How to Pull Off French-Approved Cherry Lips This Season
DISCLOSURE
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Darling, the holidays are approaching, and you know what that means: too many cookies, too little sleep, and at least one lipstick panic in a public restroom. You want to look effortlessly glamorous, not like you lost a fight with a candy cane.
Luckily, French women cracked the code decades ago. Their secret is the cherry lip. It is bold enough to look intentional, yet soft enough to whisper, I woke up like this (after my second espresso).
So put down the glitter eyeshadow and let’s decode how to do red without looking like Rudolph’s glamorous cousin.
Step 1: Find Your Perfect Cherry (and No, It’s Not at Trader Joe’s)
French women don’t apply red lipstick. They flirt with it. They dab, they smudge, they commit halfway, like it’s a lover they may ghost later.
That being said, allow me to introduce lipstick's laid back cousin: Lip oil. This is what French women wear when they want to look irresistible without looking ready. It gleams like confidence disguised as hydration. It says, “I don’t chase perfection, darling, it follows me.”
Fair skin? Go for a cool cherry tone in the shade Ruby Red.
Olive skin? A warmer red the shade Coral Orange.
Deep skin? A rich Bordeaux that could double as an expensive secret in the shade Black Cherry.
If your color looks like it could stain both your coffee cup and someone’s memory, you’ve found your shade.
Step 2: Do Less. Then Do Even Less.
The French red lip is basically a protest against over-effort. If your lips are working overtime, the rest of your face can take a sabbatical.
Foundation: only where it matters (translation: not everywhere).
Blush: multi-task like a true French woman and rub a little lip oil on to your cheeks for a natural flush!
Mascara: two swipes, max. This is a soirée, not a Sephora audition.
Brows: lightly brushed, slightly judgmental.
Voilà. Ten minutes to chic holiday makeup that says, “I could have tried harder, but I’m French in spirit.”
Step 3: Blur Like You Mean It
Lip liner? Non. That’s for women who arrive early and color-code their planners.
The French way is to smudge with confidence. Tap it in with your fingertip like you’re erasing evidence.
Bonus points for blotting with a tissue you found in your handbag next to a crayon and a receipt from 2019. Authenticity, darling.
Step 4: Pair It with Hair That Says “Oui, I Tried… Kind Of”
Overdone hair and red lips together scream beauty pageant. French women know this, which is why their hair always looks one espresso away from chaos in the chicest way possible.
A low bun that’s accidentally perfect or tousled waves that could pass for “wind-swept by destiny.” You want people to wonder if you just came from a secret rendezvous. (You didn’t. You came from carpool. But let’s keep the mystery alive.)
Step 5: Strut Like You Own the Party (and the Champagne)
Once the lipstick’s on, the attitude must match. A French woman never checks her reflection obsessively; she assumes it’s fabulous.
She smiles like she knows something. She probably doesn’t. But it works.
So walk in, cherry-lipped and confident. The appetizers may be mediocre, but you are art.
Final Thought:
This holiday season, skip the smoky eyes and existential stress. Go cherry-coded. One bold lip, minimal effort, and an energy that says, “Yes, I’m this glamorous by accident.”
Because, ma belle, the secret to French beauty isn’t lipstick. It’s audacity. And a really good concealer.
With smudged perfection and unapologetic glamour,
The Glamtorious Mrs. 💋
