Breaking Beauty’s Boundaries
Courtesy of Cynthia Harvey and Fara Homidi.
Cyndia Harvey & Fara Homidi
Breaking Beauty’s Boundaries
By Bonnie Langedijk
It’s prime time for the $271 billion global beauty and skincare industry. From endless celebrity brands to the rise of clean beauty, the market has seen growth of over 15 percent between 2021 and 2022. But only few get to access the world behind the curtain. Two industry icons who define where the industry goes next are Fara Homidi and Cyndia Harvey. Through their work the two women, who first met at a shoot in LA, have defined many of the beauty looks and trends of our time. New York-based makeup artist Fara Homidi has worked with numerous luxury brands including Phoebe Philo’s Céline, Hermès and Mugler. Homidi has become known for her work with the most renowned women in the industry including Zoe Ghertner, Camilla Nickerson and Julia Sarr Jamois. London-based hair stylist Cyndia Harvey has built an equally impressive body of work. From campaigns for Jacquemus, Calvin Klein and Gucci to runway shows for Burberry, Diesel and Ambush. Harvey has also worked with renowned cultural figures including Solange, Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar.
While the beauty industry might look like the land of plenty, Homidi’s and Harvey’s deep understanding of the products available made them aware of consumers who were left overlooked exposing gaps in the market waiting to be filled. It led both women to launch brands of their own. Harvey’s This Hair of Mine includes a collection of elevated hair care products that prioritize the needs of hair that's rich in texture and heritage while Homidi launched her eponymous line of clean, luxury cosmetics with an inclusive shade range. Both women are challenging the norms of their industry, while continuing to build flourishing careers as artists and founders.
But we’ll let them tell you all about it.
Make up by Fara Homidi.
Haird by Cyndia Harvey. Courtesy of Jacquemus.
Fara: Where did you grow up, and has it influenced your work?
Cyndia: I was born and raised in Jamaica and left when I was 11 years old. Jamaica is still very much who I am, culturally, even after being in the UK for so many years. I grew up in a very financially modest family. The most luxurious thing I owned as a child was the Little Mermaid on video. It was my prized possession. Everything else was created out of ingenuity because you didn't have it. I grew up not buying a doll’s house, I built my own life size version from scraps in the yard. I grew up in rural Jamaica, so you're out in nature, playing and mucking around with things. That's the thing I enjoy most about my work. Being in the studio with my team and coming up with concepts and figuring it out, getting it wrong. What was your early foray into beauty?
“Some of my EARLIEST memories are of watching my mom put on her makeup and seeing her turn into a more confident version of herself.”
Fara: My family came from Afghanistan when I was one or two. We landed in the States in Bozeman, Montana. Some of my earliest memories are of watching my mom put on her makeup and seeing her turn into a more confident version of herself. When I was about three or four, we moved to Fremont, California, which was a place where many Afghan refugees congregated. Similar to you, my father worked three jobs. My mom went to school to become a hairdresser. We didn't have much, but I didn't know that at the time. In my teens, my mother opened a beauty supply and salon, where I worked after school and on weekends when I was 12. I would study [fashion and beauty] magazines and look at the hair, the makeup, the lighting. It was this window into a fantasy world of what life could be but it wasn't offered to me in my small town. What I connected with most was Chicana type of hair and makeup. I would sneak lipstick and eyeliner and face powder out of the house. On my way to school I would put all the makeup on and on my way home I take it all off again. It was lip liners, dark lipstick, eyeliner, and a really pale face. It's funny because if you think about the products that I've launched, it's not that far off from what I wore at that time.
Cyndia: I also grew up in my mom's salon in Jamaica. That was my first foray into hairdressing. What I liked about it was that I could zone in and focus on one task. I love details and problem solving.
Fara: Whenever I see you work, I see you try a lot of things. You take your time to create your creations. It's special, not everyone works that way.
Fara Homidi campaign featuring Paloma Elsesser, photographed by Zoe Ghertner. Courtesy of Fara Homidi.
Fara Homidi’s Essential Lip Compact, photographed by Zoe Ghertner. Courtesy of Fara Homidi.
Cyndia: I love questioning everything and I'm always challenging myself. My team and I will spend a day trying something new and sometimes it doesn’t work. But that's the process, right? That's what I really enjoy, often more so than the final image. What are your ideal conditions for creating?
Fara: As creatives we're putting a lot of our ideas out there. My ideal creative condition is being able to take time away from the output and just let your brain disconnect from the creative process. That's when I feel most inspired. Inspiration comes to me through everyday things. It could be a concept, a conversation, a makeup look someone's wearing. From there I allow myself the space to let it happen without forcing myself to be creative.
Cyndia: I don’t do well when I’m overstimulated. And it doesn't take a lot for me to get overstimulated. My ideal condition for creating is disassociating from all external influences. I'm good at having days off.
Fara: But we don't have any days off now that we have our brands. It's still important to have that time and space to allow yourself to zone out.
Cyndia: It allows you to foster greater ideas by taking yourself away from the expectations of having to create or having to think of the next new idea. It’s funny, as I've matured as a creative I’ve learned to be okay with being in a creative slump. I trust myself that I will get inspired again. Especially as a younger creative, you feel like you have to be churning it out all the time. There’s a pressure to have something to say and have something to show. But sometimes you're not going to feel inspired and that's okay.
Fara: It's such an interesting business to be in, where we’re hired to have something to say all the time.
Cyndia: Yes. I’ve learned a lot from working on personal projects over the years. I’ve been intentional about not doing too many, but when I do, they’ve been so impactful because they’ve taken time and a lot of thinking. It’s this journey of having the idea, processing the idea, expanding on the idea and then feeling energetically ready to produce that work.
Fara: It’s a good piece of advice to give to younger creatives. It’s not all about when you're getting hired, it’s about putting out work that you believe in. Personal work is hard to do. You have to put in the time, put in your own money, get people on board with your vision. But the few times that I’ve done it, it’s been some of my favorite work. Do you have a definition of beauty?
Cyndia: I would say it's just a radical sense of self.
Fara: I'm attracted to anyone who wears themselves unapologetically. That usually comes out in what we would call traditional beauty. It could be hairstyles, it could be cosmetics. I'm attracted to signature looks. Vivienne Westwood is a very strong example of someone who wore her personality on her person. She created a beauty look that was very specifically hers. What would we do without the Vivienne Westwoods? I feel like we're losing that a bit just through having the internet.
This Hair of Mine’s Scalp Serum. Photography Madara Freimane, courtesy of This Hair of Mine.
This Hair of Mine’s campaign imagery. Photography Paul Scana, courtesy of This Hair of Mine.
Cyndia: I agree. What do you think makes your brand distinct from other makeup brands on the market?
Fara: The brand is a reflection of myself and my work full stop. That’s what sets it apart and that was the most difficult thing to do. How do you boil your essence down into an object? What does it look like? What color is it? You have to be bold about it because you're asking everyone to come along with you on something that's very personal and specific. Furthermore, I didn’t feel like there was a luxury brand that was offered for a wide range of complexions. Once you get to a certain price point, they're not making products that are considerate of complexion. I know people of all skin tones who have the money, who want to feel special and treat themselves and they just can't find it. For me, that was one of the main things to tackle. Being conscious of materials, the textures of the products and formulating colors that are special are also extremely important to me. What about you?
Cyndia: This Hair of Mine started as a film. That film was a reaction to me realizing one day that, as a Black woman, over 90% of my portfolio was of Caucasian models, which was representative of the industry at the time. I realized that there was such a disparity between the products that I had available for European hair in my kit versus what I had available to the high profile clients with textured hair that I was working with. Through the brand and through our product offering, This Hair of Mine’s mission is to reclaim the self-care practices for the textured hair consumer. From something disappointing to a self-care practice associated with ease and confidence with elevated products that are reflective of our lifestyles.
Fara: We've given ourselves two full-time jobs now, how are you juggling that?
Cyndia: I'm not handling it well. I have people that I can reach out to and lean on for support. We're still a self-funded business, so our team is super lean. But I'm so passionate about both things that I can't not do it. The passion fuels the space to make it work. How about you?
Fara: I've had to be better about delegating to my small team. I'm fully embracing the fact that I have two full-time jobs as I'm excited about the brand and where it can go. It's the last and the first thing on my mind. I find that because I have this new thing to focus on, the other side of my career – the artistry – is flowing a little better because I'm taking that space away. I wouldn't say I'm juggling it great yet. Maybe I'll figure out a better formula eventually.
Cyndia: What I'm grateful for is that we touch base often and we can offload on each other while uplifting each other at the same time. It's good to have a circle of founder friends who you can use as a soundboard. Share the wins, the losses, the struggles, the highs, the lows.
Fara: I watched you work up to the launch, and you’ve been so generous with all of the insight you’ve shared since. As you said, it’s been really special to have another woman who's going through the exact same thing at the exact same time. We're supporting each other through it – no competitive bone in our body and hoping we both reach our goals.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
