Tres chic: how to nail French-girl beauty with little effort

Violette is a cool cat. The Paris-based make-up artist has her own equally cool make-up brand, also called Violette, and her own take on French beauty. “In each country, I think there is an idea of what beauty is,” she says. “But for the French, it’s very particular: what we want is to be ourselves – not a better version of ourselves. We feel like it’s better to get used to something than to try to change it. So, we think: what style can I have with this face, and with this hair? That mentality is 100 per cent French.”

It all begins with skin and body care, starting with a double cleanse. First use a cleansing oil such as Tatcha The Camellia Cleansing Oil ($80) to remove grime, then follow with Ultraceutials Ultra Hydrating Milk Cleanser ($73).

The power of a hydrating mist is also not lost on the French and one take-everywhere spritz is Caudalie Beauty Elixir ($29), which also doubles as a perfect in-flight pick-me-up. And for an all-purpose moisturiser, cult brand Embryolisse has Lait-Crème Concentré ($47), adored by make-up artists the world over as a seamless base for foundation. Top this up with the must-have La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra Facial Sunscreen SPF50+ ($38).

On the body front, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse ($67) is great for hydration with its soak-in-quick, non-greasy finish. An added bonus, it’s equally useful for taming flyaway locks; just pat what’s left on your palms onto any unruly hair.

The French tend to shy away from a full face of foundation, preferring to touch up with a concealer such as Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Radiant Touch ($77) – the in-built brush helps with accuracy. Violette suggests not applying foundation on one’s nose as it creates an optical illusion that you are wearing no foundation at all. “If you suffer redness in the nostril creases, apply a long-wear concealer there and not on the bridge of the nose,” she says.

For hair, tout le monde loves that French tousled look, so after shampoo and conditioner, apply a product like Bumble and Bumble Seaweed Air Dry Cream ($58) and finger-dry your hair.

A pop of red on the lips is another classic French twist. We love a classic tint/lipstick and one of our all-time favourites is Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey ($47).

The messed-up smoky eye is also on point, so use black or brown kohl and smudge it in with your fingers. Or use a soft-tipped pencil – for a little hit of difference, you can’t go past Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadow Matte in Midnight Blue ($55), the smudgier the better. Et voilà!