reach guests through all of their senses—including taste.
"We wanted to push ourselves past the expected hors d'oeuvres to provide an exciting menu that was not only mouthwatering, but that was also as colorful as the products themselves," Pringle explained. "After weeks of working closely with our catering partner, we were able to craft a delectable menu full of savory staples, decadent desserts, and colorful cocktails in all eight shades of the product."
Pretty in pink, indeed. Keep scrolling to see more photos from inside Rare Beauty's NYC launch event...
After posing in the video booth, attendees could see themselves projected onto the wall, thereby becoming part of the "Alive with Color" campaign.Photo: Mark Davis/The Full Half
Now this is an entrance moment. Upon entering the venue, guests were ushered through the "Hall of Lip Oils," a series of illuminated archways that were custom fabricated to look like the newly launched product.Photo: Mark Davis/The Full Half
Ready for your close-up? Attendees could stop by the glam station to pose with the products and snap photos in lip oil-shaped mirrors.Photo: Mark Davis/The Full Half
Pistachio Culinary Studio crafted a delectable menu full of savory staples, decadent desserts, and colorful cocktails.Photo: Mark Davis/The Full Half
The event was meant to be "a living, breathing expression of the brand’s latest campaign and enabled guests to leave the activation 'Alive with Color,'" Latimer said.Photo: Mark Davis/The Full Half
Guests could sip on Santa Margherita sparkling rosé and signature cocktails, like the Serenity Spritzer, made with Ketel One Vodka, lavender blueberry syrup, butterfly pea flower tea, and fresh lemon juice. 21Seeds Infused Tequila was also a beverage sponsor.Photo: Mark Davis/The Full Half
