M•A•C  x sephora

M•A•C x
SEPHORA

Experiential Conception, Development, Design, Execution

Launch party celebrating the arrival of M•A•C Cosmetics at Sephora North America.

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in a black outfit, zebra-print pants, and spotted fur coat posing beneath a sign reading “Welcome to Sephora.”. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

THE UMBRELLA was engaged by M·A·C Cosmetics to concept, develop, & produce a launch party celebrating their long awaited arrival at Sephora throughout North America.

Working with esteemed production designer, Sayoko Osada, we developed a concept of two parallel roads converging into one. We realized this vision by recreating a 90s NYC streetscape complete with billboards, a newsstand, a custom payphone product dispenser, four period specific cars & much more.

Guests were transported to a nostalgic fantasy of NYC as they explored the space, following the road to dozens of curated UGC moments, a live performance by Boy Harsher, and customized NYC delicacies like elevated hot dogs, pretzels, & pizza. 

Guests entered through a wheat pasted facade, through a custom aluminum M•A•C x SEPHORA billboard step & repeat, and made their way down the converging roads into the the main spaces. Custom fabricated billboards provided both ambiance and photo ops as they explored the space.

The venue, a former early 20th century taxi garage, was chosen specifically for the theme, allowing us to create the most convincing scenic execution including utilizing real cars for key guest photo-moments.

The Payphone

A custom payphone booth was fabricated as an innovative product dispenser. When guests passed the phone booth, an operator would ring the phone. When guests answered the phone, the operator prompted them to choose one of three product options by pressing buttons 1 through 3.


After guests pressed their button, an operator would place their product into a hidden compartment beneath the payphone and slide the drawer out to the guests to retrieve the product. This moment quickly became a guest favorite and a photo-op hotspot. 

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman taking a mirror selfie outside a Sephora store, wearing a brown coat and cream textured scarf. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

As guests followed the road and turned the corner, they discovered another hero photo moment, a vintage black Mercedes convertible decked out with Sephora shopping bags and product to produce their own “Car Haul” content.

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in a zebra-print dress and spotted fur coat posing in a dark room with a city skyline backdrop. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

We also fabricated human sized M•A•C & Sephora shopping bags that guests used as highly viral photo props.

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in a pale pink outfit standing behind an oversized black-and-white striped Sephora shopping bag at an event. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman posing beside a black convertible filled with Sephora shopping bags, holding a large MAC Cosmetics bag in front of a city skyline backdrop. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

The M•A•C Press Newsstand

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: MAC Cosmetics press display with makeup products, promotional newspapers, mirrors, and MACzine magazines in illuminated shelves. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Group of women applying makeup at a cosmetics event with mirrors, brushes, and beauty products. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

We designed and fabricated a full-scale NYC Newsstand to serve as a product discovery moment to sample three lip kits by the M•A•C x Sephora campaign brand ambassadors, Chappell Roan, Gabriette, & Quen Blackwell. Staffed by a M•A•C makeup artist, guests sampled and selected their favorite lip combo to take as a giftbag.

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: MAC makeup display featuring lipsticks, eyeshadows, foundation bottles, brushes, and promotional beauty posters. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: MAC Cosmetics display in a Sephora store featuring makeup products, illuminated mirrors, magazines, and a digital beauty advertisement. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

The Billboards

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in a cream blouse and white pants posing beside a Netflix promotional sign reading “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go to Soho.”. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

We fabricated five full-sized billboards to immerse guests in the theme and campaign imagery for the wider M•A•C x Sephora launch campaign. These massive canvases created the uncanny feeling that guests were on an NYC street taken over by M•A•C & Sephora.

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Two women taking a selfie at a M.A.C Lovers Live event, holding champagne glasses in front of a branded backdrop. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Dark event venue with a Gabriette billboard reading “I found love in the lip aisle!”, a large umbrella-covered concession cart, and people in the background. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Pink Sephora beauty sale advertisement featuring a woman with shopping bags and the text “My haul is major,” with “Chappell Roan” below. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

The Cars

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Black-and-white photo of a woman sitting in a vintage convertible at night, holding a newspaper titled "I ONLY WEAR PRADA.". Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

In the main performance space, we brought in another three cars for three distinct photo ops.
A guest favorite was our 80s era NYC taxi, customized with a M•A•C x Sephora topper.



We also had a vintage Alfa Romeo decked out with custom inflatable lipsticks & a classic Corvette convertible decked out with stacks of the custom M•A•C Newspapers. 

All three cars were magnets for User Generated Content throughout the event. 

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in a sheer black embellished dress posing beside a vintage black Mercedes-Benz with a New York license plate at night. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Vintage yellow New York City taxi displayed at a MAC Cosmetics and Sephora event with a stage in the background. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Black car with its trunk open, containing deployed red and white crash-test dummies, parked in a dim garage. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman posing in a vintage convertible at night with friends and a fashion newspaper. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

The Stage

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Singer performing into a microphone beside a keyboard on a smoke-filled stage with red and blue lighting. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

A custom built stage & digital billboard screen engaged guests throughout the event. As guests arrived, the billboard played ads adapted from the campaign creative. As the night evolved, we began live VJing theme-specific clips of vintage NYC skyline, highway footage & more. 

The climax of the night was a live set by Boy Harsher on the main stage making the event feel like a street party with a live band. We activated dynamic stage lighting and worked with them to hijack the digital billboard and turn it into a video surface for their live set.

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Black convertible sports car with oversized lipstick sculptures parked inside a dark industrial venue beside a MAC Cosmetics and Sephora stage. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

To complete the theme across all the senses, we brought in a full bar & catered the event with NYC native specialties. We served elevated ‘pigs in a blanket’ via a real NYC hotdog stand & classic pretzels via a customized pretzel stand.

Nichola Formecetti’s favorite: Joe’s Pizza was brought in and served at a customized pizza station with branded plates & napkins. 

M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Mobile makeup cart stocked with cosmetics and covered by a large umbrella. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Person with long brown hair wearing a black outfit, spotted fur coat, zebra-print leggings, and red heels in front of a metal garage door. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Two formally dressed people pose beside a yellow limousine at night. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Female DJ wearing Pioneer headphones performing at a nightclub. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in glasses and a black outfit posing beside a vintage yellow taxi at night. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman with long curly hair wearing a metallic silver dress stands beside a black-and-white Sephora display. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in a black lace-sleeve outfit posing in front of a vintage black Mercedes-Benz with a New York vanity license plate. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Two people pose at a nighttime event beside a large black-and-white projection screen. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Close-up of a black Mercedes-Benz parked car with a New York “I ♥ MAC” license plate and red rear light. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Two fashionably dressed women pose beside a yellow taxi at an event, with beauty posters and a pink display screen behind them. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Two stylishly dressed people posing in a beauty store, wearing dramatic makeup, statement outfits, and accessories. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Person laughing while using a vintage pay phone and holding a champagne glass beside a MAC Cosmetics phone booth. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman reclining in a car seat and reading a fashion magazine. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Man in a floral shirt and Balenciaga cap sitting on the pavement in front of a vintage yellow car. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Two fashionably dressed people in black posing together at an event against a white brick wall. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in a black outfit and fur coat sitting in the driver's seat of a vintage black convertible car. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Three stylish adults pose at an art and cocktails event, with one holding a cocktail glass. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Fashion model in a black fur coat reclining on an orange taxi, with newspapers spread across the hood at night. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Two women posing together at a Forever event, one wearing a black outfit with a white-and-black faux-fur coat and the other in a sheer black dress. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in a cream sweater using a vintage telephone inside a telephone booth at night. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Woman in a dark crop top and white pants posing beside a black Mercedes-Benz with Sephora and MAC shopping bags. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Black-and-white photo of a woman taking a mirror selfie inside Sephora. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.
M.A.C x Sephora launch party, New York, February 2026: Tattooed woman wearing sunglasses and a fur coat uses a vintage MAC Cosmetics phone booth. Produced by THE UMBRELLA.

When

February, 2026

Where

New York City

Client

Estée Lauder Companies / M•A•C Cosmetics

Creative Agency & Production

THE UMBRELLA

Concept & Production Design

Sayoko Osada for THE UMBRELLA

Photography

BFA — Brendon Cook

BFA — Jason Crowley

Charle Roussel

GP Selvaggio

Michael Yu

Videography

Lucas Asensi

Services

Creative Direction

Project & Event Management 

Event Production

Location Scouting 

Print & Graphics

Technical Direction

Content Capture & Post-Production

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