ELLIS Brows
a few years after the founder & MUA Ellis Faas passed away, the product she worked on is launched in memoriam by the brand that bears her name and pays respect to her knowledge
Late make-up artist Ellis Faas was a very unique woman - bold, confident, a visionary without compromise when it came to her artistry, but a curious and attentive listener, when it came to her clients and customers. I met her years ago, alongside her brother Thijs, at Liberty of London, when Ellis launched her make-up brand in the UK. I instantly felt comfortable with her, even though in some ways we were polar opposites, with Ellis subtly challenging me on more than one occasion. ‘Why don’t you try this shade Galina, Ellis would say, winking at me. Who knows where this might lead,” followed by a throaty, sparkly laugh. I did try her bold colours, but I also appreciated her artistry and her products like concealer, which worked beautifully with the skin tones, taking into account veins, blood, skin variations and ‘human colours’. In some ways her effect on experimenting with bold colours in make-up paved the way for make-up artistry of Susanne Manasi Persson, founder of Manasi7 and Violette Serrat, founder of Violette Fr, who think outside the box when it comes to product shades, formulas and inspirations behind each launch.
Ellis passed away six years ago, but even in the silence, her brother and Ellis Faas Cosmetics team haven’t been idle. Together they future-proofed the company and, then…. started building again. So now I am happy to introduce you to Ellis Faas BROWS. For most make-up brands, a new launch might not be groundbreaking, but for Thijs and EF team this one ‘feels huge’. Ellis has never been about chasing the “new, new, new,” and what makes this launch even more poignant and special is that Ellis herself created this product.
A brow product was the missing piece in EFC range, something needed to complete a full look using only ELLIS FAAS. Ellis struggled to perfect the texture, but just before she died, she was finally happy with what she’d made. Since then, it’s been waiting on the shelf for the right moment to be launched into the world, a precision brow gel in shades Blonde, Dark Blonde, Mid Brown, Dark Brown, and a funky, boldly signature Ellis Red.
An admission - I am not really an eyebrow person. I was blessed with dark eyebrows and so far I haven’t used anything on them regularly, beyond occasional smidget of oil or clear eyebrow gel. I was lucky not to over-luck them in my youth and many moons ago was taught by none other than the ravishing facialist Vaishaly Patel how to look after my brows with care and respect. To this day her tutorial continues to serve my eyebrows well, but I couldn’t say ‘no’ to Thijs and was curious to see the new Ellis Faas launch. Thijs kindly sent me two shades to test, one for me, another for my mother, who normally uses a tint on her eyebrows, rather than gel. Below you can see my eyebrows ‘brow gelled’ in Mid Brown and Dark Blond.
A lightweight, buildable formula was designed to shape, define and enhance the natural brow, while delivering controlled application and buildable intensity, depending on what result you want to achieve. Some prefer subtle definition - I belong in that camp - others want to achieve a more expressive, structured look for their eyebrows. Ellis caters to all in that respect!
Developed by the brand’s late founder Ellis Faas, it stands as the final product she created and now becomes part of the brand’s core range.
Ellis Brows reflects Ellis’s own conviction that brows are essential when it comes to facial expression and communication. They are not an accessory, but rather the bridging structure of the face, framing it, defining expression and carrying individual identity. Like all of ELLIS FAAS products, the formula is not designed to correct or perfect. Instead it works with what is already there, ennhancing, not masking, revealing, not transforming. The gel evenly coats and separates each hair, adding colour and volume to the brows, while maintaining a natural finish. Small, but precise brush will help you omit making mistakes. Its flexible hold keeps brows in place without stiffness and the easily buildable texture allows you to layer, adjust and experiment freely because there is no single way to wear a brow, nor single definition of what it should be or should look like exactly.
Ellis Brows comes in five shades, ranging from soft blonde to deep brown and includes the signature colour Ellis Red for those daring to be unmistakably and confidently bold, just like Ellis herself. Also worth knowing that except for Ellis Red, each shade has been developed to complement the natural depth of the brow and adapt to different tones and textures.
With so much newness on the market consumers are becoming increasingly baffled and confused, overwhelmed by choice and suitability for their needs. As I was writing this review, it made me reflect that this product was truly the last of Ellis artistic creations before her departure from this world into another realm, but her legacy remains in part thanks to her loving and dedicated brother, who was her partner in fun and work, so I feel deeply moved by both this launch and the fact the brand that bears her name continues to carry her intuitive and instinctive way of working with human faces and skin. Ellis was a confident visionary, who shared her knowledge, without intimidating or imposing, never following trends, always celebrating and enhancing individuality and self expression. Don’t like the result? Don’t want to follow rules? Try, examine, see how it feels. If you are happy, that’s beautiful, if not, wipe the make-up off, cleanse the skin, start again and enjoy the process that is unique to you. On a slightly different, but practical note, the product and colour last well through the day and because of that I prefer to remove it in the evening with a nourishing oil cleanser, but as always, that’s my personal experience and preference, you might prefer a creamy one or a balm.
Ellis in many ways continues to personify being Dutch for me - the confidence, the flair, the sense of freedom she always had surrounding her, like an invisible cloak. Her brand was born in her kitchen in Amsterdam and continues to carry her spirit, her culture, shaped by her knowledge and celebration of individuality - hers and of any other human being, grounded in Ellis’s practical, down-to-earth approach. In some ways her flair was grand, but she was a natural, comfortable in her skin, never intimidating, always seeing an individual in front of her, which peaked her curiosity. Ellis’s work was informed by her travels which took her to Milan and Paris, London and New York, with Amsterdam always being her base, her home and now her resting place too. I miss her, but I think of her each time I apply the brow gel, a product unlike any other, inviting me to play with my eyebrows and winning compliments from my mother too - even though with some peppering of grey in her eyebrows, my mother is adamant that brow tinting is her preference. Ellis would have smiled in mutually appreciative understanding of each side, as she was a mother too.