French women are famous for their natural beauty. There seems to be a myth where people assume that we just roll out of bed looking fresh and polished.
What is true is that less is always more when it comes to beauty in France. Extreme contouring, thick foundation, glittery eyeshadows or sophisticated nail art design are just not really a thing for us. Our ultimate goal when it comes to beauty is to look like the best version of ourselves.
The reality, however, is that it takes a lot of work to look naturally healthy, mainly with the use of efficient skincare products. We like our fancy French pharmacy cosmetics. This is also why French women can get away with less makeup. We invest in a good canvas so we can use less paint.
So what makeup will you find in most French girls’ bag?
A concealer
Forget about foundation, it’s just too much work! Commonly us French girls will only cover what needs to be hidden. A pimple, redness, dark circles, etc. Whatever doesn’t need to be hidden, we don’t cover it! If your skin is good why bothering spending time applying a cream of the exact same colour on top of it?
I personally even go as far as using my concealer as a foundation if I have an event that requires having a full face of makeup.
My favourite concealer at the moment is Nars Soft Matte Complete concealer. It gives good coverage and doesn’t crease. I have it both in Vanilla and Custard so I can tailor the colour to the different areas of my face.
A bronzer
That’s how we get the glow! A good bronzer is the secret for the healthy ‘I just woke up like this’ look. A lot of my French friends (including me) use bronzer only and don’t even bother with blush.
My favourite is the Guerlain Terracotta! I have been using it for years. Unfortunately, it slipped off my hand the other day and crashed on the floor in tiny pieces. So at the moment, I am using The Body Shop Honey Bronze powder, which is good as it is completely matte.
A powder
This one is only used by the women who, like me, are on the shinier side. If you are French and have beautiful matte skin, chances are you don’t even have one of these. Unfortunately, my forehead easily goes from dewy to greasy so a powder is a must in my bag!
My favourite at the moment is the Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot powder. It does the job without any powdery white cast.
An eyeliner
French women like classic looks when it comes to makeup, a small eyeliner wing, a bit of red lipstick, boom! Done! That’s why most of us go-to look involve a good eyeliner.
Being lazy with make-up, I need an eyeliner that will last all day as I will very rarely bother to reapply anything. I love MAC Liquidlast liner, once set it is like a tattoo on your eyelid and will not smudge. It is a little difficult to apply though and takes a bit of practice. The other eyeliner I absolutely love is a gem I found in Japan. Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner
Neutral eyeshadows
As I mentioned earlier, a less is more look is the goal here, so a few neutral eyeshadows are all a French woman need. Shades of browns and greys are usually our go-to. And forget about blending colours with fancy brushes, the easier the better! This is why I love the Kiko Long Lasting stick eyeshadow, they require minimum work, can be blended with a finger and last all day.
A mascara
Not too volumising or thickening, a good mascara needs to simply lengthen and separate lashes. Ironically, my favourite mascara cannot even be found in France! Maybelline Full ‘N Soft mascara is simple, lengthening, black and doesn’t smudge, it is also great for contacts wearers (when will it be sold in Europe Maybelline????).
A lip balm
Most days a lip balm is all I wear on my lips. I cannot really be bothered with applying lipstick. It’s too much work! So once my makeup is on and my teeth are brushed, I swipe a bit of Dior Addict Lip Glow, it is very hydrating and gives a subtle rosy glow.
A natural lipstick
When I need to look a little bit more put together, for a business meeting or a date, my go-to lip product is an almost nude colour. In my case ‘nudy’ nudes just don’t flatter my skin tone at all, so my favourite shades are usually very subtle pinks or mauves. My all-time favourite is Revlon ColourBurst Balm Stain in Honey, it’s a cool shade of mauvy pink and is super simple to apply.
A red lipstick
Last but not least, the main and only statement makeup item most French women have is a red lipstick. Some of my friends wear it every day, some keep it for special occasions, all have one. I usually use the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red as it doesn’t move once set. You can eat and drink with it and be confident that your face won’t look like Pennywise the Clown by the end of the meal.
As you can see below, it only takes 6 products to go from the ‘I woke up like this’ to natural French beauty. All I applied was concealer, bronzer, powder, eyeliner, mascara, and a bit of lip balm.
All in all, my makeup routine using these products takes about 10 minutes. This is why French women can just roll out of bed and be ready one cup of coffee later.
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Claire Imaginarium 
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