Explicitly Bold

The latest lipstick range by Nars is designed to empower wearers with colour and confidence.

- PRIYANKA KATHURIA

Beauty brand Nars is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new collection of lipstick. The new range, called Explicit, comprises 28 pigmented shades with names that are very true to the brand’s identity. Nars started its journey with only 12 lipsticks available exclusively at Barneys, New York, in 1994. The new collection doesn’t attempt to remake the brand’s signature colours of the 90s, but instead pays homage to the classic shades with an updated formula. Bazaar India speaks with François Nars, the founder and creative director of the brand, about the latest additions.

Harper’s Bazaar: What inspired the name for this new range of lipsticks?

François Nars: The name, Explicit, felt right because it captures a bold, unapologetic energy. It’s about clarity, confidence, and self-expression—everything a lipstick should embody. I wanted a name that inspires women to be unafraid to show their power, loudly and beautifully.

HB: How do these new shades pay homage to the signature colours and what memories do they aspire to invoke?