Renowned hairstylist and make-up artist, founder of the Designers' BallChristophe Durand is an exceptional man. Major brands such as Chopard and Tag Heuer trust him for their ads. Famous personalities such as Eva Herzigova, Tiger Woods or Emmanuelle Seigner trust him for their beauty treatments.
The friendship between Christophe and the Polla family goes back a long way. He took over the former premises ofAnalix Forever to create La Bal, and we had the chance to collaborate with him at Forever Institut for photo shoots and a trend workshop. Last month, while he was giving me a haircut, I took the opportunity to interview him about our favourite subject... beauty!
Does your sense of aesthetics influence your relationship with the world?
In general, I believe that appearance and aesthetics influence the world and human relationships. This is obvious; yet many people refuse to admit it. When two people are attracted to each other and connect - professionally, socially or romantically - they talk about 'feeling'. In my opinion, this 'feeling' is always some kind of physical attraction.
What types of beauty touch you?
I am sensitive to the interior design of the places I visit, to the architecture of the cities I stay in. I like simple beauty; I don't like chaos in aesthetics - it tires me!
I am touched by the beauty of a person when he or she exudes charisma, an identity. Beauty is found in the roughness of a face. There is nothing more boring to me than a perfect face.
One of Forever's mottos is "Looking good means feeling good means doing good". What does this phrase mean to you?
I like this sentence, but instinctively I would change the order of the messages: feeling good means looking good. Imagine two men with similar features, wearing the same white shirt. The man who feels good about himself will look much better than the man who is not.
What do you do to feel beautiful?
I take time for myself and my well-being: I do sports, take a steam bath, go for a walk in nature, make love ... On days when I allow myself this time, I automatically feel more attractive.
Tell me about your experience with male customers.
More and more men are having cosmetic treatments (dyeing, waxing, manicures, injections, surgery...) but they still don't want it to be known or seen. Our society has created a straitjacket around the expression of masculinity. Taking care of oneself, having beauty treatments is synonymous with vulnerability. So in order to address men, I think you have to use very masculine language and be very discreet.
And you, as-Have you ever had a beauty treatment?
I have done laser treatments à Forever Institute to erase the brown spots on my face and hands. I thought they made me look old. I won't say any more...
For me, the hardest part of getting older was the appearance of grey hair. I tried dyeing my hair, but it was a disaster! It made me look fake. And a man who loses his naturalness is disturbing. So I take my grey hair for granted, but in order not to look like an 'old man', my cut has to be absolutely perfect. No deviations are allowed.
And then with age I lost my eyelashes. That was also difficult. I didn't recognise my eyes anymore. My long, black, perfectly curled lashes were my signature. Recently I found a product (Revitalash) that makes them grow back. I have found a look that suits me.
Spoiler alert
This summer Christophe and his team are launching The Designer's Ball "on tour - a collection van that offers all their services (hair, make-up, makeover) in a mobile and privatizable space. We love it already!
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