L’Oréal Paris have chosen quite the unexpected location to establish their latest retail space. The Intelligent Color Experience is a responsive vending machine that can be found inside a New York City Subway station, offering women personalised beauty advice and cosmetics on the spot.

The temporary installation consists of three screens that each have their own function. The first step is the full-length “magic mirror” screen, which scans a person's appearance and detects the colours that they are wearing. The second unit offers product advice and the ability to purchase the recommendations immediately, where users also have the option to “match” or “clash” the cosmetics with their outfit beforehand. In case of shopper’s doubt, the recommendations can also be e-mailed to yourself for later purchase. Finally, the machine also showcases some inspiring looks from five local beauty bloggers.

Developed by the R/GA Lab,  the project touches on a very specific element of nostalgia, as it refers back to the original subway vending machines that existed over forty years. With this off-beat shopping experiment, L’Oréal intends to engage people with the brand and hopes to find out whether there is a latent need amongst consumers for a different type of retail experience. The Intelligent Color Experience can be found inside the 42nd Street-Bryant Park station until December 30.