In this article I will look at what cosmetics maverick Laura Mercier says about beauty. Laura Mercier is a French woman who created the cosmetics line bearing her name – Laura Mercier makeup. Her makeup is pretty high end and sold at stores like Sephora. Though out of my price league, I’ve looked at her cosmetic products and she definitely has a mature woman in mind with her line. I do absolutely love her makeup colors and think they are really pretty makeup choices for mature women.
In a New York Times article, Laura Mercier made comments about her view that American women are sabotaging their sex appeal. She claims that American women wear too much makeup and look as though they sport a “vulgar painted doll look”. She says that when you are overly made up with makeup, you send out a message that you are overly sexual and that you want to be visible to attract men. In contrast, she talks about how French women wear very little makeup and what they do wear is applied to appear as a very natural unmade up look. Their emphasis is on skin care. Laura Mercier says a paler look is more normal in France. (Well, I went to the French Riviera once upon a time and I saw plenty of sun worshipping French women, yet I digress). Too much makeup, according to French women, makes you seem older and less refined.
After Laura Mercier made these comments a French issue of Elle magazine picked up on it and made fun of the American woman by illustrating a model in electric colored clothes loaded down with scarf, sunglasses, Louis Vuitton handbag, high heels, earrings and gaudy necklaces, chain belt, bangles and rings. I could very easily imagine Paris Hilton in that outfit! I can’t knock American woman (being that I am one). And, I also like the bling bling in so far as it’s visually fun to look at rock stars. Musicians and celebrities do go all out in their outfits and on the red carpet, and in music videos. I love Las Vegas and all the craziness and bling is pretty fun to absorb I do have to admit. There is nothing wrong with dressing to be noticed and turning heads.
Wear Natural Makeup to be Gorgeous
Laura Mercier may actually have a point (or two). I do agree that when you really overdo the makeup and clothes it actually is a distraction to your beauty, not a beauty attraction. Especially for older women, clothes and makeup that are too loud and obnoxious can in fact have a very aging effect. And I see that from looking at so many photographs of older women for this web site (including photographs of myself). As women age, I think Laura Mercier is right that the super flash look is no longer as attractive as it can be for younger women. For example, I loved Pamela Anderson’s out there blond bombshell look when she was younger, yet as an older woman in her forties I am not so sure I still like the cartoon super blond super tan combination with tons of makeup and bright clothes on her. I think she would look better toned down a little bit (though I do like Pam Anderson). It is easier to pull off a bombshell look when you have youth.
In the Hollywood movie It’s Complicated, Alec Baldwin in one scene was talking about how “French” it was that he was having an affair with an older woman. Meryl Streep was the older woman who also happened to be his ex-wife. He even made a comment about how he was attracted to her natural look down hither hehe. He said something to the effect of “How French this is of us” and “You’ve gone native in the bikini area and I like it”. Clearly these comments alluded to the mystic of older, more natural French women.
There is outrageous fashion, and then there are beautiful women. After looking at so many pictures of supermodels and beautiful women I do notice some common elements to the best photographs. Some of the most sex appeal exuding pictures I have seen of top models in fact, are when they have a natural look about them. They wear beautiful natural makeup, messy hair, and have a total naturally look. They may well be wearing super sexy clothes, in the way of high heels or revealing outfits. However, the best beauty pictures usually have solid color clothes in natural vibrant colors, tones and hues (e.g. browns, tans, bronzes) and the models tend to have a very natural look about them. Those are the most attractive photographs that showcase the woman’s beauty elemental rather than the clothes, and I think this is what Laura Mercier was trying to point out.
If what Laura Mercier is saying is true, how do we explain away, then, why men love the pornography type fantasy women who are in many cases made up like dolls in platform shoes, bright red lipstick and gaudy erotic clothes? Well, my only answer to that is that some men do like to explore the pinup look because it’s different and they don’t see women dressed like that in everyday life. I would think it appeals to their imagination. But, I don’t really need to analyze it that deeply because the gaudy sex goddess style is something only younger women can pull off really successfully. We over forty set women don’t even have to worry about trying it because it won’t look good on us no matter what.
So, what am I saying in this musing and rambling blog post? I guess that I am agreeing with Laura Mercier that a more natural makeup and simpler clothing and accessories looks more attractive on older women. Loud makeup and clothes make older women look vulgar, just like she says. I show myself in loud and obnoxious clothes as mature “don’ts”, and you can find examples of me demonstrating it on this very website. I understand more every day that these things aren’t so becoming. Literally every time I post a “don’t” photograph on this blog, I am looking at it saying “horrible”. And as time goes on I am agreeing more and more with what Laura Mercier says with respect to makeup and clothes needing to look natural.
However, and this is a big however, I disagree with Laura Mercier’s point of view that your sex appeal should not be showcased. I think it should be showcased, just in a more subtle natural way. A sexy outfit, or a pair of high heels, just a little punch of that American va-va-voom, is still okay in my book. I like to be sexy and show it. If that makes me an American, then I guess that’s fine with me. Someday we will have it all figured out and will be both natural like the French and sexy like the Americans. Hopefully, it’ll all come together for us before we hit sixty!
Laura Mercier, makeup tycoon, gives some French advice on having the right anti-aging attitude and looking natural and beautiful as we age gracefully.
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