Let’s be honest. Everyone kind of wants to be a little French. And no, I’m not talking about the cliché version with a baguette under one arm and a red beret perched perfectly on your head (although, let’s admit it — sometimes that’s irresistibly photogenic). I’m talking about the quietly sophisticated kind. The kind of woman who walks through the city like it’s the set of a Rohmer film, wearing a white cotton dress with a Marguerite Duras novel tucked under her arm. The kind of life that seems too simple to be chic, and too chic to be that simple.
Romanticizing life like a French girl isn’t really about aesthetics — though, of course, aesthetics help. It’s about mindset. It’s about slowing down without stopping. It’s about finding beauty in the ordinary, about looking at yourself in the mirror with a glass of wine and thinking, “Je suis magnifique,” even with undereye circles and hair held up by a random bobby pin.
If you’re ready to turn your everyday into something poetic, come with me. I’ve put together 10 honest, zero-cringe, Pinterest-free ways to genuinely romanticize your life like a true French girl — with elegance, humor, culture, and a touch of crème fraîche.
1. Take breakfast seriously (it’s a ritual, not a task)
No more eating stale toast while standing up and answering emails. Breakfast is sacred. Think like a French woman: you’re starting your day. You deserve a decent croissant (or at the very least, warm bread with real butter). Put on soft music — Edith Piaf, Chet Baker, or anything that makes you feel like you’re in a café in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Sit down. Serve yourself like you’re at a boutique hotel. Eat slowly. Read something beautiful. This is the moment when the day begins to unfold.
2. Always have fresh flowers at home
I know. It sounds like something from an aesthetic influencer’s checklist. But hear me out: flowers are the kind of accessible luxury that changes everything. They’re not just there to look pretty. They’re a reminder that you deserve beauty — even if no one else sees it. A vase of peonies (or, realistically, daisies from the market) can turn an average Tuesday into something quietly lovely. Personally, I buy fresh white tulips every week. They have this elegant, silent delicacy that makes my space feel like it’s ready for a film scene at any time. And in the evening, I’ll light my favorite Diptyque candle, arrange my tulips — always tulips — and make myself a cup of chamomile tea with honey in my vintage porcelain teapot. I sit in silence, put on a soft 60s French playlist, and scribble thoughts in my journal. Not because I have to — but because it makes even the dullest day feel like it means something.
3. Dress for yourself — even if no one will see you
A French woman doesn’t dress to impress. She dresses because it says something about who she is. Do you think she wore that linen dress for a date? No. It’s Tuesday, she’s headed to the market, and she wants to feel like someone worth looking at — even if no one does. Clothes should have a story, texture, memory. Dress like you’re in a movie. Every day. Sometimes I pick out a nice dress just to walk to the bakery — and of course I put on perfume, even if the only man I’ll see is the baker with the mustache. But hey… you never know.
4. Have a signature scent (and wear it every day, even at home)
The right perfume isn’t for anyone else. It’s your invisible signature. A trace. A whisper of mystery. A true French girl doesn’t save expensive perfume for special occasions. She is the occasion. Choose a scent that says something about you — something a man won’t forget, but that also clings to white sheets like a dream. Dior, Chanel, Diptyque — whatever you love, wear it like it’s part of your skin.
5. Read real books — the kind that make you feel something
No shade to TikTok, but let’s elevate things a bit. Read a real novel. Maybe a French classic (Colette, Proust, Camus) or something contemporary with soul. Use a pretty bookmark. Read on the couch with a soft throw. Read in cafés, in bathtubs, in silence. A woman who reads has a kind of presence that you just can’t fake.
6. Eat with pleasure, never in a rush
This isn’t a diet tip. It’s a philosophy. Food is pleasure, not just fuel. Sit down to eat. Serve yourself well. Eat slowly. Don’t scroll while chewing. Eat like someone in love is watching you. Even if it’s just you and your cat.
7. Fall in love with silence
You don’t need to be constantly connected, replying, producing. French girls understand the charm of mystery. Unplug a little. Go for a walk without headphones. Observe. Silence is its own kind of language. And sometimes, that’s exactly where you’ll find yourself.
8. Use beautiful things — for real
Drink water out of your prettiest glass. Write with an actual pen on lovely paper. Keep your earrings in a vintage trinket box. Romanticizing life is about making the ordinary feel extraordinary. Don’t save the good stuff for later. Later isn’t always charming. One of my favorite things is pouring cold lemon water into a beautiful glass while I work. Simple? Totally. But it adds presence to even the most mundane task. Honestly, it makes me feel like I’m in the editorial of my own life — even if I’m still in pajamas.
9. Create little rituals (and treat them like they matter)
Maybe it’s applying hair oil while jazz plays. Maybe it’s a candlelit shower. Maybe it’s journaling with your prettiest handwriting. The idea is to build little pockets of peace that belong to you — moments that organize the chaos and connect you to yourself. Elegant women have rituals — and they’re like secret charms that guard their essence from the noise of the world.
10. Love intensely, but never cheaply
French girls know: love matters, but dignity matters more. They surrender, but never overshare. They seduce with intelligence. They live romance, not drama. Romanticizing life is about allowing it to be beautiful without losing your grip on reality. Real love is the kind that fits inside a poem — and a rainy afternoon with red wine. And honestly, what’s more delicious than sharing that with a man who looks at you like he knows all your secrets — and plans to keep them?
Final Thoughts: The Art of Living Like a French Girl — In Your Own Way
Romanticizing your life like a French girl isn’t about copying a stereotype. It’s about embracing a philosophy. Living like you’re the main character of a story worth telling. It’s about charm in the ordinary, beauty in the simple, and presence in the quiet.
You don’t need to live in Paris. You just need to decide that your day is worth romanticizing.
Maybe even like it belongs in a French novel.
Want more content like this? Follow Intemporelle on Pinterest, subscribe to the newsletter, and stay in touch with everything that makes life a living art. Because classics never go out of style — and neither does charm.
Deixe um comentário