Editor-in-Chief Barbara Koh takes you on a tour through the delightful Declaring Happiness exhibition in Shanghai
“It’s never too early, it’s never too late, to be all you can be.” That’s the philosophy behind Lancôme’s “Love Your Age” campaign as well as the Declaring Happiness exhibition in Shanghai which I was invited to attend in June. You have the power to define your beauty, and you have the power to create your own happy, such are the empowering messages that the beauty brand puts forth in its aim to celebrate women. And we, at The Weekly, can’t agree more.
The Chinese are known to pull out all the stops, and they didn’t let us down. If you’ve been following us on social media, you may have already seen some of the exhibits and celebrities invited to grace the event held at the new HKRI Taikoo Hui in the vibrant Jing’an District in Shanghai. The exhibition had me gobsmacked. The scale of it (1,500 sq m), and the detailed thought and creativity put into every “set”, to carefully interpret were impressive. Media, usually treated to the best and the first glimpses of designs and products, are oftentimes spoilt, but I could hear the constant “wows”, “oohs” and “aahs” as we were guided through the two floors of cleverlydesigned experiential sets.
As we moved from one room to the next, our senses were thrilled – through light play, music, tactile displays and spots for perfect Instagram shots. Also making its debut, and warranting a set of its own with magical blue lights, was the Advanced Génifique Sensitive Antioxidant Face Serum (out this month), formulated to soothe distressed skin. Blue because the key ingredients of ferulic acid and vitamin E combine into a blue solution that’s released when the cap is first twisted.
Some of my favourite sets include the metal sculpture of rose petals depicting Lancôme’s iconic floral symbol, and the striking Rénergie set. The skincare range is developed in a zerogravity environment by an European space agency – so a setup was created to make you look as if you were floating in outer space.
We were privileged to take in the sets prior to the exhibition opening, and when evening arrived, so did the stars: Lancôme ambassador and actress Lily Collins, the brand’s new face and Victoria’s Secret model Taylor Hill, as well as Chinese stars including Yu Feihong, Zhou Dongyu, and Chun Xia. And the night ended on a high as Tia Ray, a finalist from The Voice of China Season 4, entertained.
Looking back on the trip I have to say one of the highlights would be getting to interview actress Lily Collins. Without any airs, she welcomed the Singapore media and put everyone at ease quickly. Having released a book called Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, in which she tackles issues like selfconfidence and body image, the 28-year-old is the perfect poster girl for the #loveyourage campaign. She says, “Beauty is accepting what is different about ourselves – it’s the quirky things that make us beautiful.”
