Nightcap: Violette Serrat of Violette_FR’s journey to Vogue involved cocoa powder…
This story has been a year in the making. Plus, six gifts to shop for Mother’s Day.
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Violette Serrat is a North Star in my approach to beauty: skin-forward and little makeup with a pop of color or shimmer here and there. I first interviewed the French founder and makeup artist behind Violette_FR—she was previously the creative director of makeup at Guerlain and the international makeup designer for Dior Beauty—for The Cut in 2021. She told me then that she first had the idea for a makeup product when she was just eight years old: “I was in the Rosary of Bagatelle, a rose garden in Paris—there are flowers everywhere and there’s a peacock that just walks around. I saw a rose that was red but almost black—it was the first and the last time that I saw one in my life—and I was blown away. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this color in a lipstick would look sensational.’”
In a new piece for Into The Gloss—a story that’s been a year in the making—we talked about her career (she started off using pigments and ingredients like cocoa powder as makeup before landing editorials for publications like French Vogue) and the beauty essentials that hold a sacred place in her Top Shelf. You can read it—and see photos of her beautiful home, including a stunning accent wall and vanity—here.
A few products I’m particularly intrigued by:
Violette deals with contact dermatitis and swears by this “lifesaving” spray, which she developed over three years. Fermented birch sap is hard to source but makes up 38% of the formula, so she had to find a farmer willing to harvest the ingredient specifically for the brand.
Violette was surprised by the lack of conversation around feminine hygiene care in the U.S. when she moved from Paris. She now relies on this gentle wash from Rael. Personally, I have this one from Niches & Nooks in my shower.
Not to be all, I have a four-step teeth routine, but I do—I had braces as a kid, so I protect that investment by all means! (Thank you, parents!) I floss, scrape my tongue, brush my teeth, and rinse with mouthwash. I’m going to switch to this tongue scraper after talking to Violette. It’s made out of copper, which is naturally antimicrobial.
Mother’s Day
And finally! Whether or not you have a mother figure in your life, Mother’s Day can be a hard day—I loved this piece from
’s about the emotional blind spots of brand social. So, I’m going to leave you with six gifts to consider for your mom—or yourself! You deserve a special little something, too.
I’d been lusting after a short bobbin salt and pepper grinder from Addison Ross for a while, and I finally picked one up from Big Night last month. It comes in multiple colors, but naturally, I love it in I Just Want To Talk™ cobalt and butter yellow (Addison calls it buttercream…) the most. (It’s also available in a larger size, if that’s more your vibe.)
Sant Ambroeus’s principessa cake is one of my favorite desserts. It’s lemon sponge with vanilla pastry crème and whipped cream topped with almond marzipan, inspired by the traditional Swedish princess cake or prinsesstårta. As it turns out, it’s also a favorite of Richard Christiansen, the founder of Flamingo Estate, and the inspiration behind his Prinsesstårta candle. I find that almond oil-based scents can be really overwhelming, but this candle isn’t—and it’s not cloyingly sweet either. If the color light pink had a smell, this would be it.
I know that nobody needs a $45 hand soap, but luxury lies in the details—and the Uni and Mr. Chow hand wash is luxurious. Most soaps leave my hands dry, but this one actually makes them feel soft. It also smells amazing: a bit savory, a bit herbal, and a lot of freshness.
This Bonjout balm is a serum, eye cream, moisturizer, salve, night cream, lip balm, mask, and primer all at once. It’s perfect for traveling—or for the nights you’re too tired to do a full skincare routine.
If you live in New York, you need to stop by Stick With Me Sweets in Nolita for the most delicious chocolate bonbons. You can buy them individually—my favorite is called the “New York, New York” and has candied pretzels and roasted peanut praline—or get a box that resembles a book! So sweet.
Rose scents have gotten a bad rap… from me. While I loved Chloé’s Roses De Chloe as a teenager—I won it in a Tumblr giveaway!—I just haven’t found one I’d consider wearing every day until hearing about Haunted Rose by Future Society, which sequences the DNA of extinct flowers to recreate their scent. Haunted Rose is “a tribute to South Africa’s extinct Macrostylis villosa subspecies 1 + 2, which last bloomed in 1960,” according to the brand. I can’t get enough.
P.S. We kicked off a fun social series I produced for Into The Gloss’s Instagram last week—see here and here. BTW, the image below? That’s what over $2,000 looks like in Hermès eye and lip pencils.
