The Clean Beauty Guide to French Girl Makeup

Our obsession with the French has only deepened with time. Their ability to balance just enough without going over the top to achieve that effortlessly chic look they subconsciously embody provides a lot of inspiration. So, we thought we'd hit all the essentials from a French Girl's makeup bag and give you their clean counterpart. C'est tres, tres chic, non?

(Disclosure: This site uses affiliate links. All products are chosen at my discretion and promoted as other blogs promote products that reflect the lifestyle of the blogger, brand, and ethos. I only post brands and items I support.)

Photo via The Zoe Report.

Eco-Outfit: That '70s Girl

They say that death and taxes are two things of which you are can be certain. I would add the cycling of fashion trends. We all knew that the '70s would make a comeback, and I for one, was happy to embrace a little love child flair. This dress (styled as a top) from Amour Vert set the tone, and I dug out my bell bottom jeans (from seriously 10 years ago!) and paired them with a platform wedge. Beaded drop earrings and touch of au naturel makeup from Juice Beauty finished off this modern hippie look. 

(Disclosure: This site uses affiliate links. All products are chosen at my discretion and promoted as other blogs promote products that reflect the lifestyle of the blogger, brand, and ethos. I only post brands and items I support.)

WorldFinds Jewelry

Supporting artisan groups in India, Nepal and Indonesia, WorldFinds is changing the lives of many while providing beautiful designs for all. Built upon the Fair Trade foundation, WorldFinds mission is to create a sustainable income for the artisans it works with.

Their designs are vibrant and eclectic- adding a little something extra to any outfit. 

ABACUS EARRINGS, #handmade #artisanmade #fair #madeinIndia

ARC RING, #handmade #artisanmade #fair #madeinIndia 

Long have I been a fan of Juice Beauty. I remember when I first met founder Karen Behnke at Aspen Fashion Week! It is so wonderful to see how this plant potent line has grown and I was overjoyed to learn about their new phyto-pigments makeup line.

Delivering more color and staying power without sacrificing any purity, the phyto line is a huge step in the right direction for natural beauty. The foundation was a little light (in coverage) for me. I feel like I would rather wear a tinted moisturizer if I am going that light, but it does pack a punch when it comes to skin nourishment, acting more like a serum than a foundation. The cream blush is very creamy and build-able. The lip color is so natural and perfect for adding a slight enhancement to a 'no-makeup makeup' look. The shimmery eye crayon doubles as a highlighter for your cheeks and cupid's bow. And the mascara is fab!

Juice Beauty Makeup

For my barely there makeup look, I used the cream shadow stick in Pale Gold across my lids, on my brow bone, cheekbones and cupid's bow. Eyes were finished with a quick curl and coat of mascara. I warmed the cream blush in Nude Beige on my finger and patted it along my cheekbone, starting at the apples and working out towards my ears. I lined my lips with the luminous lip crayon in Nude Beige and filled in the rest using the crayon as a lipstick. Et, voila! So easy, and so natural.

(makeup used was gifted by Juice Beauty)

Many thanks to Amour Vert for sponsoring this post! Photos by: Felicia Lasala

Thanksgiving makeup with a side of Cranberry lips

Balancing a festive look with a modern sensibility seems daunting, but with this season's lip stain trend it's one of the easiest looks to pull off! All you need is a great lip color in a berry hue (cranberry red for lighter skin tones moving into the deeper blackberry purples for richer skin tones). Follow this step by step tutorial for a Thanksgiving look that's family appropriate- whether you are with yours or his- and brings a little something special to the table.

For my T-Day outfit, I usually pair jeans with a sweater and tee underneath, and layer on a scarf that might double as a blanket during my flight, as well as a puffy jacket that ensures I'll be warm without bulk. I find a low heeled boot is the perfect travel shoe. It's comfortable enough to wear all day and is perfect for any arrivals in snow. Finally, I cannot travel without a tote. A great carryall to stash work, mags, overnight toiletries (just in case you get stuck somewhere) and snacks makes traveling so much better. What are your travel must-haves? 

Thanksgiving beauty look

1. Create a fresh face base. This look is all about the lips, so to keep this look fresh you'll want to use a lighter application to create even skin tone and naturally healthy looking skin that isn't mask like. The key is to start with well hydrated skin by using a thick cream. After traveling, you may even need the extra hydration! Apply a layer of thick cream and let soak in for about ten minutes. This is also a great time to moisturize lips with lip balm. Put a dollop of foundation on the back of your hand and mix with a touch more of your face cream. Apply to face- really massaging it in. Add foundation with fingertips (tapping into skin) to red areas around the T-zone (nose, sides of nose, around mouth and under eyes). Brush any remaining foundation on your hand over eyelids.

2. Bronze or sculpt. Using a cream bronzer, add a touch of color below your cheekbones and at temples of forehead, as well as a touch under nose and bottom section at the front of the chin. Blend well.

3. Highlight. Using a cream illuminizer, apply to cheekbones, brow bones, cupid's bow, down bridge of nose and just above eyebrows. Blend well.

4. Brush brows and lightly fill in any gaps with a pencil (should be one shade lighter than your eyebrow hair). Brush through any applied color and shape into natural shape.

5. Eyes. Choose a neutral brown, mauve or grey color shadow. Also pick out a brown or grey eyeliner pencil that you can easily smudge into lashes. Start with the pencil and with small dashes line upper lid from the outer corner in. Using a stiff pointed brush, smudge pencil into lashes and slightly up lid. With a medium fluffy eye shadow brush, apply eye shadow at outer corner and pull in over lid and towards the inner corner. Stay light handed with the eyeshadow to avoid creating a heavy smokey eye. It should bring in a bit of color, but not be the focus of the look. Curl lashes and apply one to two coats mascara. Try to lengthen and separate lashes.

6.  Cheeks. Choose a color that is fresh and natural looking- rose pink or peachy. Swirl a small amount onto blush brush and tap off extra. With a light hand, apply at apples of cheeks and blend up and out as well as slightly down into bronzer. Layer lightly until desired effect is reached.

7. Cranberry Lips. Using a tissue, blot off lip balm. Warm your lip stain on your middle finger and press into lips. Lip stains are not meant to be perfect. Press in layers of color until you reach the hue you want. Then, go back in with a brush with a touch of stain on it and touch up any areas that need help (ie: corners of the mouth and outline). 

Going to give this makeup look a try? What other holiday looks do you love and fall back on? Would love to hear what beauty looks you are leaning into this Thanksgiving. 

shop this look with eco chic products below

Book & Beauty Review: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

So, I've had this idea brewing in the back of my mind for a couple of months now, and today is the first post! I love books, and I love beauty. I was trying to think of a way that I could offer beauty content in a completely different way. I don't want to compete with the DIY videos on Youtube, or beauty hauls... I want to share my beauty advice alongside some really great (and clean!) products in a new and interesting way. Enter the Book & Beauty Review!

I love to read. I find myself devouring a book every couple of weeks, and get lost in the setting- learning about the characters and letting their personas and appearances take shape in my imagination. Most people who know me, know about my reading 'habit' (hehe) and often ask for my recommendations on what to read next. I'm also doling out beauty advice- helping people find the right products to address their needs and makeup to create their vision. In a very natural way, it seemed right to bring the two things I'm passionate about together in a (hopefully weekly) Book & Beauty Review. 

The Book & Beauty Review will include a book review, and I will also tease out a beauty look from said book which I will share, tutorial-style, so you can try the look too! The topics, the characters, the backgrounds, the settings will all vary. I hope you will join me on this new adventure, and please leave comments with any suggestions for books that I should review next. Okay, here we go!

BOOK REVIEW: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

I had been on a kick about food/cook/recipe infused novels, and tried to get my fix with a couple of other books (one being Blood, Bones and Butter- excellent writing, but the storyline ebbed and flowed which made it hard to really get in to) before landing on Delicious! The title and the book cover gave me pause, but my local bookstore sales associate said it was getting good reviews, and so I gave it a whirl. 

At first the writing (especially the 'food writing') felt a little try hard, but I let my judgements go, and found that I really enjoyed getting to know the quirky, immature, yet very talented main character- Billie Breslin. With a tragic past, and some well-appointed baggage to go with it, the depths of Billie's personality (and her history) are revealed to the reader in phases, brought out by different people and situations as you make your way through the book. The complexity of her character is alluring, but the real fun begins when her whole world falls apart and she discovers a secret room in a historic mansion in Manhattan. 

Without giving too much away, her secret room discovery ropes in a whole new set of characters through filed correspondences of a time past. This shift turns the book into more of a historical fiction piece- revealing attitudes, situations and behaviors of a difficult and important time. These characters are enchanting and effortlessly pull you through the book, wanting to find out more. 

The final chapters of the book connect everything- past, present and future- into a satisfying coming-of-age story about a woman who finally accepts her secret talents and through the support of those around her, comes to celebrate and share the gifts that she's been given.

BEAUTY REVIEW: Billie Breslin from the novel Delicious!

As the main character and narrator of Delicious! Billie paints a picture of herself as an average California girl. Not pretty, but not un-pretty. Normal. She is so enamored with her older sister Genie's beauty and perfection, she doesn't know how to accept and love her own beauty. It takes two years in Manhattan and a lot of persuasion from her more stylish work friends to push her towards finding her best self in her self expression. Luckily, she does. It starts with a wardrobe makeover, which doesn't fit the standard chic glamazon transformation we are used to (ie: Andy in the Devil Wears Prada), but she finds her own quirky style that makes her feel confident in her own skin. Next, she is referred to one of the best hairstylists in the city and putting full trust in this acclaimed expert emerges a totally different version of herself. And she loves it, as does everybody else. Her makeover is complete when she has her makeup done, and we better understand her features and how her makeup enhances them. 

I'd called her makeup look 'Burgundy Romance.' Purple and brown hues are swirled into her eyelids to compliment her brown eyes, while subtle pinks accent her cheeks and lips.

GET THE LOOK

1. Start with a tinted moisturizer to even skin tone. Pat on concealer where needed to cover and blend any imperfections. Keep the face coverage light. Billie is a Cali girl who doesn't want the makeup to wear her. I recommend using Suntegrity's 5-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer ($45). It leaves the skin dewy and adds just the right amount of coverage/ tint while protecting with SPF.

2. Next, with a quad eye shadow palette, use the brown shade at the outer corners of they eye and blend inward towards the inner corner- pulling the color across the lid, but focusing the majority of the color at the outer corner. Then, swirl upward toward your natural eye crease to blend. Use the lightest color next and apply from the inner corner, sweeping across the lid to blend with the darker color. Now, take the darker purple hue and smudge it into your lash line with small side-to-side motions. Add a coat (or two) of black mascara.

3. Select a slightly pink/ dusty rose colored cream blush and warming it with your fingertips, apply to the apples of your cheeks and sweep out and up towards the tops of your ears. Apply one or two layers, but blend out and down to keep the look more natural and subtle.

4. Lips are last. Billie is just getting into makeup, so the thought of lipstick is a bit much, but she feels comfortable sporting a lipgloss that is a shade or two pinker than her natural lip color. Choose a lipgloss that enhances your natural lip color slightly and apply a quick coat- blotting your lips together to rub it in evenly. One final tip is to take a touch of the lipgloss and dab it on the top of your cheekbones (blending down and out). It adds a touch of shine and helps lock in the color on your cheeks.

Ready to try Billie's look?! Shop these pure products:

Resi in Rosé

Rose is the hottest color of the season, and not just because it pairs nicely on a hot summer day with fresh fruit at a park picnic. Pink has had a strong run this spring, pulling it straight through into summer with some staying power. Even bridal looks are edging toward a more 'pretty in pink' makeup look, and I'm a huge fan! Universally flattering, pink in various shades brings out a youthful glow that counters our current obsession with bronze and contouring. It is far more subtle and fresh.

When Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole native and US Ski Team downhill racer, was in town just long enough to schedule a shoot, photographer Lindsay Linton and I jumped at the opportunity to showcase her natural beauty and the lush backdrop of Cache Creek. Edging toward editorial, I exaggerated the pink eye and cheek- connecting them with long strokes. I also used a pink lip liner to create more definition on the under eye and then blended it with a touch of bronzer eye shadow, which made Resi's stunning blue eyes pop. 

Here is the full breakdown of all the products I used (clean and pure!):

Photos by: Linton Productions