The Chicest French Woman I Know Just Schooled Me on Makeup, And I’m Enlightened

As a journalist, I have put a lot of effort into trying to get some time in with the French makeup artist-turned-brand-founder, wanting to pick her brains on anything and everything makeup. Having followed her for years on Instagram, barely a working day has gone by that hasn’t involved me fawning over her low-key, but impossibly chic, makeup looks. However, being one of the most in-demand people in beauty, pencilling any sort of time in with her appeared so difficult that I had almost given up.

But when news broke in the beauty world that Violette had been appointed Creative Director of Makeup at Guerlain (a French beauty powerhouse, no less), not only was I excited for what this meant for one of my all-time favourite beauty brands, I also knew now was my time to reach out for an interview. And if you’re sat there wondering what on earth it is that makes Violette so special as a makeup artist that I’ve spent the best part of five years trying to interview her, let me enlighten you. It’s not just that her work embodies the coolness of French women so effortlessly, she herself is also the chicest woman I follow. Everything from her beauty choices to her fashion choices oozes chicness. She has a way of being creative, playing with colour, textures and shapes, while tying together a sense of playfulness with that iconic chuck-it-on and pull-it-together French mentality. I can only describe it as an art. 

So when the opportunity arose for me to finally sit down with Violette a couple of weeks ago, I cleared my schedule. For half an hour, we chatted all things makeup and discussed the art of French-girl beauty. As I left, I realised that, for one of the first times in my career, I felt truly schooled on makeup. I left feeling as though I could actually give some of her makeup tips a go (so much so that I actually executed a blue winged liner on my friend the following weekend after Violette showed me exactly what to do). So if like me you can’t get enough of that effortlessly chic look, without further ado, these are the only French-makeup-artist-tips that really matter.