French makeup artist and photographer François Nars is an icon who continues to shape the global fashion and beauty world. He came to prominence through collaborating with Marc Jacobs’, creating some of the most memorable makeup looks. To this day, his creative expression and bold originality still reigns all over the world. To celebrate NARS bringing back its debut lipstick line – which originally launched in 1994 at Barneys New York – we caught up with the multifaceted beauty pioneer to ask our most burning questions…
Q
You were born in the south of France, how did that shape your understanding of beauty and the world you saw around you? Was there a specific beauty identity you saw around you there?
A
My mother was and still is a major influence on my approach to beauty. She was a natural beauty and I drew my complexion philosophy from her effortless makeup routine. My grandmothers were more of the artists and into makeup. My father’s mother loved to paint her face and she did an incredibly beautiful job. I remember she would create perfectly drawn lips – almost as if she was retouched. She loved eyeliner too and would line her eyes and draw in her eyebrows flawlessly. Her precision came from her being an amazing painter (I hope I get my artistry from her). She was beyond artistic! I am lucky to have learned a little bit of everything from these muses and remember all the things they taught me throughout my childhood. Every memory, or little treasure, sticks with you for the rest of your life. Growing up and watching these women, they made a big impression on my life, they added to my strong aesthetic and vision of beauty that has stayed the same since I was young.
Q
Growing up what were the films, celebrities, music subcultures and magazines that informed your sense of beauty? Did you have a beauty icon?
A
Greta Garbo - I loved her in the movies Ninotchka, Flesh and the Devil and Queen Christina. She was perfection back then… The most beautiful woman in the world!
Q
Can you tell us a bit about the first time you painted someone’s face? How did it make you feel? What effect were you trying to achieve?
A
It was actually my mother. She let me practice makeup on her – she really has helped shape my vision and the artist I am today.
Q
How did moving to Paris to study shape your perception of beauty? Can you tell us a bit about your big break and your collaborations with Yves Saint Laurent and Paolo Roversi around this time?
A
I had no connections, and the fashion world was a closed elite. So my mother made appointments for herself with three top Parisian makeup artists and spoke highly about me… she was my first publicist! She was so beautiful and elegant that they must have figured that her son had taste, and one offered me a job as an assistant.
Q
You moved to NYC, and began working alongside legendary photographers such as Richard Avedon, Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, what was that like for you? Did you feel you were really part of something?
A
I was lucky from almost day one. I started working very quickly because of the industry people I met in Paris - they took me under their wing and really loved me.
Q
You launched your first makeup collection in 1994, what prompted this? What was the industry lacking that caused you to disrupt it with your own offering?
A
As an artist, I was frustrated with not being able to find the best products or the best colours and I thought it would be fun to create my own makeup line. It wasn’t planned, it was very spontaneous which is what I think makes the brand so fresh.
Q
What was the beauty and fashion world like before you started your brand? Was it a very different place?
A
When I began my career, the faces in fashion and beauty were very plastic looking – perfect faces with blonde hair and blue eyes. Also, I felt women were following trends blindly because somebody told them to do so.
Q
The brand started with a collection of lipsticks, but soon grew to include a full range of cosmetics with colours that were inclusive to all. Was this a conscious decision due to the lack of colour ranges provided by other brands at that time?
A
Yes, I wasn’t happy with the limited options for makeup artistry. Having my own line allowed me to create colours in makeup that did not exist. From there, it grew little by little and I stood behind it the whole way.
Q
Was there a particular woman you had in mind when creating the brand?
A
There wasn’t just one woman in my mind when I started brand. The idea driving us was always about offering a line of makeup that was modern, audacious and iconic to women everywhere.
Q
How would you describe your overall aesthetic as a make-up artist? How has it evolved over the years?
A
My philosophy is the same as when I began my career. It was influenced by mother who wore little to no complexion, and as I started creating beauty looks, I carried this vision of her with me. It was this approach of allowing the skin to show through, as my mother always did, that really set me apart from other makeup artists at that time. I always used foundations with the smoothest texture and applied them with a light touch - photographers appreciated that I brought this transparency to complexion.
Q
How has the industry changed since you first started out? How has the role of a make-up artist changed over the years?
A
There has been an incredible evolution of makeup. Women are learning and experimenting more. Social media, professional artists, and of course the freedom of expression are helping women learn to play more with their makeup and not follow rules. I think NARS especially has pushed women to have fun while keeping their look sophisticated.
Q
What is the future of beauty? What do you think we will look like in 30 years from now?
A
I never think too much about the future. I work a few months in advance because I have to, but for the most part I take it day by day. I celebrate the past but live in the moment. For the future of beauty, I’m not sure. But the for the future of the brand, I hope the image of the brand remains; I hope we continue to grow while staying true to our roots of offering modern, audacious and iconic makeup for everyone to as many people as possible.
THE ICONIC LIPSTICK COLLECTION
For this month’s Haul of Fame, we’re excited to share a piece of NARS history with you as we bring back one of the OG lip products that has not only shaped the future of NARS, but the fashion and beauty scene worldwide. Celebrating 25 years of rule-breaking beauty, this famed collection of lipsticks pays homage to how the brand started and lends itself to endless artistry and self-expression – we’re addicted! The range of 60 hues, in must-have mattes, sensual satins, and seductive sheer finishes, feature an innovative, pigment-rich formula that delivers instant colour vibrancy and conditions lips for radically lightweight wear and unprecedented feel.
There’s one thing team LiB have in common (apart from our obvious shared passion of beauty): we all have a NARS product in our makeup bags. Whether it be that famed blush, the Sheer Glow foundation, or the iconic Lipstick, as our passion has grown, NARS has shaped many of our beauty looks. So, what is it about these lipsticks that has got us so excited?
“NARS has been a brand that I’ve adored for years (the Laguna bronzer is my HG), so to own a piece of beauty history is incredible. There is no wonder why this amazing lipstick has made our Haul of Fame; it glides on seamlessly and completes any look.” – Harri, Brand & Campaign Manager
“Timeless. Stands the test of time. Gives you the opportunity to be expressive with colour. To me, that’s NARS. Since being introduced to the much loved Sheer Glow foundation in my late teens, I’ve not turned back. I have a plethora of NARS products among my stash, but as a lipstick lover, this iconic collection has stood the test of time. The formula is creamy, vibrant and lasts through a burger. It’s a winner.” – Jem, Editor & Social Media Manager
ADD NARS’ TOLEDE SATIN LIPSTICK TO YOUR BOX!
