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The Hermès woman is real. And last night in Los Angeles, a collection of real women gathered both on the runway and off it, for the second chapter of designer Nadège Vanhée’s fall/winter 2026 collection. The idea of movement and realness inspired Gregoris Pyrpylis, the brand’s creative director for beauty, to create two makeup looks.
Balletcore was a central inspiration, because Vanhée looked to a dancer’s wardrobe this season. Some models received a “dance practice” look, mimicking the aliveness and glow that comes with recent exercise—a flushed cheek and a bit of “a warm halo around the eye,” Pyrpylis explained. He used the brand’s Luminous Matte foundation, a product that took four years to make because of its oxymoron-sounding finish (matte skin with a subtle radiance underneath) that worked perfectly for this endorphin-focused look. To replicate movement-induced blood flow, he applied blush using the brand’s Rouge Silky Shine lip product in the shade Rouge Brique or its Rouge Hermès lipstick in Rouge H on the lower half of the cheek. “It doesn’t look like a blush placement, but like the girls just ran onto the stage,” he said. There was also a preview of a new product—the brand’s new lip care mask, launching in September, which comes in its signature house color of orange “to nourish and bring all the elasticity to the lips,” Pyrpylis said, while patting some onto model Karen Elson’s mouth.
The brand’s second beauty look was “dark glam” to replicate a dancer post-performance, with clumpy lashes and eyeliner smudged gently on the lower lash line. As it was Hermès, the effect was subtle and it was only up close that you could see the heavier pigment at the lash roots and a smattering of lashes that were ever-so-slightly matted together. Although it was a small detail, it was an unexpected gesture from a brand that many associate with perfection and that is known for creating objects “made to last.”
HERMÈS BEAUTY
But as Pyrpylis explained, it’s better to look human, a trend we’ve been continuing to see this year. “I’m sure people do expect something very perfect and polished each time from Hermès, but we are a warm and emotional house. In my work, I’m not looking for perfection, but for self-expression. The idea is to feel a hand in the application, almost artisanal. When you look at the girls, you feel like it’s almost something that could be done by themselves and not from people who traveled the world to be here.”
When authenticating Hermès bags, experts often say that the biggest tell of a fake is when the stitching looks “too perfect.” The brand’s Birkin, for instance, is constructed by a single artisan, so there are inevitable differences and what some deem as “flaws” that come from it being human-made. Pyrpylis and Hermès’s take on beauty may be what we need in an increasingly AI and machine-driven world: “A little imperfection makes it feel more real.”
Hermès Luminous Matte Skincare Foundation
Hermès Ombres d’Hermès Eyeshadow Quartet in 05 Ombres FuméesCredit: HERMÈS BEAUTY
Hermès Trait d’Hermès Revitalizing Care Mascara
Hermès Rouge Silky Shine in 83 Rouge BriqueCredit: HERMÈS BEAUTY