french skincare

How to get and maintain clear skin

by Léonce Chenal3 Comments on How to get and maintain clear skin
How to get and maintain clear skin

Blemishes on the face and body are a common issue for most people. And beautiful, clear skin is nowadays quite rare: some 50 million people in America deal with breakouts, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, which also says that acne is the most common skin condition across the country. Blemishes and acne is not something that affects a specific demographic—dermatologists report that acne is on the rise in adults.

“Both adult and teen acne need topical skincare addressing bacteria, pore clogging, and oil production,” says dermatologist Robert Anolik, M.D.

Continue reading “How to get and maintain clear skin” →

Best Beauty Products

Favorite Beauty Products: October 2018 Edition

by Léonce ChenalLeave a Comment on Favorite Beauty Products: October 2018 Edition
Favorite Beauty Products: October 2018 Edition

Overwhelmed by all the new beauty products that are out? I’m here to help you narrow down your search. Welcome to my favorite beauty products, a monthly feature in which I’m sharing my favorite products that I’ve tested this month. They’re the best things I’ve tried all month long before having the opportunity to get sick of them and moving on to something new. I didn’t use too many different products over the past month: I’m currently transitioning to a clean beauty routine (trying to be mindful of what I put on my skin and trying to embrace the safest and most effective natural ingredients), and at the same time I’m trying to stick into the 3 step French skincare routine.

So let’s just talk about the new hot cloth facial cleanser, moisture mist, active deodorant balm (free from aluminum) or the perfect fall candle that I’m obsessing over right now! This list only includes my favorite of the ones I tried and tested. Check back at the end of each month to find out which beauty product I loved. Continue reading “Favorite Beauty Products: October 2018 Edition” →

french skincare

The 3 step French skincare routine

by Léonce Chenal4 Comments on The 3 step French skincare routine
The 3 step French skincare routine

I’m sure you know all about the 10-step Korean skincare routine that has become a global phenomenon, mainly grounded in Korea’s cultural obsession with healthy skin. The 10-step Korean skincare routine rule is basically using an oil cleanser, a water-based cleanser, an exfoliator, a toner, an essence, a serum, a sheet mask, an eye cream, a moisturizer, and an SPF. Even if with this skincare routine you’re not supposed to be doing all 10 steps every single day, I think it’s still a lot of beauty products!

If you’re not doing the 10-step Korean skincare routine, I’m sure your skincare routine is probably as complex (or even more), as we’re constantly encouraged by the beauty industry to add more products to our vanity and spend even longer in the bathroom. As a French beauty blogger, I found myself layering on multiple serums, moisturizers, tinted moisturizers, and sunscreen, and always on the hunt for the next must-have beauty product. The result is a drawn-out, increasingly complex routine that incorporates everything on my shelf—until I start seeing more redness on my cheeks and breakouts. But is it really beneficial to layer up so many products, and is it really helping the skin? Continue reading “The 3 step French skincare routine” →

french skincare

French skincare secrets from a French beauty blogger

by Léonce Chenal5 Comments on French skincare secrets from a French beauty blogger
French skincare secrets from a French beauty blogger

How a French beauty blogger cares for her skin

I read so many articles and blog posts about French beauty secrets, French skincare routine and how French take care of their skin, most of them written by non-French beauty bloggers or foreigner journalists that I wanted to write a blog post about this topic.  In this post, I’ll share my personal point of view and observations about a French skincare routine, which may not be representative of the entire French population. For the record, I’m a French beauty blogger, I grew up in the French Alps (close to Geneva), I lived for 4 years in Paris before moving to London.

I think in France, we take our skincare very seriously, not only for great skin today but for great skin in the future. We don’t have a bathroom cabinet filled with a million different skin care product options like American or British do, and we don’t get distracted by the latest and greatest hype. French will always seek up for qualitative (maybe expensive) beauty products and we use to stick with what we know works instead of changing our skincare beauty routine every week. Skincare routines are usually passed down from a generation to the next one (grandmothers, mothers), that explains maybe why French girls take their skincare very seriously from a young age. Continue reading “French skincare secrets from a French beauty blogger” →

french skincare

Non-toxic beauty: how to switch to a clean beauty routine

by Léonce Chenal8 Comments on Non-toxic beauty: how to switch to a clean beauty routine
Non-toxic beauty: how to switch to a clean beauty routine

Lately, I’ve been looking at the ingredients in my favorite skincare products which I’m using every day, and I was quite surprised to see so many different chemicals with unpronounceable names and with unknown benefits for the skin. I’ve always looked at the ingredients in my food: cutting back on processed and refined foods in favor of whole foods. But what am I washing my hair with? What is contained in the day cream that I’m using every day? What chemicals am I applying to my body through my body lotion?

When it comes to personal care products, many of us are unaware of the chemicals that we slather over our skin through beauty products. The truth is that not all ingredients are “clean” and some are actually slowly poisoning our bodies, speeding up the aging process and even causing cancer.

What we put on our skin should be as clean as what we eat.

But for most people, it’s not.

Continue reading “Non-toxic beauty: how to switch to a clean beauty routine” →

french makeup

How to wear red lipstick like a French girl

by Léonce Chenal2 Comments on How to wear red lipstick like a French girl
How to wear red lipstick like a French girl

For this makeup look, I’ve decided to do a video as I thought it would be easier for you to follow step by step which products I’m using, and how I’m doing this very French classic makeup look. As I grew up in France, I’ve always been used to seeing very chic women wearing red lipstick, it’s probably not something that we wear every day but most of the time for special days and nights out.

In France, we’re used to going for no makeup or very minimal foundation, smoky eyes, or red lipstick. When we go for red lipstick, usually the complexion needs to remain very natural, which allows us to wear very intense and bold red lips. It doesn’t matter if your skin is not flawless, as you can see I’m still dealing with some breakouts around the chin, acne scars and redness (no photoshop or filters on this blog), even if my skin has improved by using probiotics. With red lipstick, the focus is on the lip and as the red color attracts attention, all your imperfection will be less visible. In this look -and in all French makeup looks-, the key is to find a balance between glam and natural. Continue reading “How to wear red lipstick like a French girl” →

french skincare

How I cleared up my acne with probiotics

by Léonce Chenal4 Comments on How I cleared up my acne with probiotics
How I cleared up my acne with probiotics

Did you know that acne is increasingly seen in adult women? Almost twice as many women seek help for their acne than men, and one-third of total acne office visits are made by women over 25 years old. Acne traditionally has been attributed to four main factors: sebum production, Propionibacterium acnes colonization, follicular hyperkeratosis, and inflammation. Other factors like hormonal fluctuations, genetics, cosmetics, diet, tobacco use, and stress are likely involved as well in the development of acne in adult women. But what if acne was simply caused by gut issues?

I’m 27 years old and I’ve never had acne in my life. Never. Until the beginning of this year when I’ve started to break out around my chin. At first, I’ve attributed my breakout to hormonal fluctuations, which is really common for a woman. But after a few months, it started to get worse and worse, without understanding what was going on. I was breaking out everywhere on my face; on my chin, cheeks, all over my forehead and even on my temples. Continue reading “How I cleared up my acne with probiotics” →

french makeup

French Beauty Tips: The no make-up skin care routine

by Léonce Chenal9 Comments on French Beauty Tips: The no make-up skin care routine
French Beauty Tips: The no make-up skin care routine

Forget heavy mask of makeup, this season beauty has gone back to basics. Rather than reaching for a host of heavy foundations, concealers, and powders, make-up artists instead spent time layering moisturizers, primers, and strobe creams to give a truly healthy radiance to models’ complexion. This season is all about embracing the skin’s real beauty, and if your complexion isn’t flawless, you can still wear the no-makeup look without having model skin. Today I’m going to give you my French beauty tips to nail flawless bare beauty and to manage going makeup free.

Reasons I decided to go makeup-free

Getting rid of acne

The main reason why I decided to go makeup-free was to experience fewer breakouts. Your skin needs to ‘breathe’ and using daily cover up such as foundation or concealer can clog pores and lead to breakouts, especially for those who have naturally oily skin (like me). When I’m talking about skin ‘breathing,’ I’m referring to whether the skin is occluded or not. Occluding the skin can cause pimples, whiteheads, or blackheads. It can also cause the skin to look dull—especially if a heavy amount of makeup is applied and not removed. Continue reading “French Beauty Tips: The no make-up skin care routine” →

french skincare

En Vogue: the best new beauty products of summer 2018

by Léonce ChenalLeave a Comment on En Vogue: the best new beauty products of summer 2018
En Vogue: the best new beauty products of summer 2018

As soon as summer comes along, it’s time to switch up your skincare regime to suit the new season. Store those rich, heavy creams and moisturizers right along with your winter coats, and make the switch to lightweight gel moisturizers, hydrating serum hydrating face mists, SPF moisturizers, and post-sun hydration-boosters. The latest launches are all geared towards keeping your skin protected while you’re outside, and soothing and restoring it once you come back inside. Here are all the new heroes to add to your beauty arsenal. Continue reading “En Vogue: the best new beauty products of summer 2018” →

french lifestyle

How French women stay slim without trying

by Léonce ChenalLeave a Comment on How French women stay slim without trying
How French women stay slim without trying

The French paradox

Did you ever hear about the French paradox? In 1987, Ducimetiere and his team coined the term “the French Paradox” to refer to the fact that the French have among the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease in the world despite having among the highest intakes of saturated fat. Many authors have proposed various hypotheses to explain the French paradox. The main assumptions that have been explored relate to the lifestyle of the French, in particular, their drinking and dietary habits.

Since the consumption of alcohol, in particular wine, is high in France compared with most Western countries, it has been proposed that their drinking habits may protect the French against cardiovascular diseases (thanks to resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant which is found most abundantly in grapes and, therefore, red wine). However, other dietary aspects are probably important in the French paradox. A recent assumption was that the French may be protected simply by their dietary habits, in the same way as the other South European populations. The answers may lie in the overall quality of the diet rather than in a single food or beverage. Continue reading “How French women stay slim without trying” →