The Glowy Makeup at Iris van Herpen's 2025 Haute Couture Show Has Me Gasping for Air

Couture week F/W 2025 is well underway in Paris and the fashion set is living for the glamour. A-listers like Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightley, and Cardi B have all dazzled with their various hair and makeup choices under the City of Lights (not to mention some seriously stunning outfits straight from the designers), but the beauty moment that truly took my breath away occurred back on the runway. The makeup at Iris van Herpen, the Dutch couturier who is well-known for her boundary-pushing designs and cutting-edge craftsmanship, sent models down the runway with the type of mega-watt glow I dream about pretty much on a daily basis.

Andrew Gallimore was the key makeup artist for the show, revealing in a press release to media that, "this goddess-inspired look had an aquatic, ethereal quality." He used pearl and shimmer shades of NARS Light Reflecting Luminizing Powder to the inner eye corner, across the brow bone, on the cupid's bow, and onto the temples "to elevate and illuminate." Each model received a muted lip color with NARS The Multiple in Dazed and Behave (which haven't hit the market just yet, but will soon). "I glossed lips with Afterglow Lip Shine in Triple X for that 'emerged from the ocean feel,' keeping the skin fresh and luminous with Light Reflecting Foundation." Note to self: pick up a lot more lip gloss options to add to my collection.

It makes sense that the makeup artist went all out with the highlighter for this show since the couture house collaborated with light artist Nick Verstand for a dreamy production of moving spotlights and shadows. The stunning effect left viewers (self very much included) gasping for air. "The collection explores how we are one with the ocean, the largest and most important ecosystem on our planet that generates more than half of the oxygen we breathe," per the show notes, shared by Gallimore on his Instagram. "Drawing on the ocean’s untamed force and fluid complexity, evoking its full spectrum, from tidal surges to amorphous lifeforms."

Indeed, the models looked completely otherworldly as they glided down the catwalk, like sea nymphs emerging from the water with a suspended wave crashing around them—true couture construction at its finest. With the sculptural designs curling around each woman's face, shoulders, or chest, the hints of bare, luminous skin took center stage, catching the light with each careful step.

Now I've been a devotee of the inner eye highlight basically ever since I first dipped my fingers into a pot of loose Claire's glitter. It opens up your eyes, especially if you're not-so-secretly exhausted, and to this day, I never leave the house without it. I've refined my technique in the 20ish years since then but still—do I want my daily sashay down the sidewalk to deliver the same over-the-top, luminescent effect? One thousand percent, yes. If I'm going to be sweating non-stop for the next two months, I may as well lean into the glow and amplify it with a few extra swipes of highlighter. Strangers should be mistaking me for a mermaid, damnit! I may not be in Paris to enjoy the couture shows up close, but I definitely plan to replicate this heart-stopping glam from now until September.

On board with a sea nymph-level glow? Snag a few of the key NARS products to DIY the look at home.

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