Violette Serrat Talks Guerlain's Parure Gold 24K

It's been close to two years since Violette Serrat was appointed Creative Director of Makeup for Guerlain. Since then, the makeup mogul has taken her flair for the art form, along with her expertise in Parisian beauty, to create some truly amazing works for the French Maison.

"It's been extremely rich and very fulfilling," says Serrat of her time with the house thus far. "It’s a lot of work but I’m passionate about what I do. What is magical is to see the brand evolving and to see how it’s blossoming with all the hard work everybody is doing. That’s very special so I’m very happy and I love what I do."

Now, Serrat and Guerlain have unveiled yet another exciting chapter to their Parure Gold range. Enter: Guerlain's Parure Gold 24K primer, a must-have addition to one's makeup prep. Below, we talk to Serrat about the creative process behind the product, the benefits of using primers for skin prep, her beauty regimen, and more.

Tell us about Guerlain’s symbiotic relationship with gold. How has this association altered people’s perceptions of the house? 

Guerlain has always turned to the rarest raw materials to reveal beauty. Gold, the most precious of metals, was Guerlain Research’s source of inspiration for products to adorn every face with an incomparable radiance. The colour gold is really light in itself; it represents eternity. People feel how precious it is and how it can capture the light, absorb it, and vibrate. To me, that talks to my heart a lot, that’s why I want to add gold to everything we do with Guerlain. 

You’ve just introduced a new primer to Guerlain’s Parure Gold range. How do you think the Parure Gold 24K will elevate the line?

I see Guerlain as a Haute Couture beauty house so we need to have all the products anyone would need to create the perfect look they want to do. The Parure Gold Base is not just a regular makeup base, it's of excellent quality. It's going to be a perfect match for people who are careful about the ingredients and the quality they opt for in a base. I want you to feel like we've got you at Guerlain; you come to us and we provide you with the best of the best of all the things you may need to achieve the look of your dreams. 

What was the creative process behind formulating the primer? 

I really wanted to create the perfect base for makeup – an excellent primer for those who want to wear one. All skin prep is super important to me so I wanted a super hydrating base. I also wanted to improve the formula and I’m super proud of the Parure Gold 24K Base because it is now formulated with 98% naturally-derived ingredients. And as I said, I wanted to add gold inside of it to perfectly prepare your skin, giving it some glow instantly. Imperfections are also corrected and skin texture is perfectly smoothed. 

Do you think primers are an integral step in one’s beauty routine? 

I don’t think we have to use a primer, I think it’s really up to people. For example, if you don’t put foundation on your skin, you do not need to use a primer. If you use heavy foundation, Parure Gold 24K Base is really going to help. And of course, the Parure Gold Foundation is absolutely amazing so you can use it also. It really depends on several factors; if you work in a really hot environment, if you wear a lot of makeup, and such. It depends on your needs. For some, the Parure Gold 24K base primer will be a great support system for them, and that’s amazing. But for others, it’s not a necessity. I want makeup to feel really accessible and not too overwhelming with the many steps that are required to achieve a look. This is more up to you with your comfort zone.