Monday, November 4, 2013

French Beauty

Have you ever read Kisses and Croissants?  Well if you haven't you're missing out, it's a great blog written by Patricia, an American who lives in France.  Patricia went to France to study abroad, fell in love, & moved there after she finished school.  She is so sweet & hysterical, it's awesome to listen to her stories about being a French expat.  The one sad part is that recently Patricia finished her blog, but I still recommend checking it all out, her posts are really great!
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Back in April Patricia wrote a post titled 10 American Beauty Tips - From a French Perspective, & it was so cool.  In America we are slightly obsessed with finding out French women's beauty secrets, but little did we know they want to know our beauty secrets too!  For her post Patricia kindly translated an article from L'express, which is a popular online French newspaper, & she so sweetly let me steal parts of her post to do my own!  I wanted to share this because it's great to see what the French had to say.  Below is the post with my opinions plugged in!



As Beautiful as a New Yorker
from L'express

"New York I Love You" is out in theaters.  Sure, we love the Big Apple and it's inhabitants, but their beauty rituals leave us scratching our heads.  Are they worth copying? The answer in 10 points. 


1. They wash their hair everyday 

...while in France, we compete with our girlfriends to see who washes their hair the least, American women are not ashamed to declare that they shampoo their hair everyday in order to be really clean. That's where the huge bottles, much bigger than ours, that take over the space in the shower come from.

Copy it?  NON.  But if you happen to be a hopeless shampoo-addict, the least you can do is respect this one rule: Pick a nourishing shampoo, take really good care of your scalp, and avoid over drying your hair with a super hot blow dryer.

Me: I agree with the French!  As I've said many times washing your hair every day is bad for it & I recommend waiting a few days between washing, now I'm not saying don't shower just don't wash your hair.  I wait a few days between washing & my hair isn't dirty at all, I've picked up a few tricks to prevent it from getting oily, & my hair looks better when I don't wash it.  The best part about this is that it is so good for your hair & makes it super healthy.  I hate that a lot of times it's looked down on in America when people wait a few days between washes.



2. They define the It-girl haircut

Copy it?  We don't really have a choice.  Even the stars here in the hexagon copy the Americans!  

Me: Way to go America, we always have the trendiest haircuts first!



3. They are obsessed with whitening their teeth

You simply need to visit an American bathroom to figure this out for yourself.  There you'll find a huge bottle of mouth wash, an electric toothbrush, and dental floss. To put it simply, the Americans don't kid around with dental hygiene.   

Copy it? Oui!  However you can totally skip the strips or the tooth "paint," what a pain.  Nothing's quite as good as a simple cleaning from the dentist.

Me: I can't imagine not being crazy about my teeth, I floss, brush, & gargle twice a day.  I also do whiten my teeth occasionally, I just think that a whiter smile looks nicer.



4. They let fish eat the dead skin off their feet

This is where the fish spa first became popular.  It's a sort of pedicure, rather special since little fish nibble the dead skin off your feet. 

Copy it? NON!  Having said that, risk-takers can try it in Paris, at the salon Rufafish.  But be aware that the state of New York banned it for hygienic reasons.

Me: I've read about this pedicure being done all over the world & thought that it originated in Japan.  I agree with them on not trying it, I've always been curious, but don't think I could ever actually do it!



5. They handle the self-bronzer with more confidence than us

Copy it? NON!  But if your turnip-tinted skin bothers you, at least ask a willing (and precise) girlfriend  to spray you.  Not glam', but efficient.

Me: I agree with the French.  I have very fair skin, & used to self tan, but it just looked bad.  I've stopped using tanners or trying to get tan from the sun & just embrace my skin.  I'm really not a fan of tanning in any form.


6. They don't think twice about putting rhinestones on... Everywhere

Jennifer Love Hewitt is the self-proclaimed standard-bearer of vajazzling, a new trend that consists of glueing rhinestones to one's pre-shaved pubic area. 

Copy it? NON!  Remember that France is the country of Catherine Deneuve and good taste, there is no "but" here. 

Me: I don't think that all Americans put rhinestones everywhere.  Don't get me wrong I love things that sparkle, but tasteful things, & vajazzling is just gross!


7. They use sun protection all year long


It's these women that made foundation with built-in SPF popular.  They wear it all year long to fight against the enemy - wrinkles.

Copy it? Oui!  If you want adopt a "NYC attitude", we recommend Clinique products. Their quality is impeccable. 

Me: I love that the French are recognizing the importance of vigilant sun protection, no one wants skin cancer or premature wrinkles.



8. There is a nail salon on every corner

You can find a salon, the American movie cliché, every 3 blocks in NYC.  The advantage: Manicures become affordable and everyone has clean nails. 

Copy it? Oui, but sparingly... For pity's sake, forget about a french manicure on your feet! 


Me: I agree with the French, while it's nice we have nail salons everywhere & I do indulge in manicures & pedicures as often as I can, it never killed anyone to do their own nails.  I also agree that French mani/pedis are just tacky.



9. They have a healthier relation with their gym

... Simply put, the United States, land of contrasts, is also the home of the hardcore gym...

Copy it? NON. We prefer eating croissants for breakfast while enjoying the best-seller "French Women Don't Get Fat".  


Me: I don't understand how "French Women Don't Get Fat" (I've heard of the book & need to read it).  As we all know though exercising & eating healthy is good for your body & your health.



10. They aren't afraid to be perfect

Copy it? NON! Considering our worn in jeans and wavy locks are seductive, why make more of an effort? American women are always praising the je-ne-sais-quoi of French women, who prefer a natural look (think Charlotte Gainsbourg), rather than something over the top (think Demi Moore).  

Me: I agree with the French big time on this.  I feel like they have a much more relaxed attitude towards fashion & beauty & it works so well for them.  I like natural makeup, & unwashed hair, & I'm not a fan of plastic surgery to make people look younger.  Sometimes you just need to relax & accept that no one is perfect & that is okay.

It's so interesting to read how the French view our beauty routines.  I also really like that they don't make fun of them, they simply agree with them or provide some constructive criticism as to why they don't like a particular point.  It's always been a dream of mine to go to France & until I make it there reading Kisses & Croissants will do.

So what do you think of this list & how the French view how we do beauty?
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