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Emily in Paris’ resident Parisian style icon, Sylvie Grateau, is the epitome of French sophistication and, alongside her fashion, the character’s elevated make-up plays a key role in how she is perceived.
After speaking to the show’s lead make-up artist, Aurelie Payen, we’ve discovered the exact products that were used on set to turn actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu into her marketing director persona.
In an interview with IndyBest, Payen, who doesn’t do Leroy-Beaulieu’s make-up personally, but fulfills the beauty keys for the whole Emily in Paris cast, told us: “The brief for for Sylvie’s character was to be the this very sensual, 40+ Parisian woman who’s going to work and has lots of beautiful clothes and a very elevated vibe.”
She added: “The make-up for that kind of woman is not bold make-up. It’s less is more, very, ‘I put on some make-up, but you won’t see it,’ and, ‘I just woke up like that.’ It’s a natural kind of beauty vibe.”
Getting granular with the flat plan for Sylvie’s make-up, Payen explained how the eyes were a big focus. “It would be a shadow for the lips and maybe a shadow also for the eyes,” she explained. “A lot of eyelashes – like lots of eyelashes, lots of mascara – to have the eyes looking very done, but not done at the same time.”
The make-up artist went on to reveal that one of the most-used products to achieve this look was Victoria Beckham’s satin kajal eyeliner in the shade ‘cocoa’. Payen said: “Then she has a pencil, a brown shade on top of the eyelid and the eyes are done. But it’s not like a big, big thing, you know?”
Payen added that the liner can be used as a multifunctional product, attesting to its pliable consistency and describing it as “creamy but it stays, so you can play with it”.
“If you want to do a shadow, you can do a shadow. If you want to do a straight line, you can do a straight line, too,” she said, “It’s amazing. You can play and mix in every product with it.”
Chanel No1 de Chanel lip and cheek balm: £32, Boots.com
Another product beloved by the beauty team behind Sylvie’s look is the Chanel No1 de Chanel lip and cheek balm.
“It’s something that [Leroy-Beaulieu’s make-up artist] used a lot to get [Leroy-Beaulieu’s] cheekbones done,” Payen revealed.
Just like the Victoria Beckham satin kajal eyeliner, the Chanel balm is also a multipurpose product. Payen added: “You can match it with the lips as well and, if you want, you can put a little bit more in the in the eyelid too, so you have a full make-up.”
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