Choose the right gift or suffer the quiet disapproval.
I aspire to not being terrified of terrifying French women. But I am still obsessed with Sylvie, the chilly Parisian boss on Emily in Paris who I already wrote about here. And I’ve been wondering: what could I give her (and by extension, my pickiest friends) for Christmas?
Red lipstick is a ‘French beauty’ staple (remember going out?) But it’s also a saviour when you want to look #thirtyflirtyandthriving on a Zoom call. The Yves Saint Laurent Mini Rouge Pur Couture mini set, ($65, Sephora) offers four tiny perfect, jewel-like mini lipsticks so you can select the perfect shade of ‘blood of my discarded lovers’ red. Or pick one of the two deep rosy shades if you are feeling more subdued.
There’s a special brand of fear when selecting gifts for notoriously choosy friends or relatives. Bastide, the beauty and home line created by former hair stylist and all-around French heartthrob Frederic Fekkai, has taste bona fides in spades. Inspired by Fekkai’s own languid Aix-en-Provence life, Bastide’s La Triple Flame candle trio, $145 at Holt Renfrew, is two cozy, wintery scents, Ambre Soir and Au Coin Du Feu, as well as the sunny Figue d’Été, for dreaming of a South of France summer. And the honeyed glass vessels throw the warmest light.
Very fancy Hungarian mud masks and cleansers from a beauty company owned by a polished aristo and his soignée wife would resonate on a bone-deep level with French women (who are genealogy snobs).
Omorovicza’s Mini Mud Set , $78, Nodrstrom.com, provides a tour through the mineral rich mud from Hungary’s Lake Heviz (which claims to be the largest, biologically active, naturally medicinal water in the world) with a black mud cleaning balm, a mud mask and an exfoliator.
My (very French) Tante Yvette insists that “leaving the house without lipstick and jewellery is like going out without your bra and panties”. (Obviously she never looks anything less than immaculate.)
This Jenny Bird Constance lariat ($110) would be Tante Yvette and Sylvie approved for the sinuous lines of its drops and subtle emphasis of one’s décolleté.
It’s not chic to whack people over the head with your perfume. Subtlety and surprise are essential building blocks of French chic, so Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Oud Satin Mood Scented Hair Mist ($110, Holt Renfrew) reveals its charms quietly. This alcohol-free hair mist softly whispers its notes of violet and rose anchored with oud and amber only when you turn your head and only for the benefit of yourself or someone close to you.
Who famously said you can never have too many cheese knives? Oh wait. That was me. But it’s still true and a Sabre Bistrot Cheese Knife from Toronto’s Hopson Grace in chic faux tortoise is just what every cheese platter needs this holiday season to feel worldly. If you want to really make a statement, package it up with a bottle of red wine and a generously cut, perfectly ripe slice of La Sauvagine or any other wonderful French cheese.
If the French did Christmas stockings, you’d definitely want to include this, as French women adore practical yet luxe pharmacie beauty products.
Bioderma Atoderm Huile de Douche Ultra-Nourishing Anti-Irritation Shower Oil is not only a beauty editor favourite for its subtle scent and moisturizing capabilities, but this massive, 1 litre bottle costs only $20. Remember, no one loves a bargain like a discerning Frenchwoman.