3 Reasons Why Fatou N’diaye Is the New Face of Beauty in Paris

In honor of Bastille Day, Yahoo Style and Yahoo Beauty are examining what it means to be a “French girl” — the myths, fantasies, and realities that all help define that certain je ne sais quoi. What’s vrai, what’s faux, and what’s a total faux pas? Read on.

The world of beauty blogging is very vast and yet the most popular faces of today are very white. However, Fatou N’diaye is one blogger who refuses to go unnoticed.

(Photo: Fatou N’diaye)

As the voice behind BlackBeautyBag.com, N’diaye has provided since 2007 a platform where black women are not only included in the conversation on French beauty but are redefining what that looks like. Her blog features reviews on everything from foundations and lipsticks for darker skin tones to the best hair braiders in Paris. N’diaye’s honesty has garnered the attention of major cosmetics brands such as L’Oreal and Giorgio Armani, and in turn, opened doors for other bloggers of color to follow in her stylish footsteps.

“I was raised with the idea that French beauty is not only white or skinny or blonde,” N’diaye told Vogue. “It’s about an elegant woman who cultivates a positive image of herself — a woman who is beautiful because of her mind.”

N’diaye’s outlook on beauty really comes through on her Instagram account, where every post reflects her brilliance, beauty, and a bit of her African roots. (The 38-year-old was born and raised in Paris and is of Nigerian, Malian, and Senegalese descent.)

With actresses A?ssa Ma?ga and Vanessa Paradis topping her list of French beauty icons, it’s pretty clear where N’diaye gets her “sophisticated-chic” style inspiration. But just because French women are the “queens of less is more,” N’diaye tells Yahoo Beauty that doesn’t mean they aren’t “fierce or sexy.” And we couldn’t agree more.

Below, three reasons why we believe N’diaye is the new face of beauty in Paris.

1. She posed proudly with her natural hair in French fashion label Kookai’s Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter 2014 campaigns.

(Photo: Kookai)

2. She stunned on the March 2015 cover of Amina Magazine, a monthly French-language glossy for black women in Africa, Europe, and beyond.

(Photo: Amina Magazine)

3. She slayed the 2016 Cannes Film Festival red carpet wearing cornrows and this gilded gold gown.

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