Violette_Fr just landed in Australia, here are the FJ team’s honest thoughts
WORDS BY MAGGIE ZHOU
“You can’t get more French than that.”
After visiting Paris for the first time this year, I was taken aback; what they say about French style and beauty is true – it’s effortless, timeless and elegant but with an edge. Thanks to the enduring legacy of style icons like Jane Birkin (who, famously, wasn’t even French), the allure of a bold red lip and tousled, slept-in hair remain unmoving.
New brand launches at Mecca are always exciting, so I was keenly interested to hear that French brand Violette_Fr was hitting our shelves. I wrangled the entire Fashion Journal team into trialling a handful of Violette_Fr’s bestselling products (I was met with a resounding chorus of yeses).
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While the brand has only been around since 2021, its founder Violette Serrat has had over 17 years in the beauty industry. From its blush and lipsticks to its highlighters and eyeshadows, Violette_FR is a beauty brand that prioritises having a limited number of product selections, ensuring that each tube or stick earns its place on your beauty mantle. Read on to hear our honest first impressions of these makeup products.
Izzy Wight, FJ’s Assistant Editor
As someone who tends to wear the same black winged liner every day, the shimmering tube of Yeux Paint was initially a little intimidating. While my glossy copper shade, Cuire de l’Aube, is very wearable, the highly pigmented liquid formula seemed unforgiving to beginners. So instead of applying straight to my lid, I dabbed a little on the back of my hand and applied in a wing (my safe space) with an angled brush.
I was pleasantly surprised by its blendability, and love the way a glittery slick of colour looks in place of the classic black. It didn’t crease or transfer, even on a warm(er) Melbourne day! And the Bisou Balm in Sucette gives that very smudgy, undone blurred-lip effect, which I adore. The shade is buildable, but the cap is loose – pop it in a pocket or zipped-up bag before throwing it in your handbag (especially while carrying a light-coloured sweater).
Ella Taverner, FJ’s Partnerships and Campaign Manager
I’ve been an admirer of Violette Serrat and her quintessential French beauty for a while now, so was ecstatic to learn Mecca would be stocking her new brand. I’m not typically a bold lip wearer but I was really drawn to the beautiful finish of the Petal Bouche Matte lipstick, which I’m wearing here in the shade Cœur Infidèle. They’re super pigmented (and not for the faint-hearted) but are surprisingly easy to apply with the dainty doe-foot applicator.
It’s super creamy once applied but sets to a soft matte finish that can withstand even the creamiest of coffees. I’m wearing the lip product here with the blush and highlighter, the latter of which has to be my standout from the whole range. The formula feels super luxe and balmy and gives the perfect subtle glow for everyday wear.
Maggie Zhou, FJ’s Branded Content and Features Editor
I picked up the Bisou Blush in Inès, a marbled coral number. It was extremely creamy and smooth on my skin and swiped on pretty sheer. It’s more subtle than my typical blushes, meaning I had to apply a couple of extra swipes. I was excited to try the universal highlighter – Violette’s Baume Shine. The stick is a golden brown colour and leaves a slight shimmer on the skin. It’s not particularly pigmented and isn’t a product I feel I’d reach for regularly.
While my coworkers created magic with the liquid eyeshadow and liner, I, unfortunately, did not. I stick to a pretty basic makeup routine and found that the Yeux Paint in Marron Glacé was above my makeup pay grade. It’s extremely pigmented and a little goes long, meaning it’s also unforgiving if you’re prone to errors. On the other hand, the Bisou Balm was a fast favourite. This sheer, matte and slightly blurring lip product is buildable and comfortable to wear. I ended up wearing the balm on my eyelids too – it’s no surprise the shade Bêtise is a bestseller.
Cait Emma Burke, FJ’s Editor
I’m a cream eyeshadow fan (Kosas’ 10-Second Liquid Eye Shadow and Mecca’s Zoom Sticks are my current go-tos) so I was eager to try Violette_FR’s cream shadow offering. I wear light-to-medium brown shades most days, so the Marron Glace was a richer brown than I’d usually opt for in the daytime, but I buffed it out with an eyeshadow brush and added some Champagne Rose Highlighter from RMS to give it a light, glowy look for the work day.
The product itself feels beautiful – it’s creamy, blends out well and is super buildable. It gave me a rich but subtle smokey eye, and I’m curious to try it out as a liquid liner like Izzy has done. I’ve heard people rave about this brand and I’m a long-time fan of its founder, French makeup artist Violette Serrat, so I had high expectations for this product but so far it’s lived up to them.
The packaging is sleek and appealing too, if you care about that (which as a shameless makeup obsessive, I do). I’ve already got my eye on the green shade, Scarabee D’Or. When it comes to lip products, I’ve a hard time with anything more than a lip balm and tint. I blame it on my double lip line – something my TikTok algorithm informed me I have earlier this year – and naturally dry lips which make most lipsticks and lipstick-like products look a bit shit. I was pleasantly surprised by the Bisou Balm’s formula though. It’s a lipstick, lip balm and lip tint hybrid and feels surprisingly nourishing.
Colour-wise, I opted for Bêtise, a warm berry shade that provides that classic French girl look of lightly flushed, perfectly imperfect lips. It’s basically what a thicker lipstick formula would look like if it was evenly washed out with a lip balm applied on top, post a glass of red wine and a cigarette. You can’t get more French than that.
Georgina Woolcock, FJ’s Partnerships and Campaign Manager
I’ve searched my entire adulthood for products that create the effortless ‘cool French girl’ makeup look, and it feels like Violette_FR has served exactly what I’ve been dreaming of on a silver platter. The matte cream blush in the shade Aissa creates a deeper hue that looks like you’ve spent just enough time in the sun. It’s been lasting all day – something I can’t say for all cream blushes. I’ve been layering Baume Shine, the range’s universal highlighter, over the top to give my skin that perfect dewy sheen without being too glittery or intense.
The Bisous Balm is a crowd favourite, and after wearing the warm nude shade Calisson, I understand the reason behind it. It feels like wearing MAC’s Powder Kiss lipstick if it were also a hydrating balm. As someone who usually wouldn’t wear lipstick without a full face of makeup, the product is a fabulous gateway to incorporating a statement lip into my look. A few more weeks with these products and I’ll be eating daily baguettes and replacing my little ‘xx’ with ‘bisous’.
Want some advice from a French makeup artist? Try this.
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