When you photograph someone, you have to make them feel good, and you know that they want to look good. It’s the same relationship that you have when you apply makeup on somebody. We’re almost like shrinks. – Francois Nars
I chose makeup over photography because there was something very sensual about makeup that I loved. But photography was always in the back of my mind. That was always something that I was very connected with: looking at magazines, enjoying photography, and then taking pictures myself when I was a kid. – Francois Nars
There was a time when you would dream about, say, movie stars. Now, you virtually follow them into their bathroom when they’re going to the loo. – Francois Nars
My goal was always to make the girl look real and look beautiful. It didn’t matter how much makeup. Sometimes it was none at all. – Francois Nars
Being a studio make-up artist and working on magazines was the only thing I wanted to do. – Francois Nars
I’m always scared of trends. The runways are always so trend-oriented, but I always feel for the women. The real women that buy cosmetics want to see the trends, but they don’t necessarily go for them. And I always encourage women to find what looks best on them. – Francois Nars
I love to collaborate with artists, like Guy Bourdin and Steven Klein, who don’t have any boundaries. – Francois Nars
In America, when I first came here, they were used to wearing more make-up – thicker foundation, more Max Factor, that sort of thing. But you have to know who you are and what you look like: if you know yourself a little bit, you don’t need to follow trends. – Francois Nars
I like shocking, but I don’t like to shock as an automatic process. Sometimes it happens, but it’s not my main drive. – Francois Nars
It’s more fun to have a name rather than a number. I think this gives our products a personality. I get the names from literature, movies, opera, traveling, nature, poetry, sometimes even the street. I keep a small book that I write in. I wake up in the middle of the night and jot down a name for a lipstick or an eyeshadow. – Francois Nars
I think less is more when it comes to make-up; this really helps achieve a lighter complexion. Heavy make-up creates a canvas and can dull the skin. – Francois Nars
I had no connections, and the fashion world was a closed elite. So my mother made appointments for herself with three top Parisian makeup artists and spoke highly about me… she was my first publicist! – Francois Nars
I remember this time I worked with Linda Evangelista on a shoot for Richard Avedon. I just put grease on her face, and it was beautiful. – Francois Nars
Sometimes people are very not sure of themselves, so you really have to give them that confidence. Even models – they need to warm up sometimes on photo shoots. – Francois Nars
True icons are larger than life, unforgettable with an elegance that’s mesmerizingly timeless. – Francois Nars
As a make-up artist, you always want to be in a good light, whether you’re walking down the street or in a restaurant. It is a very key element to me; you can’t apply good make-up in a bad light. – Francois Nars
I would find myself in these photo shoots with models and makeup, and I got swept up in it all. – Francois Nars
There is a tendency to feature more actresses on covers, but I’m a big model lover. I grew up watching these models, and they gave me the wish, the need, to work in the fashion industry. I loved watching them – their beauty, the way they worked in front of the camera and that power of transformation, especially in the Seventies. – Francois Nars
Women don’t want to feel like they’re wearing makeup. I hope I was partly responsible for that. – Francois Nars
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. – Francois Nars
It’s very refreshing to go away and take a break, to clear your head, and just get into something else. – Francois Nars