NARS releases Guy Bourdin collection inspired by the photographer

It's always fascinating to find out where some of the beauty greats get their inspiration, and so it more than piqued our interest when we discovered that Francois Nars is a huge fan of photographer Guy Bourdin.

Just like us, Nars would pore over the outlandish work of the fashion photographer in the pages of Harper's Bazaar and French Vogue and says the stunning colours in the images are what inspired him to go on to become a make-up artist. “The colours in his photographs are like an artist’s palette,” says Nars of his idol’s work.

Now, the brand is paying homage to the bold and unconventional style of Bourdin with a special limited edition collection in his name which launches on 15 October. Talking about the new range, Nars revealed that the vision was very much about capturing the whole of the image - not just the colour. “I started by staring at the make-up of the models, and sometimes, the backgrounds and sets of his editorials and campaigns. It was important to me to capture both the colours and the feeling of his images. From there, we translated the shades into a cohesive collection.”

There is something about Bourdin’s work that lends itself so well to beauty, too - the considered selection of strong colour, the powerful contrasts and even the models themselves. Nars explains why it works so well:

“The explosion of colours, and the extreme sophistication of the girls in his photographs. The models look totally artificial, totally unnatural, but very decadent and never cheap or vulgar. I’m drawn to bringing that juxtaposition to life in makeup.”

Understandably in the merging of two fashion and beauty legends, the collection is exquisite and finished off aptly with saucy names that are true to Bourdin's racy style. The cheek colours have all you need to recreate the signature daring blush of his models while the Cinematic Lipstick has the glossy shine that's reminiscent of his work, in five bold and beautiful colours.

Vivid, unapologetic and experimental, Nars has done a stellar job of encapsulating Bourdin's style - and we love that there's a new way for us to enjoy his work every single day.

Images

'Fling' Courtesy of NARS Cosmetics (top left)

'Voyeur' Courtesy of NARS Cosmetics (top right)

'One Night Stand' Courtesy of NARS Cosmetics (bottom right)