Image: Dayle Haddon as Elizabeth Taylor wearing Butterfield 8 Lip Lacquer. photography & makeup by Francois Nars.
To celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of his eponymous beauty line, famed makeup artist Francois Nars recently enlisted 15 of his closest celebrity friends to pose for a portrait inspired by a NARS shade and based on an iconic image. Imagine top fashion model Dayle Haddon as Elizabeth Taylor in Butterfield 8 and you have the idea. Not only did Francois design the makeup look, he photographed the celebrity and assembled the resulting images into a coffee table book entitled 15X15 benefiting a handful of charitable organizations. Marc Jacobs, Naomi Campbell, Isabella Rossellini, Amber Valletta, Tyson Ballou, and Shalom Harlow were a few of the personalities who agreed to participate.
Murale: What is it about these 15 celebrities that made them right for this project?
Francois Nars: All of them are true standouts in their field, and they are all beautiful, but for me it was important for the participants to be really excited about the project, and about the power of transformation, and makeup of course.
Murale: Tell us about what inspired 15X15?
F.N.: I wanted to celebrate all the hard work of the last 15 years in the best possible way as a creative project. There is nothing better to make people over and create a look for them. It is what I have been doing all my life. The creative process is the most fun and most exciting thing in the world for me.
Murale: Besides makeup, you’ve become an accomplished photographer. What is it about photography that interests you?
F.N.: I really think it makes you see things and people a bit differently. Being a photographer is a very special, amazing experience – one you can only have looking through a lens.
Murale: What makes a great beauty photograph?
F.N.: I try to capture a moment, a little bit of the soul of the person you are working with. I also try to make the image as interesting as possible in every possible way – clothes, makeup, hair and of course expression and attitude. Lighting of course is key to achieving a good picture, but hair, makeup and styling are also important to any photographer. Without them, it is very difficult to make a statement and create a beautiful image. You also have to be inspired by the model you are photographing otherwise nothing great will come out. The rest is just good luck and good photo assistants.
Murale: Tell us about Dayle Haddon as Elizabeth Taylor. That’s a pretty spectacular image.
F.N.: I love Elizabeth Taylor’s character in Butterfield 8 – while a call girl, she still retains classic and timeless beauty. For Dayle, I wanted to capture her ageless beauty and pay homage to Taylor’s iconic film role. Butterfield 8 Lip Lacquer instantly creates a sensuous, yet sophisticated look that works in the bedroom and the real world.
Murale: How about Amber Valletta?
F.N.: I really wanted to use the Belle de Jour lipstick for this project – it is one of my favourite shades. I love Catherine Deneuve’s look in the 1970s, especially in the movie Belle de Jour and wanted to recreate that look on Amber Valletta. It’s a fun, young interpretation of Catherine Deneuve.
Murale: It’s hard to believe you are celebrating the 15th anniversary of your beauty line. What are you most proud of?
F.N.: That NARS has helped give women the confidence to express themselves. And, that we’ve kept our point of view. We are not afraid to be a bit different, to make shades that are bold, that we don’t tell women how to look, but give them the shades, products and inspiration they need to feel and look beautiful.
Murale: You grew up in the South of France. How did you learn to become an accomplished makeup artist?
F.N.: I learned everything about beauty just by watching my mother and her friends when I was growing up.
Murale: What inspires a beauty collection?
F.N.: Everything from music to movies and nature to literature. I often find inspiration on the streets of New York, London and Paris. People, things and places are always inspiring me and making me think of the next best idea.
Murale: You’ve worked with some of the top fashion designers in the world: Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Valentino and Karl Lagerfeld to name a few. Which designers are the most fun to work with?
F.N.: Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs.
Murale: What’s your secret to success?
F.N.: Laughing. It’s the only way to get through a long day of being creative with makeup and photography. You have to laugh when you are working with so many people.
Murale: What is your goal for the next 15 years?
F.N.: To keep creating modern, deep, rich and adventurous colours and products that inspire creative expression every day.
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