Not a day goes by that I’m not asked for a bit of beauty advice—and it’s always my pleasure to point friends, family and even strangers in the right direction. I understand that the sheer number of skincare and makeup choices is overwhelming, and after almost 20 years (OMG) in the biz I can confidently weed through the crap and almost-always identify the next cult favorite. I’m not saying I have a special gift or anything—I’ve just seen it all.
Not everyone has a beauty editor/junkie friend they can turn to, but anyone with a web browser can check out Violet Grey, which is essentially the next best thing (and possibly better). Each and every item featured on this site has been tested by a pro and deemed “Violet Code” approved once it passes muster. This means you get the most tightly-edited selection of only the best skin, hair and makeup products from almost 100 brands, many of which you know, and many you might not (yet).
If you’re reading this and saying, This is old news, I’ve known about Violet Grey for a while, I’m totally guilty of burying the lede. The point of this post is that Violet Grey has expanded to include fragrance—but only 28 scents from 12 brands. Curated by olfactory branding experts Dawn and Samantha Goldworm, who create customized scents for fashion shows, Art Basel and other high-profile events (yes, events have their own scents), you can shop by note or just shop all of them since it’s not that hard to scroll through just 28.
If you’re in L.A. I highly recommend popping into their gem of a shop on Melrose Place, and definitely sign up for “The Violet Files” newsletter. Chockfull of celebrities (and detailed instructions for getting their photo shoot beauty looks), it might be one of the best emails you get all day. Happy shopping!
