The Hermès house sophistically introduce bright spurs of colour to their new Le Regard collection.Here, BAZAAR exclusively speaks to creative director of Hermès Beauty, Gregoris Pyrpylis as he shares how the collection came to be

Hermès is renowned for its exquisite incorporation of colour and texture, and they did not forget to continue this legacy once they released their beauty line as well. We’ve seen these history-rich traits peer through all their prior launches, but it’s even more so prevalent in their latest Le Regard release.

Following the success of their previous complexion and lip products, Hermès Beauty have now ventured into eye make-up with the introduction of the Le Regard collection. Embodying the vibrant hues and luxurious textures akin to their iconic silk scarves and coveted Birkin bags, the Le Regard features eye shadow palettes, colourful mascaras, and artistic brushes and tools. Having gotten the opportunity to speak to the man behind this coveted collection, here’s make-up artist and creative director of Hermès Beauty, Gregoris Pyrpylis taking us through his creative process and sharing his expert tips about the new line.

Our conversation with Gregoris Pyrpylis:

What did Hermès Beauty want to achieve with the launch of the latest Le Regard Hermès collection?

My goal is to create collections that will embody and will reflect the rich heritage of the house. Hermès has been so well known for its deep history of colours and beautiful textures for almost two hundred years now, and I’m trying to put all those elements into these small cases. I’m here to enrich and transfer the expertise of the House into the beauty métier that has been here since 2020.

The colour story for each eyeshadow palette is quite different and unique, is there a particular reason why you went with these specific colours for this launch?

So for me, when I’m thinking of every single collection that we want to launch and present, I’m thinking of the Hermès woman. Whois the Hermès woman? Who is going to wear the collection? She’s all about trying to find something intimate and sincere in every collection of Hermès Beauty. I’m a big nature lover, and I find a lot of inspiration in nature. For example, the palette Ombres Fauves has a beautiful orange accent, and I wanted to create a palette that would reflect the most beautiful sunlight when the season changes from summer to autumn. Also, I’m from Greece, and I grew up with that beautiful sunlight, but having this transition to Paris, I learned how to love more moody skies too. Like in the Ombres Fumées palette, you really see those beautiful, cool toned highlights and colours of the great Parisian sky be represented as well. But, I think that every person that I know can find themselves in these palettes. That’s whyI say that it’s a very intimate collection that invites women and men out there to help them express who they are.

I was quite surprised to see coloured mascaras from the Hermès family, is there a reason why you chose to launch them?

My goal is that I want to see those palettes, and I want to see those mascaras being used in everyday life. So when it came to the mascaras, of course, I knew that everybody wants to wear black mascara. But I’m not here only to execute and serve demands, I’m here also to create. So I want to also share what I think, and what my vision of beauty is. When I think of Hermès and Hermès Beauty, I think of a house of design, a house of creation, a house of colours. So to me it really makes sense to experiment in make-up—make-up is colour and make-up is beautiful textures. When you see the colour on the wand, it’s very saturated because of the formula. But then once it’s applied on the lashes, it is not specifically the colour that you see. I worked on the mascaras in a way that I wanted to create more subdued and discreet colours that would bring another dimension and a hint of wittiness to the eyes without being too obvious. So I was really excited to see what would happen when we take these risks to create these kind of ‘not very usual’ colours.I think it really reflects the story of the House and its DNA. Soto me, it’s an invitation to women who are a bit scared of colour, but want to start, explore and play with colour.

Do you have a particular favourite eyeshadow palette or item from the collection?

Honestly, I think I would go for the mascara. Maybe it’s a bit selfish, but I created this formula truly based on my sixteen years of experience as a make-up artist—I think it’s the perfect mascara.I based its requirements not just on my personal likings but also on my expertise as well and what I look for in a mascara. As this is the House’s first mascara, I’m really proud of what we created.

You mentioned creating the ‘perfect mascara’, what does that make of?

For me, the perfect mascara looks like this: a beautiful formula that will at times bring volume, length and definition without overweighting and creating a heavy effect on the lashes. In our formula, we have 97%of natural ingredients and they are of natural origin too.It’s boosted with shea butter and a lot of caring ingredients such as millet seed extract that work extremely well for lengthening, and revitalising the lashes. It’s also a tubing mascara, meaning you can remove it with lukewarm water so you don’t damage your eyelashes also. So for me, this is the perfect mascara, but of course, it’s our first mascara, and hopefully there will be more in the future too.

You being a make-up artist yourself, do you have a favourite tip on how best to apply the Le Regard collection to really get the best of its formula?

Make-up is like architecture. You have to build a good foundation in order to continue and achieve a beautiful result. So, if you want to have a long lasting effect, even though our formulas are already long lasting, I’d say avoid using a very rich moisturiser, especially around the eyes before doing your eye make-up—you don’t want the area to be too slippy. You can prep the eyes with a base and by dusting a bit of translucent powder over the top. The key is to not overload the space with too much product. Focus on blending and really taking your time with it. As for the mascara, just make sure that you go from the roots of the lashes all the way to the tip. Not just small flares and strokes, but really coat the whole lash.

What can we expect from Hermès Beauty in 2024?

We’ve been working on a beautiful eyelid base, which comes out in the second semester of 2024. It’s like a caring product for the eyelids, but also for the lashes too. We also have some brow products lined up, but I can’t share too many details at the moment.

Favourite Hermès Beauty moment of 2023?

I think I’m going to have to say the Le Regard collection. It was a very important moment for me and it’s a memory I’m gonna carry for the rest of my life. It was extremely nourishing for me to see how every single corner of the world perceived the collection.

What are some personal goals in regards to Hermès Beauty have you set for this year?

Of course we already have our launches planned and set up but my personal goal would be to firstly bring life to the existing beauty chapters we already have. Each product at Hermès is an essential and I don’t want them to just have their moment and we move on, I want to continue their story. So my personal goal is going to see what speaks to the heart and the wishes of everywoman out there. What makes them, and what about each palette that works best? Which palette doesn’t appeal so much? I want to go deeper into those launches and get to understand what people expect from Hermès. I also want to continue travelling, I want to continue experiencing the world so I can come up with even stronger and better ideas.

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