VIOLET GREY

Written by LENA RAFF In 2020, at age 40, the already accomplished chemist went back to university and quickly discovered a new touchstone: the skin-mimetic technology after which she would name her brand. Sebaoun recounts, “I had a teacher that spent all his life at SkinCeuticals, and he told me, you just have to go back to the roots—to the skin that you know—crack the skin's code and understand what you have to do: Support the skin, activate its natural mechanisms.

Written by LENA RAFF In polling our experts on how to create this warm-weather look, a few clear commonalities emerged: being thoughtful when it comes to coverage, adding warmth and dimension to mimic that which is naturally bestowed by time outdoors, and opting for luminous cream, gel, and liquid textures over powders. Below, we dive in deep. This time of year, there are two paths to take when it comes to these perfecting products: sheer or strategic.

Written by LAURA REGENSDORF Image courtesy of Trunk Archive / Photography by Xavi Gordo “Wearing SPF daily on your face is, for me, the unbreakable skin-health rule,” says Dr. Antony Nakhla, the Southern California–based dermatologic surgeon behind the skin care brand Eighth Day. By now, awash in decades of research, we understand that sun exposure causes telltale burns—those would be UVB rays—and long-term cellular damage from UVA, which penetrates more deeply into the skin.

Written by LAURA REGENSDORF “My goal has always been to speak to the 80% of women who are getting ready in five minutes and want to feel great even though they’re not a makeup artist,” Crowell says. That cohort—which includes plenty of makeup artists, by the way—is varied and nuanced and discerning, not just interested in the “no” lists of clean beauty but also the skin-friendly benefits of conscientious formulations.

Written by LENA RAFF Facial sunscreens have come a long way, but those who desire nourishing ingredients and elegant textures for the body have been left wanting—until now. VIOLET GREY’s editors have been on the hunt for an SPF that can stand up to sun-soaked days on the tennis court or by the pool, but without sacrificing the elegance we expect from all the products granted a space on our vanities (or in our beach bags).

Written by LENA RAFF Image courtesy of Athena Hewett VIOLET GREY: How did you come to be an aesthetician? ATHENA HEWETT: I knew pretty early on that traditional school wasn't for me. I wanted to get out into the real world and start working. Art school was something I considered, but the practical side of me questioned whether I could make a living as an artist. VG: What sort of clients do you work with? AH: Cool ones. Truly.

Written by LAURA REGENSDORF Australia has always been home for Smith, even after her father’s job relocated the family to the United States. She would shuttle back across the equator after the school year wrapped, leaving her living in “perpetual winter,” she jokes.

Written by LENA RAFF The best part about Discothèque is that it’s both. I’ve magically found myself in a world where work and play are synonymous. I’ve always been an introvert-extrovert. I can stay in and work for sixteen-hour stretches of time in the same exact position. But when I go out, I want to have the time of my life. I’m a person of extremes, so I try to divide and conquer. I love an everything shower. I need to be completely immersed in water.

Written by LAURA REGENSDORF Illustrated by LYDIA McKEE For Covello, the spark to create a conscientious beauty brand wasn’t just a matter of entrepreneurial drive. It evolved out of a long quest for relief from her stage four endometriosis. “I was in chronic pain since I was 12,” says the founder, describing regular trips to the emergency room and rounds of surgeries.

Written by LAURA REGENSDORF The word beauty can mean many things—curls on a baby’s head, garden roses at their peak, an errant breeze on an unseasonably warm day. Within the context of VIOLET GREY, there’s the conventional definition, too, namely all the tools and techniques we use to feel our very best, inside and out. How we care for ourselves and shape our mindset for the day is arguably no small matter.