Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore
Today, cult favorite makeup brand Nars Cosmetics opens a standalone boutique in the Shops Buckhead Atlanta, debuting the brand’s colorful new summer collection on its shelves. Atlantans will be the first to rock the new summer products until they are released in its other boutiques and the brand’s website later this month.
The brand was founded in 1994 by Frenchman François Nars and quickly became known for its intense colors and sleek black packaging. (It’s also known for racy product names—reddening cheeks in more ways than one with Orgasm blush in 1999.) And Nars boutiques are as striking as its products. This one, its eighth, was co-designed with veteran art director Fabien Baron, all sleek black and high-gloss white, with pops of Jungle Red, a color from the brand’s inaugural line of lipsticks. There is a private VIP room that can be booked for consultations and application and a peppy music mix created for the store by French DJ Les Jumeaux. While other retailers (Sephora, Bluemercury, Neiman Marcus) carry a selection of Nars goods, the store will bear the full range, which caters not just to consumers but to industry professionals. Nars himself is a photographer, and special attention is paid to the perfect balance of lighting in the store so you know you’ll look good whether behind flashbulbs or in broad daylight.
Starting today, Atlantans will be the first to meet the Cote d’Azur–inspired summer color collection—which comes in irresistible packaging illustrated by Konstantin Kakanias—consists of two new blush palettes (Liberation and Sexual Content), each with two shades. There are four new eyeshadows (Topless, Pool Shark, Deep End, and Tan Lines) that can be applied dry for a light dusting of color or with a damp brush for serious intensity (quite fun with the iridescent periwinkle and the peacock-y teal). The collection also includes four new lip “covers” (Do Not Disturb, Get Dirty, Overheated, Members Only) which apply via a stick like a gloss, but have the saturation and staying power of lipstick.
But with all the sleekness of the brand, at its heart, it’s all about fun—so don’t be intimidated just to pop in and try testers. The bright colors, carefree illustrations, and tongue-in-cheek names remind us of one of Nars’s most famous quotes: “Don’t be too serious; it’s only makeup.”
The doors opened this morning, and the first 50 clients will receive a free velvet matte pencil.
