Hermès beauty is out with a new collection, and this time, the focus is not so much on colours as it is on the complexion. Dubbed the Plein Air collection – plein air is French for outdoors – products in this range are great for those who would be spending a lot of time outside, and just about anyone who wants to be made up without looking made up.
Keeping up with today’s trends
Skincare is the new beauty, and brands in this niche that are yet to realise this are leaving too much money on the table.
Definitely not Hermès, who since last year has focused on beauty products that not only enhance our physical features but also pack soothing skin repair properties.
Created by Gregoris Pyrpylis, Hermès’ newly-appointed beauty creation director in collaboration with Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the group’s (Hermès Parfum et Beauté) artistic director; Pierre Hardy, who creates objects for the beauty products, and, Christine Nagel, the in-house perfumer, Hermès Beauty Plein Air effectively bridges the divide between makeup and skincare, with balms and powders containing protective ingredients like white mulberry extract.
The Hermès Plein Air line
For its latest drop, Hermès beauty is giving us
The Natural Enhancing Complexion Balm
This is a tinted skin cream formulated with hyaluronic acid to maintain the skin’s moisture levels all day, evening primrose oil and Baikal skullcap plant which function as a shield against urban pollution and environmental aggressors, and white mulberry, an antioxidant.
The texture is very light and melts over your skin to blur away minor flaws and lines without masking its natural tones and textures. The coverage is buildable; a single layer casts a radiant veil while additional ones offer a more flawless visage.
Available in 12 shades (“Each shade suits three different skin tones,” says Pyrpylis), the complexion balm provides SPF 30+++ protection and boasts Plein Air’s original fragrance of regenerative arnica with sandalwood and green tea.
The Radiant Matte Powder
Designed for those with oily skins, the translucent Radiant Matte Powder removes shine without eliminating skin’s natural glow, a feat it achieves thanks to its formulation of white mulberry extract and other emollient ingredients that prevent makeup from caking or the complexion from drying out.
The Radiant Glow Powder
This powder contains similar ingredients to the radiant matte. The difference is that this one adds a glowing luminous finish to your makeup. Its subtle pink glow also doubles as a highlighter for the highest points of your face.
The Powder Brush
What is a makeup collection – even one that doubles as skincare – without a brush for perfect application?
Featuring luxurious and ultra-soft goat hair atop a lacquered wooden handle of three colours, the brush has been designed to lift the perfect amount of the powders from their case to your skin in a gentle gesture.
The Blotting Paper
There are blotting papers, and there is the Hermès blotting paper created from hemp fibres, wood pulp and soft Kozo fibres derived from the paper mulberry tree.
Designed to be larger than regular blotter papers, the Hermès blotting paper is able to cover bigger areas like the forehead in a single gesture, without disrupting complexion makeup that’s already been applied.
Presented in the Maison’s signature small orange box, each paper is adorned with tiny H motifs.