Three Beasties try an iconic French girl, rose lip color—here are our thoughts.

Violette_fr is the eponymously named brand, launched by industry veteran and French it-girl, Violette Serrat. She’s currently Guerlain’s creative director of makeup, yet she created something distinctly different from what other brands offer. Her experience is apparent in the small range of deeply saturated hues and pared-down products. We tried the line’s Petal Bouche lipstick in the shade Amour Fou—a liquid, matte lip color that “replicates the velvet texture of a rose petal.” Here are our thoughts:

Emily: When applying this lipstick, I decided to pretend I was an on-the-go French girl ducking out of her sophisticated day job early (maybe a glossy magazine editor? A museum curator?) and heading to drinks with the girls. I slapped it on straight from the tube, but the thinner consistency made straight lines a bit tricky—next time, I’d use a lip brush if I wanted a super crisp edge. With my pale (ghostly) coloring, the shade took on a deep, bluish-red. While not as long-lasting as some of my ultra-marathon-wear lippies, it also was nowhere near as drying – I kept forgetting I had it on— and it wore evenly for a look that transitioned from full, matte lip to just-kissed stain. (Erica note: can confirm, Emily looks like a BOSS in this color.)

Erica: After priming with lip balm, I applied the intensely pigmented, cool rose color. I took a tip from Violette and smudged the edges a little to soften them, and to appear, as she says, like I’d just been kissing. I had no other makeup on when I first tried it and, all I could think was, WOW, this is instant glam. The color is balanced, hypnotically intense but not harsh- and makes my lips look full and romantic. It has a unique, velour texture, wore very well, and stained my lips (so pretty) until I used makeup remover. I used to wear bold lips only for special occasions—what was I waiting for? It’s been an awkward transition to going maskless, but voilà, now I have something to uncover. Oh, and the line is cruelty-free and vegan.

Mia: I almost exclusively wear matte liquid lipsticks, so it’s safe to say my standards are pretty high. Pre-pandemic, I wore bold, red lips all the time, and now that mask mandates are lifting, I was happy to test out this gorgeous hue to break my two-year-long bold lip sabbatical. Like Emily, my skin is also super fair—and right now, it’s straight-up pasty. The first time I applied the formula I added two layers, which caused it to pill up ever so slightly. The next time, I applied a thin layer with a lighter hand and it turned out flawless. The applicator makes it easy to precise, and the hue instantly brought life to my dull complexion. I can also confirm that after it sets (this takes a minute or so) it’s totally kiss-proof and doesn’t transfer. Et voilà! My new go-to lippie has entered the chat.

Violette_fr Petal Bouche Matte Lipstick

This long-wearing blue-red lipstick was formulated to flatter all skin tones.

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