French women have long been the focus of much beauty inspiration. Their effortless appearance and demeanor is one that even the most skilled beauty guru strives to achieve. A flawless but “lazy-girl” approach to beauty probably isn’t for everyone, but we can’t help but share a few of our favorite tips for capturing the minimal, Parisian glow that is French beauty.
Start With Skincare
A key aspect of the effortless French look is a strong commitment to proper skincare. French women grow up learning good skincare habits, and they understand that the key to glow-y makeup starts with a fresh base.
This means cleansing their skin thoroughly with a cleanser suited for their skin type and layering products to ensure proper hydration. After cleansing, we recommend toning your skin with a face mist and applying a simple moisturizer.
It’s also important to note that nutrition plays a big part in healthy skincare. This includes drinking enough water everyday and filling your diet with foods rich in antioxidants, vitamin A and vitamin E.
Apply Makeup with a Light Hand
American culture has taught us that even a “no-makeup” look still requires a plethora of products. French beauty often steers clear of heavy foundations and dramatic contouring. To do as the French women do, find a few basic products that highlight your natural features.
Try finding a mascara that lengthens and defines your natural lashes and switch your matte foundation for a multipurpose BB or CC cream (as many of them have added skin benefits like SPF).
And if you’re someone who feels naked without more products (don’t worry, we love a full face of makeup, too), try to pick which feature you’d like to play up. If you want the focus on your eyes, leave your lips bare and vice versa, if you want to wear a bold lip, keep your eyes simple.
Embrace Your Natural Tresses
Achieving effortless, “just woke up like this” hair is easier said than done, but a staple of French beauty is treating your natural hair with lots of love. This usually means refusing to use heat tools of any kind and letting your hair air-dry into its natural texture.
A large part of letting your hair be au naturel is choosing products that nourish rather than damage your locks. Try selecting gentler products that are free of silicones and sulfates. Non-lathering shampoos are a good place to start, especially for women with naturally curly hair.
Finally, don’t skimp on the leave-in conditioner. Leave-in products such as serums, oils and smoothing products help lock in moisture, and can also preserve hair color and protect against breakage.
Don’t Dismiss Drugstore Beauty Products
When on the hunt for exceptional skincare and beauty products it’s easy to forgo looking around our local drugstore, but French beauty teaches us that beauty gems might be hiding in the super-stocked shelves.
French drugstores are notorious for having amazing products, which leaves many of us non-French individuals apparently out of luck. However, the lesson remains the same. Price doesn’t always indicate quality, and it’s probably worth it to browse our local pharmacy before heading to a department store.
And for those who want the experience of purchasing French drugstore products without flying to France, there are many online retailers that stock those coveted products (Amazon being one).
A few of this author’s favorite French products? Embryolisee Lait-Crème Concentré is a fantastic, simple moisturizer that will give you glowing skin, and Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water is a French beauty cult classic.
Author: Sydney Seymour
Author Email: [email protected]
Author Bio: Sydney is an intern for Harness Magazine and is currently majoring in Strategic Communications with a minor in Professional Writing at The Ohio State University. She is a writer and researcher for Harness Femcast, a certified yoga instructor and spends way too much time on Instagram. She loves tea, her cats, millennial pink (despite rarely wearing any colors other can grey and black) and stories of powerful women.
Link to social media or website: Instagram @sydneybean__
