Paired with confidence, this look creates the effortlessly chic je ne sais quoi quality French women are so famously envied for. For me, it’s a quality I’ve been in awe of ever since I first visited France at 15. Whenever I tried to duplicate the look on myself, I couldn’t achieve it without the help of heavy foundation — my skin simply wasn’t (and still isn’t) flawless. As a result, I looked too done up. My go-to makeup look consists mainly of concealer and foundation, lip balm, and mascara. It’s the closest I’ve come to the iconic French classic, but nothing compares to the real thing. Determined to ditch the foundation and go au naturel, I started doing some research as to how French women take such incredible care of their faces so that they rarely need foundation. While eating buttery croissants was, to my dismay, not the answer, I was surprised to hear about a product that’s considered a medicine cabinet staple in France. On my recent trip to Paris, I asked a man working the concierge desk where I could purchase it, and it was in my hand less than five minutes after our conversation ended. He also told me he knew about the product because his grandmother had used Avibon. I was eager to try this above-the-neck secret. I’ll be working this French swear-by product into my nightly routine long after my Paris trip has ended.
