If everyone has that one 2am friend in the most dependable sense, for a huge list of Bollywood stars, that person would be Florian Hurel. The man who’s been weaving magic when it comes to hairstyles of the famous, he’s the catalyst that makes their whole flawless look come about, using makeup without overpowering facial features. A decade of work behind him, Florian, who began his career in Paris, now crosses over to the other side as he turns entrepreneur, armed with his skills and in his words, “the dream I had since I was a young hairstylist.” Taking some time off just ahead of presenting his range of luxurious haircare tomorrow, Florian gets candid on what fuelled his journey, his favourite work with the stars and yes, he drops a few eye-openers, too (read: the smokey eye is out, strong lips are in!).
Crafting Luxury For Hair
/elle-india/media/media_files/2025/02/02/AhsR6u7kpXkkXOIVKlPU.jpg)
ELLE: As one of the most celebrated hairstylists in the country, was moving into your own line a natural extension of what you do?
Florian Hurel (FH): Yes! What my team and I are doing now is the dream I’ve always had as a young hairstylist. I used to admire people who owned their own beauty salons and created their own products. Being a celebrity hairstylist or working with celebrities is part of it, but it’s also about having the chance to explore every aspect of your work exploring 360 angles of the work that I and my team does. It’s about working with clients, building a team, creating salons, and developing a product line based on my expertise to meet different hair care needs. I’m living the dream I’ve always looked up to, and I’m loving every moment of it. fHair is a luxurious hair care brand born in India, designed for the world. Every ingredient is organically sourced from India, with the formula carefully crafted in collaboration with expert alchemists. From the hand drawn bottles, chosen with care by my wife, to the thoughtfully selected colours selected by me and the team, our products are tailor-made to meet the unique needs of every hair type, ensuring an unparalleled experience of luxury and care.
ELLE: You have the who's who in Bollywood as your clients. What’s it like working with them?
/elle-india/media/media_files/2025/02/02/34PY4IzovwLD3klgqn1k.jpg)
FH: I think when we create a look, every client has their say about it, and we all come together to create a look according to the situation—be it a red carpet, an appearance, or a brand shoot. We all come together and decide what looks best for each occasion. So, it’s not that we don’t have anything to say, and it’s not that the celebrities don’t give their opinion. We all agree to bring the best out of the look by highlighting different aspects of their face and beauty. Sometimes the hair is stronger, sometimes the makeup is stronger, because not everything can be bold at the same time.
ELLE: It would also have had its share of best moments and challenges - we’d love to know more!
FH: I think recently I worked with Priyanka Chopra, and we created a very long, textured hair look for her that worked very well. Everyone loved it and tried the look. That was one of the most recent and favourite looks. I’ve also done multiple looks with Deepika, and they went viral—people loved them. Looks are sometimes suddenly picked up by the media, and I love creating looks for appearances.
When I created the look test for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, we had nine days of nonstop look tests, and that was super challenging with makeup and hair because we had to create a full era’s look, including both hair and makeup. We used different accessories to create eyeliners or dots on the face. Sometimes a hairpin could be used to create an eyeliner, but using such tactics can be super challenging at times.
ELLE: OTT and cinema mirror life. Do they also influence on hair and makeup, where someone says, ‘Give me THAT look’?
FH: It does happen. Mostly, the OTT looks are very natural, a little more day-to-day. These are very in right now. People want that "no makeup, no hair" look. They have references from OTT platforms, so it’s a big yes to OTT having natural looks, close to what Europeans and Americans are doing. So, a big yes. You also asked me, how important hair and makeup are to make someone feel confident. I remember back in the day when I started working, people would say good hair stylist can be as good as a psychiatrist, so I do feel that a talented hairstylist and a makeup artist can make you feel good. They can kind of uplift the mood, so it’s always a great idea to work in sync with them.
ELLE: Indians are said to have beautiful hair. Can they get a little more experimental with it?
FH: Yes—Indians have the most beautiful hair in the world, and I believe that we could definitely try sleeker looks or going more suave, but again, it is difficult to carry and difficult to maintain. I think you know I am prone to a minimalistic look, and very little for me is more. I think people have the tendency to do too much or try too hard to look a certain way on the red carpet. I feel like someone who can afford to do a no-makeup look can be super confident and super comfortable. I’d outline two ways to go about this look: think very less or very natural, which will do wonders on a red carpet abroad or even here.
I’m asked sometimes about the hair mistakes Indians might make and that is to leave hair oil on the scalp overnight. I think that suffocates the scalp and creates the opposite of what is needed. Hair oil is meant to replenish and nourish, but leaving it on the hair overnight is not fine.
ELLE: What are Florian’s three quick makeup hacks to try before a party?
FH: I think the simplest things to do when you go for the red carpet are to have nice, strong lipstick, mascara, and blush. These things can do wonders. You can use the blush on your eyelids, and these products can really make you stand out. When it comes to creativity, I’m a little old school. I don’t believe in creativity through social media, except for some old-profile hairstylists and makeup artists who work in a very classic and edgy way.
ELLE: What’s the coolest current haircut and what’s going to define makeup trends this year?
FH: The one-length low lob is definitely my favourite haircut right now. It’s a little sun-kissed, like your hair got a little bleach from the sun—15 days in the Maldives or down South. A low bob with very few layers is really in fashion right now. Again, we are surfing on the fact that less is more.
When it comes to the hot wedding looks for 2025 for makeup, I see a lot of brides wanting to do less foundation and big lashes, strong lipstick, and very little smokey eye. I think everyone is a little done with strong smokey eyes, and people like to keep it minimalistic. They like to have strong lips, less eyeshadow, long lashes, and dewy skin. Dewy is in fashion right now; every bride loves having a dewy look where the skin can breathe and is not completely mattified.
Also Read:
These 5 Fragrance Trends Will Be Everywhere This Year