1. He’s the brains behind one of most covetable cosmetics brands, but
François Nars’s photography is proving just as visionary as his makeup
philosophy. In this portfolio, shot exclusively for BAZAAR, he captures
the beauty behind this season’s love affair with gothic romance

2. Prada dress, $2490, gloves,
$3520, and brooches, from
top, $440, $1030 and
$610; Martine & Juan hat;
Piers Atkinson floral piece
(worn under chin), both
price on application.
Styled by PATTI WILSON.

3. Giamba dress; Martine
& Juan hat; Apatico
neckpiece, all price on
application.

4. Dolce & Gabbana dress;
Delpozo skirt (worn
underneath), both price
on application; Anya
Caliendo hat, $1250;
Jennifer Behr veil, $245;
Piers Atkinson floral
collar, $628; Giamba
boots, price on application.

5. Burberry Prorsum dress;
Giambattista Valli boots,
both price on application;
Martine & Juan hat, $470;
Jennifer Behr veil, $245; Les
Cinq gloves, $567; Miriam
Haskell necklaces and rings,
all price on application.

6. Roberto Cavalli pants-suit,
$7505; Mordekai by Ken
Borochov headpiece, $2800;
Gasoline Glamour gloves and
sunglasses; Erickson Beamon
rings, all price on application;
Vickisarge earrings, $147;
Miriam Haskell necklace,
price on application.

7. Gucci dress, $5740;
Francesco Ballestrazzi floral
hood; Jennifer Behr floral
veil; Les Cinq gloves, $567;
Erickson Beamon rings,
all price on application.
Opposite page: Simone
Rocha dress, $3800, and
shirtdress, $3585; Piers
Atkinson hat; Jennifer
Behr veil, $505; Gasoline
Glamour gloves; Erickson
Beamon rings, all price
on application.

9. T
H
E
I M
AGE-
hen a frustrated makeup artist called François
Nars launched his beauty collection of 12
highly pigmented lipsticks in Barneys New
York back in 1994,he couldn’t have expected
it to catapult him to where he is today.And as
much as he doubtless appreciates being labelled
one of fashion’s most influential makeup artists,to do so is essentially
an injustice. Because there’s so much more to the story …
The 56-year-old New York-based Frenchman is still creating
beauty, only more often than not these days it’s through the lens
of a camera rather than a makeup brush. He now has four
published photography books (X-Ray from 1999; Nars 15x15,
2009; Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself, 2011; and Tahiti: Faery
Lands, 2013), and his portfolio encompasses everything from
Tahitian landscapes to cosmetics campaigns and fashion shoots.
You’d expect the man to be as assured as the legends — including
Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Steven Meisel and Bruce Weber
— with whom he has collaborated during the past three decades,
in a sort of university of creative osmosis.So it’s surprising to hear
genuine relief in his voice when I compliment him on his latest
shoot for BAZAAR.“I’m so glad,” he sighs.“Over the years, I’ve
become more comfortable taking pictures and getting faster.And
people now tell me, ‘You’re getting really amazing,’” he admits,
pausing as if he still needs to convince himself.
Perhaps his unease stems from the fact he’s never had any
formal photographic training. After growing up in the South of
France fascinated by Hollywood and Italian cinema, Nars moved
to Paris to attend its famed Carita makeup school.With his signa-
ture makeup look — strong,bold colour — he developed a repu-
tation in the ’80s fashion scene that saw him forge a dream team
with photographer Steven Meisel, hair guru Oribe and super-
models including Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell.
Exasperated by the limitations of the makeup tools available at the
time, he launched his own eponymous collection, which was
purchased in 2000 by Shisiedo Group;he remains creative director
of the line.The proceeds of the sale bought him a private island,
Motu Tané in French Polynesia (yours to rent for about $38,000
per night,should you desire).In semi-retirement mode,he’d fleet-
ingly return to New York for his Nars Cosmetics commitments
and the occasional makeup director’s gig backstage at the fashion
shows of his friend Marc Jacobs.
At first, Nars’s photography skills were honed out of necessity
more than artistic ambition.“When I started the brand and needed
to shoot campaigns, I didn’t have the finances to hire a top ‘star’
photographer,so basically I had to be the one to take the pictures,”
he explains. “I’d worked on shoots doing makeup for amazing
photographers and learnt from them. It was the best school
I could have ever attended.” While today it may be all about
post-production, working as a makeup artist in the late ’70s
and early ’80s meant digital retouching wasn’t an option.
“Photographers loved me because I was a real perfectionist and
didn’t apply too much foundation, so the skin looked fresh. It’s
sad there’s now so much retouching. I still work so only limited
touch-ups are required,” Nars says.
His vision of beauty also remains relatively unchanged.
“Beautiful, for me, is not necessarily what a lot of people [see as]
beautiful:the perfect nose,the perfect eyes,the perfect lips ...What
makes someone beautiful is almost the ‘wrong’ things.A stronger
nose, a large forehead, thin lips. I’m always looking for women
with character,personality,a certain charisma and different beauty.”
He thinks this stems from his childhood. “As a young boy,
I loved watching 1950s Italian films where directors like Fellini
cast striking actors.I also loved the work of the director [Josef] von
Sternberg,who used actresses like Garbo and Dietrich,and the way
light and makeup was used on their faces. It’s a different type of
beauty to the standard Barbie type.That’s what inspires me.”
It’s clear he’s drawn to strength (this is a makeup mogul who
made a mint from his flair with audacious colour, after all), but
Nars insists there’s always softness in his pictures.“In my upcoming
book [released in 2016] you’ll see a lot of strong characters — a
portfolio of 40 actors,dancers,athletes,designers and singers.Some
images will be striking and extravagant. Others will be simple,
makeup-free portraits. But my main concern is to always make
them look good.I avoid ugly,disturbing and wild.It’s about balance.
If the woman has strong makeup, I ask them for a soft expression.”
Nars has a list of firm favourites when it comes to the idiosyn-
cratic beauties he uses in his campaigns: Daphne Guinness,Tilda
Swinton, Charlotte Rampling and Erin O’Connor. But his
all-time pick is ’60s iconVeruschka.“She was so incredible because
she loved to be photographed.To be a good model you have to
love yourself and love being photographed.You also have to be
photogenic,regardless of how good looking you are.I know beau-
tiful girls who look like nothing in front of a camera.You have to
be able to move, understand the clothes, understand the makeup
and hair, and understand the character the photographer is trying
to capture.Unfortunately,many models don’t enjoy it.Most of the
models today are disposable.Almost like Kleenex!”
One rising star Nars often works with is 24-year-old Russian
model/actor/photographer Daria Strokous, who stars in the port-
folio on these pages. Styled by Patti Wilson, with whom Nars has
collaborated for nearly two decades, the images have a static-por-
trait feel — a departure from Nars’s usual celebration of movement
— born out of a desire to give each shot the character of
a painting. “The clothes have an almost vintage feel, so I felt
a neutral face balanced the abundance of it. No strong eye colours
or lipstick shades — just glowing skin.That’s what gives each image
modernity and keeps things fresh,” says Nars.“What interests me
here is her character.That’s what true beauty is.” – Eugenie Kelly
W
M A K E R
GETTYIMAGES
HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU September 2015202

10. Alexander McQueen dress,
$14,173; Jennifer Behr veil,
$976; Ashley Lloyd headpiece;
Gasoline Glamour gloves;
Miriam Haskell necklaces and
ring, all price on application.
All prices approximate. Model:
Daria Strokous. Hair by Didier
Malige; makeup by Lena Koro.
All makeup: Nars Cosmetics.
On skin: All Day Luminous
Weightless Foundation; Radiant
Creamy Concealer. On cheeks:
Copacabana Illuminator;
Dual-Intensity Blush
in Jubilation and Adoration.
On eyes: St. Paul De Vence
Duo Eyeshadow; Eyeshadow in
Blondie; Velvet Shadow Stick
in Hollywoodland; Audacious
Mascara. On lips: Lip Gloss
in Guyane. See Buylines for
details and stockists.