A BEAUTIFUL MIND
A glimpse inside the captivating world of François Nars
A new book gives an insight into the life and work of the cosmetics guru François Nars
It’s been more than 20 years since François Nars established his eponymous cosmetics brand, with a simple strategy for success. ‘My goal is to make people look beautiful,’ he writes, in the introduction to a new book that commemorates some of the key moments of his career.
A man with the ability to invoke beauty with a brushstroke is destined to go far, and Nars’ talent took him from Paris to New York in 1984, a move that saw him collaborate with legendary photographers including Richard Avedon and Irving Penn.
Nars soon combined editorial work with campaigns for Versace and Calvin Klein, and regularly worked with world-famous models, such as Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, who once declared: ‘No one ever painted my face like François.’
Nars has a rare aptitude for enhancing not just a woman’s best features, but also her charisma. In person, he appears understated and rather shy; his passion emerges in his make-up and his photography – indeed, many of the most striking images in this book have been taken by Nars himself.
‘I truly believe that beauty lies within our character,’ he says. And perhaps that’s his most unusual gift: the skill of reading his subjects, allowing their inner selves to shine through.
‘François Nars’ (£55, Rizzoli) is out now.