P.Louise returns with 'Pinkmas' pop-up at Trafford Centre this Christmas

• by Arlen Fitzpatrick
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The Trafford Centre is going pink for the holidays. The viral beauty brand P.Louise is bringing its ‘Pinkmas’ pop-up back to Manchester from 1 December to 4 January, promising three immersive zones, elves as guides, and a mini pantomime to cap the experience. Think festive makeup, oversized set pieces, and a winter story told in baby pink.

Built as an interactive walk-through, Pinkmas returns after a strong run last year with a bigger push on spectacle and hands-on moments. Expect curated photo spots, themed food and drink, and holiday gift stations alongside the brand’s best-known products. The setup mirrors the look of P.Louise’s Stockport site, the P.Louise Empire, but with a full Christmas makeover for a mall audience.

The pop-up takes over a dedicated space inside the Trafford Centre, one of the UK’s busiest shopping destinations during December. The plan is simple: guests enter in groups, follow the elves, and rotate through three zones before sitting down for a short Pinkmas Pantomime. It’s designed to move at a steady pace, so each section gets time without feeling crowded.

What to expect at Pinkmas

The journey begins at the Pinkmas Hub, nicknamed The Engine Room. This is where staff group visitors, lay out the story, and set the tone for what’s ahead. It’s part briefing, part stage set, with the elves steering people through the experience and keeping things moving.

From there, the route winds into the Pinkmas Forest. Picture twinkling trees, soft lighting, and hidden shops tucked between the evergreens. There are festive food stalls for a quick treat and a whimsical bar for seasonal drinks. This is the social zone—plenty of backdrops for photos, simple games, and pockets of retail that lean heavily into giftable bundles and stocking fillers.

The path then leads to the Plouise Festive Factory, the showpiece of the build. The factory combines a playful “beauty workshop” vibe with interactive stations. Expect packaging corners, personalisation touches, and displays that unpack the brand’s holiday range. Staff are on hand for shade guidance and tips, and there’s room for quick demos or try-ons. The lighting, pace, and props are made for content, which is exactly how this brand grew online.

Guests loop back to a seated area for a short Pinkmas Pantomime—family-leaning, brisk, and on theme. The aim isn’t theatre in the traditional sense; it’s a lively closer that ties the zones together and sends people out on a high. If last year’s format is any guide, it’s snappy, energetic, and packed with nods to the brand’s universe.

Behind the scenes, the event works as a seasonal showroom. The brand typically uses these pop-ups to debut limited-edition holiday sets, bundle bestsellers, and surface exclusives you won’t find online for long. For shoppers, that usually means early access to gift lines and a neat way to test shades before buying. For the company, it’s a data-rich, content-heavy campaign in the biggest shopping month of the year.

The Trafford Centre setting matters. December footfall is huge, parking is easy, and the mall’s seasonal calendar pulls in families, teens, and tourists. The location is also well connected by public transport, including the Metrolink stop at the centre’s interchange, which helps with evening and weekend visits when roads are busy.

The brand behind the buzz

P.Louise started with a Greater Manchester makeup artist, Paige Louise, who built an audience by teaching technique and leaning into a strong aesthetic—baby pink packaging, bold pigments, and a social-first playbook. The brand found early traction with its Base products and brow and eye kits, helped by artists posting tutorials and swatches across Instagram and TikTok. From there came the academy, the Stockport site, and a steady stream of limited drops that turn up everywhere online.

Pinkmas is that strategy in real life. It blends retail with theatre, swaps counters for sets, and trades long product lists for curated moments you can film, share, and shop. It’s the kind of experiential retail that has become common in beauty, where discovery and community are as important as the product itself.

What’s confirmed: the run is scheduled from 1 December to 4 January at the Trafford Centre; the experience will be guided; and the three main beats—Hub, Forest, and Festive Factory—are back. What’s still to come: precise opening hours, booking details, and any entry fees or bundle perks. The brand usually releases that close to launch, often with early-bird windows and peak-time reminders.

Planning to go? Weekday afternoons are usually quieter than Friday nights and weekends. If you’re aiming for the photo spots, go early or later in the evening when queues shrink. Comfortable shoes help—it’s a walk-through that encourages lingering—and a fully charged phone is wise if you’re filming. The Trafford Centre is step-free, with accessible facilities across the mall, and staff at the pop-up are on hand to assist with group flow.

For Manchester, this is another seasonal draw that mixes shopping with entertainment and keeps spend in the region. For the brand, it’s a showcase designed to drive online sales through January while keeping the social feeds busy. If last year’s reaction is any hint, expect high demand, plenty of pink, and a steady stream of content from inside the Forest and Factory once the doors open.

P.Louise Pinkmas runs 1 December to 4 January at Manchester’s Trafford Centre. More details on tickets, times, and exclusives are expected in the coming weeks.