NARS: Color First, Rules Later

The brand story

Color first.
Rules later.

NARS began with twelve lipsticks and a makeup artist's belief that beauty should leave room for personality. The collection has grown, but that idea still gives the house its point of view.

Founded1994
FounderFrançois Nars
OriginNew York City, USA

Twelve lipsticks, one clear point of view

After training in Paris and building a career in fashion and editorial makeup, François Nars moved to New York in 1984. A decade later, he introduced twelve lipsticks at Barneys New York. The concise debut made color—not an exhaustive routine—the opening line of the NARS story.

That artist-led beginning matters. The house approaches makeup as a set of possibilities: complexion can look balanced rather than covered over, and color can be quiet, bold, polished, or playful according to the person wearing it.

Makeup as possibility: a base that still looks like skin, precision where it is wanted, and color chosen for expression.

Shiseido acquired the brand in 2000. François Nars remains identified as Founder and Creative Director, keeping the creative origin visible inside a global beauty house.

The CosmoFactor edit

Three current pieces move from a natural-radiant base to targeted concealing and sheer lip shine.

An artist's makeup wardrobe

The thread from the original twelve lipsticks to today's complexion and color collection is choice: enough technique to be useful, and enough freedom to make the result your own.

Explore NARS at CosmoFactor