Interview with makeup guru Francois Nars
FRANCOIS Nars, the creative director of NARS cosmetics and the first man to pluck Madonna’s eyebrows shares his thoughts on modern beauty.
FRANCOIS Nars, the creative director of NARS cosmetics, world famous make up artist, photographer, and man famous for being the first to pluck Madonna’s eyebrows, shares with us his thoughts on beauty, photography and his famous private island in French Polynesia.
Q. If you could go back to when you were a teenager, is there any advice you would give yourself?
No, I would probably do the same as I have done. I don’t think I have [made] any mistakes when I was thinking how I made my career. I was very determined and so passionate. I wanted to be a make up artist. I did it and the road that I took was quite good. I would say — keep doing what you have in your mind and follow your instinct and go all the way — don’t hold back — be tough — I was very tough with myself and the way I handled my career. If I could give myself some credit I think I was good in that way, I was very tough in what I wanted to do and I did it.
What is your definition of beauty?
Looking at the view here! Looking at flowers, simple things in life. I don’t need to look at gold and a castle, sometimes its very simple things that are very beautiful. I am keeping my eyes fresh to find beauty in many places, and in gold too sometimes!
Who was the first person you ever did make up on?
My mum. Or maybe myself actually! Trying tricks from magazines.
You have done dozens of Vogue covers, an you pick your favourite cover that you have worked on?
I would say covers with Linda Evangelista — I did quite a few with her — she was one of my favourite models.
What is your favourite product that you ever created?
There are many — they are like my children — I like a lot of them — I love the velvet matte lip pencils, because if I did make up like I used to in the studio I would use those velvet matte lip pencils like crazy because I love the textures and I love the colour — they are very easy to use and of course the multiple stick is one of my favourites because it’s easy to use and you can use it in everyday life.
What do you believe are the differences between the models now and the models you worked on when you first started in the industry?
It’s a tough question because I am very tough with my models and picking who I want to work with. I love so much the models from the ‘60s and the ‘70s, they were extremely professional, great models who knew how to work the camera so well and loved fashion and had a great sense of style. Today — because the amount of models — and how everyone wants to be a model — it multiplies the [option] by thousands. I feel like a lot of models today shouldn’t necessarily be models. Unfortunately today — anyone can be a model. And the term model should be more restricted — somebody that you are looking up to — that is the definition of ‘model’. It should be someone who inspires you and gives you ideas and you want to look like that. Today the girls are a little bit too boring.
Personally — the names of your products are my favourite. What is the reason for choice behind the sexy names of your products?
To make you feel sexy — it is so easy to give an idea or identification or personality to a product so that is what I was trying to do is to personalise each product. It makes you dream it takes you somewhere, whether it’s a destination, a name of a country or if it is a feeling — sexual feelings — something you can identify instead of calling it pink or apricot or peach. Those are such boring names — you can either call it a number — which is better or you give it a fun name and I think women never forget the product and you can identify it.
You are also a professional photographer, what is one of the most memorable photographs you have taken?
I photographed Alek Wek. She was amazing and nobody knew about her then. It was a really strong photograph of her.
What usually goes through your mind before pressing the button and taking a photo?
You’re concentrating on the person you want to get the best out of the subject. I don’t think about anything else. I’m really focusing on that. How am I going to get her or him to feel comfortable so I can get the best picture? You have to joke with them, make them feel comfortable. Make them feel like it’s just them and me. You want to get the best out of them. There’s no place for anything else. You want to make them look and feel good.
What are your thoughts on photography these days through phone cameras?
I am very shocked by the quality of cellular phone like the iPhone. The photograph you can get from that is quite incredible. They make huge gigantic posters with people taking landscape pictures with the iPhone and you can achieve that with just an phone. I think it’s so different the only great thing is that it gives people the experience of photography more than they would [have had] before. You had to have a camera [before] — The difference is, it is easier today. The selfie is one thing — it’s a phenomenon that you can’t stop — it’s something that’s going to become like breathing. There are good things and there are bad things — hopefully people won’t stop looking for art photography but it is a great way to express yourself. I wish I had that when I was a kid but you had to have a big camera — it was heavy — and now — technology gets smaller and smaller. It’s crazy but that’s the future.
You have your own private island in French Polynesia where you hand-selected 1600 coconut and palm trees. Can you tell me what the thought process was behind choosing where each would be planted?
It was a full fantasy — I wanted to be in a forest of palm trees — when we build the bungalows — the centre of the island had no palm trees — they had been taken out — it was like a football field — when we built the houses I wanted the houses to be part of a forest — so we planted coconut trees to bend over the roofs of the bungalows. It was fun, like landscaping. We were playing and planting trees here and there and looking at them from different angles. When we were finished it was like the house had been there for 100 years. It is like a movie set.
What is your favourite thing to do on the island?
Nothing! Which is great because so many people want to do something. I can be very busy. I can work, take pictures, create a book, fashion shoots, gardening. I love cooking with a chef. Entertaining and having great parties — I love making parties. Listen to music and have fun. The place is what you can do with life and what you can dream of. You can be in your own world. Being on an island — you are in your own world — you are cut off from the rest of the world and anything can happen.
What is next for you?
I have a book coming out which I am still shooting — it’s a portrait of celebrities from many different backgrounds — performers, actors, singers. It will be coming out in 2017. And then I’ll have to have a big opening party.