BELLO was in Paris for the ninth edition of Le Défilé, where luminous skin, effortless glamour and some of beauty’s biggest names took center stage beneath the Eiffel Tower.
There are fashion shows, there are beauty moments, and then there is Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris.
On September 28, L’Oréal Paris returned to Paris Fashion Week for the ninth edition of its annual runway spectacular, transforming Place Joffre at the foot of the Eiffel Tower into one of the most unforgettable beauty stages in the world. BELLO was there, and as it is every year the experience was spectacular.
Held under the theme “Express Your Worth,” the evening brought together beauty, fashion, celebrity and L’Oréal Paris’ long-standing message of confidence and self-expression. The runway welcomed an extraordinary, multigenerational cast that included Kendall Jenner, Viola Davis, Jane Fonda, Eva Longoria, Cara Delevingne, Andie MacDowell, Simone Ashley, Aishwarya Rai, Kristen Bell, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu and more, with Céline Dion delivering an unexpected finale beneath the illuminated Eiffel Tower.
But for us, one of the most exciting parts of Le Défilé has always been the beauty.
Unlike a traditional runway where makeup and hair can play supporting roles, at Le Défilé they are part of the main event. L’Oréal Paris brought together its ambassadors, designers and beauty experts to showcase the relationship between fashion and beauty, with Global Makeup Artist Harold James and hair expert Stéphane Lancien leading the wider teams behind the show.
And among the U.S. delegation, two looks immediately caught our attention.
Mika Abdalla: The New Parisian Glow
Off Campus actress Mika Abdalla walked the runway with the kind of effortless, fresh-faced glow that feels particularly right for beauty now: polished without looking overly perfected.
The makeup was created by L’Oréal Paris League of Experts makeup artist Allan Avendaño, whom we always love seeing work his magic. Rather than covering the skin, Avendaño built the look around luminosity.
Skin prep began withL’Oreal Paris Collagen Moisture Bounce Serum , Revitalift Triple Power Moisturizer and Age Perfect Eye Cream before Hyaluron Tinted Balm Foundation shade 4 & 5 were used to create the complexion.
The glow was then layered rather than simply highlighted: Age Perfect Hyaluron Tinted Embellisher 13 Rose Lumiere & 14 Peche Eclat , Lumi Le Glass 610 Pearl Eclat , Lumi Le Glow 60 Glowy Sparkling Rose and Lumi Bronze Stick 110 Toasted Sunlight brought light and warmth back into the face.
That layering is what makes the look interesting. Instead of a single stripe of highlighter, different textures create the impression that the luminosity is coming from the skin itself.
For the eyes, Avendaño kept things equally wearable with Le Shadow Stick Nude Lights , softly defined Faux Brow Light Brunette and L’Oreal Paris Telescopic Mascara.
Blurfiller Blurring Lip Contour 507 Worth It Intense paired with Plump Ambition Hyaluron Lip Oil Cristal Clear completed the glossy, softly sculpted lip.
The finishing touch was Infallible Blurfection Loose Setting Powder Pink Light , a reminder that glowing skin and strategic powder absolutely can coexist.
And then came the hair.
Dimitris Giannetos, another BELLO favorite, created Abdalla’s runway hair using L’Oreal Paris Elvive Collagen + Lifter Big Lift Volumizing Mousse for prep and the iconic Elnett Extra Strong Hold Hairspray Unscented to finish.
Together, Avendaño and Giannetos delivered exactly the kind of modern glamour we love: beautiful enough for a runway beneath the Eiffel Tower, but still full of ideas you can actually take home.
Lindsey Vonn: Athletic Confidence Meets French-Girl Glamour
Olympic alpine ski champion Lindsey Vonn offered another interpretation of the evening’s effortless glow, again with makeup by Allan Avendaño and hair by Dimitris Giannetos.
Avendaño began with Collagen Moisture Bounce Serum and Revitalift Triple Power Moisturizer before bringing luminosity into the complexion with Lumi Glotion 903 Medium Glow and Age Perfect True Match Hyaluron Tinted Balm 4.
Lumi Bronze Stick 130 Sunset Dore added warmth, while Age Perfect Hyaluron Tinted Embellisher 13 Rose Lumiere introduced a subtle flush and radiance.
Rather than overpowering the complexion, the eyes were softly framed with Panorama Chromatics Haute Couleur Kohl Eyeliner Pencil in Brown Leather 120 and Faux Brow Dark Blonde . On the lips, two shades of Blurfiller Blurring Lip Contour Nude Espresso and Worth It Medium, created softly defined neutral dimension.
A light veil of Infallible Blur-Fection Loose Setting Powder in 10 Pink Light finished the complexion.
Giannetos once again worked with Elvive Collagen + Lifter Big Lift Volumizing Mousse and Elnett Extra Strong Hold Hairspray for the hair, a pairing that delivered movement and polish while still allowing the finished look to feel effortless.
All products can be found on Amazon.com.
Beauty Across Generations
Perhaps the most compelling beauty message of the evening wasn’t one particular lipstick, hairstyle or complexion trend. It was seeing different generations and different interpretations of beauty sharing the same runway.
Jane Fonda walked with her signature silver hair. Andie MacDowell brought her natural gray curls. Kendall Jenner opened the show in dramatic black, while ambassadors and talents spanning entertainment, fashion and sport brought their own identities to the runway. At 88, Fonda stood alongside women decades younger without the evening framing beauty around one particular age.
That feels particularly relevant at a moment when beauty is moving away from one prescribed idea of perfection.
The makeup at Le Défilé reflected that shift too. Across the evening, luminous skin, defined eyes, dimensional lips and hair with personality took precedence over anything overly constructed. L’Oréal Paris itself described this year’s show as a celebration of the transformative power of beauty, individuality and sisterhood.
Because Beauty Belongs Everywhere
Part of what continues to make Le Défilé special is its scale without exclusivity.
L’Oréal Paris opened the experience to the public and livestreamed it internationally across Instagram, TikTok and its own digital platforms, essentially taking one of Paris Fashion Week’s biggest beauty moments outside the traditional industry bubble.
And standing beneath the Eiffel Tower watching women including Viola Davis, Kendall Jenner, Jane Fonda, Eva Longoria, Lindsey Vonn and Mika Abdalla walk together made the brand’s familiar message feel especially fitting.
Beauty doesn’t have to look one way.
It can be an 88-year-old woman confidently wearing her silver hair. It can be an Olympic athlete stepping onto a Paris runway. It can be glowing skin, a glossy lip, a perfectly imperfect hairstyle or simply the confidence to show up as yourself.
And when Céline Dion appeared for the finale and turned the runway into a celebration beneath the Eiffel Tower, Le Défilé became something beyond a beauty show.
For BELLO, being there to experience it in person was once again a reminder of why Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris remains one of our favorite moments of Paris Fashion Week: fashion may provide the runway, but beauty gives it life.
