Ellis Faas is a no-nonsense sort of woman – she’s straight-talking, feisty and opinionated – all great things when you consider just how single-minded one has to be to make their own way in the world. And practically obligatory when you’re talking about the woman who French Vogue called “one of the most influential artists of her generation,” and whose creative compatriots read like a who’s who of the fashion and design world: Mario Testino (whom first hired her for a L’Uomo Vogue shoot); Emmanuelle Alt; Karl Lagerfeld; Camille Bidault-Waddington; Peter Lindberg and Terry Richardson are just the tip of the inimitable iceberg.

 

As it turns out, it’s this icy fire in Faas which also drove her to launch her own line, to provide, as she describes it, ‘human colour and a return to authentic beauty.’ So, how does such a unique ideal translate into a universally appealing line? To hear Faas describe her fascination with the colour of freckles, or the intricate dappling of an ageing bruise, one realises just how closely she has looked at complexions over the years and how deep-rooted her respect for the human body is. ‘By working with human colours you have a universal spectrum which is shared by each and every one of us. I’m not interested in using fake colours that you’d never see in nature or putting them on the skin – I’ll leave that to the other brands; for me, I think the most flattering thing you can do is to pick out the skin’s own tones – like the blues and greens in the veins, or the pink of pinched skin – and that’s the palette that fascinates me.’

 

On the day I met her she took a good look at my lipstick – a burnt coral – and approved, before picking out a new set of playthings for me to try at home. Glazed Lips, £21 each – one a Lucozade orange gloss (L304) and the other a dusty, minky pink (L307) – went into the bag, along with Milky Eyes in E205, £22, a slap of thick bronze-tinged khaki. Just as striking as the shades is the painterly depth of pigment – yes, the creamy products can be rubbed down to a sheerer finish, but why not be brave and brandish them as nature intended? But then again, as someone who had a habit of naming & photographing each and every one of their childhood bruises, perhaps Ellis’ cosmetics already preach to the converted…?

 

Sealing the deal is the slick silver packaging and bullet-shaped ‘Ellis Holder’ which allows your booty to be bandied around elegantly without risk of spillage or breakage. Cleverly, the canister also gets women to downsize burgeoning make-up bags into a single streamlined solution, and thereby approach their kit as though they themselves are also professional artists. Sold.

Prices start from £19. Available exclusively at Liberty and www.liberty.co.uk.