Most people will agree that there is something mysterious about French women’s makeup secrets if that is the word we can use. On a more serious note, few will disagree that it is not the makeup that gives them their stunningly charming looks. Instead, their focus on skincare and haircare rather than makeup makes them look so beautiful. But that does not mean French women dislike using cosmetics and beauty products.
Like women everywhere else, French women use beauty products—but in a somewhat subdued and understated manner. Their focus is on allowing natural beauty to shine through the layers of makeup rather than hiding it. The theme that French women seem to be most fascinated with is cute natural makeup. You can also call it French girl makeup, which is very close to highlighting natural beauty.
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Returning to our original theme, let’s identify the 10 things about makeup or skincare that French women would avoid.
1. Contouring
French women love the spotlight on the skin’s natural beauty – tenderness, glow, and vivacity. They are not fond of contour products that can bring uniformity of color to the skin. They seem to be okay with the natural variation of color from soft to hard skin. They like to use the blush on the cheekbones and a little bronzing power elsewhere to deal with the excessive whiteness of the skin or for the tan effect. What blushes do to the beauty of the face, which is otherwise minimal on makeup, is for everybody to see how French women exude verve and vivacity on their radiant faces. Thanks to the bronzing powder, a slightly tanned skin look gives them the girl-next-door cuteness.
2. Highlighting Powders
This is another stereotype that French women do not conform to. In most parts of the world, women’s makeup would mean using liberal dosages of highlighting products that make them look super glowing on the face and elsewhere, but not so with French women. Their fondness for bare skin — moist and soft – takes the cake. They would not like to hide away the natural texture of their skin, where they think their real beauty lies. Not using highlighting products keeps their use of beauty products at a minimum and allows them a more natural look. That also spares them the drama-queen look that highlighting beauty products often ends up doing. French women stay nestled in the time-tested secret of an understated makeup.
3. Flashy Eye Makeup
French women have not shown any particular love for bright eye shadows. Instead, they love their lips to be soaked in colorful lipsticks. They prefer minimal beauty products on their eyes, what you call the bare essentials, such as a smoky liner in a neutral palette. The whole idea is to look less dramatic and more in line with the definition of conventional beauty. As such, the face has a touch of blush on the cheekbones and a bold patch of lipstick. The French women would not like their eyes, too, to exhibit bright colors. Eyes with carefully tended eyebrows and eyelashes are part of the understated makeup that defines the secret of French women’s beauty.
4. False Eyelashes
Though eyebrows and eyelashes are carefully tended and kept in place, French women do not show fancy for false eyelashes. They are content with using extensions and mascaras that give the eyelashes long and lush looks. To say that French women use very few cosmetics may be inaccurate if we look at how they take care of every tiny detail of their makeup, including the eyelashes. They like to wear mascaras for that difficult-to-miss extension and rich look to the eyelashes. However, they do not much use false eyelashes, because these are false while they believe more in natural beauty. They are believed to be more in awe of a beauty product that is believed to help eyelashes grow naturally.
5. Hairdressers
French women are famous for flaunting the natural beauty of their hair. They are known for using less of the hairdressers, which use heat to straighten the curls or get a particular hairstyle in place. Instead, they like the natural look and bounce of the healthy hair. They prefer to see their hair exuding more confidence and liveliness. They pamper their hair with a touch of hair oil and fragrances. Curly or straight, they like the natural flow of their hair.
From beauty product makers to fashion stylists, everybody likes to study what clicks with French women as far as their haircare preferences are concerned. Most would, however, agree that it’s their careful selection of soft but effective haircare products that makes the difference and gives the hair its awesome health and glow.
6. Lipstick Yes, But Not All Over The Place
French women love lipstick more than any other beauty product but never seem to be overshooting the edge of their lips. How they manage to keep the lipstick within the edge every time may not be a top secret, but the fact that they take such care is a testimony to the sincerity with which they use lipstick. They love to wear waterproof lipstick that can stay in its place all day without serious maintenance. Had it not been for the lipstick, French women would have been mistaken for lack of enthusiasm for beauty products.
7. Wrong Foundation Shade
French women take the foundation of the makeup as seriously as the makeup itself. The focus is the same: the skin’s natural beauty should get exposure and spotlight. This makes the makeup look cleaner, lighter, and aligned with the skin’s texture. You will never find the foundation shade beneath the makeup stretching too far, making it apparent that the skin color on the neck and elsewhere near the face differs from the makeup. They try to achieve the natural, dewy look and feel of the facial skin through the controlled use of foundation and makeup.
8. Chemical-based Soaps, Body Lotions
French women prefer their natural beauty to be somewhat tampered with. Though they like keeping themselves neat and glowing, they do not fall for chemical-based soaps and lotions. They prefer natural and organic alternatives based on various kinds of fruits and milk. They seem to be keenly aware of what chemical-based beauty products can do to their skin, and that’s why they are known to spend more on beauty products made out of natural alternatives that are soft on the skin yet highly enriching.
9. Sleeping With Makeup On
French women don’t appreciate how someone can sleep with their makeup on. Skincare is a top priority for them, and going to bed with makeup is just not normal. The secret of their glowing skin every day is that they remove all the makeup from the skin before going to bed. They use a French pharmacy wonder, Collosol Eau de Lait, to perform this. The milky liquid is said to get into the layers of makeup and impurities and wash them away. According to French women, makeup is part of the daily routine, so it should not be too loud or extravagant.
10. Chipped Nails
French women do not use shortcuts for their nails’ makeup. They would prefer to apply a base coat on the nails before the polish and a top coat to ensure the polish stays put. That’s why you will never see a French woman with chipped nails. Taking adequate care of the nails’ makeup keeps them in the reckoning in beauty quotients claimed by women from other parts of the world. What makes French women’s makeup preferences so enigmatic and mysterious are the small things that they like to do with their makeup, and that’s what makes the difference.
Final Thoughts
While it may not be easy to decode the makeup secrets of French women that make them look so fresh, beautiful, and vivacious, some broad frameworks can be identified as the guiding principles of their makeup ethos. It is incredible to find that despite so much of a media blitz about beauty products, French women have been extremely picky about what they use for their makeup. As a rule, they are not endorsing the use of highlighting and contour products that interfere too much with the natural look and color of the skin. In line with their emphasis on natural beauty, they also are less exacting on softer body parts such as eyes.
The most defining aspect of French women’s makeup principles is their focus on skincare and haircare and their desire to highlight natural beauty. Also, the extensive use of French pharmacy products in skincare and healthcare is often not mentioned in such glorious terms as other beauty products. But they are important in keeping French women ahead in fashion and beauty.