A makeup artist who advocates using makeup in moderation: nothing that Violette does follows standards or logic. And maybe that’s why she’s so respected – and wanted.
HER COLLOR PALLETE
“A year ago, I heard people telling me “You should post less art. Post more selfies.” People who really give me strategy feedback. And I was like, “You know what? I don’t really care about all the strategy. I’m just gonna do what I think is right for me, and that’s it”
Making the surname an unnecessary accessory is something very few women can do: Cher, Madonna, and Beyoncé are some of those women that have reached that level – the same one Violette is in. The French makeup artist based in New York for four years now is today’s Estée Lauder’s Global Director of Beauty, acting as a bridge between the brand and the clients – for example, she is the one who tells the company what women really want.
Such responsibility is based on solid training: Violette studied fashion design and has walked through the famous École du Louvre in Paris, which means that her approach to makeup is very similar to her approach to a fine art. The minimalistic french beauté is something we can see in her – a different way of being chic without needing too much.
“Facing the act of painting herself as a legitimate artistic expression”
Facing the act of painting herself as a legitimate artistic expression, the French has as its motto the maxim, “make her feel like a masterpiece”, and argues that under no circumstances should the woman disappear behind powder, foundation, blush, and shadows – all these features are to celebrate female beauty, not to mask it.
Podcast With Violette
Clau Ribeiro: Is it your first podcast or?
Violette: Third.
Clau Ribeiro: Third, okay. We will start in one, two, three. Hi Violette, it’s so nice to have you here for our podcast today.
Violette: Thank you so much for having me.
Clau Ribeiro: And, before we started the podcast you said that you’ve been to Brazil?
Violette: Yes.
Clau Ribeiro: How was it?
Violette: I’m a huge fan. Like, I was always very attracted to the Brazilian culture, but this trip we had with my boyfriend for a month was the most, honestly the most incredible experience I ever had.
Clau Ribeiro: And, you traveled like all over the coast of Brazil?
Violette: Yeah.
Clau Ribeiro: Have been to, like so you’ve been to Rio …?
Violette: Rio, Paraty, Sao Paulo, Trancoso, Fernando, you know the island in Noronha?
Clau Ribeiro: Fernando de Noronha, yes.
Violette: Lencois.
Clau Ribeiro: You’ve been to places that I’ve never been to.
Violette: Yeah, it’s amazing. It was, I mean, the two places that really shocked me in a good way the most were Lençois, because for those who don’t know it’s a desert with all these dunes, and between all the dunes you have a blue lagoon because it’s rained for six months that created with like pool, so it’s like an incredible vision of something completely unreal, and I think even if you’re not spiritual, you’ll become spiritual when you get there because it’s so incredible.
Clau Ribeiro: It’s like, for those who believe in energy they say that Bahia it has this special energy, so like when you have music, there are people that just travel there.
Violette: To be there.
Clau Ribeiro: To be, I even have goosebumps, because it’s interesting, like there are certain places on earth that you have this different vibration. It’s so interesting.
Violette: I absolutely believe, and the other one was the Amazonas.
Clau Ribeiro: Oh yeah.
Violette: That was mind blowing.
Clau Ribeiro: It’s so funny like, I’ve never been to Amazonas.
Violette: I hope you can go soon.
Photos: Aline Velter
