U*tique Offers High-End Beauty at the Push of a Button

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The upscale vending machine continues to evolve, from malls to airports, offering iPods to Proactiv, the facial products faced by Jessica Simpson. Mara Segal, who has consulted for Absolut and Dove, has the latest with U*tique, which will dispense luxury beauty and skin care products (Malin + Goetz, Clark's Botanicals, MD Skincare, Smashbox Cosmetics, Frédéric Fekkai), plus other sundries (headphones, Phix energy supplements, Dylan's Candy Bar).

W reports U*tique will land in "boutique hotel lobbies, swanky gym locker rooms, nightclub lounges, premium shopping malls and airports" in the next two years, with a debut in January at Studio at Fred Segal.

The merch is not only what's luxe, the machine itself, designed in collab with Rux product design and architecture firm, "matches the sleekness of its contents, and the selection of goods inside can be tailored to fit a location...An easy-to-maneuver touch screen offers brand profiles as well as product ingredient lists and video demonstrations, combining the efficiency of the Web with the instant gratification of in-person shopping..."
· Skin Cream from a Vending Machine? [W]