François Nars Invited Us to His Private Island for a Dream Vacation

And we learned even more about our favorite products.

July 8, 2015

1/8
What would you pack if you were stranded on a deserted island? The old hypothetical takes on new meaning the night before my trip to meet Francois Nars, the demigod behind Nars Cosmetics, on his private isle in Bora Bora.
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Swimsuits? I bring seven. Sunglasses? Eight varieties. Sunscreen? A total of 22 ounces. Perhaps I overpacked?

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Three planes and a bumpy boat ride later, the island of Motu Tane comes into view—and it’s anything but deserted. It’s been very ‘retouched,’” the makeup mogul says with a mock-modest wink, as he invites me into his meticulously manicured paradise.
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Nestled inside a forest of 1,500 hand-selected coconut trees, Nars’ enclave offers more than just enviable amounts of sunshine, clean eating, and vitamin “sea”; as his ultimate muse, it provides endless beauty inspiration.

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For centuries, Tahitians have used monoi oil as a head-to-toe remedy. After witnessing the natives’ smooth, poreless skin (“It’s like silk,” Nars notes) and shiny hair that cascades like water, I want to bring back gallons of it.
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Luckily the brand bottles up this indigenous treasure for sale in less picturesque parts of the globe—aka reality, which feels farther away by the second…
Nars Monoi Body Glow II, $59. sephora.com.

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The lagoon, a mesmerizing dégradé of teals and stunning, never-before-seen blues is not only breathtaking…
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…it’s also the source of healing algae used in the brand’s cult Restorative Night Treatment (which I slather on in excess during my 15-hour trip home to preserve my island glow). Nars Restorative Night Treatment, $85. sephora.com.