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 Chenal3 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 Chenal8 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” →

french skincare

How to get rid of cellulite the French way

by Léonce Chenal1 Comment on How to get rid of cellulite the French way
How to get rid of cellulite the French way

What is cellulite?

Cellulite is an inflammation of fat deposits which become completely saturated and could not be evacuated naturally. These fat deposits blocked lipids’ circulation and especially lymph circulation which is vital for transporting toxins to organs where toxins will be treated and evacuated. As toxins could not be evacuated anymore, they will accumulate themselves and will create an inflammation into specific areas. This inflammation will be getting worst with low or poor blood circulation. Another consequence of cellulite problem is an aesthetic consequence: the skin is compressed by inflammation and is going to lost its elasticity. Soon after, skin appears to have areas with underlying fat deposits, giving it a dimpled, lumpy appearance which is a specific characteristic of cellulite. But what we are seeing is just a reflection of a bad inside disorder. Continue reading “How to get rid of cellulite the French way” →

french skincare

Best French Pharmacy products a French girl swear by

by Léonce Chenal2 Comments on Best French Pharmacy products a French girl swear by
Best French Pharmacy products a French girl swear by

Since I’ve moved to London, I miss so much going every weekend to the French pharmacy! When I was living in Paris this was like my ritual to go at least once a week at the French pharmacy just to see what’s new and pick few products for face and body. I have always been very obsessed with French Pharmacy skincare products. French pharmacy is for me the ultimate health and beauty destination where you can find a full range of affordable and effective beauty products. I love the fact that most of the French pharmacy skincare products have a minimalist and hypo-allergenic formula and that you’ll always find the right product whatever your skin concern is: anti-aging, hydration, oiliness, radiance, or UV protection.

My skin type is combination, sensitive and dehydrated at the same time. I’m always seeking for very gentle skincare products that hydrate my skin without blocking my pores and causing breakouts. In order to inject a bit of French fabulousness into your skincare routine, I’ve saved you some time and I compiled a list of French beauty products must-haves based on products I’ve tried and that are working really well for my skin type. Most of the skincare products that I’ve listed are quite affordable and good news, they are all coming from Boots 🙂 Continue reading “Best French Pharmacy products a French girl swear by” →

french skincare

French beauty tips: Lotion P50 by Biologique Recherche

by Léonce ChenalLeave a Comment on French beauty tips: Lotion P50 by Biologique Recherche
French beauty tips: Lotion P50 by Biologique Recherche

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Why you need to exfoliate

Exfoliation is a natural phenomenon that occurs at every cycle of epidermis renewal when the epidermis sheds its dead cells; due to sun damage or genetics. However, this process can slow down especially when you age. If that superficial part of the epidermis is not taken off quick enough, your complexion may appear dull and uneven.

That is why exfoliation should be part of your daily facial skin care routine to aid the natural exfoliation process. Exfoliation is one of the most effective ways to promote youthful skin. By exfoliating your skin, you will remove dead skin cells from the surface layer of your skin and improve your skin’s texture and tone as it will bring fresh, new cells to the surface of your skin. Continue reading “French beauty tips: Lotion P50 by Biologique Recherche” →

french lifestyle

What to eat for an anti-aging diet

by Léonce Chenal2 Comments on What to eat for an anti-aging diet
What to eat for an anti-aging diet

Beauty comes from the inside

The effect of nutrition on skin aging has been an interesting research field for scientists from ancient times to nowadays. Our skin is subject to both intrinsic aging and extrinsic aging. Intrinsic aging or chronological aging is the unavoidable natural process of skin aging controlled by genetics. Starting in your mid-twenties dermal collagen production decreases as well as melanin production, cellular turnover slows, and your skin begins to show the first signs of aging. On the other hand, extrinsic aging is the result of external factors and environmental influence, mainly sun exposure and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation but also smoking, pollution, sleep deprivation and poor nutrition.

Prevention is the best and most effective way to work against extrinsic skin aging effects. The best prevention strategy against skin aging would be a well-regulated lifestyle, with low-stress conditions and a balanced nutritional diet, including anti-oxidative rich food. If it’s difficult to reduce our stress level or to control the environment in which we live (pollution), there is certainly one thing that we can influence: what we eat every day. So today I’m going to give you some diet tips to slow down skin aging process and best foods that are preferred to prevent and reduce wrinkles. Continue reading “What to eat for an anti-aging diet” →

french makeup

The Boy Beat No-Makeup Makeup Trend

by Léonce ChenalLeave a Comment on The Boy Beat No-Makeup Makeup Trend
The Boy Beat No-Makeup Makeup Trend

What is Boy Beat makeup?

Makeup is finally shifting into a more natural age! The “Boy Beat” makeup is basically a kind of a reversal of the Instagram perfect skin look. And it’s so refreshing to take a break from using eyeliner, overdrawn lips, exaggerated cat eyes to achieve the goal of looking hyper-feminine.

The Boy Beat makeup is a style of makeup popularized by Makeup Artist Sir Johns (Beyonce’s Makeup Artist) where the focus is on eyebrows and cheekbones. The Boy Beat makeup is the latest evolution of natural makeup look as it refers to place emphasis on eyebrow thickening and face sculpting paired with an almost blemish-free base. Continue reading “The Boy Beat No-Makeup Makeup Trend” →