Nars teams with Refinery 29 on London art exhibition

Nars is taking a new, more modern approach to marketing its latest lip product, Powermatte Lip Pigment. The cosmetics brand has teamed with the digital publishing platform Refinery 29 to host an art exhibition in London called “Power of Mouth,” spotlighting the works of five female artists. The participating artists, which include Daantje Bons, Natalia Stuyk, Romily Alice, Shae DeTar and Vanessa Kisuule have explored ideas such as self-expression and power through a range of mediums, from photography to live installations and portraiture.

Some of the photography features close-ups of female lips, which fittingly highlight the new Nars lip range, while live installations range from poetry projections to “an interactive activity wall,” where guests are encouraged to leave their own message by kissing, drawing or writing on translucent colored sheets from the Powermatte palette.

“The exhibition includes a mirror box that showcases Natalia Stuyk’s work. As part of this installation, the audience will come across a wall where people can leave powerful messages and words of inspiration over two days — the responses left will then become their own piece of art, and a central focus to the exhibition,” said Kirsty Hathaway, Refinery 29’s executive branded content director in Europe, highlighting that the event is a continuation of 29 Rooms, another immersive exhibition the publication has been hosting in New York for the last 3 years.

Hathaway added that the project shows Refinery 29’s increasing focus on beauty content — which has seen a 45 percent increase in traffic year-over-year — and offline events.

“As the digital world becomes increasingly intertwined into the day-to-day of our audience, it’s even more important to create experiences that allow real-life interactions with our brand,” said Hathaway. “We know that 78 percent of Millennials prioritize experiences over material things, so when we had the opportunity to think of an experiential offering for Nars that would engage with the Refinery 29 passion points, we jumped at the chance.”

Alongside the artwork, there will be makeup artists on hand throughout the day and photo booths where guests will be able to send the pictures they take straight to their phones.

“We believe the story this exhibition tells will be embraced by all women and give them a memorable and thought-provoking experiences that would incite conversation around Powermatte Lip Pigment,” said Anna Marcovici, general manager at Nars U.K. and Ireland. “The experience visitors will have, coupled with the opportunity to try [the new products] will also result in highly shareable content.”

The Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment, which retails for 23 pounds, is available exclusively at Selfridges and Nars boutiques for the month of August. It will launch at Nars points of sales across the U.K. as of Sept. 1.

The exhibition will run Sept. 8 and 9 at East London’s Protein Gallery.

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