My Aesthetic Is

As a beauty editor, it’s tempting to associate different cities with their distinct (and admittedly stereotypical) beauty aesthetics. For example, after living in Los Angeles for four years, I feel like the beauty aesthetic is fresh and beachy (think of someone who’s headed to a Pilates class followed by brunch), whereas it used to be full Hollywood glam (think black eyeliner and red lipstick). To me, New York is edgy and editorial. London is simple and sophisticated. Then, there’s Paris.

There’s not much I can say about Parisian beauty that hasn’t already been said. All I have to do is drop two names to sum it up: Birkin and Bardot. Both icons excelled at the effortlessly undone beauty aesthetic that calls to so many people around the world, including me, an American beauty editor.