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I think people know me as the girl with the lipstick, saysViolette Serrat, laughing.
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Getty Images
She recently oversaw the creation of 40 new lipstick shades for the house, for itsRouge G lipstick.
I only had two days to decide on the shades, she says.
Of course, production took much longerthe most time-consuming part was the formulation afterwards.
The flesh tone shades were particularly tricky.
My aim is always to challenge the product developers to do things differently than they would otherwise.
I basically reset the factory parameters and start from scratch with the team.
Most lipsticks in skin-colored shades have a white base, says Serrat.
This means that they are only wearable, if at all, for very fair-skinned people.
To be honest, everyone looks kind of dead with it.
And it doesnt work for an olive complexion like mine or for Black skin, anyway.
So Ive removed the white pigment from the formula.
It took us ages to formulate the lipsticks in a way that we were happy with.
Serrat attributes her unorthodox approach to product development to her background in art, among other things.
You know, I never went to makeup school.
So I have no certificate, no proof that I know how to apply make-up properly.
The only training I had was in painting.
She actually traces one of her favorite makeup tricks back to her passion for Neoclassicism and Renaissance art.
Natural cheek and lip blush never consists of just one color.
Painters did the same thing.
So how does it work?
Basically, its just a matter of layering several transparent shades on top of each other.
The natural red of the lips or cheeks never consists of just one monotone shade.
Despite the bold colour, she still looks incredibly natural as well as elegant.
In France, we like bold lipstick colours, but it has to look like it took two seconds.
And to be honest, we usually only need two seconds.
They always say that to look effortless, you have to be effortlessits no secret.
Serrat is not a fan of lip liners.
Finally, she recommends tapping the lipstick in lightly after utility, using your finger.
Guerlain
Rouge G Customizable Velvet Lipstick
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
Rouge G Customizable Satin Lipstick
