How To Get The French Girl Look: American Vs. French Fashion

Moving to a new country opens so many doors of possibilities. When I moved to France, I was eager and hopeful that living in a country so rich in culture would help me to become a connoisseur in many areas of life; art, cheese, architecture, history… I wanted to discover it all! Something I wasn’t expecting was how captivated I would become by the fashion and beauty trends in France. I should have known, but I was too focused on the rest France had to offer to anticipate this new passion! I have learned a lot about how the French express themselves through fashion, makeup, and skincare, thanks to lots of observation and questions asked to French friends. Below are my findings! I hope you will enjoy them!

Less makeup

While preparing for my big move to La France, I stuffed eye palette upon eye palette to get myself ready for the chic world of Paris. I was hoping to impress Parisians with my makeup skills and was equipped to bring out the best of my makeup knowledge. Unfortunately for my past self, Parisians don’t really express themselves with makeup the same way American women do. The French use much less makeup. A lot of my French friends don’t even wear eye makeup on a daily basis. When they do wear makeup, they prefer it to look natural and effortless. If you want to have that French girl, or as Americans say that je ne sais quoi (The French would say “Elle a du chien!”) look to you, wear less eye makeup. A little goes a long way when in France! To be honest, I love wearing makeup and still have a tough time giving it up, even while living in France. People just instantly know I’m American before I even speak because of my makeup. But when I accidentally hit the snooze button a few too many times and run out the door mascara-less… that’s when Parisians think I’m French!

Don’t wear yoga pants!

Athleisure wear is a huge trend in the U.S., and honestly, I enjoy seeing people wear it in the U.S. I love seeing photos of my favorite celebrities in a cute workout set. They feel easy to relate to when dressed in this way! “I, too, love going to Target in my sweats. Wow, they’re just like me!” This way of thinking is definitely an American mentality. In Paris, you won’t see women in yoga pants unless they’re really on their way to break a sweat in a yoga class. If you want the French girl look, I'm sorry to say it, but you’ll have to ditch your everyday pair of yoga pants and save them for the gym.

Dress up

This next point goes hand in hand with our last one. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Paris, I’m sure you’ll be amazed at how fashionable the French are. Parisians really do treat the cobblestoned streets of their beloved city like a runway. I often feel like the people of Paris even feel it’s their duty to beautify their city with their own expression of fashion. Paris is a great city to be in if you’re saving money because you can go outside and people-watch and remain captivated for hours by the many characters you’ll find.

Knowledge

My last point to have that French girl look everyone longs for is something that can’t be bought. It’s a French way of life. It’s to be knowledgeable in things that count in French conversation. In topics such as history, literature, and art! I thought this had to be an over-exaggeration before I moved to France. It definitely isn’t! The French don’t like small talk. You can, however, instead expect to learn lots thanks to their company! Always be reading, ready to learn more, and surtout ready to debate if you really want a French girl look.

After living in France and learning so much from the people around me, I hope to always have opportunities to discover new cultures and visions of the world. Beauty standards and trends are definitely interesting topics since they can change so drastically from country to country. Makeup and fashion are fun means to express yourself more! So have fun with it! Know you’re beautiful no matter the trend of the day. What are the beauty trends or standards in your country? I would love to know, so please do leave your thoughts in the comments section!

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