In 2021, Guerlain took on a new beauty director for its luxe makeup range. One year later, we check in with Violette Serrat to see how she’s making the role her own, and to tell us about the latest launch, Rouge G x Ombres G. —Vita Daily
It’s been a year since you’ve been taken the brand direction for make up. Could you walk us through your creation process and vision for the brand with this new collection?
When I first joined, the creative process was to look at the existing products and the archives. I do a bit of cleaning to look at what should be stopped, what should be updated, what should be the inspiration, and what should we create next … so it is kind of a cleaning session that is honestly one of the most exciting moments when you take over a brand. So, I really enjoyed that, and, imagine … when you are looking into the Guerlain archives and the story that is there, it is absolutely incredible to do this exercise. And then, we were like “ok, what do we want to launch first?” It was eyeshadows. The second step was to identify what will be the source of inspiration. One of the things Guerlain and I have in common is this admiration we have for Mother Nature as being the most incredible artist. So, we wanted to do six eyeshadows that represent themes of Nature that we really love. And from there, I started to create the story, the color story, the texture story, etc. … Which is really such a fun process. And then, when you finalize your vision, you take it to the laboratory, and we start the development. Your dream become reality which is absolutely amazing.
As we know the new Rouge G x Ombres G collection is inspired by the butterfly wings. Why did you choose butterfly as your inspiration, and is there any stories behind?
I am fascinated by nature and have tons of albums full of references. I keep all kind of things from nature, and one was about moths and butterflies. And I always dreamt of doing something with it. The easy thing is to do eye shadow with it but I wanted to take the challenge of doing deep story around it. So, we studied butterfly wings very closely and noticed this very very thin dust of shimmer that’s absorbing the light and making the color vibrates, and I thought that was very special, I can’t believe nature did such a thing! We did the same technology for lipstick and that’s why Rouge G Metal is completely unique.
The Rouge G jewel case has endlessly reinvented each season. What new changes and explorations should be highlighted in the new Rouge G Luxurious Velvet lipstick cases?
It was really a big challenge: I wanted to work with butterflies, but I didn’t want this to look like something that feels a bit cheesy, like “oh we put butterfly on the case” and that could be the easy road. I wanted to treat the butterfly like a piece of art and that’s really how we looked at the butterfly wings very very macro. We saw this incredible shimmer, and this is how the whole story of the lipstick was born and so that’s why we wanted to have the macro shot of butterfly wings and crop like that it looks like it’s an art’s piece and the case of the lipstick is its frame.
For the new Rouge G Luxurious Velvet collection and Noir G & Ombres G, do you have some special recommendations you like to share, some tips on “butterfly” makeup?
I think if you go with lips try to leave the eyes quite simple, because if you think of the eyes or lips like the butterfly, you should want one just right. So have everything quite natural and then “boom”, a beautiful statement of your lips or an amazing statement of your eyes. I always think if there is one that is going to take over, and you choose eyes, you can go big. Butterflies have several colors on their wings so you can have a blue eyelid with a touch of gold in the corner or like you know, this “Mystic Peacock” color on your bottom lashes and that’s it. But play with different tones, try to, I always want one that’s bigger, one that’s very small and one that is a bit medium size.
We’ve seen the “metamorphosis” of the new RG Luxurious Velvet Metal lipstick cases, is this a hint of women power you hope to interpret through the new collection?
So, what actually fascinates me with butterflies is how they are so powerful … The way they look, they are so extraordinary and so irreverent in their unique color and design. But at the same time extremely vulnerable, it is so easy to destroy them, and their lives are very short. It makes me think of the complexity and paradox of women, similarly incredibly strong but vulnerable as well. So, this duality is something I wanted to explore from my collection.
If you could only use one makeup item, what would be your choice and why?
Red lipstick by far. You can use it as soft touch on the lips something like a statement or even a blush and why not on your eyelid but that’s my personal choice. So, definitely, I think with one red lipstick you can be the most powerful person in the world, or at least feel that way.
This new RG Luxurious Velvet Metal collection perfectly presents “a lipstick to be like a fashion accessory”. Do you agree with it?
Yes! For me it is as much a beauty accessory as it is a fashion accessory, like a pair of earrings, a beautiful hat or a fabulous pair of shoes. That’s why I love to keep everything a bit bare and then have this be the star of the show even though you are always the star of the show!
What is so special about this new mascara?
I think every brand should have a little black dress of mascara which is really what this mascara is to me. The brush is absolutely perfect, curved perfectly to grab on all the roots of the lasheswhich is what you need from a mascara. And then, the formula is going to hold the curve. Your curve stays all day which is very nice. It’s very black, separates the lashes quickly. Just one application, your eye look is really set up and put together in very easy way.
Could you give us the steps to create the same make up look as Natalia’s one in the campaign?
I used the “Night Blue” eyeliner, and I blended it in the creaseon her eye. I kind of bleed a turquoise color from the blue to the naked eyelid and applied a copper in the corner of the eye. After, I applied the Rouge G Exotic Orchid.
Could you give us the steps to create the same make up look as He Cong’s one in the campaign?
For this one, I applied the pink on the top of mobile eyelid, more on the outside. Then a bit of gold on the inner corner and between the gold and the pink, I applied the orange. And the same orange, I put it on the outside. So this kind of give this wing effect, that I really adore from the butterfly. And then, I applied the Rouge G Metal Magnetic Red.
Could you give us the steps to create the same make up look as Maty’s one in the campaign?
For this look, I worked with a darker shade in the crease. I applied the Burgundy shade on mobile eyelid. And then, I love having the Burgundy eyeshadow blends into the pink blush on the higher cheekbones. And I finished with this beautiful Rouge G Metal Imperial Plum on her lips that fits her so well!
How would you describe this new collection in three words?
I would say nature is the most amazing artist. So, irreverence, creativity and celebration.
What are your tips for pulling off an effortless coloured eyeliner?
Take the applicator in an eye palette, the thin one. Wet it with a bit of water and then grab a color you like. Apply it as an eyeliner, you can have one or two coats to make it really strong, it’s the best!
What was the latest exciting makeup look you did with the new palette Ombres G ?
Probably a look with Ombres G Mystic Peacock was the most exciting, because to be able to work with colours and pigments I love, like blue, is really sensational. That was really fun to do and there are so many ways to create looks with this palette. I would not be surprised if it was a bestseller even though it’s a very strong one.
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