Sex Ed

On a recent rainy morning atop the Gramercy Park Hotel, makeup artist Francois Nars was in town from his island home in Tahiti (he actually owns the island) to preview his spring ’08 and summer ’08 palettes. As aficionados know, he is both a pioneer of the makeup artist’s makeup line and a champion of nude shades. “Some people think, Oh, how many different ways can you do nude? But, obviously, there are many!” But he’s also a trailblazer in the subversive shade-name movement. “I keep a small Hermès notebook with me at all times to write words in,” explains Nars, who christens all of his shades himself. Indisputably, his most famous entry dates back to 1997, when he scribbled down “Orgasm,” intended for a bright coral blush that emitted a certain glow. “All of our blushes were named after emotions—Desire, Amour,” he says. “And my line has always been about being daring, so I thought, Oh, come on! It’s a makeup product! What’s so terrible?” Despite the smatter of offended customers, the item became his best seller and remains so to this day. It has recently even spawned a daughter-of-orgasm product, a stick form of the original powder blush called The Multiple in Orgasm, which Nars has high hopes for. Of course, his reasoning has its own spin: “Where else can you get a multiple orgasm for $36?”