Traditionally, French beauty has rested on a few foolproof pillars—namely tousled hair à la Jane Birkin, a fresh complexion à la Françoise Hardy, and effortless and slightly undone makeup à la Brigitte Bardot. Even when French women wear something bold, such as red lipstick, they still manage to do it in a way that feels natural and lived-in.
There’s just something about it that speaks to me, and because of that, I’ve spent countless hours reading articles, watching videos, and searching the internet to find the products French women trust. Somewhere along the way, I stumbled across Violette_FR, the YouTube channel belonging to a French makeup artist who creates impossibly chic and colorful looks for her clients, friends, and colleagues. Sure, I loved the looks, but I loved her easy-to-follow tutorials and effortless application techniques even more. For years, I followed her on social media to gain inspiration and product recommendations.
In 2021, Violette launched a namesake beauty brand. As you can imagine, I was excited. I mean, who wouldn’t want to use products formulated by one of their favorite makeup artists? I placed my first order, and the rest was history. Since then, two of the brand’s products have become makeup-kit essentials because they’re easy to use, require little-to-no touch-ups, and give me that French-girl effect that I love.
