makeup

MODERN FRENCH CHIC

photo: je ne sais pais! post designed by lauren conrad

C’est tres joli!  I grew up loving French style, starting as a young girl staring at the illustrations when my mother read Madeline to me… her deep side-parted hair, hat and their school-girl uniforms and pea coats… then it progressed to French ballerinas, Gigi and French cinema, and as I got older (of course)  French Vogue changed my life.  Now I especially love Isabel Marant’s vision of the carefree and modern French lifestyle.  And this chic look translates easily to makeup.  Because anything that is chic is at its core, simple and effortless.  Here, one of my favorite models, Bambi Northwood Blyth, demonstrates how you can strip away excessive makeup down to three components: 1. a big, filled-in brow, 2. spidery (yet not clumpy) lashes and 3. a stained lip.

Even if your brows aren’t as blessedly thick as Bambi’s, you can still recreate the same bold effect by filling them in with a pencil or powder that is a shade or two darker than your actual color.  Spidery lashes can be accomplished by powdering them with loose powder in between the first and second coat of mascara.  For a refresher course, revisit our Big Bold Brow and Spider Lashes posts.  Lastly, there are many ways to achieve stained lips.  The obvious choice is using one of the many great stains out there.  Or you can fill in your entire lip with a berry or rose-colored lip pencil and follow with lip balm.  A third option would be apply lipstick, blot with a tissue, apply again and blot one more time.  The key is to not look “made-up,” so make sure the lips have a hint of color and no more.  Add a croissant, close your eyes and voila!  You’re at a little Parisian street cafe about to stroll the River Seine.

XO Amy Nadine