Beauty news: Estée Lauder signs major MUA Violette as Global Beauty Director

One of the first people I followed when I joined Instagram was beautiful, talented and super creative makeup artist Violette, not just for her skills but also for her personal style. Girlfriend has it ALL, and in spades.

It was only a matter of time before the big guns in the beauty industry began to take notice of the super chic Parisienne - who likes to think of what she does as like “fashion design for the face” – and last night Estée Lauder announced it had officially signed Violette as its Global Beauty Director. What a coup, and what a match made in heaven.

Violette will collaborate with the beauty giant’s team on product development, digital content creation, education and training, and public relations initiatives. Content created through this partnership will be leveraged across Estée Lauder's digital and social channels as well as Violette's You Tube channel violette _fr and Instagram handle @violette_fr. Violette will also star in how-to videos for the brand, sharing her point-of-view on her favourite makeup looks and beauty products. I for one will be watching them like a hawk!

“We are thrilled to welcome Violette to the Estée Lauder brand and look forward to an exciting collaborative partnership,” said Stephane de La Faverie, Global Brand President, Estée Lauder. “As a talented makeup artist and lifestyle influencer with a passion for art and colour, Violette brings a unique voice and perspective to beauty. We are excited to partner with Violette on innovative new product ideas and engaging digital content that creates a dynamic new beauty conversation with women around the world across all touch points.” 

“I am so honoured to work with the Estée Lauder brand,” said Violette. “Estée was such a visionary and is still an inspiration for women today. She understood beauty is a way of expressing yourself, a way to celebrate femininity. And that is also my philosophy. I can’t wait to connect with women everywhere as part of this brand and take them on this journey with me.” 

It would be all too easy to describe the effortless beauty as chic and French and simply leave it at, she is so much more, that. One of the most creatively inclined MUAs working today, her CV includes gigs with Dior, Sephora and, La Mer, plus experience in editorial and runway makeup working alongside names like Patrick Demarchelier, Camilla Akrans, Mario Sorrenti and Mert & Marcus.

She began painting and studying art at the age of three, and, since childhood, has connected with others through the use of colour. After grade school, she enrolled in the prestigious École du Louvre in her native Paris, and also studied fashion and costume design. Her YouTube channel, where she shares French girl beauty secrets and helps women connect to aspirational beauty in an accessible way, was an instant success and is the perfect place to start learning more about this extraordinary woman.