Periodically, we fetishise French women’s effortless approach to makeup. And right now, when beauty is more minimal, the French aesthetic is trending again. Think the insouciant elegance of model and actor Camille Rowe, Call My Agent!’s Stéfi Celma and Camille Cottin, Emily in Paris’s Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, fashion blogger Carrole Sagba, actor Lou Doillon and makeup artist Violette, an impossibly cool, tanned brunette with a perfectly shaggy haircut whose eponymous makeup brand is inspired by French-woman beauty.
It’s a sort of fantasy, of course. But while the “French Girl” stereotype is pretty narrow in its aesthetic (on social media you’ll rarely see the definition extended beyond white skin. Designer and model Jeanne Damas’s beautifully packaged brand, Les Filles en Rouge, has just one – ONE! – shade of bronzer for all), the trend is really more about technique and attitude.
The secret of French beauty is “less makeup”, yes, but it’s also the impression that the wearer doesn’t much care about what little makeup is there. This isn’t wholly uncontrived.
Violette designed her perpetually sold out Bisou Balm (£30) to mimic the French aesthetic of “bouche mordue”, lips that look “just bitten” after using a fingertip to dab on bold lipstick over balm and blotting it with a tissue. Bisou Balm gives the same look in one step. Calisson and Amour Fou – if you can get them – are my favourites. Simply press fingertips on to lips, and dab the transferred colour on to cheeks for a natural, coordinating French flush.
Flawlessness is not the goal, so foundation is less popular in France than elsewhere. More usually, women use a BB cream or sheer tint (Typology’s very light, comfortable Tinted Serum, £33.90, is a bestseller in France) all over, then dot concealer where any redness or grey shows through.
Mascara is essential, but French-style application is more natural looking. Among the best mascaras I’ve tried in a long time is L’Oréal’s Paris Panorama (£12.99), which has an excellent, clump-avoidant brush and simply doesn’t move when on.
Brown shadow is as adventurous as typical French daytime makeup gets. Laura Mercier’s Fresco (£23.50) is a foolproof matte powder shadow; elf’s No Budge Cream Eyeshadow in Sand Dune (£5) can be stroked on with fingertips and suits everyone.
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Liner is optional and often confined to the outer eye for definition. Maybelline’s Tattoo Liner in Smokey Brown (£6.99) is ideal, since it lasts longtemps.