May 24th, 2011-NARS Cosmetics, Inc. celebrated the launch of Founder & Creative Director François Nars’ newest beauty book Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself at Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet Theater in New York City.

L to R: François Nars, Grace Coddington the creative director of American Vogue magazine, fashion designer Calvin Klein

François Nars was joined by subjects from the book, as well as Martha Stewart, Alexa Chung, Lake Bell, Tinsley Mortimer, Calvin Klein, Anna Sui, Patti Wilson, Simon Doonan, Grace Coddington, Fern Mallis, Louis Desazars, Carol Alt, Jane Holzer, Shenae Grimes, Becka Diamond, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Erin Fetherston, Byrdie Bell, Topaz Page-Green, Zani Gugelmann, Lily Rabe, Amanda Lepore, Mick Rock, Richie Rich…

Elise Øverland, Keenan Singh, Eddie Borgo, Mickey Boardman, Bonnie Morrison, June Ambrose, Kate Young, Eric Thal, Tao Okamoto, Alana Zimmer, Ginta Lapina, Britt Maren, Jeremy Kost, Linda Vojtova, Jamie Wise, Tenessee Thomas, Thom Filicia, Andrew Bevan, Mandy Coon, and French DJs Les Jumeaux.

L to R: Alexa Chung and François Nars

L to R: François Nars and Martha Stewart

L to R: François Nars and Tinsley Mortimer

L to R: fashion designer Anna Sui and François Nars

French DJs Les Jumeaux

In addition, NARS created the beauty looks for Alexa Chung, Tinsley Mortimer, Becka Diamond, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Topaz Page-Green, and Lily Rabe.

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet was transformed into a beautiful, open gallery-esque setting in order to showcase selected before-and-after portraits from the book, all photographed by François Nars. Animated portrait walls displayed selected subjects’ before-and-after shots, looping a virtual acetate overlay to detail the transformation. Music was courtesy of French DJs Les Jumeaux, a favorite of François’ and the fashion industry, who create the music for Ritz Bar and Montaigne Market in Paris. The NARS boutique in the West Village plays an exclusive music mix created by Les Jumeaux twins Anthony and Adrien.

Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself, the ultimate beauty manual, turns the lens on real women and men of differing ages and ethnicities, bringing together makeup-application instruction and vivid portraits of “before” and “after” images with overlaid acetate diagrams. To complement the launch of the book, NARS recently unveiled www.makeupyourmind.com, a community website that encourages fans (you) of the brand to recreate looks from the book and upload their images for the chance to win a trip backstage with the brand at New York Fashion Week.

NARS Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself Launch Party

IMAGE CREDIT: © 2011 DAVID X PRUTTING & NEIL RASMUS/BFANYC.COM

Lea Michele’s Makeup At The 2010 Emmy Awards by NARS! The Bling & Diamonds: Lorraine Schwartz. Brown and White Diamond Mesh Necklace. Stacked Brown and White Diamond Bracelets. Brown Diamond Stud Earrings. Brown and White Diamond Ring.

The Makeup Look & Inspiration: “My inspiration was the era of the 60’s. I thought of Raquel Welch and Bridget Bardot: the winged eye, the nude lip. The dress is so classic, so we wanted to be adventurous with her eyes– giving a dash of color with the new Palladium Soft Touch Shadow Pencil – and kept the lip nude with Tashkent Pure Matte!”–Melanie Inglessis for NARS Cosmetics

NARS Cosmetics worked with celebrity makeup artist Melanie Inglessis to create the makeup look for Lea Michele at the 2010 Emmy Awards. Many products from NARS’ new Fall 2010 Collection were key creating the look. Lea Michele wore the following products to achieve a playful yet classic look:

· PRO-PRIME Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base & Skin Smoothing Face Prep

· Douceur Blush (NEW for Fall 2010)

· Tzarine Duo Eyeshadow (NEW for Fall 2010)

· Palladium Soft Touch Shadow Pencil (NEW for Fall 2010)

· Tashkent Pure Matte Lipstick (NEW for Fall 2010)

Pure Matte Lipstick will be available on September 1st, 2010, exclusively at Saks.com. All other products are currently available at narscosmetics.com.

Talking Makeup and Marta Walsh has the inside scoop on what makeup some celebrities are going to wear on the red carpet at the 2010 Emmy Awards! Looks like NARS will be working with makeup artists to create looks for celebrities this weekend at the 62nd annual Emmy Awards!

Melissa Inglessis for NARS Cosmetics will design the look for nominee Lea Michele (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy for her role in Glee)

Tina Turnbow for NARS Cosmetics will design the look for presenter Keri Russell

Tina Turnbow for NARS Cosmetics will design the look for nominee Joan Allen (Outstanding Lead Actress in a TV Movie/Miniseries for her role in Georgia O’Keefe)

Carola Gonzalez will design the look for Mindy Kailing who stars in The Office (nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series)

Tune in this Sunday August 29th, 2010, at 7pm EST/8pm PST for the Red Carpet Special and immediately after at 8pm EST and 5pm PST for the awards show. We will be update you with the breakdowns of each look!

Celebrity Inspired Makeup. NARS Q&A With Daphne Guinness!

When it comes to describing fashionista Daphne Guinness, the passion of Founder & Creative Director François Nars knows no boundaries. And when it came to designing and photographing this futuristic makeup look for Fall 2010, François created a look worthy of his leading lady. It was only fitting that Nars chose to name an eyeshadow after his muse, Daphne, a color that is as bold and beautiful as the woman for whom it was named. To magnify the arresting impact of the magnificent Ms. Guinness, Nars designed and photographed her in a kaleidoscope of mirrors, creating a virtual funhouse of reflective images.

But enough about François…Daphne Guinness talks about her experience as the face of the Fall 2010 campaign and it can all be found exclusively on Facebook – just click through to our NEW tab “The Latest” which will constantly be updated with exclusive information to bring you one step further into the world of NARS. Check out facebook.com/narscosmetics now for more questions and answers with Daphne!

Here’s a sneak peek:

NARS Cosmetics: How would you best wear a bold color, such as the NARS Daphne Eyeshadow?
Daphne Guinness: I love the color. As I am a painter, I am able to integrate it into a palette of what I am wearing that day.

Backstage Makeup: Watch: NARS for 3.1 phillip lim Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Week. Lead Artist: Lisa Butler for NARS Cosmetics. Key Products Used: Douceur Blush (new for Fall!), Coconut Grove Single Eyeshadow (new for Fall!), Abyssinia Eyeshadow, London Eyeliner Pencil, Sex Machine Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Luxor Multiple, Riviera Multiple.

The Makeup Look & Inspiration: “This look has many layers,” said Lisa Butler for NARS Cosmetics. “The eyes are edgy while the skin was kept healthy and glowing. The lips are a soft, sheer pink for the elegant punk-rock princess style that Phillip was looking for.”

Watch: NARS for Thakoon Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Week. Lead Artist: Diane Kendal for NARS Cosmetics. Key Products Used: Douceur Blush (new for Fall 2010!), Coconut Grove Eyeshadow (new for Fall!), Tzarine Duo Eyeshadow (new for Fall!), Portobello Duo Eyeshadow, Belle de Jour Lipstick.

The Makeup Look & Inspiration: “The look is fresh, beautiful, luminous and quite confident,” said Diane Kendal for NARS Cosmetics. “We focused on a strong brow and highlighted the eyes to show depth and boldness in a way that wouldn’t fight with the various textures, layers and colors of the collection.”

Watch: NARS for Marc Jacobs Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Week. Key Products Used: Enchanted Cream Blush, NARS D. Gorgeous Eyeshadow, NARS Nuits Blanches Eyeliner Stylo, NARS Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil, NARS Barbarella Lipstick.

The Makeup Look & Inspiration: “This look is what you would see on a girl from the East Village or St. Germain des Pres-an existentialist with a modern twist,” said François Nars (Founder and Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics) whose application technique included using his fingers to achieve the faded effect. “These girls are sexy and cool. Their makeup looks dirty and worn out as if it has been on all night but still translates beautifully on the runway.”

Via NARS YouTube Channel

Backstage Makeup: Go backstage with NARS Cosmetics and witness the excitement of putting together a show at Fashion Week. Interviews with designers, including Phillip Lim and Thakoon Panichgul, bring to life the decadence and creativity reflected in the makeup looks created by lead artists.

Founder of NARS Cosmetics François Nars with model

From the first touch of concealer to the last step off the catwalk, NARS brings you up close to the fun, frenzy and frills of New York Fashion Week. Visit NARS YouTube Channel for the behind-the-scenes videos.

Makeup artist Fabiola used NARS Cosmetics on January Jones for last night’s Season 4 Premiere of “Mad Men” in NYC. Pure Matte Lipstick was key in creating the look!

Get January Jones’s look with the following NARS products:

· Bangkok Pure Matte Lipstick (for now, try Dolce Vita Velvet Matte Lip Pencil)

· NARS PRO-PRIME Skin Smoothing Face Prep and Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

· Brousse Duo Eyeshadow and Eurydice Duo Eyeshadow

· Douceur Blush

The inspiration for the look was “Catherine Deneuve” – strong eyes and a simple, matte lip. January loved Pure Matte so much that she kept it!

Pure Matte will be available September 1st, 2010, at Saks Fifth Avenue. All other products are currently available at narscosmetics.com.

NARS Cosmetics worked with celebrity makeup artist Vanessa Scali to create the makeup look for “Mad Men” actress Christina Hendricks at the Season 4 Premiere last night, July 20th, 2010. NARS’ NEW Pure Matte Lipstick was key in creating her look along with other products from NARS’ Fall 2010 Color Collection.

“Christina’s sultry Dolce & Gabbana dress inspired a softer version of the “La Dolce Vita” makeup look. We kept it modern by using Bangkok Pure Matte Lipstick, which is a soft matte rose color for her lips,” says Vanessa Scali.

Christina Hendricks’ makeup look was achieved using the following NARS products:

· Bangkok Pure Matte Lipstick (Available September 1st, 2010; try Catfight Lipstick for a similar effect)

· Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Skin Smoothing Face Prep

Sheer Glow Foundation

Douceur Blush (NEW for Fall 2010; available on narscosmetics.com)

Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil

Coconut Grove Single Eyeshadow (NEW for Fall 2010; available on narscosmetics.com)

Cayenne Cream Eyeshadow

Skorpios Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

Pure Matte Lipstick will be available September 1st, 2010, at Saks Fifth Avenue. All other products are currently available on narscosmetics.com.