Okay, maybe not a FULL face (because they don’t make mascara… yet). But with the exception of mascara (Victoria Beckham), everything else is Hermes. So which do you want first? The makeup or the rant?
Let’s start with the makeup:
It’s good right? Okay, to be honest, most of that is probably really good lighting (my kitchen gets the best afternoon sunlight), but the rest is me… and well, Hermes. I used their complexion products, a lip oil, and one of the lipsticks. While the look is hardly revolutionary, the way that I got here might be. That’s because… and here comes the rant… most of the people who are trying (and whining about) these products likely have no idea how to actually use them. I believe that in the mad dash to be ‘first’ to try these products and throw up a video on YouTube, many of them completely missed the mark.
Here are the products I used. Three of the ‘Healthy Glow’ powders (which are not actually bronzers… but can be used as such), the complexion balm, the warmer (coral) ‘Iridescent Mineral Powder‘ (which is not a highlight but can be used as such), a lip oil, and a lipstick.
The Healthy Glow Mineral Powders are among the latest offerings from Hermes, and the praise and the criticisms are about the same among the influencer set – which tells me what I already know – most of them are imitating each other. The praise is about how nice they look and lay. the swatches are identical (separate and then together). And the rest is filler about the packaging… blah blah blah. The criticism is about the price ($105 usd), the size (too big), and how there is no glow despite the name (there is). There is also criticism about the shade range (there are 5 shades), which reinforces the idea that the people who rushed out and spent their dollars on a product that they didn’t fully understand maybe should have… well… not.
Now, in their defense, Hermes wasn’t exactly forthcoming about how to use these products. They just tossed them on the market with that price tag like “Here! Y’all figure it out.” Plus they showed model after model with the powders used a lot like bronzers would be: across the high points of the cheeks, forehead, and tip of the nose… you know, where you would naturally bronze. Following that logic, it does look like a whole lot of product for a little bit of use.
BUT (and here’s the difference between influencers and skilled artists)…
Nowhere on the product is the word ‘bronzer’ actually used. Complexion is the word, and that is the key. It was my cue to use the products to work in harmony with my complexion. So, I started by buffing Corail Mojave all over my face (WHAT? Yes.). I, quite expectedly, looked like a disco ball. I then used my fingers to work in the complexion balm (my color is Santal) all over my face. I then took the lightest of the Mineral Glow Powders (Tottori) and dusted it on top.
Let’s pause for a moment. Tottori is a dead match for my skin. It’s peachy with a warm undertone. Some influencer person was on camera ranting about how people don’t bronze peach. THAT’S BECAUSE IT’S NOT A BRONZER! Okay, let’s continue.
I used the second shade down, Atlas, as a blush. It’s a warm mid-tone that lights up my face. I also swept a bit of it over my eyelids. I used the third shade down, Sahara, to boost Atlas just in the hollows of my cheeks, and ran a bit along my lower lash line to give it some definition. I dabbed a bit of the iridescent powder on my lids to add a bit more light, and ran a clean brush through my brows. I put on mascara, blended the lipstick and the lip oil, and was done.
As you can see, I don’t look insanely shimmery. I just look like I have glowing skin with bit of shadow and light at play. I believe that is the point of these products. They are, after all, called complexion products. It stands to reason that they are meant to harmonize your complexion. I have repeated these steps quite a few times with the same results to prove the empirical nature of this technique. If you know anything about makeup, you know that laying powder before traditional base will lock it in. So this face also didn’t move for the 8 hours I had it on (for a photoshoot), until I took it off.
Because this is a rather expensive face, I don’t recommend only using Hermes products to achieve this result. You can use other products. I was, obviously, trying to make a point.
Using the products this way also discards the notion that there needs to be more shades on the darker end of the spectrum (although if I’m being honest, I think these comments were a thirsty attempt at awareness). For one, the colors pull richer and darker than they appear in the pan (which is why it was wild to witness some people heartily slap the darker shades on their faces and be utterly horrified in real time). If I can use the three lightest shades of the healthy glow powders, then there’s plenty of wiggle room for anyone darker than me. Also, going lighter in the range doesn’t make sense (although I didn’t find a single demand for this) because Hermes previously released a translucent pressed powder that can go over the iridescent one and the balm with the same results. A paler person can then use the healthy glow powders in much the same way one would use a face palette: on the eyes and cheeks and what not as needed.
So, the moral of the story is: if you don’t fully understand a product, perhaps learn about it before soliciting or paying money for it. Then you might not be inclined to put your ill-informed complaints on Al Gore’s internet in a mad dash to be first. In the end, the only winner here is Hermes (which is the plan and the point). They have your money and your time. And you’re stuck with a product that you may or may not (let’s go with not) reach for beyond that initial review. Or… on the other end of the spectrum… use it ad nauseum before it’s publicly available, then tell your viewers not to buy it in an anti-haul video (yes, that happened) due to the size and the price… because you think it’s a bronzer.
Okay that’s enough words. You get the point.
*products in this post were gifted