Exclusive Interview With François Nars

Contributed by Daily Makeover's Amber Katz:

I don't have to tell the makeup obsessed gals that you are about what a legend François Nars is. For beauty junkies, his technicolor makeup products are the cosmetic equivalent of baseball cards. I recently had the chance to sit down with this superhuman talent and pick his brain about everything from how he keeps track of his inspired product names to his favorite makeup item of all time.

Daily Makeover: What is your all-time favorite beauty look you've ever created?

François Nars: My first favorite look is one that I brought back: False lashes. Twenty years ago, when I worked a lot with Steven Meisel, I brought back a very 1950s and 1960s eye liner effect. That was a time when you wouldn't see many false eyelashes. Mascara, yes--lashes, no. Another favorite: The ones I created for the Marc Jacobs fashion show in February 2009--a myriad of night clubbing visages. That was a great show and it was so much fun to create the makeup concepts for it.

DM: What the trick to creating a bold lip look?

FN: I stay away from rules. Rules get boring. You know? Too cliché. You can do a smokey eye and a red lip. It reminds me of the Helmut Newton photos from late 1970s early 1980s. There was no blush, just a deep-hued eye and strong lip. Helmut didn't like blush. The application is all about the way you adapt it. Some women look better with a pale lip, so it's more about what the woman individually can get away with. Get creative. Makeup is a way of expressing yourself. Try something else in front of the mirror. Simple as that. It's my goal to give women more freedom.

DM: What is your favorite eye shadow for creating a smokey eye effect?

FN: I like the dustiness of the NARS Cosmetics Brume Eye Shadow Duo. It almost looks bad in the pan, but on, it looks foggish and fantastic. It makes the eye pop, particularly if you have light eyes. Strong, obvious colors don't necessarily do that.

DM: What's the story with your Schiap lipstick and nail polish shade? Why do you think it's so iconic for your brand?

FN: It's named after Elsa Schiaparelli, the designer who's also the grandmother of Marisa Berenson. She invented the shocking pink in the 30s, which propelled her to fame. "Schiap" was her nickname. We worked hard to make it as close as possible. It's a bright bright bright pink--not Barbie pink, nor Pepto Bismol pink.

DM: What is your go-to red?

FN: NARS Cosmetics Semi Matte Lipstick in Jungle Red is my favorite. Even if it stops selling, it should remain. That name is so iconic because of the movie The Woman. NARS is the only one with that name. Jungle Red Lipstick launched with the original 12 NARS lipstick shades at Barneys, which were the original pieces of the line. It is a signature NARS red--stocked with rich, intense pigment and a semi-matte finish, it is a classic, perfect crimson.

DM: What is your single most-used makeup item?

FN: NARS Cosmetics Satin Lipstick in Honolulu Honey. This beigey-nude shade has been used in countless shoots, shows and ads. This shade also launched with the original 12 shades at Barneys. It is a perfect warm nude because it has just the right amount of yellow and pink. The combination of shades along with its sheer finish makes it ideal for all skin tones.

As one the web's largest beauty sites, DailyMakeover.com constantly receives products from beauty companies for editorial review. Please read our Editorial Ethics Pledge if you'd like to know how we select products to feature.

Related Links:
Beyonce's New Hairstyle:
Splurge vs. Save Skin Care
Return of the Bowl Haircut

The Return of the Bowl Haircut: Oh Boy!

Contributed by Daily Makeover's Megan McIntyre:

The bowl cut, which has been a popular hairstyle in decades past, seems to be enjoying a comeback of sorts as a bevy of hip, young celebs have been seen sporting the look around town. One glance at this retro round bob probably has you wondering what could possibly prompt chic young ladies like Agyness Deyn, Estelle, Parker Posey and Christina Ricci to don a short hairstyle that gives off such a distinct whiff of 70's cheese.

We definitely never thought we'd be seeing a good chunk of Hollywood embrace the rounded bangs, but we're even more shocked to say that we kind of like the look. It's got a slightly sexy, a little bit brooding, definitely retro vibe that keeps our eyes entranced. Part of this reason, at least according to celebrity hairstylist Sam Brocato, is that the cut practically begs you to stare at its wearer's face. "Because of the shape of the cut, you just can't help looking into someone's eyes. It has a mystique that draws you in--it's very 20's and vampy. It's also a way of adding some edginess to your look without doing hard, strong lines," he says.

Want to try the look at home? If you don't have bangs, Brocato suggests purchasing a pair of clip-on bang extensions as they are a major portion of the hairstyle. The key to this look is in the layering and the roundness, so start off by taking the very top layer of hair and use a large round brush to roll the edges over, section by section. Brocato says you can also use an extra-large curling iron in the same fashion to create a stronger curve. After you curl it, run some styling cream through your hair, then blast it quickly with a blowdryer to soften the curl and create that big, super-round style.

Related Links:
Beyonce's New Hairstyle:
Splurge vs. Save Skin Care:
Interview with Francois Nars

Acqua di Gio and the UNICEF Tap ProjectProject

Want to do something to help raise awareness around the world to improve safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, without even opening your wallet? For every fan Acqua di Gio gets on Facebook during the month of March, the company will donate $1 to the UNICEF Tap Project.

Additionally, during World Water Week (March 21st - March 27th), Acqua di Gio will donate $1 to the UNICEF Tap Project with each fragrance sold in the US. Bonus: Customers who purchase a large bottle of Acqua di Gio will receive a bpa-free water bottle as a token of appreciation. Hot male model not included.

Sandra Bullock at the Oscars: Get the Look

Best Actress Sandra Bullock was styled by Abergel for Fekkai who wanted to bring back simplicity, with Sandra’s sleek and straight down-do. The strong side part created beautiful lines to compliment her dress. He modernized the texture of the hair by creating a sleek look, with a slight wave at the end.

Conditioned hair is very important for any sleek style. Abergel used Fekkai Advanced Glossing Shampoo and Conditioner, leaving the conditioner on for 15 minutes. He then rinsed and towel dried the hair. Then he parted the hair in a deep side part. Adir recommends following the arch of your brow to choose where to part your hair. He then took a large Fekkai Round Brush and blow-dried the hair completely straight, making sure the roots were flat. Then spray with Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray to 2” sections of hair from roots to the end and use a flat iron to get a bone straight effect. To finish the look, Abergel took a 1 1/4” inch curling iron and lightly curled the ends of the hair for a nice slight wave and tucked the bangs behind the ear. To complete the look he added the Fekkai Silky Straight Ironless Smooth Finish Serum to create a sleek finish.

Your Stylist: Short hair styles you won't regret cutting

Amen! The grass is always greener when it comes to girls and their hair. When it’s all grown out, you are inspired to get a cute bob cut, but when it’s chopped, all you want are your long and lovely locks back. It seems you just can’t win. But the best thing is to embrace and be thankful for your healthy hair and go with the cut that suits your face and style best.

Since you are confident with a short hair cut, here are some styles that I personally love:

Michelle Williams has a great short cut that isn’t a pixie but still has that gamine appeal. She’s got long layers on top and piecey strands on the side and back. She still seems to be able to tuck her sides behind her ears and sport different parts to be more sophisticated and dramatic for night and easy and casual for day. To me, this just looks like one of those cuts that gets better the dirtier it gets, so by Day 3 of no washing you still look amazing and chic.

How to Wear Makeup that Suits Your Mood

Daily Makeover contributor and celebrity makeup artist, Carmindy, shared how to add a little makeup to your routine each day that reflects your mood. We know there are days that a bold lipstick fits and there are days when we just feel like wearing a pink stain. Find out Carmindy's tips from Daily Makeover.

Burberry Beauty

Burberry Beauty by Jet Set Girls featuring Burberry shoes

JELLY White Flip Flops, $107
Burberry Beauty - View All - Nordstrom, $28
Burberry Beauty - View All - Nordstrom, $42
Burberry Beauty - View All - Nordstrom, $28
Burberry 'Lip Glow' Natural Lip Gloss - View All - Nordstrom, $27

Burberry Beauty launched this summer and we're itching to get our hands on some lipgloss for our beachbags.  Here are a few tips we learned from Nordstrom's National Beauty Director Cheri Botiz (twitter: @NordstromBeauty) at the launch in San Francisco:

Use Pale Rose eye shadow on the inner corner of the eye to look like you just had 8 hours of sleep.

For a perfect smokey eye use Trench eye shadow as a base color and Taupe Brown as the crease color.

Union Red lipstick is one of the most wearable reds on the market.

BeautyZZZ Natural Silk Pillowcase

We've given you many tips on making a blowout last; but one thing we didn't recommend was using a silk pillowcase. The BeautyZZZ Natural Silk Pillowcase promises to defend against bed head.  The soft surface allows your hair to slide over the pillowcase during the night and not get snagged and tangled.

It also protects your face's natural contours. Isn't it is terrible to wake up after a long night's sleep and see a new wrinkle in the mirror because you were sleeping on your side?

This would be perfect for travel for your hair and skin; but also it packs small and repels dust mites which are in even the fanciest hotels. You could also use it as a dirty laundry bag on your way home. The BeautyZZZ pillowcase is at Beauty.com.

MAC's Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara

Finally, we can stop packing two kinds of mascaras in our carry on bags. MAC's Haute and Naughty Lash Mascara offers two wiper systems, or "orifices" as the cheeky folks at MAC like to call them. The smaller Haute side (the solid pink top) is just right for daytime and creates separated, natural lashes, while the larger Naughty side (the sparkly pink top) imparts more volume and drama. The Haute side is also good for getting lower lashes and those pesky inner corner ones.

But just because we're now only packing one mascara, don't think for a minute that we're leaving our fake eyelashes at home. Read on for tips on getting extreme eyelashes.

Available at Maccosmetics.com and Nordstrom.com.

Caudalie Cleansing Water to Go: Perfect for Travel

Caudalie's 3.4 oz Cleansing Water to Go is the perfect size for travel  and a great three in one product that'll reduce the bulk in your carry on.  This cleanser, makeup remover, and toner is designed for your face and eye makeup, even mascara.  It's free of parabens, sulfites and dyes and is appropriate for all skin types including sensitive skin. We're going to pack the Caudalie Cleansing Water to Go on our next girls trip.  You can find it at Sephora for $14.00.

Bic Comfort 3 Pivot Razors

I've tried plenty of razors but was pleasantly surprised at the great results I got with the Bic Comfort 3 Pivot razor. While the new razors with four blades claim to do the best job; I think they're too wide to navigate around bony ankles and the soft skin around the bikini area. The Bic is just the right width, has a soft grip feel, and aloe and Vitamin E for comfort. The only thing that confuses me is the berry scent they added. While it is somewhat pleasing, in a Strawberry Shortcake Doll kinda way, it doesn't have any function. Unless, that is, you're part of the teen crowd.  When I asked a young friend about it, she said she purposely bought her razors because of their coconut scent. Go figure.

I found the Bic Comfort 3 razors at CVS in a 4+2 bonus pack for $5.

Kim Vo Talks About Day to Night Hair

Kim Vo shares his secrets on taking your hair from day to Nnght Hair with JSG's Annie. BTW--that's the Goody Spin Pin he's talking about.

Review: Chanel Paradoxal Nail Polish

When we first saw Chanel Paradoxal nail polish, a dark gray-violet that is part of the Chanel Fall 2010 Beauty Collection, we couldn't wait to get our hot little hands on it.  It looked to be a rival to our number one favorite polish ever, Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Opulent Cloud. What we love about Opulent Cloud -- and what we hoped for Chanel's Pardoxal -- is that it practically changes color from silver to gold to lavender, like a rich piece of silk.

When we first saw the bottle of Paradoxal in real life, we were a bit disappointed as it's much lighter in color than the press photo. Even considering the strength of our flash in the photo above right, it's significantly lighter in person and a bit less sparkly. Still, we know that you can never judge a polish by the color in the bottle, so we hightailed it to our local nail salon. On our fingers, it's a pretty purple-y gray and, like expensive blonde highlights, the subtle sparkle is most notable in the sunshine.

The verdict: It's a nice addition to our fall collection of polishes, but you don't have to camp out at Neimans or the other stores that will be selling it overnight to get it.

Donna Karen Liquid Nude Perfume

Donna Karen's new limited edition Liquid Nude is an interpretation of the popular Cashmere Mist.  I liked that it is light and powdery, making it wearable on a hot summer day.  It's subtle enough that you won't offend anyone; but pleasant so you can charm that cutie at the tiki bar. Liquid Nude's notes are sandalwood and ylang heart.  I'll keep my sample in my overnight bag so that it's ready for last minute beach trips like the one I'm taking to Wrightsville Beach, N.C. this week. 

You can find Liquid Nude at Nordstroms. Their anniversary sale starts this week as well!

This review was based on a sample.

6 Hottest Nail Colors of Summer

Betty Confidential reveals the 6 Hottest Nail Colors of Summer. We're mixed on Lauren Conrad's green. Last time we went to get pedis, Hope talked Annie out of getting it on her toes, warning it could look like algae. But it does look awfully cute on L.C.'s mani!

Chanel Couture Fall 2010 Beauty

The Chanel Couture show in Paris featured a massive golden lion, a few Gossip Girls and, of course, trendsetting clothes and makeup. Here's how Peter Philips, Global Creative Director of Chanel Makeup created the look with almost natural eyes and a striking, deep red lip.


Eyes:                LES 4 OMBRES Quadra Eye Shadow in Enigma
                LE SOURCIL DE CHANEL Perfect Brows

Lips:                LE CRAYON LÈVRES Precision Lip Definer in Carmin
                ROUGE COCO Hydrating Crème Lip Colour in Rivoli

Nails:                LE VERNIS Nail Colour in Rouge Fatal (launching in October 2010)

Will You Miss the Hotel Soap?

MSNBC.com reports that in an effort to be more eco-friendly, hotel--even high end hotels--are doing away with individual bars of soaps and miniature shampoo and conditioner bottles in favor of wall dispensers. We think this is a good idea, as long as they are cleaned regularly; nothing's grosser than the goop that gets stuck at the tip of a dispenser. What we would miss is the little bottles of lotion. They come in handy for our carry on bags. Read Will You Miss the Hotel Soap.

The Molton Brown Tropical Traveler kit is available on 3floz.com.

Find the Best Sunscreen for You

Confused about which sunscreen provides the best coverage and how much you really need? Us, too. Real Beauty's "How to Chose a Sunscreen at Any Age" helped us read between the lines and find the best formula.

Atelier Colognes

We like our perfume natural, simple (single notes please), and fresh.  We're not everyday perfume girls and are more likely to wear it only for nights out and special occasions.  The new line of five colognes from Atelier suits our moods and our desires which change throughout the year.  They are Orange Sanguine, Bois Blonds, Grand Neroli, Oolang Infini, and Trefle Pur.   You can find them at Neimans, Bergdorfs or ateliercologne.com.

Our favorites are the Orange Sanguine with orange and geranium notes and the Bois Blonds with wood and incense notes.  The other three have an androgynous character good for the woman who likes to dab into her partner's cologne.

This review was based on samples.

Julia Jones at the Eclipse Premier

Even though Kristen Stewart seems to get more beautiful with every installation of the Twilight movies, the one we couldn't keep our eyes off of in Eclipse was Julia Jones as Leah Clearwater. She was appropriately scene-stealing at the premier as well. Here's how to get the look from Mark celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg:

Julia Jones' Face Makeup
“I started by using mark Mist Opportunity Multi-tasking Refresher to prep the face and applied mark For Goodness Face Antioxidant Skin Moisturizing Lotion all over Julia’s skin. Next, I added a touch of mark Get Bright Hook Up Highlighter in Golden under the eye area and mark Get A Tint Tinted Moisturizer Lotion SPF 15 Honey/Golden to even out her complexion. To give her a naturally radiant look, I dusted mark Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder everywhere except for her cheeks. To really emphasize her cheeks, I used a combination of mark Just Pinched Instant Blush Tint in Cheeky and Peachy and then lightly swept mark Glowdacious Illuminating Powder in Amped Up to the apples of her cheeks.”

Julia Jones' Eye Makeup
“I began by prepping her eyelids with the mark Please Hold Eye Primer in Medium/Dark to create a strong base for her eye makeup. I then applied a combination of three mark I-mark Custom Pick Eyeshadows to her eyes. I swept Magic across her lids, blended Latte into the crease and added Whisper under the brow bone. To add definition to her eyes, I applied the black shade of mark Keep It Going Longwear Eyeliner and Eyeshadow in Entourage to her top lash line and used the gold shade of mark Keep It Going Longwear Eyeliner and Eyeshadow in Iconic along the lower lash line. I finished her eyes with one coat of mark Scanda-Lash Hook Up Mascara in Blacklash for thickness and a second coat of mark Lash Splash Hook Up Waterproof Mascara in Black to lengthen and hold her lashes for the night.”

Julia Jones' Lips
“I prepped Julia’s lips with mark Kiss Dry Goodbye Lip Smoother. To get her bold lip, I applied mark Kissink Lip Tintmarker in Red Siren topped with mark Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain in Lolli”.

All products are available at online at MeetMark.com.