There’s something about a statement red lip worn in the summertime that feels impossibly chic — especially when it’s done the French-girl way. And yes, maybe I’m into the “French vibes” lately because we have a European vacation planned for this summer with our kids (who have never flown abroad!), and Paris, France, will be one of our stops! I cannot wait! So if any of you have ANY suggestions of what to do, or even what NOT to do while there, with teenagers, I’m all ears in the comment section 🙂
So here’s the proof that a good red lip is really all you need this summer in the beauty department! And the thing is, it shouldn’t be overly precise or super heavy-looking and should be paired with minimal other makeup. You know the look of glowing, sheer skin like you spent the afternoon walking through Paris instead of sweating through errands in 90-degree Georgia heat!
The “French girl” red lip is having a major moment again, but unlike the crisp, dramatic reds of the past, this version feels lived-in and effortless. Beauty editors describe it as matte, softly diffused or stained, and intentionally imperfect — the kind of lipstick that looks even better after coffee, rosé, and a long summer evening.
The secret? French-inspired beauty is never about wearing more makeup. It’s about wearing one statement feature beautifully. And that makes it perfect for the summer time.
So today I’m giving you a roadmap on how to copy and get the look.
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French-Girl Red Lipsticks To Try
Budget-Friendly Chic
L’Oreal Paris Color Riche Intense volume matte lipstick, $13, in “La Rouge Paris 300.”
A comfortable matte red that gives effortless Parisian glamour without the luxury price tag.
Classic Matte Icon
MAC Macximal Silky Matte Lipstick, $25, in “Ruby Woo.”
This iconic shade that has a velvety opaque finish makes this perfect for a statement blue-red, look-at-me lip.
Luxury French-Girl Energy
Violette FR Bissou Balm sheer matte lipstick, $30 in shade “Bonbon Coquelicot” – a warm poppy red. A sophisticated, blurred matte formula that looks elegant, expensive, and never overly dry. And it was created by a real French gal, nonetheless! Go check out one of my last posts on blurred makeup for mature women here and scroll down to the bottom where I’m wearing this exact formula in another raspberry-ish shade!
The Cool-Girl Satin
Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous lip color, $53.00, in “Pirate.”
A truly timeless satin red that gives polished Parisian beauty with a modern finish from an actual French fashion house. This shade has taken off as THE IT red lipstick to own by fashion and beauty editors and claims that you won’t need another red lipstick if you own this one!
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How to Do the Perfect French-Girl Summer Makeup
The goal is skin that still looks like skin. Skip heavy contour, baking, and overly sculpted makeup..Yay! Less time in front of the mirror! French beauty is about balance — if the lip is bold, everything else stays soft and understated.
My Skin Tips:
Start with a lightweight, glowy base. I’m really into the affordable Covergirl Simply Ageless Skin Perfector Essence, $13, for this type of breezy skin look! You can click on my Instagram reel I created here to see my exact before and after using this product in action. Wearing shade: medium in this post, but was wearing light medium in the Instagram reel.
Use concealer only where needed and let freckles and natural texture show through. I decided to keep with a French theme, and used my Nars Soft Matte complete concealer $36, in shade “creme brulee,” here just under my eyes and sides of my nose to take down redness. This is a hardworking concealer formula, ladies.
And speaking of redness, the French house of Laura Mercier just came out with a mint green color correcting loose powder, $48, option for those that struggle with red blotchy skin – Brilliant! So I set my face with this just in the center around my nose, where I can get a tad red.
Add a cream or liquid blush high on the cheeks for that sun-kissed flush, and don’t forget to tap the bridge of the nose with it. Again, going with the French brand Nars (created by makeup artist/ photographer Francois Nars back in 1994) and using the Nars Afterglow liquid blush in “Aragon,” $32 for this. It’s a gorgeous shade of warm chestnut brown that I think looks expensive on the skin – is that a thing?? This also means you can skip bronzer.
For Eyes, Keep it Simple
Fill in brows for fullness, but instead of carving them out dramatically, keep them soft without accentuating a high arch. Keep them more straight across.
Black or even brown mascara ONLY on the upper lashes. I went for the L’Oreal Paris (are you seeing a theme?! ha!) Extensionist Lengthening and curling mascara, $15. Check out the picture to see the difference in the eye that has the mascara on and the one that doesn’t! If you want non -clumpy, nicely separated lashes, with a skinny wand good for tiny eyes, try this one!
A soft swipe of taupe (for fair skin to light skin) or warm brown (for light-medium and dark skin) shadow worn from the lash line just slightly above your natural eye socket crease. No overly complicated shadow look here. I’m wearing browns from the Milani Gilded Mini palette in “whiskey business,” $9.
Maybe a tiny flick of liner if you want extra definition, or just tightline the upper lash line. I chose one of the best black liners around, the Urban Decay 24/7 liner in “Perversion,”$23, did a slight flick, and rubbed it in with my eyeliner brush.
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Now Comes the Fun Part – the RED LIP!
(Don’t spend a lifetime trying to make it look perfect, seriously)
I chose to use the Clarins Hydrating Matte Water lip stain in “Red Water,” $32, and applied 3 layers of it, letting it dry slightly in between until I got the impact I wanted. You can use the small brush included to outline your lips a little then color in the center if you want.
I went a step further and added one of the $3 elf cosmetics creamy glide lip liners in shade “red receipt” to further give my lips a bit more girth and definition (I overlined the cupid’s bow a wee bit to achieve this).
Matte and satin finishes work best because they create that chic, slightly worn-in texture French makeup is known for. That’s why these Clarins lip stains are so good!! Feels like actual water on the lips with no heaviness.
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Finished Look
Add-ons for this French vibe: A bright white high-neck tank top is a closet staple. So many great options here from Banana Republic, $20, Bloomingdale’s, $38, and Veronica Beard, $178. // A neckerchief for French flair, my exact one from Urban Outfitters here, $5. But I’ve linked quite a few neckerchief options on my LTK profile here. // A healthy pink nail color, such as Essie’s new collection of Studio Glass sheer nail polishes, $13, makes my nails look polished but not overdone. I’m wearing the shade “Cin Cin” here. // Lots of gold bangles from Amazon here in a few widths,$18, or this popular set of 3 from Nordstrom here, $50.
The result is confident, feminine, and timeless — like you just stepped off a yacht in the South of France with great sunglasses and absolutely no interest in overcomplicating your makeup routine! And if you need/want more makeup inspiration, check out this popular post, 10 Underrated Beauty Tips For Women Over 40!
Part of the French aesthetic is that makeup look lived-in; it’s about the person wearing it, not about showing off a “Look” (including “the French-girl Look”!) A successful stand-out red lip only works when all the rest of whatever makeup one wears is so subtle as to be almost undetectible; you look just like YOU, but with this fabulous red lip. So many American women think they don’t look good without (what ends up being too much) makeup, but if you like yourself, (and I sure hope you do!) pull some of your unique confidence into your makeup routine and say to the world, “Here I am…Lucky you! And with red lipstick, no less! Lucky, LUCKY you!” And let that lip color show YOU off! (Just take a little extra care with a precise application so it looks like you mean it, and don’t overdo the finish — i.e., slathering it on. Let the color speak. Remember: lived-in. YOU wear it; it doesn’t wear you!)
Yes Susan! let the red lip SPEAK! Love that.
Expect huge crowds. Musee d’Orsay is fabulous. Start on the top floor. Make reservations if available for any popular site. Versailles was so crowded in the tour rooms as to be uncomfortable. Be very aware of pick pockets.
I appreciate the heads up on all of this Susan! I didn’t even realize you could make reservations at the sites, so that’s great news.
Every time I try red lipstick it ends up smearing and getting all over my teeth. Please do a post on how to avoid this 🙂
It definitely happens with bolder shades! A couple things – using the right long wear formula (this Clarins stain I used here is great, and also the L’Oreal Infallible longwear liquid lipsticks) and also once it’s applied, stick your pointer finger into a pursed lip surrounding your finger, then pull out while keeping the lips pursed, and the inner rim of lip color should come off onto your finger not your teeth! (sounds kinda gross, but does work)
But you have lips!!!! Mine are thin 😔
I hear you Cynthia! Barely there lips still deserve some decoration 🙂 don’t be afraid to use a lip liner to exagerrate the edges/perimeter of the lips a bit to create the illusion of more fullness. And lip products with a sheen, shine, or gloss to them, also reflect light better than a matte color, so that helps create the look of plumper lips! Hope this helped.
Remember alrhough the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées that is known for its theatres, cafés, and luxury shops is great (has a tourist centre also), if you go off the avenue you will find (in the streets around it) many interesting alternatives to eat & at a fraction of the price. I believe your teenagers will enjoy them more. Have fun & safe travelling.
Thank you SO MUCH Bee!! This sounds like great advice! Being able to eat a bit more cheaply over there will be very helpful seeing as though this trip seems to be adding up quickly!!
Can i buy these cosmetics online?
Hi Mary. You sure can shop straight from this article. You can either click on the highlighted product mentioned, or go to the SHOP THE POST carousel of photos of each product and click right onto the photo and it will take you to the individual website to purchase.
Hi, Jennifer! I love the French red lip look! I use a few reds from Lipsense – have you tried their lip products? Wonder if you like them.
As for Paris, definitely have a cocktail at sunset at the rooftop bar at the Peninsula. Direct view (and photo opp) of the Eiffel Tower. Also the Seine River dinner cruises are quite nice – a little touristy but still nice. Maybe reserve lunch at Eiffel Tower – pretty cool way to skip the lines. Musee D’Orsay is amazing. Napoleons Tomb is great for young boys (I thought my son would never leave!). Louvre is fun but don’t try to do it all and Mona Lisa is a once must do but it’s small and the crowds are huge. My dad, who isn’t a huge makeup fan, said the Sephora on Champs Elysee was so big that he had to have his photo taken in front of it for me to see. Les Deux Magots is a cool cafe where apparently famous philosophers and writers once hung out. We saw one of the World Cup games there from a waiters phone. France won! So fun! If I think of more, I’ll tell you if I see you at FitBody soon! Excited for this trip for you!
Oh my gosh Carole, I love ALL of these suggestions!!! Please keep them coming when I see you at Fit Body – these are great insider tips I would never think of, so THANK YOU! I’m beyond excited to show my kids what life is like abroad – this is going to be a memorable experience for us all.