As celebrity collaborations go, this makeup collection from NARS designed by Charlotte Gainsbourg is a doozie. Capitalising on our collective fascination with the French, François Nars has chosen the ultimate Gallic poster girl in Gainsbourg, whose artful effortlessness is a thing of real beauty. Paradoxically the French actress is known more for her understated approach to makeup, so the stronger shades might come as a surprise; however, each piece is a reflection on a certain aspect of Gainsbourg’s life, including the streets she grew up on, her famous mother Jane Birkin’s beauty habits and of course her own unconventional approach to what she finds beautiful. She has said that: ‘I learned early on what suits me’, preferring little touches that enhance, rather than alter her unique look, and this is the way in which the sheer and wearable collection has been designed: to look lived-in, low key and very authentic. Featuring glow-enhancing cheek tints and off-kilter kohls, the collection is a little piece of French Girl Beauty we can all get behind.

NARS x Charlotte Gainsbourg: ‘Portrait of the Artist’ is available to buy now. 

Tags: beauty, charlotte gainsbourg, NARS

Don’t think the collaborations were just left to the fashion industry — collections between beauty brands and creative visionaries are now popping up left, right and centre. Twin rounds up our favourite new arrivals in the cosmetics world…

M.A.C Illustrated

These days, the exterior appearance of your bag is just as, if not more important, than what’s inside. So why resort to flinging your favourite lipstick, mascara and eyeshadow into a dingy, dirty and outdated old case? In a bid to rescue us from boring cosmetics carriers, M.A.C teamed up with illustrators Julie Verhoeven, Francois Berthoud and Nikki Farquharsson for a range of bags bearing each artist’s signature stylings, be it art deco, graphic or abstract. Mission accomplished.

maccosmetics.com

Karl Lagerfeld X Shu Uemura

In the past, Lagerfeld has been known to use Shu Uemura’s eyeshadows to colour in his fashion sketches. Now, unstoppable Karl teamed up with the Japanese brand for a 17-piece collection of make-up, false eylashes and of course, the brand’s trademark, an eyelash curler. All emblazoned with the Karl-ified mascot donning a Rei Kawakubo-esque haircut and the Uncle’s signature high collar and tie, its a kooky take on Uemura’s high-quality products.

shuuemura.com

NARS X Andy Warhol

NARS took Warhol’s love of glitz, glamour and decadence as a starting point for a Swinging Sixties bright cosmetics collection. The brand even extended their love for all things Andy to a recreation of his self-portraits and flower paintings in their eyeshadow palettes. Instead of simply slapping a name onto their products, NARS clearly made a genuine dedication to the artist with this project. The ode may solely consist of shimmer sparkles and neon brights, but Warhol wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

narscosmetics.com

M.A.C X Carine Roitfeld

The former editor of Vogue always had her laid-in smokey eye makeup down to pat, so a collaboration between the stylish image maker and a company renowned for their high-quality eye shadows was only a stone’s throw away anyhow. Expect shadow and blush palettes to recreate smouldering Roitfeld eyes and defined cheekbones, vampy red nail varnishes and to top it all off with a seductive French pout, barely-there nude lipsticks.

maccosmetics.com

Tags: Andy Warhol, Carine Roitfeld, cosmetics, Karl Lagerfeld, MAC, NARS, Shu Uemura