The nail polish comes in 24 colors inspired by the nuances and radiance of the enamel. The number, twenty-four, refers to the 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré—the parent house in Paris since 1880. References to the Hermès heritage are hidden everywhere, especially in the color names. Orange Boîte is included, of course, the dynamic color that adorns the house’s signature boxes since 1942, along with Brun Bistre, the deep shade that accentuates the border of each orange box. Part of the series are also various shades of red, three of which relate directly to the history of the maison. Rouge Casaque is a vibrant, dense and radiant red, evoking the silk garment worn by jockeys. Rouge Amazone, a warm-toned brick red, inspired by the ceremonial harnesses created by Hermès in 1894 for the white horses of the Chinese Empress Cixi. And Rouge H created originally in 1925 for leather goods—a very elegant dark red with a hint of brown, verging on burgundy. Other colors invite to dream and awake longings to certain places, as in Vert Égyptien, a nuanced emerald green which evokes reflections of mirages in the Nile Valley under the palm trees of Luxor and Aswan.

Hermès is a house of objects—visually, the Les Mains collection fits neatly into the house’s aesthetic. In a graphic interplay of white and gold bottles and lids, pure and distinctive shapes bring this art of usefulness in beauty to life. As in previous collections, the Hermès ex-libris acts like a hallmark. As Pierre Hardy, creator of Hermès Beauty objects, illustrates: “This new collection builds on the natural and sophisticated nature of the first gesture, Rouge Hermès. While make-up can be fun, whimsical or dramatic, Hermès care is designed like an intimate and pure essential object. We move from centre stage to the wings, with objects that are not on display, but that are kept literally to hand.”