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Whatever you think you know about French girl makeup, think again. “For starters, we’re not French girls–we’re women,” says Violette Serratt, creative director of makeup at Guerlain and founder of Violette FR Cosmetics. “Second, when people say French girl makeup, it’s not like we set out with the intention of looking French, but I suppose it’s a by-product of our cultural philosophy.” That philosophy, summarized by Violette as “you are not happy if you are not free,” is the mantra guiding the effortless look French women are best known for. And if anyone understands the essence of the French aesthetic, it’s Violette. Her self-taught know-how has scored her a Carine Rotfield cosign and starry tenures at the biggest French makeup brands, including Estée Lauder and Dior.
Violette’s Makeup Favorites
- For Skin Prep: Violette_FR Boum Boum Milk, $64
- For Effortless Coverage: Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Concealer, $33
- For a Statement Eye: Violette FR Yeux Paint Blue Liquid Eyeshadow, $31
- For Just-kissed Lip Color: Violette FR Bisou Lip Balm, $28
- For a French Red Lip: Guerlain Rouge G Velvet Matte Lipstick, $36
She’s right to suggest that French makeup epitomises freedom. It’s apparent in everything from the statement red lips to the bold blue mascaras, and the smudged smokey eyes to the almost bare skin. “Generally, we don’t use makeup to disguise or change the face,” she adds, explaining that that’s why you’ll notice none of the heavy contouring or affinity for embellishments, such as false lashes, seen elsewhere in the West. Imbued with the region’s storied heritage in fashion and the arts, French makeup is instead about wholly embracing–and expressing–yourself. From the paintbox colors and easy complexion products that define Violette’s own line to the exact art of making your makeup look uncontrived, she shares all the best French makeup buys and beauty secrets here.
The Complexion Heroes
“For me, there is no such thing as foundation in my routine,” says Violette. “Skincare is my foundation–I’m about taking care of what Mother Nature gave me.” To master French make-up, she recommends taking a skin-first approach, and then using color products like accessories to enhance or to express your style. “This way, you can experiment but still look like yourself, and feel happier in your own skin.”
Violette likes the simple formula of this multipurpose oil for soothing and sealing a compromised skin barrier. After pregnancy, the artist found her skin freaking out, “I had dermatitis and pigmentation that took a while to clear up.” Double cleansing with this gentle oil and the Nue Co’s probiotic cleanser is her recommendation for calming sensitised skin. With gentle bakuchiol, salicylic acid and hemp seed fatty acids, it’s great for decongesting while simultaneously protecting skin.
A does-all spray serum that can be used on scalp, strands and body, this milk was born out of Violette’s need for a solution to her highly allergic skin. “It’s gentle enough that I could use it on my newborn, but also extremely powerful for hydration and reducing inflammation.” Formulated with the help of acclaimed French chemists, the blend of probiotics and natural origin ingredients works wonders on sensitive skin.
“At the peak of my career in France, I did some consulting for Sephora,” Violette tells Vogue. Her favorite product from the French beauty giant? Its Best Skin Ever concealer. “It offers great coverage for the dark circles I have.” Pigmented enough to smooth over blemishes without caking, it’s also a good pick for a seamless finish on skin with imperfections.
Delightfully creamy, this marbled blush imparts a flush of color and gives the cheeks a healthy dew. “I was inspired by the sfumato seen in Renaissance art when creating it,” Violette explains. The technique, which involves layering sheer washes of paint to create imperceptible transitions between colors, is most famously seen on the Mona Lisa. And on your skin this blush has the same soft focus effect, leaving no harsh lines or an overdone finish. What’s more, it comes with a built in buffing brush that can be removed and washed for a clean application every time.
It’s no surprise that Violette cites Laura Mercier as home to one of her most trusted concealers. The French-founded brand excels at complexion products. This bestseller has become a viral hit for its undetectable finish and fluid formula, which is packed with skin-caring extracts to reduce blemishes, dark circles and fine lines over time. Blended with antioxidant green tea and firming paracress, it has a glassy finish that makes it a particularly exceptional concealer for mature skin.
The Eye Essentials
For precisely groomed brows, Violette likes Charlotte Tilbury’s Legendary Brows. It’s easy to see why–the micro wand deposits color and hold in the most natural way, giving you defined eyebrows without a blocky look.
In every color they’re sold in, Violette’s eye paints are primed for excellent eye looks. Pigmented and smooth, they glide effortlessly onto the eyelids and can be used with a brush to draw striking graphic eyeliner that stays in place once set.
Not French, but a favorite of Violette’s all the same. This mascara amplifies lashes with just one swipe, thanks to a full-bodied formula that volumizes strands from root to tip. Great for high-impact, smokey eye looks, its flake-free wax lends itself just as well to everyday wear.
For a French Kiss of Color
You can’t go wrong with a Guerlain red lip–the historic French house invented the bullet lipstick as we know it. 510 Rouge is a statement-making, siren red that is quintessentially French. “We wear red lipstick probably more than any other culture,” Violette notes. With a luxurious glide, long-wearing finish, and chic mirrored case, it’s a must-have for your French make-up collection.
The concept of “bouche mordue” (translation: bitten lips) is behind the blurred pouts French women wear so well. It looks effortless, but Violette tells us it involves many steps: applying a lip balm, stippling on layers of lipstick and then blotting with tissue to finesse a blurred look. “When making the Bisou Balm, I thought ‘we should have a product for this.’” Neither lipstick nor traditional balm, it’s a unique distillation of those steps into one convenient stick. It’s moisturising yet mattifying, pigmented but subtle, and one of the best French make-up finds on this list.
Guerlain Bee Glow Lip Oil
“I only ever create products I am obsessed with,” Violette says of her role directing make-up at Guerlain. And the label’s new lip oil is one of them. A departure from its renowned line of lipsticks, it boasts a doe foot wand that hugs the lips with hydrating mirror-like shine. Infused with all the house’s signature ingredients – that’s fine honey, propolis, and royal jelly for the uninitiated – it is non-sticky and highly reparative. And best of all, it employs eosin to reinvigorate the natural hue of your lips.