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8 Best Brigitte Bardot–Inspired Hair and Makeup Favorites
Brigitte Bardot died on December 28, 2025, at the age of 91. Tributes to the French actress, model, singer, and animal rights activist have already poured in from the likes of President Emmanuel Macron, Sofia Vergara, Lindsay Lohan, and no shortage of other key A-listers and public figures. Bardot was not only a globally recognized symbol of female sexual liberation — appearing in sensuous roles across films like “And God Created Women” (which first thrust her into the spotlight) and “Contempt” — but also known for formalizing the ideal of French beauty, all tousled locks and winged eyeliner and slightly flushed complexion.
‘Brigitte Bardot: My Life in Fashion’
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Later on in her life, Bardot became a controversial figure as related to her anti-immigration stances and public dismissals of feminist ideology, but her contributions to society — like establishing the Brigitte Bardot Foundation to fight against animal cruelty and practically defining the style of ’50s- and ’60s-era France — cannot be refuted. Over at WWD Shop, our editors have long been obsessing over the starlet’s most pivotal French-girl beauty looks: breaking them down to find close matches for products she might’ve used back in the day, from dark eyeshadow (to be intentionally smudged in that “I just rolled out of bed” way) and volumizing mascara (to be layered on thick, especially on the bottom lashes) to a nude, never-overwhelming lipstick.
As for her sartorial sensibilities, Bardot also popularized bikinis, strapless dress styles, low-slung necklines in general, sailor-stripe shirts, capri pants, and ballet tights worn in non-dance settings. These choices played into her overall “effortless” appearance — which, in fact, was a tight edit of highly curated wardrobe staples — and inspired the coining of the term “sex kitten” to refer to Bardot in particular, with the word now being generally applied to women lacking inhibitions in all facets of life and prioritizing their sexualities.
Want to imitate only Bardot’s best qualities by enriching your makeup and hair care collection with modern-day beauty bestsellers that the French icon would very likely approve of? Here are eight, straight from France and elsewhere, that will get you there.
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René Furterer Texture Spray
Bardot was known for her bedroomy, loose, startling-blonde tresses — partially rooted in the beehive ‘do that was trending at the time. One thing her hair always had was volume, and you can achieve just that with this texture spray from the premium French hair brand René Furterer. It goes on lightly and invisibly, blessing hairstyles with much-needed hold, shine, and Bardot’s signature tousled texture.
Price upon publish date of this article: $21
Violette_FR Bisou Balm Sheer Matte Lipstick
Another makeup element Bardot seemed to perpetually rock was a nude lip whose hue lived at the intersection of the peachy, the beige, and the pinkish. She almost always stayed away from bold reds, instead settling on something that accentuated her other features more (chiefly the eyes). Violette_FR’s Bisou Balm Sheer Matte Lipstick, in the Calisson shade, will be your secret weapon to a picture-perfect nude lip in 2026. It’s hydrating, features a subtle blur, and masters what the French call the “bouche mordue” or “bitten mouth” lip look. If you want more color payoff, apply two to three coats of the antioxidant-powered formula.
Price upon publish date of this article: $29
Chantecaille Le Stylo Ultra Slim Liquid Eyeliner
What every “sex kitten” needs is a heavily lined cat-eye, and Bardot was no stranger to it. This liquid eyeliner, also from a beauty brand with French roots, will make your eyes appear as if they’re rimmed with kohl if you put it on correctly. We recommend tracing the Le Stylo Ultra Slim along your upper and lower lash lines, building up line after line until you get the thickness you so desire — ensuring you draw on some wings at the very tips of the eyes before moving on to the mascara step of your makeup routine.
Price upon publish date of this article: $38
Clé de Peau Perfect Lash Mascara
In most of her modeling shots, Bardot can be seen sporting clumpy, highly exaggerated lashes. We can imagine her twisting a mascara wand vertically to emphasize the lower lashes specifically — something that can be done easily, and with great effect, courtesy of Clé de Peau’s Perfect Lash Mascara. The brand combines the Japanese and French beauty philosophies, and its color cosmetics are veritable sensations amongst the fashion set. This waterproof and smudge-resistant product promises to coat lashes in a 360-degree way: ensuring length, definition, and volume are yours all day long, no reapplication necessary.
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Merit Flush Balm Cream Blush
Bypassing today’s “dewy skin” or “glass skin” obsessions, Bardot instead settled on a matte complexion, adding modest color to the apples of her cheeks by way of peachy powder. This resulted in an attractive-as-can-be, natural-looking flush, and you can replicate it from the comforts of home by adding Merit Beauty’s Balm Cream Blush to your repertoire. Creamy, buildable, and able to be used on the lips, too, the vitamin E–equipped blush balm doles out what Sephora calls “a sheer wash of color”: for those days on which less is truly more.
Price upon publish date of this article: $30
Freck Beauty Freck OG The Original Freckle
To add to all her coquettish appeal, Bardot had natural freckles, and though they were often masked by makeup when she was acting, you can lean into the actress’ natural beauty by liberally dotting this Freck OG The Original Freckle all over your cheeks and nose. Freck Beauty’s patented innovation actually sinks into the skin versus looking superficial, and this mini size allows you to try it out before committing to a 0.11-ounce version.
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Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow
Though you can keep your eyeliner looking sharp, almost as if it was stenciled on, acing Bardot’s eye makeup means going for something softer and more smudged when it comes to eyeshadow. Chanel’s Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow is just what’s needed here, seeing as how it’s pigment-rich, long-lasting, and boasts the kind of smooth finish that can easily melt under the right makeup brush. It’s hard to argue with the fact that Bardot’s smokey eyes had covetable dimension to them: made possible in the 21st century with Chanel’s inclusion of two medium shades, a dark cocoa for intense contour, and a lighter brown for some highlighting action (perhaps at the inner corners of the lids).
Price upon publish date of this article: $72
Free People Super Wide Soft Headband
We know, we know: This isn’t a hair product per se, but it’s an accessory that was indispensable in Bardot’s style arsenal. For example, she was seen flaunting a wide headband out and about in “Vie Privée,” which did the double duty of keeping her face free from her long mane while also adding a pop of contrast to all that blonde. Later on, Hollywood elite like Madonna, Barbra Streisand, and Bella Hadid also started incorporating stretchy headbands into their star-off-duty ensembles, and this one from Free People is an under-$20 buy that will make you the beacon of “Parisian chic” in the new year.
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Meet the Author
Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska regularly reports on trending, celebrity-backed beauty looks and how to achieve them at home.
