0391NOTEros

0391NOTEros_Nars

The NARS brand is renowned for its clever color names, and a source from the NARS Marketing Department confirms that François Nars himself is responsible for coming up with all of them. He describes Eros as "[a] Greek god whose arrows have the power to make people fall in love," and is quoted as saying "For me, lips are as sexy as it gets."

Invoking the Eros myth has a dual impact. First, note that the lip lacquer is called Eros, rather than Phillia or Agape. This is a deliberate invocation to the god of sexual and romantic love in particular, not love in general. Nars is intentionally ascribing the lip lacquer with an identity of flirtation and sex-appeal.

Second, and more abstractly, the name is intended to underscore the glamour and excitement that the product promises to the consumer.