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The world of makeup can be pretty overwhelming, and if you spend a lot of time on social media, you might feel intimidated by the amount of skill and artistry required to put on a full face. If you’re like me—someone whose idea of “made up” is simply mascara, lipstick, and winged eyeliner—VIOLETTE_FR might be the brand that sways you to step out of your comfort zone.
VIOLETTE_FR doesn’t want you to contour or conceal your features into submission, in fact, quite the opposite. The brand is all about enhancing your natural beauty with great skincare products and universal lip and cheek hues, but also lets you get creative with a dazzling array of colors for your eyes. And as someone who isn’t particularly keen on using and washing makeup brushes, you can use your fingers to apply just about everything in this collection.
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Meet Violette
Violette Serrat—or just Violette, as she is known professionally—-originally dreamt of becoming an artist or fashion designer while studying painting at the École du Louvre. Armed with knowledge gleaned from a Kevyn Aucoin book, and no professional experience under her belt, she networked her way into a career as a makeup artist in New York City. She then began mixing her own pigments and products to use on set to create the desired colors and textures she couldn't find in existing makeup. Her big break? She was discovered by Carine Roitfield, then editor of Vogue Paris, which landed her in the magazine as an up-and-coming talent to watch.
Over the past 17 years, Violette’s work has appeared in numerous publications, she became the International Makeup Designer for Dior, worked in product development for Sephora, served as the Global Beauty Director for Estee Lauder, and is currently the Director of Makeup at Guerlain, one of France’s most prestigious beauty brands.
The launch of her eponymous makeup brand, VIOLETTE_FR, is certainly the glaçage on the gateau — the brand just turned two years old, and they’re continuing to bring forth innovative colors and textures to an oversaturated market.
About the Collection
If there’s a word that could sum up the brand, it’s “individuality” – something its founder firmly believes in celebrating. This tightly curated collection focuses on enhancing your natural features instead of trying to change them with foundation or contour. In fact, Violette doesn’t even have those products in the line, opting instead to concentrate on unique and striking colors to play with for the eyes, must-have lipsticks, and essential skincare.
This multi-purpose product is a bestseller and Violette’s hero product. It is a 3-in-1 cream spray that functions as a toner, serum, and moisturizer in one, born from Violette’s own issues with sensitive skin. Its primary ingredients include fermented birch sap, squalane, and olive leaf extract, designed to help calm skin while rehydrating and energizing skin cells. As someone who relies on separate serums and moisturizer at home, I find myself reaching for this when traveling because it takes up less space in my bag. I will typically spritz my hands and gently pat the liquid into my face, but you can also just spray directly onto the skin. It helps calm any redness I may be experiencing, and since I have combination skin, it’s just enough moisture for me without feeling heavy. I also love that the container is refillable, cutting down on plastic waste.
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The story behind this product is quite romantic—Violette started thinking about developing the color and texture for this lipstick based on the deeply-hued red roses she saw on her visits to the Jardins Bagatelle in Paris. I don’t wear a ton of makeup, but I am definitely a lipstick lover (and have the drawer of lipsticks to prove it). Matte lipsticks can be tricky, but this one comes in just two rich, buildable colors that don’t dry out your lips. My favorite is Amour Fou, a vibrant red that looks great on just about every skin tone—I posted myself wearing it on Instagram and immediately received DMs from friends who wanted to know where they could get their hands on it.
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Is it a liner? Is it a shadow? The answer is yes. These highly-pigmented paints come in two textures: six matte shades and six “twinkling” shades that can be applied with the flat side of the applicator and blended with your fingers or a brush, or the tip for a more precise line. I love the deep blue matte shade called Ciel de Nuit as an alternative to black eyeliner, while the twinkling Marron Glacé color looks fantastic as a neutral-but-fancy eyeshadow. The sparkly shade called Scarabée d'Or is modeled after the luminous green-gold of a scarab, a stunning choice for an evening event. These have exceptional staying power once they’re dry, which is perfect for going out—they’ll still look fresh long after the party has died down. I love a single sweep of color so these are perfect for a lazy beauty girl like me.
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Most recently, Violette just launched Sérum Superlatif ($46), a line of need-specific serums that target issues like skin barrier repair, blemishes, and UV damage that promise results in just 48 hours. (If the efficacy of Boum-Boum Milk is any indication of performance, these are on my next-to-try list.) Other great products in the collection are C’est La Cream ($68), a barrier rescue moisturizer, the refillable Frange Puff dry shampoo brush ($37), and Bisou Blush ($35), a matte cream blush available in three colors. With the pieces I have from her collection, I have a pretty comprehensive kit for simplified beauty that is also extremely portable and truly fuss-free.
Five More Reasons to Love Violette_FR:
- Violette’s standards for performance and formulation are incredibly specific, using ingredients that are high-quality and ethically sourced.
- Additionally, the entire line is vegan and cruelty-free—that includes making the perfect red lipstick without using carmine, a widely-used colorant derived from beetles.
- The products are meant to be complementary to a wide variety of skin tones and age groups, which is why she features models of all ages and looks.
- Violette does limited edition collaborations with other brands like Dieux Skin and Holidermie that have a similar ethos to her brand.
- The brand ships to Europe, Canada, and the United States and also offers free shipping for orders over $50 in the US.
Shop the full collection here.
