Truth be told, I rarely wear foundation these days. Five years ago, I wore it religiously—mostly to veil hyperpigmentation, but also because I hadn’t yet moved on from my 2016 routine. We really wore makeup back then; we applied foundation with a heavy hand (two pumps minimum), then added a generous coat of concealer, setting powder baked under the eyes for brightening, and lots of powder blush to add dimension, which was inevitably lost by the layers of tint.
Clearly, I was late to the minimalist makeup train, but when I finally caught on, it completely overtook my routine. I practically emptied out my toiletry bag (and recycled the products, by the way)—trading full-coverage formulas for featherweight solutions that were covetable not just for their finish and wear but for the active ingredients leading their compositions. It was late 2022; the skin-care-makeup hybrid was just becoming a thing. Except for photoshoots or galas, I relied on some kind of tinted-moisturizer-adjacent thing to even out my complexion. Then I’d spot conceal where necessary. Now I’d never even consider wearing a foundation on an average Wednesday, until I made my way to the Hermès HQ to test its Plein Air Luminous Matte Skincare Foundation that debuted earlier this month.
Hermès Plein Air Luminous Matte Skincare Foundation
- Why We Love It: As the brainchild of Hermès Beauty creative director Gregoris Pyrpylis, Plein Air is a luminous matte foundation designed for a second-skin finish. The foundation, per Pyrpylis, should act as an invisible base for the face—simultaneously allowing skin’s natural radiance to show through while diffusing imperfections. There are 34 shades to choose from across five color intensities and three undertones: cool, neutral, and warm.
- Key Ingredients: Niacinamide; pure hyaluronic acid; white mulberry extract
- Shades: 34
- Size: 1.11 oz.
About the Hermès Plein Air Luminous Matte Skincare Foundation
“Inspired by my native Greece and Louis Kahn’s idea that light makes ‘a room different every second of the day,’ I was drawn to the concept of an inhabited, breathing light, one that lives with the skin that adapts to its surroundings,” Hermès Beauty creative director Gregoris Pyrpylis explains of the maison’s latest debut. “From the bright, sun-washed glare of Athens to the blue-grey light of Paris, Plein Air was created to move seamlessly through changing environments.” Shaped by a desire to honor the skin’s own light rather than mask or alter it, Pyrpylis explains that radiant skin has always been at the heart of the Hermès philosophy. “By respecting the skin’s inherent light, Plein Air enhances natural beauty in any condition, allowing the complexion to glow effortlessly without being obscured.”
This launch is the brand’s second complexion offering, off the heels of its Plein Air Natural Enhancing Complexion Balm. While that 2022 formula was in more tinted sunscreen territory, this new hero is more grown up—sophisticated in both its offering and finish.
As the name suggests, this features an ingredients list that rivals your favorite face serum. Its comprised of 82% skin-care ingredients; chief among them are high-molecular weight hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and white mulberry extract to lock in moisture, minimize water loss, and keep the complexion feeling fresh and comfortable. This skin-care base, Pyrpylis adds, allows the foundation to enhance essential skin factors including hydration, suppleness, firmness, elasticity, smoothness and plumpness, while maintaining the performance and finish expected of a high-quality complexion product. “The balance ensures makeup never masks the complexion but instead works in harmony with it,” he says.
Designed to melt instantly into skin, all of this is spun into a lightweight cream that deposits medium, buildable luminous matte coverage meant to last for up to 16 hours. While “luminous matte” might feel like an oxymoron, it really hints to the best of both finishes. It’s naturally veiled without a “glow” effect in a way that feels controlled, “leaving the skin looking balanced, in just the right shade, without too much shine or texture.” This contrast, for what it’s worth, inspired the foundation’s bottle: frosted on one end, transparent on the other.
As for shades, this is available in 34 shades spread across five color intensities ranging from light to deep. Within each intensity level are three undertones (cool, neutral, and warm), so the range can suit an inclusive range of skin tones.
Our Experience With the Hermès Plein Air Luminous Matte Skincare Foundation
Ever the skeptic, I went into my preview of this foundation with an open mind. I have a medium-deep complexion with a neutral skewing undertone that formulators tend to forget in shade ranges, so I’m often left to work with something too warm. Well, sat on a makeup artist’s stool at Hermès HQ, I was recording myself when the pro started applying the foundation. Looking at my face through my camera, I kid you not, I couldn’t tell where my skin ended and the foundation began. Such shade accuracy can be attributed to two things: Firstly, Hermès designed this range based on an in-depth study of the six universal phototypes from the lightest to the darkest (phototypes I to VI); and secondly, the formula is meant to adapt seamlessly to a wide range of skin tones for a refined finish that closely matches each individual’s complexion. Fortunately, I got to leave the appointment with the magical foundation in tow.
One week later, armed with shade 63W sitting pristinely in its iconic orange box, I couldn’t stop thinking about a nugget of information I took away from the preview. Plein Air not only adjusts your skin tone, but to your skin’s needs as you wear it to ensure comfortable 16-hour wear. So, before heading to work, I sought out on a wear test of my own.
Just before heading into the office, I dispensed one pump of the foundation to the back of my hand, then worked the product into my skin using the complementary Le Perfecteur Angled Complexion Brush. I convinced Vogue’s senior beauty and wellness editor to join my trial, and she describes how it wears perfectly. “I like to think of doing my makeup like painting,” she says. “Some days, I want an oil painting with a lot of coverage. Other days, we’re going abstract. And the Hermès foundation is like a soft watercolor—the formula is thin with a soft wash of skin-perfecting tint that is impactful with a swipe, but not noticeable to the wearer.”
The finish it imparts is unlike anything else I’ve tried. It’s smoothing and blurring the way you’d think of a matte formula, without forsaking my skin’s natural shine. Below is a selfie I took at 8:37 a.m. that morning after applying the foundation, paired with a bit of concealer and blush. I opted against setting powder and primer to see how my complexion pared on its own. You’ll notice radiance peeking through on my forehead and cheek—ideal for me to maintain the your skin-but-better look I prefer, similar to my usual concealer-only workday look.
I FaceTimed a friend on my walk into the office and the first question she hit me with was “You’re wearing makeup?” Rude, I thought internally, when really it was proof that the foundation was, well, doing what it’s meant to do. It took my office makeup look up a notch; and though I clearly appeared more glam at nine o’clock, I didn’t feel like it. No cakey-ness, no heaviness, no creasing.
For my test, I meant to track my progress with more midday selfies but meetings, edits, and other bits got in the way. Again, this could be seen as a con on my part, when really it speaks to the fact that I literally forgot I was wearing it. Generally, if I’m wearing a foundation at work, it slowly starts seeping into my eyes (the realities of someone with oily skin) and settling into odd areas within a few hours. The office lighting is less than ideal and the mirrors there are terrifying, so if my look is off I am acutely aware of it. On Hermès day though, I was worry-free.
Margaux had a similar experience. “I didn’t really remember I had it on until I went in to double cleanse,” she says. When I walked into my apartment door, at 6:50 p.m. that evening, I studied my progress in the bathroom mirror. For the most part, I looked exactly the same. My skin still looked incredible—smooth and lively, with the shine I mentioned before though the latter had expanded a bit to my T-zone. I also had a bit of pilling at my hair line, likely attributed to a laser treatment I got done five days prior. Not going to lie, I was impressed—especially given these results weren’t paired with any setting and longevity products.
For the sake of my 12-hour experiment, I waited two hours before washing it off. While I’ll spare you the half-asleep selfie I took as proof, I can attest that nothing changed between hours 10 and 12 of wear. Most of us wouldn’t keep foundation for that long anyway, but it’s comforting to know it can stand up to it.
How to Apply the Hermès Plein Air Luminous Matte Skincare Foundation
To complete the foundation applying ritual, Pyrpylis created a primer, makeup brush, palette, and spatula as well. Those concerned with hydration or refining texture should start with its Perfecting Primer first. Hermès emphasizes that one pump of foundation is all you need; dispense onto the palette and coat the base of the brush with the formula. “This professional ritual helps ensure correct application and a precision finish that is also pleasant to the touch,” Pyrpylis says.
Inspired by the shape of a horse’s hoof, Le Perfecteur brush is crafted from synthetic fibre bristles that don’t absorb pigments, but rather deposit them evenly across the skin for ample coverage with little product.
It’s clear that each touchpoint of this launch was though through; minor details you’d expect from a luxury cosmetics label. “This reflects Hermès’s commitment to craftsmanship, elegance, and understated luxury,” says Pyrpylis. “It’s a thoughtfully composed gesture that enhances the complexion while respecting the skin.”
Meet the expert
- Gregoris Pyrpylis is the creative director of Hermès Beauty.
