french paradox.(Mireille Guiliano, author of book 'French Women Don't Get Fat' )(Interview)

french paradox

Everything in France improves with age-the wine, the perfume, even the women. A quintessential Frenchwoman reveals the reasons. By Kari Molvar

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renchwomen are maddening and captivating in equal measure. They drink wine, smoke Gauloise, wear the same clothes every other day, and still manage to be the most stylish of creatures. They even age well, looking poetic, not haggard. Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don't Get Fat (Knopf), explains the mysteries of that other annoying and enviable French paradox.

keep it simple "It's not true that the French never get old-we just age differently than other women by following a few basic rules. My mother has great skin, but she never baked in the sun. And she always told me that no matter how tired you are or when you go to bed, you must remove your makeup. It makes a huge difference if you do this consistently.

The French are very, very big on creams-we have ones for our face, hands, feet. A lifetime of moisturizing gives you the skin of a baby. Anti-aging creams don't work miracles, but we wear them to soften our skin and to feel good-to treat our skin with a little TLC. In fact, the French government actually pays for older women to go to the spa once a year. We go for two or three weeks, drink the water, and relax; it's a detox and cleansing process called thalassotherapy. The French take more opportunity to unwind; we feel that leisure time is very important.

As for products, I have friends in the States whom I adore, but I can't believe their bathrooms. They have 50 bottles of perfumes, 25 different soaps. The French select a few items and keep their ...