• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, January 12, 2018

Beauty creatives routinely plunder the world’s most exotic destinations for new ideas, and this year, Estee Lauder will do more than sell lipstick and nail colors inspired by locales like Bali and Capri; it’s teaming up with Expedia to create travel contests so fans can experience that beauty in real life.

Expedia is hyping the contest as a kind of travel-as-beauty treatment idea, a way to win that “oh-so-alluring vacation glow,” it writes on its blog. “Whether it’s our eyes reflecting the sparkle of a Tahitian lagoon, our lips mirroring the crimson of a Santorini sunset, or our cheeks radiating the bronze gleam of the French Riviera, our faces share the stories of the places we visit.”

The contest marks the first time the 74-year-old Estee Lauder company has partnered with a travel brand, and the promotion is linked to the company’s annual Spring Gift-With-Purchase Program. 

Customers who make a qualifying purchase get an exclusive printed cosmetic bag with a curated selection of product samples. Once they’ve done so, they can put on the makeup they think will look best on their dream vacation, snap a selfie and upload it on Instagram, with both the contest's unique hashtag, #Esteexexpediacontest, and one for the destination they’re dreaming of, like #flymetobali.

The eight dream trip destinations, which are offered in partnership with retailers like Nordstrom, Macy’s and Bloomingdales, also include Palm Beach, Santorini, Tahiti, Morocco, the French Riviera and Riviera Maya.

Estee Lauder, which also owns such brands as Clinique, Prescriptives, M•A•C, Bobbi Brown and Aveda, says sales of the flagship Estee Lauder brand accelerated in the most recent quarter, gaining in the double digits in both makeup and skincare, powered by the launch of Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix and increases in other Advanced Night Repair products.