French Girl Makeup Looks To Recreate From Every Decade

The 1920s were a time of political and social change. It was the end of World War I, and the economy was on the rise. French women embraced this time by indulging in bold beauty trends. According to Sunday Edit, the makeup industry didn't start gaining traction with most French women until the 1920s. Prior, makeup was mostly worn by French actresses and sex workers. But, in the 1920s, many American artists immigrated to France, bringing with them jazz music and the flapper style, which inspired French beauty.

Stylish French girls at the time began wearing black eyeliner and red lipstick. It was such a change from the fashion of previous decades that the French referred to it as "Les Années Folles," which translates to "the crazy years." Marie-Laure Fournier of Fournier PR + Consulting explained these changes saying it was a way French women "expressed their new social power through fashion."

To achieve this 1920s-inspired look, focus on the eyes and lips. For the dark eyes, go for more of a smudged, smokey liner rather than any sharp lines. For the lips, use a matte red and follow your mouth's natural outline. Keep the rest of the face fairly natural. You can add concealer and foundation as needed, but keep it light and apply peach blush in a circular motion to warm up the skin. 1920s actress Renée Adorée is an excellent example of the look (via IMDb).

French style in the 1940s is a great example of how world events can influence fashion and beauty trends. You can clearly see how World War II's events impacted the French style. The war meant limited supplies, and new styles developed as a result. As Allure explains, hair care products such as shampoo and dye were challenging to get hold of. So, snoods and turbans became a fashionable way to cover hair, often with victory rolls pinned at the front of the head to make more of a statement. While war led countries like the US and Britain to adopt more subdued styles, French women under German occupation used their bold makeup and hairstyles as a subtle way to rebel.

Most of the emphasis was put on lips with deep cherry red lipstick or other dark red hues worn with natural face makeup. Different areas of France also had distinct styles from one another at the time. According to Marie Claire, while German-occupied regions leaned towards pencil-thin brows, in Vichy Franch, fuller, natural brows with a pronounced arch were the prevailing fashion.

Around the globe, the 1960s were a time for a lot of experimentation with makeup. The mod look took over with bold geometric shapes and interesting eye looks, heavily inspired by the model Twiggy. According to The Hair and Makeup Artist Handbook, the famous mod eye used black to line the eyes and crease, then filled in the lids with a lighter color in white, green, or blue. Shimmering makeup was coming into style, and many were also influenced by the hippie movement to incorporate bolder colors and face paint into looks.

However, the classic French girl look maintained a more effortless and natural feel throughout this time. Brigitte Bardot's popularity continued, so an emphasis on the eyes, sometimes incorporating liner in a doe-eyed look, was still en vogue. According to Allure, the French leveled up the eye look by adding fake lashes, which became much more common in the 1960s. Dramatic, fluttery lashes accomplish this look. While other parts of the world were experimenting with more extreme face and eye makeup, the French girl look still relied on fresh, matte skin. Although, the French did start to embrace frosted lipstick to contrast with natural face makeup.

Around the world, '80s fashion was influenced by music videos, movies, and nightlife. Women started wearing bolder colors in both fashion and makeup. This was also true for French beauty. According to Allure, in the 1980s, French women were known to wear colored eyeshadows, often with fake lashes, at the same time as a vibrant lip color. This was a move away from the traditional French method, which only emphasized one feature, such as the lips or the eyes. Instead, women might wear vibrant colors on the lips, eyes, and cheeks all at once. Farida Khelfa was a French supermodel who also inspired French beauty at the time with her edgy nightlife style.

The bright over-the-top style of the 1980s was a part of French style, but the French version was still more subdued than the '80s fashion you'd have seen in the US at the time. Women often downplayed bright, feminine makeup by styling it with menswear fashion. You can see how Jacquemus replicated this in their 2017 Fall runway (via InStyle). Models took to the catwalk wearing oversized blazers and shoulder pads while wearing eye-catching pink lips.

In the US, the early 2000s or Y2K fashion was pushed by pop culture it-girls like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Destiny's Child. As Grazia details, these celebrities were all about shimmer and sparkle. Their beauty looks relied on shimmering or frosted eyeshadows with glossy lips. Often that eyeshadow was packed all the way up to the brow bone. Hairstyles also embraced glitz and fun with crimping, high ponytails, and color streaks.

But, while Y2K celebrities were inspiring the US, French beauty took a step back. After the bold colors of the 1980s, French women went back to their classic roots. French girls in the 2000s kept their faces natural with a neutral lip and eye makeup to enhance their features. According to Allure, this shift to a traditional look was heavily inspired by Carla Bruni, an Italian and French musician and supermodel who became the first lady of France. Speaking about her beauty secrets, Bruni said she uses very moisturizing creams like Avène or La Roche Posay to keep her skin from getting dry, per Into the Gloss. And when it comes to face makeup, she recommended going light, "When you're 15 years old, you can cover yourself with makeup, but when you're past 30, you can be lighter with your hand. It's better to concentrate on having good skin. For instance, instead of using foundation, I would use a BB or CC cream."

Like past styles, today's French girl style is natural and effortless. Beauty Crew explained that achieving French beauty is as much about what you don't wear as what you do. Unlike beauty trends in the US, modern French looks avoid fake tans, contouring, and long acrylic nails, opting instead to enhance natural features and achieve a lived-in look.

The first step to achieving a modern French girl look is to focus on timeless red lips. Rather than using lip liner and spending time on a precise cupid's bow and careful application, you can leave your lips lightly smudged. The lived-in lipstick is the statement of the look, and the rest of your face should stay fairly natural. "The ideal French complexion is created with products that can't be seen on the skin," French beauty expert Charlotte Ravet said, "To achieve this effect, avoid applying too much foundation on the skin but rather use concealers and color correctors." Another way to enhance natural features is by using trending black blush. Though it appears black in the pot, the blush takes on pink and purple shades to mimic natural complexion when applied and is becoming widely popular in France, according to Ravet.