Some days I’m like, “I really want to wear Dieux Bleu on my eyes. How can I build a look around it.” And some days I love an outfit and want to wear it.

That’s why I tell people, when you wake up in the morning, instead of thinking of how you can fix yourself, think of how you want to feel, and play with make-up and fashion to help you feel this way.

When you feel a bit vulnerable or you have an important meeting and you put a red lipstick on, it can be the kick you need.

Today, I didn’t want to wear anything on my face.

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Have you always wanted to work in beauty?

Never. I was really inspired by fashion and art, so I was studying painting and doing fashion design. I got stuck a little bit, thinking something’s missing in fashion and art – I couldn’t figure it out.

I never had a passion for make-up, so I thought the only way I could do it and be really inspired is if I worked as a designer and painter at the same time. That’s why I never assisted; I never went to make-up school.

On your Instagram, you post your inspiration in the form of artworks and other photos. What’s something that’s inspiring you right now?

I’m really into red right now and was able to see the [Mark] Rothko exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton [an art museum in Paris, France]. He’s one of my favourite artists, especially the red piece he has.

I could see how particular he was with colour – I have my own weirdness with colour where I really know when it’s done and I can’t explain it to anyone, it’s just something I feel.

It’s a sweet spot, and when I looked at his paintings, I could see he had something similar – the choice of colour is very intentional.

It reinforced my process – I’ve been trying to work on this colour for years and it’s extremely complex. I’m not getting there.

The way I work is I don’t have a launch date, I have an idea and when I feel like it’s ready, I’ll put it in the calendar for a year later. I’ve been working on this colour for three or four years and I’m over it, I want it to happen. But [Rothko] gave me the perspective of, very special things take time.

Have you heard of synaesthesia? It’s when your brain has sensory crossovers, and you can feel one sense through the other.

Yes. I don’t get it as a taste, but I feel something in my stomach. I almost hit a special vibration. I was talking to a friend about our dream dinner companion, and I said Beethoven, as I need to understand how he could compose music without hearing.

I think it’s a frequency, and maybe that sounds very spiritual, but it’s a vibration that I know will make people feel something.

I get a lot of customer emails, and I have a lot of stories like this – where people put a product on and feeling something. Colours are music, they hold something that impacts us.

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I’m sure you’ve seen this craze for colour theory. Is that something you’re interested in, or do you already know what works?

I don’t know if I know that exactly, but the way I work is very instinctive. I try to not intellectualise it too much. I’m very curious but I try to not make it too cerebral.

You mentioned spending years on your current colour fixation, and you just launched your Bisou Blush in a new shade, Mélanie. What does the product development process look like?

I get a spark: maybe I saw a painting or smelled something. I let it marinate and at some point, it becomes more concrete. I start research and go into this black hole.

Once I find what I want, I take it to other people, like my chemists, my nose. And I don’t use [benchmarks like existing products], which chemists use a lot. It’s a very different way of working, so I’ve had to build relationships that are strong enough so they can accommodate it. Then, it’s a lot of back and forth.

Once I feel it’s in a good place, I send a few samples to people I trust; I don’t take anything personally, so any feedback is good. I keep working, and there’s a moment when I know “this is it”.

Then we start production, but even then, we work very closely with them to make sure it’s the way we want it.

It’s hard but in such a fun way – I love it.

Years ago, we started seeing this discourse around French girl beauty, which is often centred around a “no make-up make-up” look – not to mention a very specific, often thin, white woman. Was there a conscious decision on your part to go against this formula?

I think French beauty is very different in the eyes of French people. We’re more raw than other people think. Like today, I’m wearing zero make-up, I want my skin to breathe.

Sometimes, I feel uncomfortable with how tired I look but I’ll still go to the office with no make-up on. That’s something people don’t really get about French culture.

We do care about great skin, but we also care about health, quality of life, food, pleasure. There’s a greater focus on health and self-acceptance, and that has an influence on our style.

It’s true that French people are a bit stuck in their style, like with red lipstick – that’s something that bored me a little. When I lived in New York, I loved the diversity and personality in style, I felt it was more free.

I’m really happy because I think at a small level I’m influencing the French aesthetic a little bit – I see more and more people wearing colours. It’s nice to see that and I think it had to come from one of their own [laughs].

I took it as a challenge to get them out of their comfort zones and experience colours.

Having worked with other brands like Guerlain, what lessons did you bring when launching your own brand?

To never follow trends because they’ll be over by the time your product comes out.

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You launched merchandise recently. Is there another category you dream of moving into one day?

I really don’t see any limitations for the brand. I don’t have any ego when it comes to growth – when people ask me, where do you see your brand in 10 years, I say, I don’t know. I just know today I want merch with the colours of the brand, and I’m obsessed with decor so maybe I’ll go there.

What’s your advice to people who want to launch their own brands, or even just carve out careers in the beauty industry?

I want people to be mindful. That’s why I decided I’m only going to make what isn’t on the market – so we’re never going to do foundation, for example. So, is what you want to do necessary? And is it really going to fill the gap?

You have to work really really hard, and there’s no way around it. You have to know the lifestyle it requires.