Meet Cassandra Grey: Mom, Mogul, & Make-up Queen
Founder and curator of Violet Grey shares what she’s keeping in her makeup bag, her weekend calendar and her suitcase.
High-profile NYC marketing agent turned self-made beauty entrepreneur and glamour icon, Cassandra Grey is the modern embodiment of vintage old Hollywood and the ultimate curator of all things beauty and skincare. Now based in Los Angeles, Cassandra works with red carpet starlets, A-list movie stars, and chic celebrities on the daily to build her highly selective collection of beauty and skincare products,Violet Grey.
Each Violet Grey product goes through a rigorous vetting process to ensure that it satisfies The Violet Code— a three-tier evaluation process that only accepts the most powerhouse beauty essentials found on every make-up artist’s nightstand (or at least 70% of them!). BWB had the chance to talk with our beauty inspo Cassandra and find out what she’s keeping in her make-up bag, her weekend calendar, and her suitcase.
Friday day-to-night look?
I’ve worked really hard on my skin care routine to ensure that I don’t need a lot of makeup during the day. That said, I always wear a smudgy, yet smoldering, smokey eye. My go to for a wet, Dirty French base is Jillian Dempsey lid tint in plum. Then I use the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in the same shade on top. This stick is everything.
At night, I add a ton of Tom Ford’s Eye Color Quad Eyeshadow Palette in Nude Dip. Like, I can’t layer on enough of this stuff. And then I line my entire eye under the waterline and above the waterline – the messier the better. I use a lot of different eye liners in a variety of colors to switch it up but always go for the same look. Violet Grey stocks the best eyeliners in the world.
I add Tom Ford’s Extreme Mascara (I like my mascara clumpy right now), and follow withKoh Gen Do Maifanshi Aqua foundation and Moisture Fit concealer— for a dewy finish, Benefit Hoola bronzer. I am currently obsessing over Gucci Westman’s highlighter.
Weekend dinner plans?
I am raising my son Jules as Jewish and he is just old enough now to observe Shabbat dinner with us every Friday night. We invite friends and spend time with the people we love, or at the very least find amusing. Shabbat is actually a brilliant wellness routine. It’s a wonderful idea to have a full day off of work and technology to be present with your family or yourself.
Favorite homemade meal?
Homemade cornbread like my mama used to make.
Saturday ritual?
Coffee and newspapers in bed.
Breakfast with Jules around the kitchen table.
Power walk in cute athleisure around the block.
Art and books and other fun stuff with Jules.
Meditation, a Hanucure mask and a nap.
AA meeting
Dinner party.
Sunday run or relax?
Coffee and newspapers in bed.
A Susanne Kaufmann St. John’s wort, long leisurely bath
Organize the week on paper. I like to do this a lot and it helps me prioritize.
Scheme up side hustles. I am currently obsessed with a kids lifestyle brand called Lil Ronsons. It’s like Peanuts, meets The Royal Tenenbaums, meets Eloise and two bad, but actually good, twin sisters.
Swim with Jules and Samantha. If you are going to try this at home, don’t forget to wear Supergoop Skin Soothing Mineral Sunscreen.
Give trusted and wildly entertaining product recommendations on my Instagram Stories @cassandragrey– Tune in this week.
Go-to Beauty Routine?
See Violet Grey— we curate the best in beauty across all categories. We – and our committee of Hollywood authorities including top makeup artists, hair stylists, estheticians, dermatologists, and celebrity influencers) – try everything so our customers don’t have to. I personally recommend everything that makes it on our shelves. Once a product is launched on our site or in store, it’s Violet Code–approved, which means it’s been tested by authorities in the beauty industry and deemed best-in-class.
Travel essentials for a weekend getaway?
OK, so I take this really seriously. I always wanted to be that girl on the plane that wipes her seat down before she sits down.
These #violetcode approved products are always in my carry-on bag on the plane:
1. My VIOLET GREY makeup bag in shiny white. I almost always get asked about it which gives me an excuse to sign a new customer!
2 Slip Sleep Mask so that my beauty sleep is uninterrupted.
3 Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum
Depending on where I am going, I pack different skincare products to complement the climate. You can DM me for details @cassandragrey.
A cherished memory since creating Violet Grey?
The day I founded Violet Grey with my co-founders, Ariella Feldman and Tiffany Bensley.
Interview responses courtesy of Cassandra Grey, Founder and CCO, Violet Grey
Header photo by Sebastian Kim
Teresa Deely is a graduate from Columbia University with majors in English and Creative Writing. She is a freelance writer and marketing assistant working for clients in the wellness, jewelry, creative, and sports industries. She believes that one’s skin is yet another canvas and vehicle for art, and has loved styling her hair and applying makeup from a young age. Spending much of her time in educating youth and leading enrichment programs for children, she is highly motivated in discovering new ways to care for herself and sharing them with others.
It’s a wonderful idea to have a full day off of work and technology to be present with your family or yourself.
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