The Cast of ‘Emily in Paris’ is Bringing Modern French-Girl Makeup To Life
Drab, gray Parisians dotted the small screen for years. Whether it was ‘Le Pulp Fiction’ or ‘Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain,’ French cinemas tended to err on the side of conservatives when it came to fashion and beauty. But In 2020, Netflix’s new hit series, ‘Emily in Paris’ has given the Parisian look an updated, modern flair with its cast’s stunning portrayals of French-girl makeup – makeup tricks that we can all steal!
Who Is Emily Cooper From Emily in Paris?
Here’s a quick introduction to the star of the show, Emily Cooper. Emily is a twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago who moves to Paris to work as a social media specialist at a French luxury marketing firm. Emily’s character portrays fashion-forward hair, makeup and attire that is significantly different than the traditional yet simple French look.
Emily’s character brings to life a new way of looking at the classic Parisian beauty look. In Emily in Paris, the heavy, dramatic makeup look is gone and replaced by something that is undeniably chic, yet effortless. Let’s steal Emily’s makeup tricks and try them out for ourselves.
Key Elements of French-Girl Makeup
Before we steal Emily’s tricks, let’s establish the basics of French-girl makeup. We can all admit that French women possess an effortless sense of style, but what defines them specifically in the realm of makeup?
There are a few key elements when it comes to achieving the French-girl beauty look:
• Natural of colors on the eyes
• Multi-dimensional lips
• Near flawless skin
• Effective use of contour and highlighter
These are the essential components of mastering French-girl makeup. Let’s get Emily in Paris-style makeup ready!
Emily in Paris Makeup Trick #1: Natural Eyes
The eyes are, undeniably, the cornerstone of French-girl makeup. Women in France prefer to stick with muted and neutral shades for a look that is both polished and understated.
Emily in Paris’ natural eyes look is all about accentuating your natural beauty with subtle color and shimmer. To recreate this look, start with a neutral, matte-look base, then choose two shades of brown shadow to give the look some dimension. This can be darkened, smudged and blended at the base of the eyelashes to create the perfect daytime eye look.
This look isn’t just perfect for work, it can easily transition to night with just a few adjustments. Simply choose a neutral shade of eye shadow to highlight the inner corner of your eye, adding a touch of shimmer and brightness. Then, line your upper lash line with a dark, matte liner for a sophisticated take on the classic French cat eye look.
Emily in Paris Makeup Trick #2: Multi-Dimensional Lips
The Emily in Paris lip look is where it’s at! Whether she wears a sheer pink lippie or a bold, gorgeous red, Emily’s lips always look full and multi-dimensional.
To mimic this multi-dimensional lip look, start with applying a lip pencil in the same color of your favorite lipstick shade. With the pencil, draw slightly above your lip line to add a little extra volume. From here, you can choose your lip color. Matte or sheer shades can work just as well as bold and vibrant colors — it just depends on the look you’re going for. After you’ve achieved your desired color, finish it off with a lip gloss on top or sheer tinted balm.
Emily in Paris Makeup Trick #3: Flawless Skin
It’s no secret that Emily in Paris carries some of the most flawless skin on television, and luckily, you can achieve the same look with the right makeup products.
Start by prepping your skin with a velvety moisturizer that will keep your skin hydrated throughout the day. Then, apply a lightweight foundation to even out your skin tone and hide any flaws. To keep the look natural and light without compromising any coverage, use a medium coverage foundation rather than a full coverage formula.
After applying your foundation, set it with a light dusting of translucent powder, and add a little color to your cheeks with bronzer or blush. To create a glowy, sun-kissed look, use the highlighter sparingly. The key is to build up the color gradually in layers, so the look appears effortless yet still polished.
Emily in Paris Makeup Trick #4: Perfect Clumpy Mascara
We can all agree that Emily’s eyelashes are one of her best features, and it’s safe to assume she’s achieved them with a combination of false eyelashes and well-applied mascara.
For the perfect clumpy lashes like Emily Cooper’s, start by wiggling your mascara brush against the base of your eyelashes. As the bristles get close to the base of your lash line, twist them together so they start to clump together. This creates a larger-looking lash, perfect for achieving the multidimensional lashes you’m seeing on Emily in Paris.
In addition to the perfect clumping effect, Emily’s eyelashes are always defined with an abundance of length and volume. To get this effect, apply a lengthening mascara after the clumping step. Finish the look by curling your lashes and adding a few individual falsies on the outer corners of your eyes for some extra drama.
Emily in Paris Makeup Trick #5: Brushed-Up Brows
Brows play an important role in bringing together the whole French-girl makeup look. Emily keeps her eyebrows groomed with a brushed-up look that accentuates her eyes and complements her other makeup choices perfectly.
Recreating Emily’s brushed-up brows is simple. Start by brushing your eyebrows up with a spoolie brush. Then, use a thin, angled brush to shape your brows before filling them in with a powder or gel, depending on the look you’re going for. The ultimate goal here is to keep the look natural and defined, and never too done-up.
Whether you’re a fan of ‘Emily in Paris’ or not, you can’t deny that the show is bringing modern French-girl makeup to life. With a few simple tricks and a bit of practice, you can easily recreate that Emily Cooper look.
These five Emily in Paris makeup tricks are must-tries for anyone looking to give your French-girl makeup look an update. From natural eyes to brushed-up brows, these five fun tips and tricks will help you achieve that effortless, French-girl beauty look that’s perfect for all occasions.