Offering age-old, easy French beauty tips
What is it about the allure of French women? Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Vanessa Paradis all possess that nonchalant Parisian chic that starts with minimal makeup and slightly disheveled hair. Now French native Mathilde Thomas, co-founder of natural skin care brand Caudalíe, gives her expert rundown of French beauty rules, traditions and do-it-yourself recipes in “The French Beauty Solution: Time-Tested Secrets to Look and Feel Beautiful Inside and Out” ($26.95), which was released Tuesday. She recently sat down in West Hollywood to discuss the French approach to beauty, makeup, hair and diet. What are some main differences between Parisian and American beauty habits?
I think American women are more about quick fixes and instant gratification. Makeup is much bigger here than in France. And a lot of women I meet put makeup on their skin without any moisturizer underneath. In France, we know that you need a great canvas before adding makeup.... So we are taught at a very early age by our family and friends that we should apply a moisturizer with SPF and antioxidants every morning.
The second difference is that American women are putting a lot of pressure on themselves, I think. This Type A woman, always perfect, with blown-out hair, flawless makeup like [she is] wearing a mask to go to the office, and amazing white teeth. It’s a lot. We are more laid-back, more lazy. French women hate when you see them coming out of their hairdresser’s shop. If the blow-dry is too obvious, they don’t like that. They don’t want it too perfect. Hair color is maybe less extreme than Americans. We like very, very subtle highlights. We are not as bold as Americans. Are there any tips that you’ve learned from American women?
Women here are much more groomed, so now I tend to put more makeup on, I do more blow-drying, and my teeth are probably whiter. I try to do sports when I see all the people running in Central Park and I had to try SoulCycle. I even stopped smoking, which was great. Can you talk to some of the more unique French beauty tips in the book?
To combat dry and brittle hair, we will put an oil on the hair 20 minutes before shampooing. There is the Huile de Leonor Greyl preshampoo oil treatment or I use Caudalíe’s Divine Oil for the face, body and hair. After shampooing, you put a tiny bit of the oil on the ends of the hair. And putting vinegar on the hair to make it more shiny is very French. Vinegar stinks a bit, so I use white vinegar, spritz a fragrance twice and put it on my hair, then rinse with cold water. You also emphasize not over-cleansing.
Squeaky clean is for your car, not your skin. I never use products containing sodium lauryl sulfate, which is a cheap detergent, and it’s everywhere. I’d rather use ingredients that are gentle and don’t lather as much to keep a little bit of the natural sebum on the skin. I wash my skin with micellar water [a cleansing water infused with oil that also removes makeup], which is very French, or with natural oils. Oil attracts oil, and it dissolves even waterproof makeup. Would you say that French women are more into skin care?
Yes, there is a difference. First, we scrub — especially elbows, knees and ankles — once a week. I use Caudalíe’s exfoliating Crushed Cabernet Scrub [a do-it-yourself recipe is in the book] or Divine Scrub. And then I moisturize with a body butter that is very thick and rich, but you can also use a lighter formula. I use my face products on the neck You make some interesting points about diet in your book.
Never go on a diet. You have to be careful all your life, unfortunately. In France, when you want to lose weight, you will go PP/PS [“pas de pain/pas de sucre”] which is no bread, no sugar for a few days. And it works. And you promote a threeday grape cleanse?
Yes, I discovered that in 1998 while doing research for my first book, “La Sante Par Le Raisin,” or “Health From the Grape,” which was not translated into English. In the 19th century, it was very trendy to do a grape detox as a cleanse for the body. Women from Italy and Germany would only eat grapes, grape seeds and grape juice for days or weeks or sometimes months, and they would see their skin become flawless, lose a little bit of weight and feel really good.... In 1990, there was a scientific study of the grape cleanse on 500 people in France, and in my book I talk about the results, which are incredible on the skin, the body and the health in general. I do this cleanse every year. Would you say that much of the French beauty solution boils down to attitude?
Yes. Drink red wine, smoke, stop exercising and dress sexy. [laughs] Well, in France it is very different, as people have five weeks of paid vacation per year and they work [35] hours per week. French people know how to relax. And French people know how to eat really well. You don’t fill the tank in France. You would rather not eat than eat food that has no taste. Life is not a sprint; it’s a marathon.