Manhattan truly is the greatest place to live on earth. There’s always something new, fresh, and exciting… often times even inspiring. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is the ever-changing new phenomenon: pop-up shops.

While this practice has been around for awhile, the craze has recently gone viral. Following the ever-Instagram-worthy “Ice Cream Museum” Pop-Up Exhibit, social media gurus everywhere have been flocking to these time-limited attractions.

So, naturally, I had to give one a try. Pop-Up Beauty Bar by KISS announced its debut at 224 Mulberry Street in SoHo and I immediately RSVP’d to be a part of this event. As a proud make-up lover, I had to do everything I could to seize the opportunity. KISS’s two-day event promised complimentary manicures and lash-overs for attendees.

Every New Yorker knows to keep their eyes peeled for the words “complementary” and “free”. And while I’m not a native, I was pretty keen on the idea of covering up my stumps of nails and possibly pouncing on some fun pics for the ‘gram.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had the idea because the line to get in was about an hour and a half long. They cut the line off right after me, so I was lucky enough to be the last person to get the opportunity to go through the full KISS experience. The popularity of the event was unsurprising considering it gained the sponsorship of famous beauty gurus like @Patrickstarrr and @Larlarlee, who made meet-and-greet appearances.

After checking in with the hostess, I made my way to the back of the decked out bar to snag some ice cream from Ice & Vice. The flavors were glam themed with options such as Milk Money-- which was amazing.

I looked around the room and realized I had been transported into my fantasy land that the supermodel version of myself lives in. The make-up friendly lighting, the cute body positive quotes plastered around the room, and the chic seating created an ambiance that was completed with the popping DJ.

Once I got the notification that my nail technician was ready for me, I was quickly seated with a kind, yet probably exhausted woman given the number of people that had pushed through the door over the course of the two days. The number of options was amazing considering it was 100% free. A variety of press on nails was offered to me, but ultimately I chose to accent with glitter… of course.

I even got the extra press-ons to take home with me in a free canvas bag. Plus, KISS gave us 25% of coupons. What was the more interesting was there wasn’t anything for sale in the ‘shop’. This entire event was put together entirely for marketing purposes. If I wanted to buy a set of nails, I didn’t even have the option to.

However, the publicity KISS gained from this event was probably worth it. Their logo was plastered everywhere. So, every Instagram and Snapchat moment was kindly sponsored by their brand. A .gif booth was even set up that plastered the KISS name on it for when it was inevitably Tweeted out.

Pop-up shops are here for anyone who wants an experience. Well established brands use this pop-up shop technique to gain popularity. For example, Aerie (American Eagle’s lingerie brand) has both permanent and pop-up shops for consumers to explore. The pop-up shops often offer workout classes and celebrity meet and greets. This is a marketing ploy that is highly effective and fun. Pop-up shops are a thing here to stay, especially as our society shifts from material driven to experience driven.