Let me begin by stating that in no way am I a beauty expert nor am I flawlessly beautiful. This post is a mere reflection on the French mentality towards beauty and skincare rather than some sort of condescending advice piece. In an attempt not to border on being cheesy/vomit-inducing, I do think that the French attitude fits into their whole philosophy of amour de soi. The French place a lot of importance on caring for yourself whether that be emotionally or in this case superficially. So, using a particular pot of face cream is merely an extension of making yourself feel a bit more self-assured.
I promised this post about attitudes towards all things beauty-related way back when so here goes. Not wishing to generalise, I am atypical in my Northern England hometown with my skin tone which can only be described as bordering on translucent and my lack of hair rollers. As however I’m currently nursing a tad of sunburn on one sole arm (one tanned arm, one red arm: BE JEALOUS), I thought this would be a good time to write a post about tips I’ve gained from our often more sensible French neighbours.
Now I think we all share a mental image of French women as rolling out of bed with feline eyeliner flick intact.
or we see them as gamine
or effortlessly sexy:
And can you blame us? I mean who wouldn’t want to look like Brigitte, Audrey or Eva…
My persona opinion is the aura about French beauty is due to the way in which it makes us perceive the woman as engaging and intelligent rather than vacuous. Whereas many British women demand attention with their Fanta-toned skin and hair extensions and are often then perceived as unintelligent, French beauty emits a feminine sensuality that demands to be taken seriously. Strong independent woman rather than WAG.
Firstly then, this myth must be destroyed. I’ll admit to idealising French women since the age of 7 after watching Sophie Marceau as Elektra King in The World is Not Enough. A complex Bond girl with a brain and naturally stunning. Never mind her being a sadistic bitch in the film, she was badass and effortlessly beautiful.
Why can’t I work lace & leather like that?
Fiction does not always mirror reality of course. There are unfortunately just as many françaises out there with the same excessive attitude towards beauty as in England. Whereas we Brits imagine girls in the South of France as Brigitte Bardot frolicking in the Riviera, it has a terrible reputation in France for its tacky sense of style. It is true that there is a tendency for some in the South to go a little overboard with the makeup, hair and hoop earrings. As with everything then, we must be wary of preconceived ideas.
In general however, French women do have better attitudes towards the whole beauty shindig. Here are some for you to consider:
1. Spend on skincare.
There is a pharmacie on just about every street in France. Don’t assume that these are mere copies of British chemists. Yes, they have all your typical medication and plasters but also an abundance of skincare goodies. They usually stock all the major French dermatologist brands; the most common being La Roche-Posay, Avène, Vichy, Uriage, Caudalie and Nuxe. The widespread presence of the pharmacies is no mere coincidence just as neither is the lengthy list of French skincare brands. Whereas British department stores are all focused on makeup, the focus is most definitely on skincare for the French. Go into any French woman’s bathroom and you will discover a plethora of skincare products. Skincare is a priority, not makeup. Take care of your skin and makeup won’t be necessary to enhance your beauty.
My favourite pharmacie in Montpellier is the Pharmacie du Polygone. If in Paris, make sure to stop by City-Pharma on Rue du Four. Both of these pharmacies share the fact that they are always heaving with people. So, get in and get out as quickly as possible!
2. Know what you want from a product.
The main thing to bear in mind however is that beauty products are hardly ever unknowingly picked by French women. There are favourite skincare brands here yet the women here do not buy into hype products as much. One of my main gripes about the whole beauty market is that products are hyped so much in the UK. Don’t buy into something unknowingly. The skin is the largest organ and should be cared for accordingly just as much as your heart/lungs/liver. Ask yourself: what effect do you want from a product? Do you suffer from pigmentation or rather, fine lines? And remember, skin issues can be treated but not always remedied. If you suffer from rosacea, an anti-redness cream may help the symptoms but it cannot get rid of the issue. In the same way, a cream cannot remove lines! We can try to prevent wrinkles but ageing happens and no face cream is going to change that. Embrace the changes in your face and treat accordingly. For example, acne sufferers should look for salicylic acid whereas dry skin would benefit from hyaluronic acid. Diagnose issues and then do your research.
3. Tone down the foundation and contouring
Generally speaking British women wear too much base (foundation and concealer). I’ve noticed that everyone in France tends to have a signature look but this never involves heavy foundation. Now we’re all guilty of wanting perfect poreless skin and defined cheekbones but I’m calling time on the contour/highlight method so popular now in the UK. Thanks again Kim K …
This is just madness. MADNESS.
With all due respect to Kim though, she is photographed by the paparazzi every single day. You are most likely not. No one in reality takes as much notice of your flaws as much as yourself. In France, women embrace natural skin and tend to either choose lipstick or eyeliner in the day. As a result, people focus on what they say rather than their foundation.
The idea is to embrace yourself. The French approach to sexiness isn’t about changing your cheekbone structure or trying to look like someone else. It’s about feeling comfortable in your skin.
If there’s one thing I don’t like about the French attitude however, it’s the signature look that I mentioned before. There’s less playfulness or experimentation with makeup or clothes than there is in the UK. Personally I’ve always loved seeing gothic makeup but goths and other subcultures are just about non-existent here.
At the end of the day, it’s all superficial so have fun with it.
Lastly, if you’re wondering, here are some French skincare products (several can be found in Boots in the UK) that I myself like:
La Roche-Posay Sérozinc
This is not sold in the UK yet which is a travesty. It is a zinc sulphate solution meaning that it has soothing and antibacterial properties. It provides a good base for facial oils/moisturisers and can help with problematic and sensitive skin. According to my Dad and brother, it is also good for razor burn.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]
This is best used topically on any blemishes. The instructions state to apply it to your entire face although I would only use it where you have problematic skin as it contains Benzoyl Peroxide. Anywhere else would just be a waste of the product and could be too harsh. The good news is that you only need a tiny amount to see results.
Avene Hydrance Optimale Light
Frankly, it’s just a lightweight moisturiser. There are no particular skincare benefits so its main advantages are being easy to use and light hydration. This is perfect then for those of us who have normal-oily skin and want a minimal routine. It comes in both a normal non-SPF version and an SPF 20 version which is perfect for daytime use. As the SPF version contains sunscreen, it may cause some people to breakout. I have not experienced this but the only thing to do is to try it out on your own skin.
Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Solution
This is unbelievably hyped but it is excellent at removing makeup. If you’re like me and only wear makeup on evenings out, this is also great for when you’re too tired to do the entire cleansing routine but don’t want to wake up looking like a crystal meth addict.
Christian Lénart Eau de Rose
This is simply good old rosewater. I like to press this in with a cotton pad during a particularly sweaty/hot/stressful day as it’s refreshing but doesn’t make your face feel tight after use. I have the fragranced version as I personally find it calming but there is also an unscented version. The brand also sells other natural waters but the rosewater is divine. It also comes in an organic version.
Lovea Sunscreen SPF 30
These are all natural (not that I find anything particularly wrong with chemical) organic sunscreens. I do find ‘natural’ to be a term that is exploited and over-used in the beauty industry. Yet if you do prefer to use skincare labelled as ‘natural’, these sunscreens work well and have the loveliest smell.
Natessance oils
Sticking with the organic theme, these are all natural organic oils. I tried the pomegranate oil (huile de grenade) which was great during the winter. In general, I prefer face oils to moisturisers as I find they penetrate the skin better and have more evident effects as a result.
Institut Arnaud Elixir d’huiles sèches
I am also a fan of dry oils and this one (like its more expensive Nuxe counterpart) is fabulous. It is multi-purpose and can be bought in Carrefour. I like to use it not only as a body moisturiser but also on the ends of my hair before washing my hair. It smells great and stops split ends. Double win.
Caudalie Polyphénol C15 Serum
Antioxidant-packed serum perfect for use at night. It can form part of wrinkle prevention as well as giving the skin radiance thanks to the vitamin C in the ingredient list.
Ok I could continue for years but fear of boring the people that have hung on so far, I shall stop! All in all, the French are most definitely not effortlessly chic, they put a LOT of effort into their appearance. The difference is that their attitude towards beauty is not too high-maintenance if you wish to buy into the philosophy.
Mon Fabuleux Destin 