5 French-Girl Winter Makeup Trends to Know, Per a Celeb MUA
There is a certain brand of sophistication you can only spot on the streets of Paris. Refined silhouettes, red lipstick, and streamlined capsule wardrobes have a different effect when the wearer balances a glass of Sancerre between three long, manicured fingers and dangles an ashy cigarette from the others, animated by curls of smoke and sloshing wine while they speak in rapid French. Though Americans have long romanticized the urban glamour of Parisians, the one thing that is entirely rooted in reality is the natives’ knack for beauty. From their bold lipstick shades to their slept-in smoky eyes, the French have been writing fashion’s beauty playbook for what feels like forever—though there’s never a better time to lean into their effortlessly glamorous ways more than in winter.
While you may think of “French beauty” as bold red lips and a relatively bare face right off the cuff, French celebrity makeup artist and beauty founder Violette Serrat, the name behind Violette FR, is already seeing winter trends materialize on the streets of Paris and New York City. “I love what’s happening in beauty right now because I feel we’re seeing a return to more expressive makeup,” says Serrat. After a long bout of “clean-girl” beauty and makeup minimalism, the makeup artist senses something more dramatic and “rebellious” coming onto the scene. “It’s less about a perfectly constructed face and more about creating an atmosphere,” she explains. “Makeup is becoming a little less obedient—and I think that’s a very good thing.”
From blurred, Bordeaux-stained lips to flushed skin and icy “jewelry” eyes, these are the five winter makeup trends that Serrat says you should adopt from the French now if you want to stay ahead of the curve.
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Jewelry Eyes
Shimmer eye shadows are nothing new in the world of winter makeup (holiday season practically calls for them), but Serrat isn’t talking about your typical pop of silver. “I think we’re going to see even more experimentation with light and texture, especially for the holidays,” she explains. “Metallics are coming back, but in a more artistic way.” Think frosted silver swipes, intentional placement, and “unexpected flashes of blue, iridescent pigments” that make eyelids look wet rather than glittery. “I love the idea of treating color like jewelry,” the makeup artist muses. “A single gesture of metallic blue or silver on otherwise bare skin can be so much more interesting than a very elaborate makeup look.”
To create a more editorial look, Serrat recommends liquid shadows like the Violette_FR Yeux Paint for graphic shapes or pops of color. “It doesn’t have to be complicated to feel creative,” she adds. In fact, the more smudged and diffused, the better, in the makeup artist’s book. But if precision is what you are after, then consider a metallic eyeliner like Lune Liner for soft slivers of light. “You can use it as a very delicate accent along the lashes or create something more graphic,” says Serrat. “It’s like adding a little piece of jewelry to your face.”
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Yeux Paint in Bleu De Minuit
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Money Shot Illuminating Gel Highlighter
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Lune Liner in Coup De Foudre
Bordeaux-Stained Lips
Classic French makeup will have you reaching for blue-red lipsticks. While Serrat is still a fan of this traditional look, she would point you toward slightly moodier colors if you want to be ahead of the curve this winter. She spotlights “Bordeaux red, black cherry, smoky browns” as the lippies du jour while the temperatures drop, but never fear—you don’t need to paint your lips in a starkly opaque liquid lipstick to play into the vampy trend. “A deep burgundy can be incredibly dramatic when worn at full intensity or almost romantic when you blur it with your finger until it looks like a stain,” she explains. Serrat especially loves this look for the holidays due to the tension between something “very sophisticated” and “a little undone” that it creates. The trick to making this look extra chic, however, is to leave your skin and eyes nearly untouched. This adds a festive touch without leaning into holiday kitsch (and looking like you didn’t try so hard, even if it took you a few redos).
For a statement lip, Serrat recommends Violette_FR’s Petal Bouche in Amour Fou. “It’s this incredible, vibrant red that almost becomes an accessory on its own,” she explains. For a deeper iteration, the makeup artist suggests Cerise Désir: a vampy, smoked merlot. But if you prefer a less fussy, more diffused look, she’d urge you to stipple the Plume Lip in Syrah Fumé onto (and slightly over the lines of) your lips to create an intentionally smudged, wine-stained look. “Same color family, completely different emotion,” she adds. “It’s incredible how much the gesture can change the personality of a color.”
Shop Products for Bordeaux-Stained Lips
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Petal Bouche in Amour Fou
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Plume Lip in Syrah Fumé
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Petal Bouche in Cerise Désir
Lingerie Eyes
Thanks to Charli XCX and Gucci’s headline-making S/S 27 show glam, smoky eyes are everywhere right now. But I’m dubbing this new frontier “lingerie eyes” after hearing Serrat’s poetic definition—one that emulates sheer black fabric, effortless drape, and soft sensuality. “We’re seeing darker, more diffused eyes—almost a little lived-in, which I love,” she explains. But rest assured that you don’t need to go heavy on the black pigment to make an impact. “I have always believed that a sheer dark color is the way to get this smoky effect while making it very wearable,” she explains. It’s time to break out your eye shadow palettes.
When creating a hazy smoky eye, you’ll get the best results from working in thin layers with a sheer-coverage, yet buildable shadow. I’m a personal fan of Serrat’s Plume Eye Shadows, which is exactly what she recommends for this kind of look. “The texture is incredibly easy to diffuse, so you can create a smoky eye that feels very soft and wearable,” she says. “Take a little eye shadow on your finger, press it close to the lashes, and diffuse it outward—you can build the intensity gradually,” the makeup artist explains. “I love when it looks a little imperfect, like the makeup has already lived with you for a few hours.”
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Plume Eyeshadow in Charbon Fumé
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Solo Shadow in Nelson
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Ombre Essentielle Eyeshadow in Bois Noir
Spotlight Pout
This look is not so much a trend but a way to wear your makeup that feels inherently French in the winter. When wearing a statement lip—whether fully saturated or wispily blurred—try juxtaposing the severity by keeping your skin and eyes relatively clean and radiant. (Yes, I’m encouraging you to skip mascara, too. The bare-lashes trend is exceptionally chic when paired with a statement lip.) Serrat spotlights “reds, deep burgundies, almost gothic plum” shades as ones to wear with natural, glowing skin, especially when the complexion is slightly blurred with a sheer dusting of powder. “There’s something very romantic about these colors in winter, especially when the rest of the face is almost bare,” she states. “I love that contrast.”
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Cashmere Color Smoothing Lip Blush in Reserve
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M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Diva
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Gloss Bomb Stix High-Shine Gloss Stick in Black’r Berry
Plum Flush
While bright pink “cold girl blush” is nothing new for beauty enthusiasts, French people are taking a jammier, deeper approach to winter blush this year. Serrat describes “soft-focus skin” and “flushed cheeks—almost like you’ve just come inside from the cold” as one of the season’s top trends for the season ahead, and it’s arguably one of the easiest to achieve.
“For that beautiful winter flush, Bisou Blush is perfect,” she goes on. “[It] gives this soft, diffused flush that looks like it’s coming from within the skin.” Take the shade Maryam, for example, which deposits a marbled wash of wine-colored pigment onto the cheeks, which you can easily blend with your fingers or a dense brush. But as Serrat explains, placement matters when getting this trend right. “I love applying it high on the cheeks, and even a tiny bit across the nose,” she says, “as if you’ve just come back from a long walk in the cold.” Be sure to concentrate the color on the high points of your face (the upper part of your cheekbones, your nose, and even a touch on your chin) to achieve a realistic flush and subtle chisel.
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VIOLETTE_FR
Bisou Blush in Maryam
Merit
Flush Balm in Après
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Pocket Blush in Date Cake
How to Combine French Winter Beauty Trends
- Create a focal point: “Choose one statement feature from above and let it be the focus,” says Serrat. “Start with fresh, natural skin—bringing a little light back to darker areas of the face, like under the eyes—brush your brows into place, then let your statement eye or lip do the magic,” she adds. “I always say French beauty is a lot like French fashion—you choose one statement piece and let everything else complement it.”
- Start small: When experimenting with metallic shadows or pops of color, Serrat recommends starting with small details before working up to something more statement-making. “A flash of silver in the inner corner, a little blue along the lashes,” she illustrates. “You don’t need to commit to an entire look to have fun with color. I think that’s something French women do beautifully: They know how to edit.”
- Edit the look: Be choosy about the trends you decide to incorporate. Whether a dramatic, hazily smoked eye with fresh, natural skin or a bold lip with little else on the face, visual contrast and refined restraint add that Parisian touch.
- Have fun: “Ultimately, I love seeing women take these trends and interpret them in their own way,” says Serrat. “A trend should be an invitation to experiment, not another set of instructions to follow. Makeup is so much more interesting when you leave a little room for instinct,” she elaborates.
