French Women Don't Contour Because They Think Changing Your Face Is Weird

Lip, Hairstyle, Eyebrow, Eyelash, Jaw, Earrings, Beauty, Street fashion, Long hair, Sweater,

(Image credit: ARCHIVES)

published 29 April 2015

In a new interview with The Cut (opens in new tab), French editorial makeup artist and famed Dior consultant Violette (opens in new tab) admits the unthinkable: In France, contouring is just not a thing. The attitude of French women towards their makeup is stereotypically laissez faire. You know, like: "This is my face!" and that is that.

"The main beauty philosophy in France is to accept who you are," she said (opens in new tab). "That's what makes the French look so specific. We just do a little. We want to keep it simple. Even if we don't have the best cheekbones, we put the focus on our lips or lashes. Changing our face doesn't appeal to us."

The makeup artist is quick to note that it isn't a judgement call on American women's beauty habits ("America is really inspiring us in a good way... In America, it's about enjoying being a woman and celebrating it"). In fact, Violette admits that French women have started gravitating towards highlighters as a way to create dimension on the face.

What can we say: We are simultaneously surprised and not at all surprised. Ohhhh, to be French.

Read the whole (fascinating) thing on The Cut (opens in new tab).

You should also check out:

7 Things Living in France Taught Me About Style (opens in new tab)

5 Second Spring Styling Tricks from the Streets of Paris (opens in new tab)

7 Game-Changing French Beauty Secrets to Adopt Right Now (opens in new tab)

Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.