The French Files with Lancôme’s Lara Srokowski

Lara Srokowski was destined for a magical career in make-up. Her obsession for luxury Parisian cosmetic house Lancôme and the lure of the make-up brush beginning in her early teens. With an enviable job that sees her travelling the world as the National Make-up Director of Lancôme, working with their talented team and incredible products, she’s the muse for all girls dreaming of making it big in the make-up business. An artist, a creative talent, beautiful inside and out, but it’s her passion for making other feel beautiful that we find most inspiring.

This week The French Beauty Academy is lucky enough to have international make-up extraordinaire & National Makeup Director of Lancôme, Lara Srokowski on campus. With Lara behind the creation of looks for renowned celebrities and international fashion shows, this was a chance for our Diploma of Beauty Therapy students to learn from the best in the business.

The French Files caught up with Lara to talk makeup, careers, skin care secrets and her words of wisdom for making it in the business…

Name: Lara Srokowski
Company: Lancôme
Position: National Makeup Director

Beauty is…
Being the best version of yourself inside and out

I start each day with…
Coffee!!!

I am happiest when…
I am with my family and boyfriend.

I found my career by…
My mum! She has used Lancôme for over 40 years, she introduced me to the brand when I was only 13 and I fell in love instantly. She used to take me along to all of the master classes and makeup lessons with their National Makeup Artist at the time. After discovering how amazing his job sounded it then became my must have dream job.

The best thing about working in the beauty business is…
The part of my job I love the most is showing women how to apply makeup so they feel and look more beautiful. I also love meeting and working with such talented people. The beauty industry is always changing with new trends emerging all the time so there is always something new to learn.

My tops tips for making it in the beauty business are…
Dream big but know exactly what you want to achieve to be able to put the right path in place to make it happen.

My biggest lesson I have learnt in business so far is…
Never give up you can achieve whatever you set your mind to doing.

My work philosophy is…
Work hard if you want to achieve your goals but love what you do so it always an enjoyable journey.

My beauty routine consists of …
Working in the beauty industry you can imagine my routine doesn’t consist of a lazy skin care or makeup routine. If I walked you through my full routine this would turn into an essay so I will give you the condensed version. Skin care each morning is a must because beautiful makeup all starts with beautiful skin. My daily makeup routine usually consists of Primer, Foundation, concealer, bronzer, winged liner, mascara, brow gel and a nude lip.

Before I go to bed I …
Shower then apply my evening skin care routine, brush my teeth and then finish with lip balm.

My Beauty Go tos…
Scent: La Vie Est Belle
Lipstick: My trademark nude L’Absolue Rouge 250 from Lancôme
Book: Lisa Eldridge just launched her makeup book Face Paint
Blog: Lisa Eldridge for beauty and Garry Pepper Girl (Nicole Warne) for fashion and lifestyle
Best Kept  Secret: Add a pump of serum into your foundation for an extra boost of hydration and luminosity

The French Edit…
City: Paree
Style Muse: Nicole Warne
Drink: Espresso martini
Song: Ed Sheeran Thinking Out Loud – It would have to be the one song I can listen to over and over without getting sick of it.
Quote you live by: “Look like a girl, act like a lady, Work like a boss”