When it comes to beauty, French women have a certain
je ne sais quoi; a look so perfectly primped and polished, it seems inherently effortless. So, what are the beauty secrets behind these foreign beauties? According to
Helena Frith Powell
of
The London Sunday Times, that's a tough nut to crack, as French women are
notoriously secretive about their beauty
regimens: “I told my French friend Anne that I was going to get my hair dyed. '
Ssshh,' she said, looking anxiously around the cafe to make sure nobody had heard me. 'You can’t tell anybody that
.'” Lucky for us, Helena managed to squeak a few secrets out of a few cooperative Parisian pals. So, a few foreign—surprisingly simple—beauty tips to
atteindrie la perfection:Cellulite creams: “French women swear by cellulite creams,” Helena says. “In fact, they swear by anything that keeps them trim, but doesn’t involve exercise.” (I like their style.) Try Murad's The Cellulite Solution or L'Occitane's Amande Firming & Smoothing Milk Concentrate.
Hand & foot creams: “My top tip for seductive hands and feet is to rub cream into them as often as you can. There’s nothing more unsexy than flaky feet,” says one of Helena's friends. (Helena even recommends microdermabrasion for your feet before a mani or pedi, to remove dead layers of skin.) Try the scrub and hand cream from Bliss' Simply The "Zest" Lemon+Sage Spa-In-A- Box, and their Foot Patrol cream.
Damp body moisture: When you jump out of the shower, slather your body moisturizer on before your skin is entirely dry. "This locks in moisture more effectively," Helena says. Try Sephora Indulgence Whipped Body Delights.
Soothing face masks: Sylvie Tellier, a former Miss France, uses a burn cream called Biafine as a face mask. The cream is only available in French pharmacies—"every French mother has it in her medicine cabinet"—but the point is to find something that's hydrating and soothing. Try PeterThomasRoth's Sulfur Cooling Masque or Cucumber Gel Masque. Another tip? Drink chamomile tea to reduce under-eye muscle tension, which will nix circles.
Minimal makeup: The fashion editor of French ELLE says non-French women are too flashy with makeup: “It’s like, ‘Look at me, I’ve made such an effort.’ You would never get a French woman doing that. For us, less is more,” she says. So to be subtly dolled up à la française, Helena says, go easy on the blush, use a light base, and pick a go-to mascara and gloss. Try CARGO Blush in Louisiana, Clinique Balance Makeup Base, Bourjois Pump Up The Volume Mascara and LORAC Mocktail.
There is some major backlash against pre-gaming lately and to all the nay-sayers out there I say, bah! Before heading out on the town, you need a little something to take the edge off. Without it, we face smudges, creases and heaven forbid you start dancing! Before you get your game face on, prime! Makeup primers are a seriously underrated weapon in the beauty arsenal. Make "good decisions" when hitting the bottle and choose a primer that enhances what ya got and hides what you don't want. Smashbox Photo Finish primer has you covered; there's a shade for every concern, whether you want to minimize redness, correct fine lines or just need a dong-gone primer. B.E.'s Bare Vitamins Rev-er Upper's lightweight finish acts like a daily multivitamin for your skin, with the added goodness of glycolic and salicylic acid. It leaves every skin type feeling healthy and looking clear. You know the old Chinese saying "A primer is only as good as the makeup artist who created it?" Well, Laura Geller is amazing and so is her primer. We love her "Spackle" collection because, not only does it smooth the skin's texture, but it soothes with botanical extracts. The 100% oil-free primer comes in an "airless" pump so you get nothing but primer. If your skin tends to be oily try Make Up For Ever's all mat primer. It's oil-free formula absorbs sebum, reducing shine and leaving skin with a velvet-matte finish. So heed my warning of not pre-gaming before your your grand entrance and avoid being make-uply awkward. —Gabrielle Katz, Sephora
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