How to achieve the French girl look from Emily in Paris

On August 15th, Emily in Paris returns to Netflix with its fourth (and final) season. We are about to bid farewell to the most talked-about ringarde of TV series, Emily Cooper, and we feel a bit sad. Episode after episode, we have grown attached to the character played by Lily Collins, and we have been captivated by her adventures in the City of Light. We dreamed of enjoying pain au chocolat on the benches of the Jardin du Palais Royal, sipping champagne under the Eiffel Tower, flirting with a charming guy at the Café de Flore, climbing the steps of the Opéra Garnier dressed like Audrey Hepburn in the movie Funny Face, and having our neighbor be as handsome as chef Gabriel. We've also envied the enterprising American's immense wardrobe, full of designer and eccentric outfits, as well as her always perfect beauty looks. Yes, because you can love or hate it, but Darren Star's series is a delightful guilty pleasure that, besides giving us a few hours of carefree enjoyment, has at least one other merit: making us fall even more in love with the French girl look. Want to try recreating it? Make-up artist Saffron Hughes from False Eyelashes revealed to Fresha, the leading marketplace for beauty and wellness, how to replicate the aesthetic. You only need three products: a concealer or a foundation, an eye pencil, and a red lipstick or a cream blush.

Apply a Flawless Base

The goal is a make-up no make-up look that gives the illusion of not having used any products on the face, as if the perfect and radiant complexion is simply a divine gift. The first step is to choose a CC cream or a lightly tinted moisturizer with ingredients that nourish the skin, such as hyaluronic acid or squalane, to achieve a fresh and natural look. Even just concealer works well to create a uniform base. Apply it in small amounts to the areas you want to perfect and gently tap it onto the skin with a clean ring finger, blending until the product seamlessly merges with the skin. Saffron Hughes' hack? Warm a drop of concealer between your fingers and then dab it onto the skin about a centimeter below the lash line to hide any darkness without giving the impression of wearing makeup. Finally, set the concealer on the under-eye areas with a bit of pressed powder using a light, fluffy brush to prevent the concealer from emphasizing fine lines. For those who want more coverage but want to maintain the illusion of minimal makeup, Hughes advises not to apply the product directly to the face. Instead, put a small amount of product on the back of your hand, blend it, then apply it to the face with light dabbing motions.

Define Your Features

The best choice is a cream product for contouring or a cream bronzer in cool tones, without shimmer. Apply it just above the cheekbones to lift the face and blend it into the temples and forehead. Alternatively, Hughes suggests lightly tracing the jawline on both sides of the chin and applying a minimal amount of product where the jawline meets the ear. For a more sun-kissed effect, you can also opt for a light layer of bronzer across the bridge of the nose, where the sun naturally hits the face. Remember that the secret to the French girl look is to enhance your natural beauty, so apply the contour with a light hand and blend it to avoid harsh lines.

Create a Siren Eye Effect

If you don't want to put in too much effort and prefer a more natural look, curl your lashes or add a light layer of mascara. If you prefer a more intense look, apply a pencil eyeliner to the outer corner of the lash line, create a thin wing outward, and drag it towards the temple with a simple finger gesture to elongate the gaze and create a foxy look. Hughes suggests applying a small amount of eyeliner at the lash base to give the lashes a fuller appearance. The final step? A lengthening mascara on the lashes, even on the lower ones, to make the day look perfect for the evening as well.

Find the Perfect Shades for You

The real challenge in achieving this look is finding the most suitable shade for your complexion. Hughes helps you navigate through the various shades based on the natural color of your skin, eyes, lips, and hair. "For people with warm undertones, shades like coral or orange-red can enhance the natural glow, while cool undertones may shine with blue-based reds or berry tones. Eye colour is also an important factor to consider. For instance, green, hazel and brown eyes often pop with warmer reds, while cooler shades may complement blue eyes." 

Complete the Look with an Iconic Red Lip

The lips are the focus of the French girl look. But remember, they should be the center of attention without looking too exaggerated. With a refined red tint, finished with lip liner and concealer, in old Hollywood style, you can never go wrong. "A lot of people think that red lipstick doesn't suit them, but often, it's either because they haven't found the right shade for their skin tone or it’s down to the application," says Hughes, before emphasizing that the secret to the French girl aesthetic is to give the impression of having applied the color with minimal effort, almost imprecisely. "Instead of bringing the red right up to the outer lines of your lips, concentrate the color directly from the bullet to the centre of your lips, pat your lips together to disperse the color, and finally, gently press the color towards your lip line for an almost airbrushed red lip effect."

Add a Touch of Rosy Glow to Cheeks and Eyes

The final step of this makeup session? The blush. Ok to the doll effect, with a generous amount of product on the cheeks, but applying it slightly higher than the cheekbones is also fine to lift the features. Hughes warns against blush blindness and reminds you that you can intensify the color to simulate a flushed face, but without overdoing it. The makeup artist reveals a few little hacks: "If you have any residual red on your fingers from applying your lipstick, you can press this into the cheeks with your fingers for a cohesive finish. I also love adding a touch of cream blush to the outer eyelids and into the temples using warm fingers to tie in the colour on the cheeks to the lids."