When I met Fara Homidi, she was glamming models backstage minutes before fashion shows in New York and Paris, though her expertise goes far beyond the runway—I have seen her lead everything from editorial beauty moments for Vogue covers to fashion campaigns. Her work is something of makeup legend. So when she finally launched her eponymous beauty brand, its carefully designed compacts became the It item—a prized possession stocking the purses and toiletry bags of editors and tastemakers, myself included.
While the formulas of the creamy lip colors, foundations, and bronzers are stellar, the compact itself is worth its weight. There’s just something about holding a beautiful object for an everyday routine, and even Homidi recognizes the appeal: “I couldn’t wait until the day that I was grown enough to embody the kind of woman who fixes her lips and eye makeup in the mirror of a beautiful compact,” she remembers of an early childhood dream.
Now Homidi is starting off the year with a new collectible and first foray into eye shadow. Introducing the Essential Eye Compact, available exclusively for Vogue readers today. Offered in two colorways housed in futuristic black metal, “these palettes were born out of shades I use in my editorial and runway work, but they are so wearable at the same time!” Homidi enthuses. She suggests asking yourself what you want out of your palette on any given day: “Something that you can use daily for a soft smoky look, or something wearable that adds a bit of fun to your everyday?” For the former, grab the new Blur Brush and shop No. 20 (featuring shades Rumi, Lune, and Norae), and for the latter, try bright blue instead of deep umber with No. 61 (featuring shades Rumi, Lune, and Bleue). Below, Homidi delivers her runway-tested tips for eye-opening makeup looks and smudging techniques.
Fara Homidi Beauty The Essential Eye Compact
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- Why We Love It: Instead of creaseproof, it is “modern cream” color for lived-in looks with soft edges. Homidi’s signature Cream Cashmere Soft Shadow shades impart a diffused effect that creates a skinlike finish on lids. Both colorways include a tight edit of three complimentary hand-mixed shades housed in a mirrored matte black compact. “This palette is more for a smudgier overall look,” says Homidi. It’s “long wearing, but I would say more conducive to washes of color than stark lines.” She describes the shadow formula as “forgiving and healthy-looking, especially on mature skin, which was a big focus for me, and so easy to apply with the Blur Brush I created—or even with your fingers.” Colors can be manipulated after application, as Homidi wanted “to change the narrative of 24-hour smudge-free wear and let the world know that creasing is sexy and gives you that slept-in look that I find so attractive!”
- Key Ingredients: Japanese indigo leaf extract, rosemary leaf extract, acetyl hexapeptide-8
- Best For: Smudgy, smoky eyes; slept-in liner; color-washed lids
About Fara Homidi Beauty The Essential Eye Compact
Both of the Essential Eye Compact trio’s names were inspired by two of Mark Rothko’s color field paintings for colors that “live and breathe” thanks to a formula that does not set. Homidi understands the benefits of each colorway when creating individual eye looks. “You’d be surprised at how much wider and sexier your eyes can look from just adding a wash of neutrals to the lids with some depth in your outer crease,” she says, noting that this gives the illusion of wide-set bedroom eyes. “But adding a pop of blue, well that will just pull the attention off any tiredness in the eye area!”
She knows as well as anyone that the skin around the eyes must be handled with care. “I wanted to make sure that the formula was infused with ingredients that addressed general eye issues, such as fine lines aided by the acetyl hexapeptide-8, irritation soothed with Japanese indigo leaf extract, and boosted hydration with the rosemary leaf extract.”
Feel free to finger paint, or try the Blur Brush, which “is the perfect size for adding a wash of color all over, generally great for the shade Lune to add a basic shape and tone,” she explains of the milk chocolaty center shade of both palettes. “The angle of the brush fits perfectly in the eye crease, and this is where you can apply Rumi or Norae into the crease for more depth. If you flip the brush over so you are getting the pointiest part of the brush, you can use that for strategic details, such as the bottom lash line or the inner corners, and this technique is great with the shade Bleue.”
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My Experience With Fara Homidi Beauty The Essential Eye Compact
While Homidi officially debuted her Essential Eye Compact this weekend, we fashionphiles have likely noticed hints of it: “I have been secretly debuting the eye formulas over the past year on the runways,” she says of using unreleased samples last season at Proenza Schouler, Gabriela Hearst, and Erdem. The beauty request for this season’s Eckhaus Latta’s fall collection was kismet: “I love when things just work out, because they really wanted sort of an undone smoky eye,” Homidi tells me. “What that meant to me is taking the eye compact with the darkest shade in Norae, rimming the eyes, and then removing it.”
Homidi’s signature technique of applying color and then removing excess, whether with a cream makeup remover on a cotton swab or the quick swipe of a finger, is one of our shared interests. “I think the remnants left behind are always better than the actual intention, because it feels try-hard,” says Homidi.
And however you apply, expect things to move into a more party-girl, slept-in look. She emailed me tips on what to expect from my winged liner look with her palettes. “When you grab your skinny brush, you can expect a softer winged line and smokier edges,” she explained. Before I saw Homidi backstage, I pre-painted my winged liner with a simple swipe of soft Lune—to welcome praise!
Next I’ll try it in bright blue, partially inspired by a vivid dream she had of an Indian Ringneck parrot reflected over a crystal-clear Japanese lake. “The dream was so euphoric and the colors were so vivid,” that she woke up with inspiration for the Essential Eye Compact. This season, I welcome a bit of escapism!
