THE BEST IN BEAUTY
FROM THOSE WHO KNOW BEST

VIOLET GREY began with our search for the best eyelash curler. To find the answer, we formed a band of inside-Hollywood experts and editors — from makeup artists to movie stars — to test every eyelash curler against our rigorous set of standards (the VIOLET CODE). We tested on film sets, on red carpets, and in the back of Jack Nicholson’s limousine — and once we learned which curler would make our lashes curve and not crimp (Utowa, it’s from Japan), we moved on to mascara, lip stain, dry shampoo, and everything else a girl needs in her cosmetic wardrobe. On any given day, we are discovering, testing, and approving best-in-class beauty. The result is a discerning curation of products, tips, and inspiration deemed essential — the Industry’s Beauty Edit.

TOP FLIGHT:

VAL’S
BOOK CLUB

BEAUTIFUL RUINS

Makeup artist and noted bookworm Val Garland shares her favorite books in her new column for The Violet Files. First up: an absorbing beach read set in
1950s Italy.

Val Garland is a fashion industry icon in her own right. The UK-based makeup artist is the skilled hand behind scores of British Vogue cover stories and a constant presence backstage at fashion shows, creating extreme looks for Alexander McQueen and Gareth Pugh, as well as soft and natural ones for Giambattista Valli and Erdem. Whenever Garland has a spare moment between shots (or shows), you’ll find her with her nose in a book—and later posting the cover to her popular Instagram feed. In her new column for The Violet Files, Garland brings #valsbookclub to life. Below, Garland reviews a beloved page-turning beach read, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.

THE BOOK

Beautiful Ruins | Written by Jess Walter

Category: Fiction

Key subjects: Love/Romance, Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Hollywood, the Amalfi coast

THE REVIEW

By Val Garland

Beautiful Ruins is essentially a love story that starts in 1962 in Porto Vergogna (The Port of Shame), Italy. Moving back and forth in time, the plot circles around five characters, detailing their flawed yet fascinating lives as their paths intertwine across 50 years. It’s a story of life, love, hopes, and dreams, but also war, treachery, greed, and despair. I found it a poignant reminder of how one life can affect so many others.

Photo courtesy of Val Garland

RECOMMENDED BY

My friend Annette Porter from Nylon Films recommended it to me. I read it in August 2012, while on vacation in Montauroux in southeastern France.

WHERE TO READ

It’s a great beach read. Love, heartbreak, hope, and Hollywood. I couldn’t put it down.

“ ”

“Then she smiled, and in that INSTANT, if such a thing were possible, Pasquale fell in LOVE, and he would remain in love for the REST of his life–not so much with the WOMAN, whom he didn’t even know, but with the MOMENT.”

–Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

CAST OF CHARACTERS

If I was casting a film adaptation, my picks would be:

Alicia Vikander as Dee Moray

Paul Dano as Pasquale Tursi

Lily James as Claire Silver

Steve Carell as Michael Dean

Ben Whishaw as Shane Wheeler

BEAUTY ESSENTIAL

Dee Moray would definitely wear Tom Ford Lips & Boys in Rocco.

ARTIST STATS

Name: Val Garland

Known For: Spontaneity

Where to Find Her: London

Clients: Kate Moss, Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid, Vogue, I-D, Dazed & Confused, Giambattista Valli, Erdem, Gareth Pugh

Years in the Industry: 30

Instagram: @thevalgarland

Beauty Essential: Sisley-Paris Supremÿa at Night

Agent: Paula Jenner @ Streeters London

In the world of editorial beauty, Val Garland is queen bee. Her creativity is legend, having colored countless Vogue covers, advertising campaigns, and runway shows for the likes of Gareth Pugh and Alexander McQueen (late designer Lee McQueen was a close friend), and more. Many artists from VIOLET GREY’s community, Kate Lee included, cut their teeth assisting the brassy beauty boss.

Garland came onto the scene in the 1980s, at a time when the world embraced experimentation. She did it all: made her own clothes, styled hair and makeup, even shot films. Her strategy when starting out was to say yes to everything, but “it was a natural progression for me to focus on the one thing that I was best at, and that was always makeup,” the autodidact recalls.

At her best when under pressure, Garland says nothing compares to the adrenaline rush she feels backstage at a fashion show, when the stakes are high and everyone is just a bit crazed. “My approach to makeup is very spontaneous,” she explains. “Every time is different.”

And while this spontaneity makes it hard to define her specialty (“Some say my signature look is an eyeliner; others say that it’s a lip”), Garland’s willingness to take chances is what consistently inspires the artist (and those around her) most. After all, who else could create brash, do-me-now pouts with the use of a concealer brush? Color us inspired.