Coming to America is not for the faint-of-heart, especially as a teenager. My mom moved to New York City from Trinidad at 17-years-old, and Creative Director Violette moved to New York City from France at 19-years-old. As I listened to Violette tell the coming-of-age story of a young girl, all I could see was my Mother’s image, not because they shared similar careers, but because their stories shared the same sentiment.
Violette arrived in the United States with no money, barely speaking English, and having to organize fur to support herself. Looking back on those early days, she realizes, “that was the worst, but I made it; I survived.” Now, she is a world-renowned makeup artist, the Global Beauty Director of Estée Lauder, a YouTube pioneer and a testament to the fact that a strong work ethic pays off.
In France, Violette had been struggling with a difficult decision in her studies, the point where she had to choose between painting or fashion design. Meanwhile, a friend asked her a simple question while dressing for a party, “Can you put glitter on my face?”. Violette was hesitant, but her friend insisted that as a fashion designer and a painter Violette could surely apply glitter.
Sometimes the smallest actions can be the most life-changing, and our “aha moment” is just on the other side of fear. “So, I did it and it was a revelation. I had this sort of epiphany. It felt like I was dressing up a face and at the same time painting a face. It was both of my loves together and maybe I didn’t have to choose.”
She was ambitious, a rebel. “I didn’t want to do it the classic way. Instead, grabbing a calendar, I closed my eyes, put my finger on it, opened my eyes and said well I’m leaving in 2 weeks to New York.” In hindsight, we laugh about how crazy this sounds, but what is life without spontaneity now and then? Her primary goal was to build her portfolio, a book of images showcasing her work, by knocking door-to-door at modeling agencies. Ultimately, NEXT Models gave her a chance and sometimes a chance is all we need.
Often people associate Violette with makeup, but she’s careful to note that, “makeup was never my thing and I don’t think makeup is my thing, ever.” Instead, her purpose is to “help people celebrate who they are” and makeup is just a tool to get there. “It’s super accessible, you don’t need a lot of time, you don’t need to be a professional, and there is a bigger meaning behind it.” I don’t think many people realize how impactful makeup can be.
However, as a makeup artist, Violette is not a fan of trends like contouring and false lashes. “I don’t want people to use makeup as a way to hide or change themselves. Beauty, to me, is a way to celebrate who you are, and a way to learn to cherish and love yourself. Less makeup to hide, more makeup to have fun.”
Violette’s makeup philosophy is exactly what attracted me to her YouTube channel years ago. Here was a woman, creating fresh, bold and glitter-filled makeup looks inspired by the world around her. Recently, though, she decided to take it up a notch.
“I only have one hair type, I only do the same wave thing or bun. My body type is my body type and my skin color is my skin color so how can I provide something that’s really going to answer everyone’s questions. I was really lost in this.”
At an Estée Lauder event, two African-American women came up to thank her. “Can I ask you something?” Violette questioned. “We don’t have the same skin color, so how do you translate what I’m doing so it could perfectly suit you?”
Their response: “Well, we just adapt; that’s what we do anyway, all the time, we just adapt.” A sad truth for the black community.
“An olive skin like me,” Violette thought, “will have everything she needs to know. She can copy the tutorial exactly but I should create content for everyone.”
The new Violette_fr channel is a space featuring ten industry experts, where one can learn how to cook from chef and wellness advocate Sophie Roe, how to radiate from within with meditation teacher Desirée Pais and, of course, experiment with makeup from Violette herself. However, what impressed me the most about the channel relaunch was Violette’s ability to share her platform to offer her audience a new level of diversity rooted in authenticity.
Makeup artist Delina Medhin shows beauty tutorials for brown skin, while Emily Chu represents the Asian makeup community, stylist Allison Bornstein selects clothes for different body types and (my personal favorite) celebrity hairstylist Coree Moreno focuses on styling and maintaining black hair. “I couldn’t have a white boy, or a white girl talking to a girl with afro hair. I really don’t like that.” Violette just gets it.
Between creative directing photoshoots, running her YouTube channel and product development with Estée Lauder (she could spend all day in the lab), she feels “very very blessed to be able to have such a rich, fun, adventurous job.” She is proof that in the modern world, we are not bound to one career or one dream, but rather can create space to be multifaceted individuals.
Her advice: “I believe I can, I just need someone who trusts that I can do it, and then work really really hard. Listen from them, learn from them, but never lose yourself. That’s the balance of stay humble but trust yourself.”
Violette’s celebration of beauty is something to be admired. She wishes that “beauty becomes a girl or boy’s best friend, not a competitor. The best friend is a supporting role in your life, it’s not the first role and I hope beauty becomes a therapeutic tool for you to A) have so much fun and B) make you feel good. We were all born perfect, and who is anyone to say otherwise?”
Of course, I couldn’t leave without asking for her best beauty must-have, “always have a red lipstick in your bag in case of an emergency.” You can bet I went out and bought red lipstick the very next day.
Words by Hannah Harris
Photos by Steven Pan