Shu Uemura’s “immersive and edgy” makeup box pop-up

L’Oréal-controlled Japanese beauty brand Shu Uemura has delivered some blockbuster launches and campaigns across Asia travel retail in recent years. Its latest high-profile event in the channel, just last month, builds on that proud heritage. The brand created an eye-catching pop-up showcase at Hainan Tourism Duty Free Shopping Complex, with partner Lagardère Travel Retail China and licence holder Hainan Tourism Investment Duty Free Co (HTDF). The box, inspired by Shu Uemura’s Hollywood makeup box in bold black and red, offered Hainan travellers an immersive experience “infused with innovation and brand heritage” from 15-30 September. Travellers could “step into Mr. Shu Uemura’s makeup box to explore, play, create and master their own beauty”. The jet-black facade and red kinu satin ribbon entryway created what L’Oréal brand Shu Uemura called “an edgy chic and bold statement” for the pop-up.

Visitors were invited to immerse in four experiential checkpoints: 秀 shu, 色 pigment, 粧 styling atelier and 楽 shu selfie. ‘秀 shu’ showcased the legacy of Shu Uemura, with discovery of the brand’s artistic DNA, with exclusive stories from his first makeup box in Hollywood to the products of today. ‘色 pigment’ highlighted the newly launched rouge unlimited kinu satin lipsticks with a mobile game for visitors. They could the senses of sight, touch and smell to discover the nature-inspired lip shades and silk-like gliding textures. ‘粧 styling atelier’ featured one-on-one consultation with a professional Shu Uemura makeup stylist, alongside virtual makeup try-on powered by ModiFace’s augmented reality technology.

The immersive experience continued with a ‘楽 shu selfie’ option for visitors to take selfies with customised Shu stickers to share on social media. “Together with Lagardère Travel Retail China, we were very proud to launch the first-ever Shu makeup box in Hainan and invite all travellers to discover an immersive and edgy makeup artistry experience combining innovation and brand heritage. We successfully re-imagined a unique and memorable beauty journey for travellers to play, create and master their own beauty. Following the success of this pop-up, we look forward to unveiling more exciting Shu Uemura adventures for beauty travellers across Asia Pacific,” said Shu Uemura Travel Retail Asia Pacific General Manager Youssef Benkirane. Lagardère Travel Retail China Vice President of Duty Free Merchandising Terry Chua said: “We are pleased to collaborate with Shu Uemura Travel Retail Asia Pacific to create a unique and eventful pop-up at HTDF. Hainan travellers nowadays are looking for iconic products and memorable experience, and the ‘Shu Makeup Box’ is a perfect destination. Together with our strategic partners L’Oréal Group and HTDF, we hope to continue to create unique and meaningful experiences that will excite travelling visitors in Hainan.”