The Master
of Makeup
For François Nars, makeup is fashion’s best accessory.
Words by Harriet Quick
“I was very lucky to have an extremely beautiful, glamorous and elegant mother, on whom I was able to practice makeup,” says François Nars who grew up in the South West of France.
“She never wore a lot of makeup and I think that’s where my love for natural looking, very light makeup came from, as much as I love extreme makeup in photographs,” says Nars who read his mother’s issues of French Vogue and became fascinated by the provocative work of lens men Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton.
“All those images woke me up to a certain sense of colour, makeup and artistry,” says Nars who is also a brilliant photographer himself.
Nars moved to Paris and later New York and learnt his craft in the late 1970s. “It was a very magical time. That era was extremely creative and quite revolutionary in beauty and fashion,” he says.
He started up his line in 1994 frustrated at the lack of exciting colour in products. “It wasn’t planned, it was very spontaneous which is what I think makes the brand so fresh,” says Nars who has always thought of make up as an accessory to fashion.
“Fashion and beauty really go hand in hand - so when I collaborate with a designer, I think about how the makeup will complement and enhance the fashions, the way a fashion accessory would,” he says.
And much like fashion, beauty has seen an incredible evolution in terms of access. “Not only because of social media,” the visionary says, “but also because there are so many choices in makeup. Women are learning and experimenting more; and magazines, professional artists and the freedom of fashion are helping them explore these options and make fewer mistakes along the way.”
Iconic products including Orgasm blush remain best sellers today. “That first series of blushes I created were all named after emotions surrounding passion or love. I feel like sex is an important part of people's lives in that sense,” he says.
The newest launch is Powermatte lipstick adding to his line-up of rich saturated eyeshadows and multi-tasking tint sticks. “I never think too much about the future,” says the 58-year-old. “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.”
And in ‘the now’ is where true beauty shines.
