Honoring Ellis Faas
Honoring Ellis Faas
1962-2020
by Susie Kuse
We were so sad to hear about the passing of the amazingly talented Ellis Faas last week. We have loved working with her team and her brand for the past year and a half.
Her creativity and sense of color and texture help us express who we are. Her dedication to making beautiful cosmetics shines through in every product. We love that they are mostly vegan, cruelty free, and exceptionally high quality. Her transparency about ingredients sets standards for the industry.
We love her lip colors - Ellis Red in particular. Her foundation really goes on and stays on like a second skin! Her trademarked tagline says it all - “Only Tested on Supermodels”.
In an email to us, her brother Thijs said, “It is with the greatest imaginable sadness that I inform you about the passing of Ellis - our brand founder, my business partner, but above anything else my beloved sister...
I am convinced that Ellis herself would say that her greatest pride and joy in life was her daughter, whom she raised as a single mom. But the world says goodbye to an immensely talented, creative, visionary artist, and to a proud, strong yet vulnerable, and always passionate woman.
Ever since I can remember Ellis had a special eye to view the world around her. With her intelligence and sensitivity, she aimed to inspire also others to pursue their dreams, use their passion, embrace their non-conformity. This not only affected the people around her, but also infused her make-up and photography work with its uniqueness, and it was the basis for the make-up brand she created.
It has always been Ellis’ wish that her ELLIS FAAS brand could and would exist detached from her own persona, and that is exactly what we - our wonderful team and myself - will try to realise. Ellis still had many plans for her brand, and even though it will never be the same without her, we will carry out those plans and thereby pay tribute to Ellis’ legacy.”
Ellis passed from cancer at just 58 years old. But in those short years, she was known as a groundbreaking make up artist. She worked with the best fashion photographers and beauty brands in the world.
Clinique, Lancome, MAC Cosmetics and L’Oreal contracted her to work with them. She designed the makeup looks for Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel and Fendi shows. And she managed a small army of makeup artists she taught to apply her techniques.
When she finished her contract with L’Oreal in 2007, she took two years to develop her own brand. It launched in 2009.
Headquartered in Amsterdam, she based her brand on what she calls “Human Colors”. These are the universal and rich colors present in the human body. In hair, in eyes, in freckles and veins.
Based on this spectrum shared by each and every one of us, her makeup works with all skin tones. It covers the range of the human palette. What better way to highlight your best feature or mask a flaw than with the tones and hues that already exist in each of us?
Most of all, Ellis Faas Human Colors inspire exploration. No matter your age, style, or complexion. With ELLIS FAAS you can customize your own look with subtle effects or dramatic flair. And know your colors are sure to complement and flatter. As Ellis intended.
We’re so glad to know that Thijs and his team will be carrying out Ellis’ plans. At Indie Beauty Market we look forward to continued growth with this brand. We believe Ellis’ spirit can live on through her brand, like other greats before her. Estee Lauder. Elizabeth Arden. Coco Chanel.
Although our hearts are heavy, we are still very excited for the future. Just last week we made plans to add her eye makeup to our collection. Look for it soon!
Susie Kuse is Passionate About Great Skin and Co-Founder of Indie Beauty Market. She has been in the spa and beauty industry since 2002. She loves to help people understand that a little daily self-care goes a long way toward great skin, health, beauty and happiness. And it’s important to keep your products safe, effective, natural, sustainable and ethical.
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