If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living in New York City, it’s that you’ll never have a dull moment. One minute, you’re running errands (or just running fashionably late to class), and the next, you’re standing in the middle of the Meatpacking District at a Mary Kay event surrounded by a lineup of pink makeup vanities taking over the street, pink goodie bags just begging to be filled, pink photo-ops waiting to be photographed, and — because apparently subtlety isn’t on the agenda — a pink Cadillac. Okay, so maybe that was a little specific, but that’s exactly how my day went.

As someone who’s been obsessed with fashion since she could spell the word, getting to experience New York Fashion Week is always a little surreal. But this time around, I wasn’t headed to a runway show. Instead, I made my way to Gansevoort Plaza for Mary Kay’s “Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared” pop-up, an immersive (and oh-so-pink) beauty experience that brought the brand’s latest campaign to the middle of Manhattan. The Sept. 15 event transformed the plaza into what can be best described as one giant beauty playground, complete with interactive photo-ops, beauty touch-ups, product giveaways, and enough pink to make Barbie swoon. Plus, the event was free and open to the public, making it one of those rare NYFW experiences that doesn’t require a front-row invitation or a desperate sneak-in (which I’ve totally never done before). Anyway, here’s what it was like spending an afternoon in a pink wonderland — I mean, in Mary Kay’s New York Fashion Week pop-up.

3:30 P.M.: Welcome to Wonderland!

mary kay nyfw event — Photo Courtesy of Kea Humilde

As soon as my last class ended at 3:00, I practically ran to the nearest subway station to head to the event. When I arrived, I was met with that glorious row of pink vanities and supplied with a pink tote bag already filled with goodies. Talk about a warm welcome.

Picking Out Freebies

The vanities were the first stop on my Mary Kay agenda, so when I sat down in the pink velvet stool I officially want to cop for my room, I got to pick from five different lip gloss shades and four eyeshadow sticks. Not surprisingly, I went with the pinkest options for both.

Passenger Princess Photo-Op

When I tell you that I need this pink Cadillac, I’m not even kidding. Take notes, guys, my birthday is next month.

MK Spin The Wheel

The deal was that if your spin landed on “MK,” you would get both the eyeshadow stick and the lipstick. So imagine my delight when I did! I credited it to my name starting with K, because why else?

Polaroid Photo-Op

Up next on my agenda was the Polaroid wall. I got to keep one for myself and leave the other on the “Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared” wall among countless other beautiful faces who’d attended the event.

Writing LEtters for Womankind

I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up my Mary Kay experience than with writing a message to Womankind. They’re an organization that supports and uplifts survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual violence. After writing a little note of encouragement, we were all given a blush stick that would donate $1 to the organization for every gifting. Now, that’s beauty being even more beautiful shared.

5:00 P.M.: Brought Home the Goodies

I’m still in shock that I left the event with a full face of Mary Kay. I can’t wait to review each product, but maybe that’s a story for another time.

Come With Me To Mary Kay’s New York Fashion Week Pop-Up