New QVC Vendor Francois Nars Tells Allure Magazine That His Orgasm Blush Looks Good On Everybody

The December issue of Allure magazine has an interview with Francois Nars, the man who created the upscale NARS cosmetics line. We assume he is the guy that named the line’s popular blush color “Orgasm.”

In the story, the French Nars talks about his 15-year-old makeup line and how he likes to keep a low profile and not make many public appearances.

Maybe that’s why he didn’t show up for the debut of NARS on QVC recently, when host Lisa Robertson was not allowed to say “Orgasm,” the name of his blush.

Nars, who owns an island near Tahiti, talks about his mom and his side career as a photographer, shooting models for his ads.

He also told Allure that he knows every inch of Madonna’s body, from doing her makeup for her music videos. We’re not touching that one.

Allure described the NARS Orgasm blush as having “a notorious name.”

And Nars says it “looks good on practically everybody.”

By the way, we missed this Nov. 14 New York Times Q-&-A with HSN CEO Mindy Grossman. Take a peek.

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The Debate Over QVC’s Ban Of The Word ‘Orgasm’ On NARS Premiere Continues: ‘Childish’ Versus ‘Disgusting’

About a week ago, we wrote about the debut of NARS cosmetics on QVC, where host Lisa Robertson was banned from saying the name of one of the makeup line’s blushes: Orgasm.

It seemed ridiculous to us, but Robertson and the NARS rep were only able to refer to that particular color as “O” or “starts with an ‘O,’ ends with an ‘M.'” QVC did, however, run the color’s name on-screen.

Well, that NARS shows sparked a lively debate on QVC’s online forums, with some viewers skewering the home shopping channel for being silly and prudish; and others taking QVC’s side, criticizing NARS.

One of the posters cracked us up, when she joked that QVC wouldn’t allow the word “orgasm” to be said on-air because “they don’t want to make any false ‘medical claims.'”

Robertson had said that censors barred her from saying the Big O. One QVC poster found that hard to believe, writing, “After all, it’s not among the 7 dirty words that can’t be uttered, as per FCC rulings. (Hope this makes it by the censors!!!)”

Wrote another poster, “I think it was very childish of them not to call the Nars blush Orgasm as that is what it is named. Constantly saying the blush that starts with an ‘O’ and ends with an ‘M’ was so annoying. I love this product and have worn it for quite some time now. Good to know that the Q offers it, but guys, c’mon and grow up. If it’s written on screen in full during it’s showing, why not just say the word? After all, as per Lisa and the rep, “it’s the most popular choice among the blushes.”

But others blasted NARS, not QVC.

“I think it’s disgusting that NARS has to name their products these names,” said one poster. “Can’t the product stand alone without the s-xual names?”

She wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“I TOTALLY agree with you, Missy,” another QVC poster wrote. “If anything is childish, it’s this company stooping to such a level of product naming. This couldn’t be more ridiculous, disgusting or inappropriate.”

But yet another poster shot right back.

“What’s disgusting about it?” she wrote. “It’s not a swear word or a ‘dirty’ word or an obscene word. Obviously, it’s meant to invoke a certain experience that most people find enjoyable, and the word, especially in its adjective form, is quite often used in a general way to describe anything that supposedly resembles that unique experience.”

Wrote a poster, “I had to read this blog twice! ARE YOU PEOPLE SERIOUS? We are all adults here. OK-so QVC didn’t want to say the word O—-M. Fine. But I too wonder what is wrong with the rest of you that are so prim and proper you are ridiculing the company itself for having used a name like that or using s-xual-like names in general. The company is classy and does not come off vulgar at all. It is a beautiful color by the way.”

By the way, Orgasm is on wait-list on QVC.

On NARS Makeup Debut, You Can Buy An ‘Orgasm,’ But QVC Host Lisa Robertson Can’t Say It

Is orgasm a naughty word? Well, it’s apparently too racy for QVC.

You can’t make this stuff up. On Wednesday night QVC premiered the high-end NARS cosmetics line, but no one was allowed to say the name of the popular color of one of the brand’s lip glosses and blushes, the aforesaid “Orgasm.”

Host Lisa Robertson from the get-go warned viewers about the names of the NARS items, saying, “Some of them are provocative, some a little shocking.”

Hey QVC: If you can’t say the name of a makeup color on the air, don’t sell it. The Orgasm blush is extremely popular, iconic even.

NARS rep Stephanie Gower referred to the forbidden Orgasm color lip gloss as “the one that cannot be named.” Some of the lip gloss names that Robertson was permitted to say were “Triple X” and “Striptease.”

The “O” problem resurfaced when Robertson talked about the  NARS’s stick blush, which also has a color “Orgasm.” Once again, it was the word that dare not be spoken on QVC.  All Gower could tell viewers was “I do use the Big O.”

By the way, the Orgasm blush color was described as “a peachy pink with shimmer.”

Although QVC banned Robertson and Gower from saying the apparently dirty word, the network did show the name “Orgasm” onscreen in the product descriptions.

The irony was that the NARS debut took place during QVC’s “What a Girl Wants” 24-hour special. Well, we thinks most girls want an orgasm.

By the way,  the French makeup master Francois Nars was missing in action in West Chester, Pa., for his line’s premiere on QVC. That was pretty lame and disappointing. 

“He is a busy, busy gentleman,” Robertson said.

We don’t care. Francois should have gotten his French butt to QVC’s studios. The brief video clip of him was no substitute.

(In retrospect, maybe Francois was a no-show because he was mad that QVC, lead by us prudish Americans, wouldn’t say the name of his Orgasm blush on the air.)