Fara Homidi

Fara Homidi has become one of the most trusted names in beauty, and the fashion industry – not just for her effortless, skin-first makeup aesthetic, but for the intuitive, thoughtful way she approaches every face. After more than 15 years creating looks for some of the biggest names in fashion and beauty, her signature is unmistakable: luminous skin, confident simplicity, and a modern freshness that feels sexy and elevated. Now, after years of mixing and perfecting products behind the scenes, Fara has channelled her expertise into a stunning luxury beauty line of her own – one that combines perfect formulations with skincare-first ingredients and exquisite, bold packaging that has quickly become the fashion girl’s answer to luxe beauty.

As much as Fara is here to help deliver the very best version of modern makeup, she is also very much about ageing naturally and growing into your own beauty, giving us more reason why this brand deserves a place in all of our makeup bags.

I think it’s synonymous with confidence. For me, it’s almost like water – it can take any shape, but as long as it makes you feel confident or as long as you feel confident, I think that’s beautiful. 

I have been using the Barbara Sturm foaming cleanser. It takes everything off, and is super gentle at the same time. Then I use my Augustina Bader Rich Cream, and I swear by it. I’ve got everyone that I know hooked on it – if you’re close to me, you use it. Shiseido has an eye cream called Benefiance, and it’s really, really emollient. Like it’s really shiny, but it’s the only thing that I feel really hydrates that area and keeps it plump and juicy throughout the day. Even at night, if I touched my eyes, it would still be emollient. That’s a little tricky with makeup in the sense that, of course, if you’re doing a concealer, then you might want to set it because it has that emollient, but at the end of the day, I have been using it for what feels like 20 years, and I think it’s really helped me. And when I’ve run out of it and used something that someone sent me or whatever, I immediately feel like I have crow’s feet. It really makes a difference for me. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it. 

In the evening, I will do the same thing, except every other night, I’ll use a retinol too.

Then I use my new soft glass lip plumping oil. I sleep in it, and in the morning, my lips are softer and plumper. When I went to build this, I wanted a formula that really does all the things that I want it to do – hydrate to the max, actually plump without the stinging, look glassy and not sticky, and help plump fine lines and wrinkles – all the things! It has a biofermented oil complex in it to get that balm and oil feel, and is packed with peptides,  hyaluronic acid, and ceramides – which we tested for over 56 days. I feel like it’s a treatment first. That’s how I set out to create it. The ingredients and all of my products are skincare-centric. I really wanted this to be effective. 

The thing is, I don’t do Botox. I tried it. It changed how I look, it just didn’t suit me, didn’t suit my face. In the 30s,  you see the shift between your young face and ageing face. And I was a bit more freaked out about it then. I was like What do I do? What are the solutions here? And now that I’m in my 40s, I have the face that I have, you know? I mean, what am I going to do?

I don’t like the sort of homogeneous look that is happening across the internet. All of the things that I used to get teased about when I was young – like, oh, your eyes look Asian and all this stuff – those are the things now that I’m older, I’m like thank God I look the way I do. I am an individual. I’m my own person. And maybe that’s part of the decision of not wanting to go so heavy into Botox and those areas. I’m not judging anybody, because you’re on your own journey, and maybe in a year or two, I’m going to be like, all right, enough of this, let’s go to Korea and get a facelift. I don’t know and I’m not judging anybody, but this is where I am right now. I was in a worse place in my thirties.

I’ve been thinking about that so much, and of course, this is me getting older, but I don’t think we talk to older people enough to really ask them their stories. You know, hear about the times, whatever the persecution, of how it was getting married at that time, and all the things. I feel like everyone’s so youth-obsessed, but there’s so much knowledge when you are speaking to an older person, and that said, I don’t have that many older people in my life other than my parents. I’ve been thinking of calling to hear the stories in my family that have been passed down over the years, which used to be the way we would learn. Now you go on Instagram and whatever someone’s telling you, you learn, but that generational hand-me-down of stories – it’s rich.

I think that the standards are pretty high. Social media has made it even crazier. I find it sad. It seems less and less like individual looks are celebrated in a way that I don’t think was the case growing up. I felt even in films and stuff when I was growing up, everyone had a distinct look, they all looked interesting in themselves, and they had signature looks. If you think about Marilyn Monroe, you can try and do her makeup routine, but it’s not going to happen. It was so specific to how she did her eyeliner with sort of like that bedroom lash and like her pointed brow. And no one looked like her, and that was what was amazing. I feel now it’s tough because there’s one ideal of what is beautiful. And if you don’t fit in it, you might not feel beautiful – unless you’re a very confident person. 

Oh! Hopefully. I mean, I do think there has been sort of a backlash to the Kardashian era of looks. And actually, I think the dollars prove it because the fillers, Botox and things like that are not as prevalent. It’s still popular, but I think we’re out of the heyday, and now it’s more about regeneration instead of just a quick fix. 

Everything is FH, and the cheeky thing is that I have products that aren’t out yet. Immediately after skincare, I’ll go in with the Face Compact. The concept of this was the first on the market to be one product, where you can customise your finish. I personally like to start by evening out my skin with the Smooth Veil Soft Matte. And then I’ll go in with highlighting using the Shine Balm just on strategic areas. It’s up to you what your skin texture is like. I’m more on the oilier side, so less is more for me. 

Then, I always have mascara. I do mind my brows here and there. If I’m having a meeting or something, I’ll do a little cleanup of my brow with a brow pencil and brow gel. And then I can’t live without my bronzer in winter or summer. I have been mixing Bois, which is my coolest tone and the lightest shade. To get sort of like more of a slight contour, then in the centre, I’ll go in with Roma and on my forehead. I use it like you would use your blush. I like the idea of blush, but for me, bronzer is more vital. So if I’m getting ready fast, I’m going to grab the bronzer.

I think I have a different standard when it comes to beauty, because I know everything that’s out there. I’ve had to mix things for years to get to the textures that you now see in the compact. And I’m 45, I’m at that age of crow’s feet, enlarged pores, and I have fine lines. When you’re 20, you can practically put any product on, and it’s going to look good. But to sort of pass the test of like, okay, but does this enhance my pores? There are so many more things to consider when it comes to making products for my age group and older. Which, of course, is going to work on younger people; that’s a given.

And then the last thing I do, which is always literally me running out the door or doing it in my Uber, is I have to have a lip on. I wait for the last second, of course, because you want it to be the freshest and last the longest throughout the day – after coffee, talking and everything.

If I had to choose, I would say Faun is my favourite lip pencil. And Nude 2 is my favourite lip compact when it comes to the nudes. Then the red 1 – that’s my red. I never need to see another red again; that’s the one for me.

When I was 17, I applied for a job at a store called Prescriptives at my local mall. I got the job. I had no idea how to service customers with different skin tones, skin types, or any of it. But that’s really where I learned. Prescriptives was really about custom shade matching; they had a wide range of foundation colours, and different textures for the foundations. It was all heavily about that. That’s kind of where I learned the 101s. I honestly think retail for beauty is personally key because you have to learn how to do eyeliner on really crapey skin and make that look good – dealing with everyone from ages 19 to 85. I think you learn so much more than just doing it as a hobby.

Yeah. Obsessed. I remember my mum had this pot of jade green powder shadow, and this sort of burnt sienna red lipstick, and she would wear those with some rouge, and I was just mesmerised. I’d watch her get ready for a dinner event or friends coming over, and you’d just see that confidence that sort of rushes over you after you’ve done your hair and makeup. And just feeling like, oh, wow, like in that moment, she’s a super mum.

I would sneak makeup to school when I was in elementary school. I would wear it to school and then take it off before I got home. You know, just practice looks on myself all the time. I wasn’t allowed to wear it outside of the house, but my mum would let me play in the house, so yes, from the very beginning.

As I was getting into high school, I started wearing a little something. And I don’t know how this happened, but I just began doing all of my friends’ hair and makeup. If we hung out, that would happen. For school dances and pictures, and stuff like that, I would get my girlfriends all ready. I actually wasn’t allowed to go to dances. My parents were really strict, so it was kind of bittersweet. I would get everyone ready to go to their dance, and be crying at home like, I can’t go. But at least it was a way to participate.

Yeah, my technique is that – and I tell this to my assistants – when you see a model or client who has more acne skin, your initial instinct is, “Let me just put a heavy layer of something putty-like, let’s just even the surface out.” I find that creates more problems than it solves. So for me, you need to go against your intuition. You need to put on the least amount of makeup, because it will show every texture and emphasise everything.

So I take the time to do that. All the areas you didn’t cover up are going to look so fresh and clean. And all of a sudden, when you’ve just covered up like 10 spots, you look perfect — without having to completely overdo your face. Which is why I created the Petite Conceal. That brush is specific to that technique because I think when people have a few blemishes, they freak out and put on too much makeup. You totally don’t have to do that – you literally just pinpoint.

There are so many women. I don’t know that you would see it, but Madonna in the ’90s for me is it. I don’t think you would relate to that in my work, but I think her hair and makeup and styling were always on point. And then her sort of unapologetic way of being was just so next level. I always come back to her. But also someone like Stevie Nicks, who is more natural – curly hair and almost no makeup, 70s vibe inspires me too. I think Angelina Jolie in the ’90s is a big one. I’m a nineties baby, but I’m actually more obsessed with how people looked in the 80s; there were so many different ways to be 80s. Everyone thinks about the big shoulder pads and fuchsia blush and blue eyes, which was amazing because why not, go off – but there was also the quieter 80s, which was sort of this quiet luxury. A pleated pant with a very simple tank top, and tan skin. I just love that there’s a whole range of eighties, and all of it is glorious.

I honestly felt, for me, there was a disconnect when I look at let’s say a luxury brand, at their clothing, their campaign, the bags and the shoes that they have (amazing, next level), and then they have a beauty brand that feels commercialised, and the packaging is not lux. It can be very run-of-the-mill. Like, it might look nice, but it’s actually not, and that has always been weird to me.

I wanted to create something bold in that way. I want you to feel something when you see it, just the same way as you can with fashion brands a lot of times. It’s more about the idea and the feeling. I wanted to create something that spoke to people who are interested in film and art and fashion, and music. I wanted something luxury, that felt special but people can use every day. I wanted to create something that we would be excited about.

I think once you have a taste of your own creation, your own business, and you’re building your own teams, it really is a whole other thing. Now with jobs, I have to sort of ask myself, is this artistry job furthering my career? Is it going to tie in with my brand? If it doesn’t sort of pass those two things, then I can’t do it. My time is so well spent being with my team members, answering their questions, thinking of new things, and approving/ improving formulas – all the things that move things forward from a day to day in order to make our launches, to grow into a new region and all of that stuff. My time is definitely better spent there, unless it kind of has that criteria for the artistry side.

At this moment, I am enjoying the business more. It’s almost more creative, because you have to be the one creating the formulas, you’re having to dream up this packaging, at least for me, as I don’t have an agency doing my campaigns, the idea originates from me. Then I present that to the creatives that I work with to get these campaigns made. Then from there, we all sort of ideate, but everything has to originate from you. What do you want to do? What’s the concept? What’s the feeling? There is so much opportunity to be creative, and I love it.

Well, if you think about the people in life that you are like, wow, that person just really has it together. They always smell good, hair done, you know, specific people, and it’s usually in their casual moments. It’s just the person that they are. They’re so effortless. And that’s sort of what I think the brand is really about – capturing the essence of who you are. And so, you know, you’re wearing a nude 2, and it looks like a wash on you. And like somebody else might wear really dark eyeliner and a deeper, you know, they’ll layer the nude too, or heavier because they’re more on the goth side, and that’s what is exciting to me about the brand, you can do it all.

Obviously I am a bleach blonde, so the products that I use have to be a little bit more moisturizing, but I also have oily skin and an oily scalp, so it’s always been sort of tricky for me to find something that works for like the cleansing portion of like how clean I want my scalp to be, but also how moisturized I want my hair to be. My friend Mara has this brand Roz. She created a shampoo and conditioner called ‘the foundation‘, and it’s revolutionised my hair. I have a good hair day every day. It smells so good, and it’s not overpowering. I feel like her conditioner, although strangely light, really conditions my hair. And I really stand by this because, as I travel a lot, I’ll occasionally use a shampoo and conditioner in the hotel from a good brand, and it’s just never good; you see the difference.

Roz has a hair milk that I like to use when I get out of the shower, and I’ll use that more from halfway down my hair, it’s like more clear oil. I blow-dry my hair so it’s taking heat and all the things. I feel like this is the hair care brand that I would be – it’s like the equivalent of my cosmetics brand. The formulation blew me away, and that’s hard in cosmetics and hair, right?

I have a 30-minute circuit that I do – it’s sort of Pilates-based, but it’s using my own body weight and movement to strengthen my core mostly. You know, we’re women, so I want to strengthen my thighs, my butt, and then stretch in between. I feel my best when I’m able to do that circuit every single day. And I really feel the difference in my energy levels. When you’re on set all day on your feet, you’re up, you’re down, you’re putting lotion on legs, you don’t realise how physically demanding it is, so when your core is strengthened, your legs are strengthened, I feel like I handle it better.

I feel alive in the sun. I feel better in the sun. I feel my best.

It’s like a little bit of both. I think nothing compares to youth, but then I feel like in my 40s, I’m doing better than I thought I was going to be. I’m like, I could be looking worse. So we’re good. Even when I look at pictures of myself when I’m younger, of course, my face was tighter, but I kind of weirdly feel like I’m looking better now.

And maybe that’s just because we’re living in a more modern time, wearing the clothes we want to wear, doing our hair the way we want. You know what I mean? I feel the same way with my friends – they look amazing, I think everyone looks more and more beautiful.

My number one beauty tip – keep it simple.