7 French Girl Beauty Rules to Follow

There’s no denying that women all over the world stun passerby on the daily. Even still, there’s just something about French women that makes them specifically swooned-over—especially by their fellow females scratching their heads wondering just how they do it. How do French women master the art of face makeup, eye makeup and killer hair without looking like they lifted a finger? Well, since we know we’re not the only ones wondering these essential beauty truths, we searched high and low to learn how to attain both the coveted makeup look and carefree hairstyle trend to create a truly Parisian je ne sais quoi wherever you are in the world.

Before jumping into the top French girl beauty rules, it’s important to understand one very important piece of information: French women are all about embracing and working with what they were born with, focusing on showcasing their own unique characteristics instead of hiding or changing them. So, with that said, who’s ready to rock a new international beauty look? Allons-y!

French Girl Beauty Rule #1: Perfect Your Base

When it comes to Parisian beauty, it’s not just about the face makeup that you layer onto your complexion, but the facial cleansers, face scrubs, and moisturizers you apply, too. One of the most important beauty rules to abide by when trying to attain a French girl beauty look is to start with your skin care routine. Try the skin care product picks below to perfect your base.  

L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Detox & Brighten Cleanser: This facial cleanser is suitable for all skin types and its formula is enhanced with charcoal—so if your complexion looks lackluster, it might be the right one for you. Not only does it help purify the surface of your skin of dirt, oil, and pollution, but use after use, you may notice that your dull skin appears brighter.

L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Purify & Mattify Cleanser: This facial cleanser is enhanced with eucalyptus and suitable for all skin types. Have oily skin? This one could be for you! It helps remove excess sebum (a.k.a. oil) from the surface of skin for a refreshed look and feel.

L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Exfoliate & Refine Cleanser: This facial cleanser is suitable for oily and combination skin and its formula is enhanced with red algae. It goes beyond daily cleansing to exfoliate. Exfoliation is the process of sloughing away dead skin cells from the surface of your skin, which can build up and cause the look of dullness.

After cleansing, it’s absolutely paramount to layer on a moisturizer. Try the L’Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care for Normal to Oily Skin, L’Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care for Normal to Dry Skin, or L’Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care for Extra Dry Skin. All three are formulated with hyaluronic acid and aloe vera water to help provide long-lasting hydration and lock in that dewy Parisian base.

Every couple of days, you can take your skin care a step further with the help of a little gentle exfoliation. To get the job, opt for a sugar scrub. We’ve got three options just for you.

L’Oréal Paris Pure-Sugar Nourish & Soften Face Scrub: This face scrub leaves skin feeling softer and smoother and looking more refined. Immediately, skin feels smooth and comforted, while skin feels nourished with continued use over time. 

L’Oréal Paris Pure-Sugar Purify & Unclog Face Scrub: This face scrub effectively removes dirt, oil, and impurities from the surface of skin and polishes away dead skin. With continued use over time, pores look tighter, unclogged, and less visible.

L’Oréal Paris Pure-Sugar Smooth & Glow Face Scrub: This face scrub gives skin a glowing appearance immediately and leaves skin feeling baby-soft, smooth, and comforted with continued use over time.   

French Girl Beauty Rule #2: Lose the Blowout

Here in America, there’s nothing quite as trendy as making an appointment at the blow-dry bar down the street to fluff your hair full of products to achieve the perfect blowout. It’s not like that in France. Like, at all. Instead, French women revel in embracing their natural hair texture and oils, playing it up with texture spray and dry shampoo. To get the look, stock up on L’Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Clay Dry Shampoo and L’Oréal Paris Advanced Hairstyle BOOST IT Air-Blown Texture Mist and you’ll look like a French native in no time.

French Girl Beauty Rule #3: Never Skip a Trim

If French girls know one major thing, it’s the power of a mane that’s in tip-top condition. Since they’re so prone to wear messy, shag cuts, a gorgeous head of hair ensures that the hairstyle trend looks chic, as opposed to damaged with split ends.

French Girl Beauty Rule #4: Say Yes to Color Correcting…And No to Foundation

Remember how we mentioned that French women prefer to work with what they’ve got than attempt to cover it under layers of face makeup? One of the easiest ways to enhance a complexion without allover coverage (which, as we all know, can sometimes weigh us down) is to become BFFs with color correcting. By using a series of pastel concealers, you’ll be able to cancel out unwanted tones making their way onto your complexion for a natural-looking visage. To perfect the look, stock up on the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Color Correcting Crayons and remember to lightly apply peach for dark circles, yellow for discolorations, and green for redness. The lighter the better as you don’t want to end up looking like a colorful clown. Top things off with a touch of the L’Oréal Paris ™ Super-Blendable Multi-Use Concealer, which comes in 14 shades to match every skin tone and undertone.

French Girl Beauty Rule #5: The Bolder Your Brows, The Better

There’s just something about a solid set of brows that can tie a look together. Whether you pair them with face makeup or moisturized skin, the result is a girl that looks like she has her life together. Don’t believe us? Play around with the L’Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Definer Mechanical Pencil, L’Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Boost & Set Brow Mascara, and L’Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Brow Raiser Highlighter Duo to see just how transforming they can be.

French Girl Beauty Rule #6: A Bold Red Lip Is Always in Style

Despite being fairly bare-faced, French women understand the power of a bold red lip. Whether worn in a matte or glossy finish, there’s just something about the lip color that’s suitable for the everyday. So, whatever you do, when trying to mimic the French beauty look, make sure to have the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Matte Lipstick in Matte-ly In Love and L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Shine Lipstick in Enamel Red on hand.

French Girl Beauty Rule #7: Embrace Imperfection

Whatever makeup look you decide to embrace, just remember that the key to seeming Parisian is to care less. Don’t worry so much about out-to-there lashes, hair extensions, or sparkly pink lips. Embrace your natural beauty—you’re gorgeous just as you are!  

Sticking with the French trend, check out our article Braiding Basics: How to French Braid Your Hair.