Nars reaches its climax
I’m referring to the new Nars mascara, the brand known for its provocative shade names and exciting pigmentation and finishes — some beauty girls even say the first swipe is titillating. Nars Climax is characterized by its bamboo-like red packaging. Inside, it has ribbed bristles, loaded up with whipped, black satin pigment thematically named Explicit Black so you never have to fake it — fake lashes, that is. Nars senior makeup artist Niko Lopez launched it in Manila recently. We learn more about Nars’ latest eye line from Lopez himself.
YSTYLE: Deep Throat, Orgasm, Super Orgasm — why did it take so long for Nars to get to Climax?
NIKO LOPEZ: (Laughs) We were waiting for this for so long. We were using it backstage for at least two years without announcing it but testing it out and it passed the test. (Lopez has worked with Alexander Wang, Rodarte, Rag & Bone, Helmut Lang, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Naeem Khan and Erdem.) If it passes the backstage test, it’ll do well even in Manila weather where it’s really hot and humid because the models have to have the look on for hours even before the show starts. They’re walking around, sometimes the locations don’t have AC. The flashes are going on because they’re getting their pictures taken. We’ve been trying to come out with amazing mascara, that’s why it took longer and I think we got it this time.
What do your celeb clients Bella and Gigi Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Candice Swanepoel and Paris Hilton always request?
A good smoky eye is my signature. It can range from a neutral smoky eye with browns and golds or it can be a really electric blue
smoky eye. It can be natural or dramatic but I always gravitate to the eyes and the eyebrows the most. Eye shadow tips for small Asian eyes?
I always like to smoke out the top of the lash line and the bottom lash line. On the waterline I’ll do a white or beige, which is an old school trick, but it still works to this day. Just smoking out that bottom lash line and then bring it down a little bit lower than the top lash line. That really helps. How about for hooded and monolid eyes?
Avoid applying a dark shade all the way across the eyelid. It’s just gonna close up the eyes. What I suggest is contouring where the crease would be, then just going a little bit higher so when your eyes are open you have an illusion of a cut crease. I really like contouring that area. The way to do colors and metallics and make it show is to apply it in the inner corners of the eyes, just to give it a little nice shine. Or what I like to do is just apply it on the eyelid. You can’t see it when your eyes are open, but it doesn’t matter because when you’re speaking to somebody and you close your eyes or you look down, they’re gonna see it. They’re gonna be like, “Ooh, your eyes look great!” Just like the formula and its shades, the brushes used are equally important when creating a good eye look. What are your favorites?
Nars’ pro brushes — all the white head ones — are all made in Japan and I just love their quality. From the original lineup, the classic one I like is the Yachiyo brush, which is a little broom-looking brush with a bamboo-like handle. It’s an artistry favorite. More women are now embracing the fun of makeup, but for those still on the fence about it, what would you like to tell them?
It’s makeup, not a permanent tattoo. It comes off. If you’re scared of color, maybe do your neutral eye like you normally do but try just adding a pop of color in the eyeliner like a blue or green; in the center of the eyelid, a pop of