Violette Serrat on Beauty as Art, Instinct, and Self-Expression

You began with painting and fashion design before becoming a makeup artist. What did makeup offer that those disciplines could not?

I loved both painting and fashion, but I felt that something was missing from each of them. Makeup brought the two together in a very immediate way. I could use colour and texture as I would on a canvas, while also thinking about proportion, styling, and the way a person presents themselves. When friends asked me to paint their faces with glitter for a costume party, I understood that the face could become a form of dress. It could tell a story, change a mood, or reveal a different side of someone. That discovery gave me a way to work with art that was intimate, alive, and constantly changing.

How has your art education continued to influence your approach to makeup?

Art taught me to look closely. I studied painting and spent time learning how artists work with pigment, texture, light, and composition. That knowledge remains part of my instinct when I create a look or develop a product. I think about how colour moves across the skin, how two shades blend, and how a texture changes the feeling of a face. Makeup is not only about applying a colour. It is also about understanding the surface, the movement, and the emotion behind it. I still feel like a student because there is always another technique, texture, or relationship between colours to discover.

Violette_FR is rooted in a French sensibility, but you have also lived and worked in New York. How do those two places meet in the brand?

France taught me that beauty does not need to be perfect in order to be beautiful. There is a respect for individuality, restraint, and subtlety. New York gave me a different kind of energy. It encouraged me to be confident, expressive, and willing to take risks. Violette_FR exists between those two worlds. The soul of the brand is French, but its drive is very New York. That combination allows the products to feel intuitive while still inviting experimentation. I want someone to be able to create a very natural look, then add an unexpected colour or texture when the mood changes.

What did you want to create when you launched Violette_FR in 2021?

I never wanted to create a traditional makeup line with a very large assortment of products. I see beauty as a lifestyle, and that includes what we put on our skin, how we care for ourselves, and how we feel. Violette_FR was conceived as a beauty maison with a carefully edited selection across makeup, skincare, fragrance, and hair. Every product needs to have a reason to exist. The idea is to complete what is missing rather than compete with what is already available. I wanted the collection to feel artistic and expressive, but also intuitive enough for people at any level of experience.

Your work often balances minimalism with a strong colour statement. What does that balance mean to you?

I do not see natural beauty and bold beauty as opposites. They can exist in the same look. A face can be fresh and understated, with one vivid lip or a wash of unusual colour on the eyes. I like the idea of adding a little spice without losing a sense of ease. Colour is emotional, so it can change the way we feel without needing to transform everything else. Sometimes a red lip gives someone confidence. Sometimes a lavender eye feels poetic. Makeup should leave room for instinct. It should support the person wearing it, not make them feel that they have to follow a set of rules.

How do you decide whether a product belongs in the Violette_FR collection?

The starting point is usually something I have not been able to find. In my work as a makeup artist, I often noticed a particular need in front of me, whether it was a texture that would make application easier or a colour that was difficult to achieve with existing products. I also pay attention to everyday experiences, skin, nature, art, and ideas that come to me outside the beauty industry. The development process can take several years, so I cannot build around a short-lived trend. If a formula or colour is not right, we move it in the calendar. The product has to be genuinely useful, distinctive, and finished properly.

Products such as Bisou Balm and Boum-Boum Milk are designed to be easy to use. Why is ease so important to you?

Ease gives people freedom. I want a product to work with the way someone actually lives, whether they are applying it carefully in front of a mirror or reaching for it quickly during the day. That does not mean the formula should be simple or underdeveloped. It means the complexity should be in the work behind it, so the experience feels natural. Bisou Balm reflects that idea through a soft, diffused colour, while Boum-Boum Milk came from my experience seeing models arrive with skin that needed care before makeup could begin. The products should respect the skin and make the ritual feel enjoyable rather than demanding.

You have spoken about resisting the beauty trend cycle. What does that resistance look like in practice?

A trend is already moving on by the time a product takes several years to develop. For that reason, I try not to look at what is performing well or what everyone is talking about when I am creating. My ideas come from experience, from touching skin, from art, from nature, and from the things that happen in life. I keep a working document of product ideas and return to it over time. That distance from the trend cycle helps me stay connected to the reason a product exists. I would rather create something that remains useful and personal than something designed only to be immediately visible.

What does French beauty mean to you beyond the familiar idea of minimal makeup?

It is less about copying a particular look than accepting who you are. French beauty has a certain irreverence. You do not have to calculate every detail for other people. There is also a belief in taking care of yourself and understanding what works for your own skin and personality. The result may look unstudied, but that ease comes from knowing yourself rather than following a formula. I like the idea of spending a short time getting ready, choosing one element that gives the face character, and allowing the rest to remain real. Chic does not have to mean formal or elaborate. It means that something feels right on you.

After years in the industry, what still keeps you curious about makeup?

Makeup remains fascinating because it is both intimate and artistic. We often apply it during a quiet moment in front of a mirror, but it can change the way we move through the world. It can be expressive, playful, protective, or transformative. I am still curious about the relationship between a colour and a feeling, or between a texture and the way someone experiences their own face. I also love that makeup is never finished as a discipline. There are always new ways to work with pigment, light, and skin. That combination of craft and emotion is what continues to make the work meaningful to me.