A Black Girl's Guide to French-Girl Beauty For the Winter

POPSUGAR Photography | Benjamin Stone
POPSUGAR Photography | Benjamin Stone
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For as long as we can remember, the beauty routines of French women have been regarded as the most sought after. A carefree attitude paired with a worldly taste in fashion make Paris the gateway to top-notch style and beauty. However, there remains a gap in this silver lining and it's sadly similar to qualms here in America. When it comes to makeup options for women of color, the pickings are slim.

"In France, we did experience the same problem in terms of finding the right shades and undertones. The choice of colors and shades were very limited," said Valerie Saint-Amand, the US sales director and makeup trainer for black|Up, a French cosmetics brand for brown girls everywhere.

The luxury label — which has existed since 1999 — is picking up steam in America and quickly becoming a godsend for women with deeper skin tones. "We strictly target the needs of ethnic skin, ranging from skin tones like that of Alicia Keys to Alek Wek," added Saint-Amand. "'Black' stands for 'women of color' or 'ethnic women' and 'Up' represents 'makeup' as it is a professional makeup artist brand."

With a price range of $19 to $58, the highly coveted line includes pretty much everything a girl needs for peak French beauty: hydrating primer, cream foundation, rich lip colors, and more.

Saint-Amand, who currently works out of Atlanta, stresses the importance of marrying a healthy skin care routine with your makeup, especially during colder months when we all experience dryness. "We must apply a richer moisturizer to our skin. The Winter weather and elements tends to dry out the skin and our lips — so it's important to use a hydrating lip product, too," she suggested.

When it comes to makeup, she said to keep it minimal, which is oh-so-effortlessly chic. "I like to finish my look with the Perfect Nude Lip Balm ($28) that comes in six shades and, thanks to hyaluronic acid, jojoba, and mimosa, keeps my lips hydrated without the sticky factor. I also recommend opting for a lighter foundation shade during the cooler months."

black|Up cosmetics

Generally, French women tend to be more conservative with their makeup, while Americans embrace brighter colors. And so, women of color are often encouraged to make their complexions the focal point of their daily routines, with emphasis on the eyes. Lighter metallics and frosty shades can be tricky to pull off, but ultimately, there are no set rules on what works best for our richer tones. Testing out new shades is a wonderful way to discover new styles, and one such way is with eyeliner.

"Mastering your eye shape just takes practice, and to master your skin tone I recommend experimenting with various shades," said Saint-Amand. "I personally love our Waterproof Smoky Kohl Pencil ($19) — it's easy to use and comes in eight different bright and long-lasting colors that are especially made to look great on darker skin tones."

black|Up cosmetics

Beyond this simple advice, you can also negate most of the commonly cited myths surrounding French beauty. Although "less is more" is their mantra ("This is absolutely true," Saint-Armand echoed) and wine with dinner is encouraged, the majority of everything else you hear is exaggerated or untrue.

For instance, French women don't entirely embrace their wrinkles. "I would say that they do what they can to prevent wrinkles with products adapted to every stage of life," explained Saint-Amand. Cold showers for the sake of younger skin also deviates from what Parisian women actually do. "I think this is a myth. We might finish with a blast of cold water to help firm the skin, but it's not something every French woman does."

black|Up cosmetics

If you're a brown girl who needs to revamp her everyday look for the coming months, black|Up is great place to start. Saint-Amand recommends the Perfect Matifying Primer ($44) mixed with either the Full Coverage Foundation ($44) or Mattifying Fluid Foundation ($42) (depending on your skin type), followed by the Two Way Cake Pressed Powder ($40) to set the look and a hint of the Sublime Powder ($38) to bring a healthy glow to the skin. For eyes, get a natural result with the Mono Eyeshadow in brown (05) and copper (08) ($21 each), along with the Waterproof Smoky Kohl Pencil ($19) and Volumizing Lengthening Mascara ($24). Dust on a bit of the Blush in Iced Chestnut (09) ($27) and hydrate the lips (especially in this harsh Winter!) with the 2 in 1 Lip Pencil in 03 or 11 ($21 each), mixed with one of the Perfect Nude Lip Balms ($28 each).

Shop the entire black|Up line at blackupcosmetics.com or at Sephora!