Violette FR is the cool French brand every beauty editor loves
Everything you need to know about Violette Serrat – founder of beauty line Violette_FR, creative director of makeup at heritage brand Guerlain, and the inspiration behind a thousand undone French-girl fringes – can be unpacked from the following few lines.
‘We’re never going to make a foundation,’ she tells beauty editors over afternoon tea in a smart London hotel suite the first time we meet, and again during a breakfast presentation two years later in Notting Hill. ‘I would rather have you use makeup as a way to celebrate yourself, not to 'fix' anything. I think we’ll be happier that way and that’s the French philosophy; a happy life is what matters.’
Who is Violette_FR?
Known only by her first name when working as a self-taught makeup artist, then as Violette_FR on Instagram, Violette Serrat is a beauty rockstar, though not remotely starry. She now shares her name with a multi-category brand, which launched in 2021 with a glowing liquid lip paint inspired by the texture and shade of a very specific rose petal, and now counts skincare, fragrance, hair styling and a covetable line of accessories – from slouchy sweatshirts to a pocket mirror that doubles as a makeup mixing palette – in its catalogue.
What to expect from Violette_FR makeup
Violette’s makeup is a game of two halves: the celebratory colour and the stuff that’s there to ‘make you feel fresh’, but it's all as easy to throw on as a pair of jeans or white t-shirt, from that liquid lip (now available in three equally glowing shades) to a marbled blush stick that mimics a real-life flush, inspired by Renaissance painting techniques. ‘French women want who we are to be the charming thing. Makeup is just there to support the vibe,’ she tells me the third time we talk, in a phone call from her adopted home of New York.
The thing is, of course, that much as Violette wants us to be ourselves, we all secretly want to be a little bit more like Violette. When she tells us to wipe makeup away from the bridge of the nose because the eye reads the face as looking fresher, we do it. And when she says that a luminous red eye paint is the thing you need in your life right now, we buy it. ‘It’s a playful element dashed into my otherwise understated makeup,’ she says. ‘I apply a thin line across the top of my eye then smudge it out to see the twinkle.’
Why buy Violette_FR?
If it's not Violette's sustainable glitter giving your daily mood a shot in the arm, it's the fact that her makeup is so easy to wear you really don't have to be a makeup artist to use it. The 'invisible lipstick' that went viral on social media the summer? That's Violette's matte tinted lip balm, which most beauty editors have to hand on any given day (I have two in my bag right now). She followed it up with a shiny version: a core of colour surrounded by a glossy gel that gives lips a kissed-off finish. It's her version of a lip-plumping gloss, she says, and was a 'pain in the ass' that took five years to perfect, but it's here and it is perfect.
And that's the other thing you need to know about Violette. If it's not perfect – and if she hasn't driven her labs mad to make something we've never seen before – she doesn't release it. 'I want you to feel when you have these products at home, they're something special. This is not just another standard makeup line,' she promises.
Where to buy Violette_FR in the UK
At the moment, you can shop Violette_FR through Violette's website, or online or in the three London branches of Oh My Cream!, though I've been told there's a counter planned for a London location known for its excellent beauty buys...
What to buy from Violette_FR
It's a curated collection so it won't take you long to find your way around. ‘My goal for the company is, how can I not overproduce? But at the same time, I’ve built a career on creating makeup and I think I have something to say,’ she points out.
I'd suggest starting with the Bisou family of 'invisible' lip colours and marbled blushers then try a neutral eye paint (Petite Culottes was created to be the eye colour equivalent of an everyday pair of knickers) before branching out into a bolder lip or eye. Here's an edit of everything I love the most...
Bisou Balm
'It's a blurred lipstick that doesn't look like makeup', says Violette, and it's so easy to use I can roll it on without a mirror. The eight shades range from nude to a poppy red, a pretty candy pink and (my personal favourite) a blueish plum, all with the same cloudy bitten-lip finish. Perfect on a bare face but just as good worn as a foil to a dramatic eye. 'Think of the way you have a rush of blood to the lips when you've just been kissed,' she continues. This is exactly that.
Bisou Balm
Petal Bouche
Probably Violette's most iconic product to date, this matte liquid lends lips a velvety petal-like glow. Application can't be rushed but once it's on, it's on for good. Try a single coat blotted off for a stronger bitten-lip look than you can get from Bisou Balm, or build it up and up for a finish so deep you could fall into it. For extra insouciance points, try smudging the outline with a finger or cotton bud. If you like a sharper lip line, I recommend using a lip brush rather than the applicator provided.
Petal Bouche
Yeux Paint
If anyone can sell a liquid magenta eye paint as a face-freshening fountain of youth, or a neutral brown as the everyday knickers of eye colour, it's Violette. Two new shades of this versatile and highly-pigmented formula (which can be used as a liner or a smudgy wash) are released twice a year, and will have been in development for some time: when I first met Violette in London two years ago, she mentioned working on a gold shade that was 'cute, but not special enough yet'. It still hasn't appeared, but when it does, it'll be like nothing we've seen before. Again, if you like a super-sharp edge, pick up an eyeliner brush rather than use Violette's applicator. And if you like your finish buffed out with a fluffy blending brush, work quickly because Yeux Paint sets fast.
Yeux Paint
Bisou Blush
This marbled stick is the blush version of Violette's tinted lip balm, designed to mimic the effect of blood coming to the surface of the skin. ‘It’s a trick of the eye, inspired by the way Renaissance artists blended colour together to create a translucent effect. You don’t see the makeup, but you notice the skin looks fresh', says Violette. Even the brush – which applies colour without disturbing your base underneath – took a year to create. The finish is soft-matte rather than dewy, giving it a romantic vibe, not an adolescent one. SO pretty.
Bisou Blush
Eye Bijoux
I would buy these just for the name: eye jewellery sounds so much prettier in French and is the perfect way to describe the tiny crystals and gems that have been consistently decorating runway makeup for the past few years. These are Violette's minimal version of a maximalist trend, in the form of delicate strips to wear along the lash line and – to really push the look – single crystal tears. Amazing.
Eye Bijoux
Baume Shine
You might not need another highlighter in your life, but if you've invested in an eye paint, applying this underneath gives you a 'dewy, soft colour that's super nice, and lets you create without buying a million more products,' says Violette. On cheekbones, it's understated and un-dewy, and it looks like skin not makeup. Think face-brightening shimmer for grown ups.
Baume Shine
Frange Puff
Violette created this one because her 'bangs' didn't hold their volume over the course of the day. Throw it into your bag and puff it directly into your fringe for a mussed-up finish with natural-looking lift. It's clever, it's cute and it really does work.
Frange Puff
Avec Amour
This is Violette's entry into the 'skin scent' category; clean, musky and comforting... and to me, slightly coconut-ish, despite containing zero coconut. An undercurrent of vetiver keeps things chic and not too sweet, and it's another lovely thing to throw into your bag and use throughout the day (there's something intimate about the act of applying a perfume roller ball, isn't there?).
Avec Amour
Invisible Bandage
I can't think of anything else on the market quite like this. It's a brilliant skin-healing primer that forms a protective film over blemishes, scars and even burns, and allows makeup to sit happily on top without peeling or cracking. 'It dries matte and looks completely invisible,' says Violette. 'It treats and it protects from bacteria, and it helps you create a base that's as flawless as possible.'
Invisible Bandage
Everything you need to know about Violette Seratt, founder of beauty line Violette_FR and the inspiration behind a thousand undone French-girl fringes, can be unpacked from the following couple of lines.
‘We’re never going to make a foundation,’ she tells beauty editors over afternoon tea in a smart London hotel suite the first time we meet, and again during a breakfast presentation two years later in Notting Hill. ‘I would rather have you use makeup as a way to celebrate yourself, not to 'fix' anything. I think we’ll be happier that way and that’s the French philosophy; a happy life is what matters.’
Who is Violette_FR?
It is house style at Red, once we've introduced someone at the top of the copy, to use surnames only when describing them in the third person. Not Violette, who was only ever known as Violette when working as an in-demand makeup artist, then as Violette_FR on Instagram. Naturally, Violette_FR is the name she gave her multi-category beauty brand, which launched in 2021 with a glowing liquid lip paint inspired by the texture and shade of a very particular rose petal.
Violette’s makeup is a game of two halves: the celebratory colour and the stuff that’s there to ‘make you feel fresh’, but it's all as easy to throw on as a pair of jeans or white t-shirt, from that liquid lip (now with two more equally glowing shades) to a marbled blush stick that mimics a real-life flush. ‘French women want who we are to be the charming thing, not our fashion or makeup. Makeup is just there to support the vibe,’ she tells me the third time we talk, in a phone call from her adopted home of New York.
The thing is, of course, that much as Violette wants us to be ourselves, we all secretly want to be a little bit more like Violette. When she tells us to wipe makeup away from the bridge of the nose because the eye reads the face as looking fresher, we do it. And when she says that a luminous red eye paint is the thing you need in your life right now, we buy it. ‘It’s a playful element dashed into my otherwise understated makeup,’ she says. ‘I apply a thin line across the top of my eye then smudge it out to see the twinkle.’ And twinkle, promises Violette, is a form of anti-depressant.
If it's not Violette's sustainable glitter giving your daily mood a shot in the arm, it's the fact that her makeup is so easy to wear: you really don't have to be a makeup artist to use it. The 'invisible lipstick' that went viral on social media the summer? That's Violette's matte and muted tinted lip balms, which most beauty editors have to hand on any given day (I have two in my bag right now). She followed it up with a shiny version: a core of colour surrounded with a glossy gel that gives lips a kissed-off finish. It's her version of a lip-plumping gloss, she says, and was a 'pain in the ass' that took five years to perfect, but it's here and it's perfect. And that's the other thing you need to know about Violette. If it's not perfect - and if she hasn't driven her labs mad to make something we've never seen before - she doesn't release it.
Where to buy Violette_FR in the UK
At the moment, you can find a curated collection of Violette_FR online or from the three London branches of Oh My Cream, or online at Violette's website, though I've been told it won't be long before she has a counter at a London department store known for its excellent beauty buy.
What to buy from Violette_FR
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