Balmain Brought Beauty to the Runway in a Different Way

By Asia Milia Ware, beauty editor at the Cut who also writes the column “Why Is Your Skin So Good.” She has covered fashion and beauty for eight years with bylines in InStyle, Teen Vogue, Paper, and Essence.

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images, Courtesy of Balmain

This season, Balmain sent models down the runway with simple, glowy skin, a no-makeup makeup look, pretty opposite of what the show’s lead makeup artist, Isamaya Ffrench, is known for. (Wearable art and unorthodox makeup looks like fully painted faces on the runway or painting the thinnest eyebrows on Rihanna are more her speed.)

Last month, the French house launched beauty with eight new fragrances, some heritage scents reimagined by creative director Olivier Rousteing. Balmain describes its couture designs and ultratailored pieces as “confidence inducing,” the same energy that comes with the fragrances. And their scent trail lasts for days; trust me, I’ve had the scent of Carbone stay in my clothes even after washing them.

From left: Balmain fragrance-bottle bags on the runway. Photo: Salvatore Dragone / Courtesy of BalmainPhoto: Salvatore Dragone / Courtesy of Balmain/Photo: Salvatore Dragone / Gorunway.

From top: Balmain fragrance-bottle bags on the runway. Photo: Salvatore Dragone / Courtesy of BalmainPhoto: Salvatore Dragone / Courtesy of Balmain/Ph... From top: Balmain fragrance-bottle bags on the runway. Photo: Salvatore Dragone / Courtesy of BalmainPhoto: Salvatore Dragone / Courtesy of Balmain/Photo: Salvatore Dragone / Gorunway.

So while I was at Paris Fashion Week attending the Balmain show, I thought to myself, How could a brand like Balmain weave fragrance into a runway show? Well, there was a scent bar at the after-party and life-size bottles of the fragrances, but not at the show. Instead, Rousteing turned his accessories into beauty items: purses in the shape of fragrance bottles, an eyeshadow-palette purse, and lipstick heels. Could he be hinting at his next launch, perhaps? Earlier this year, he told the Cut that makeup is next for Balmain Beauty, but there were no specifics outside of his wanting makeup that is also a hybrid skin-care product.

If I had to guess, the first foray into makeup would be bright lipsticks, specifically hues of red, a theme we saw throughout the show. From lips on dresses to red lips and nails printed on sequined couture gowns, the hints were undoubtedly there. But there were lipstick accessories, too. A black pump with a lipstick heel, to be exact! If this is any indication of the Balmain Beauty makeup packaging, it’s extremely sleek.

We may not have any Balmain makeup products yet, but the accessories will do until then. Plus, the fragrances are available now, and who says you can’t carry them around in the meantime? See for yourself, below!