TYW: What inspired you to create your brand, and what was the original vision behind it?
Fara: When I first started building my own brand, I wanted to bridge many gaps. I wanted a luxury beauty line that sat in the fashion space, made sustainability sexy and was both complexion-considerate and design-driven. I’ve used my experience of working on models of all ethnicities and drawn on my understanding of undertones to create the best shade range possible.
TYW: What did your career in beauty look like before launching your own line?
Fara: My first real job in beauty came at 17, at Prescriptives in a mall near my home. It was an incredibly modern brand for the time, in the ’90s, very focused on complexion, undertones, and customization. That’s where I learned to work on all skin types: dry skin, mature skin, skin with visible pores… It was a true training ground for me.
In college, I studied marketing while continuing to work in beauty retail. I never took any makeup classes, but working in retail at a young age was, in my opinion, the best possible education. You learn to understand textures, colors, and, most importantly, how to work with people of all ages and backgrounds.
In the early 2000’s, I moved to New York to focus on editorial work and assisted top makeup artists for a little while before going on my own. I spent many years building up my relationships with photographers, models and stylists and honing my own style of beauty. Over time, I began working on some of the most coveted publications, campaigns and became a go-to makeup artist for many models etc. Today I continue to work on luxury fashion campaigns, magazine covers and lead makeup on runways.
TYW: Was makeup always something you were drawn to, or did that interest develop over time?
Fara: I’ve always wanted to be ‘a woman’ since I was a child. Watching my mother apply make-up and dressing up always excited me, and I knew I wanted to be an artist of some sort and a creative. I was deeply obsessed with make-up, color and texture from early on, and when I was working at my mother’s salon in my early teens, I used to look at the magazines that came to us and really study the fashions, makeup, hair and lighting. It was a world I knew I wanted to be a part of!
TYW: Do you ever let anyone else do your makeup, or do you prefer to handle it yourself?
Fara: I feel I have such specific features and I like to look a certain way when it comes to breathable skin and how I do my eyes and lips… so to date, I haven’t really allowed anyone to do my makeup. But I think I can be open to it — never say never!
TYW: What’s your number one beauty tip?
Fara: One beauty rule I tend to ignore is adhering to one ‘correct’ way of doing something. For instance, I’m often asked, ‘What comes first, lipstick or lip liner?’ But I ask, what are you trying to achieve? If you’re after staying power, lining your lips first helps everything else stay put. But if you want a faded, lived-in effect, I recommend adding lip color first and softly lining after. Sometimes there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, and it’s better to tweak your technique based on the look you’re going for.
That said, my number one tip would be: Think about your skin not as a canvas that needs to be completely flattened and erased, but think about how you can enhance your unique skin qualities. For example, if you have a beautiful natural flush on your cheeks or cute freckles, work with it rather than covering it up! Your dimension is actually your superpower!
TYW: What does beauty mean to you?
Fara: The power of beauty is so strong. Who do you want to be? I know this for myself — when I’m having a night out, a little bit of smokey eye makeup and a glossy nude lip is going to give a sexy, confident energy. You’re hyping yourself up with your makeup look. I think that’s so powerful.
My style is, and always has been, a hand-applied look that feels smudgy and blurry and moveable and lived-in. It’s perfectly imperfect, and that’s the world I love to live in!
TYW: How do you approach building a beauty routine — and does it feel similar to building a wardrobe or curating your beauty bag?
Fara: I think having a beauty routine that feels luxurious is a worthwhile investment. Your face card is the thing you present to the world, so having a well-hydrated complexion and makeup that is breathable and shades that suit you is so important. My whole philosophy with Fara Homidi Beauty is that I am offering the best products and shades so that you can invest in quality essentials that you know will serve you day in and day out, like a curated wardrobe!
TYW: If you had to choose just one product from your line, which would it be and why?
Fara: Although this question is a difficult one to answer, it would have to be The Essential Face Compact. For me, complexion is the foundation to any makeup look — if your skin looks good, everything you layer on top will sit well, and that is 90% of the battle. It took me four years, several labs, and a lot of persistence to create a formula that’s hydrating while being matte, has a bouncy glide and a blurring effect, all while using limited clean ingredients sans silicones.
TYW: What advice would you give to someone thinking about launching their own beauty brand today?
Fara: Make sure your business side is locked down. Creative is important and difficult, but if you don’t have a strong business side, the creative will not matter. Taxes, regulatory, overseas selling, projections, retailer timelines, and building a team to support you are the most important things.
And creatively: I think it’s important to trust your own instincts and not look at what other brands are doing. Staying authentic and unique is what will set your brand apart.
