Afghan-born, and raised in the San Francisco suburbs, Fara Homidi’s first foray into fashion and beauty came from the glut of fashion magazines that sat in her mother’s salon during the 90s. Later, she’d work behind the counter at Prescriptives, honing her skill and the nuance for not only the transformative properties of make-up– but the artistry of natural looking skin, both of which have become pillars in her work as a make-up artist. To launch her eponymous brand, she has created a dual product – The Essential Lip Compact, which houses both a Prime Baume and a soft matte lipstick. From its conception, Fara ensured that all products and materials were sustainably sourced, that waste was minimised, and that the product design prompted reuse; the Essential Compact is a forever product.
Congratulations on your launch! Did it feel daunting entering the world of product? What was the initial idea, and how far does the final product stray from that?
Thank you so much! I’ve been in the beauty business for 25+ years, but those were spent in retail beauty and artistry in the fashion industry. Diving into the world of products and creating my brand, was and is my most difficult endeavour yet. It was daunting because I didn’t know where to begin, I had no relationships with labs or packaging manufacturers etc. This side of the beauty business was completely foreign to me! However, I immersed myself into hours of research and cold called a lot of people. One thing about me, is that I’m determined human, and knowing that the answers were out there somewhere, compelled me to find them. One foot in front of another type of thing. The products for my first launch are the complete reality of my initial idea – I wanted to create a prep and finish system for the lips with clean ingredients, and I wanted the packaging to be design driven and thoughtful.
Have you always loved clean, natural colours and make up?
When I first started out as a makeup artist, traditional clean beauty had chalky textures, limited shade range and were mostly available in holistic boutiques. I always dreamt of products that were clean, looked luxe and performed to makeup artist standards. In recent years there has been a shift to more desirable clean beauty products, that have user friendly colors/textures and much nicer packaging. However, I wanted to push the boundaries of what cosmetic packaging could be and felt shade range often times came to brands as an after thought. I wanted my beauty line to be complexion considerate and reflect my diverse community. It was important to portray that in my campaign as well.
When did you first realise that make up could be so many different things – a mask, a fantasy, an extension of yourself etc?
Makeup and beauty in general are some of my first memories. As a child I would watch my mother get ready and just be completely transfixed! I will never forget her green eyeshadow, red lipstick and the rouge she would blend on her cheeks. The glamour of it was incredible to me. As an early teen I really came to understand that beauty made my small world seem bigger. I grew up in Fremont, California (a small suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area). Flipping through magazines while at my mothers salon, I would study every aspect of the images to understand what made the makeup and fashion so aspirational and so different than what I was seeing on the streets. I would experiment with my own beauty and fashion, and that made me feel like part of a bigger world. I have always been drawn to eccentricity and signature beauty- to me beauty has infinite possibilities and endless reasons to love it.
The beauty industry is only catching up with sustainability ideals – how can we all do better with our make up bags?
As the beauty industry is catching up on sustainability ideals, we can do our part. Fewer, better products! I truly believe that investing in good quality products with packaging that is reusable or recyclable is best. Also Pact is a program that my brand and many others have partnered with, offers end of life recycling solutions specifically for beauty packaging. On their website you can see which brands are a part of their program and support those brands. They have a mail back program and drop off bins all over the US to make recycling beauty seamless. I also recommend doing research before purchasing, so that the purchase is a confident one and leads to less waste!
I surround myself with the beauty of the ocean as much as possible. It is where I feel my most grounded, renewed, relaxed and my most beautiful.
How else do you surround yourself with beauty?
I surround myself with the beauty of the ocean as much as possible. It’s where I feel my most grounded, renewed, relaxed and my most beautiful. By the ocean, I let all of my stresses and fears go, unplug from the world and allow the salt water and sun renew my spirit from the inside out.
Do you feel that it's easy to live online rather than in the present? How do you reconcile this?
I use my personal instagram as an extension of my real life, I don’t LIVE for the gram but I do like to show my personality and work through it. That being said, I haven’t mastered it in the way some have, but then again I’m not viewing it as something that needs to be mastered. The brand socials are really what I’m focusing on right now. I want it to be a world where people feel joy, beauty, inspired and that they are learning about the products and artistry at the same time, in an attainable way. We already have an amazing community and I just want to grow it and keep inspiring the beauty world!
What are your morning rituals?
I wake up two hours before I have to be anywhere or on any zoom meetings. My husband and pup are usually still sleeping. Coffee first! I like the calm and quiet of the early morning and I use that time to reply to emails from Europe and Japan and to my agent in London. Then I have a small breakfast of granola and oat milk or yogurt, and hop in the shower to get ready for my day!
How long did the creation of the products take from start to finish? Were there any unexpected hurdles?
It took four years from inception to launch. There were MANY unexpected hurdles, and one of them was supply chain issues due to world economic issues and shipping back ups as well as price increases on EVERYTHING. Every day there are new hurdles, and too many to list, but one has to take it in stride. My brand launch date was delayed three times!
What excites you in beauty at the moment?
Honestly I’m the most excited about my upcoming products! I cannot wait to share with the world what I have in line. A hint – my next launch has to do with what I’m most known for with my artistry!
You've defined slow beauty – what will you define next?
What I’m defining next is modern beauty, and I believe I’ve already begun carving out that space with Fara Homidi beauty.
