Monday, August 21, 2017
9 Must-Have French Pharmacy Beauty Products
While in Paris, I took the beauty-blogger pilgrimage to the famed and fabled Citypharma, the city's most affordable and most popular pharmacy. Even at 8 in the morning, it was clearly the "it" place to be (at least I got to practice saying "pardon" in my best french accent about a million times as I squeezed past people in the tiny aisles to get to the goods). Before my trip I knew I wanted to invest in a small collection of french beauty products so I researched the products I wanted and went in armed with a list. Amazingly, not a single one of these products was a flop! I've been loving using them now that I'm back stateside and also slightly panicking that I didn't pick up the jumbo sizes or stock up on more! Luckily, most can be purchased online here in the USA. Read on to find out why so many of these have made it into my daily rotation!
Homeoplasmine - This stuff is awesome. Picture a richer, thicker petroleum jelly, coming out of a tube. To give you an idea, you seriously have to squeeze to get this stuff out of there! The packaging and the delivery method definitely gives you that drugstore product rather than high end product feel, but I. Love. This. Stuff. I think this is one of the best, if not the best overnight thick lip masks I have ever used and works wonders on dry spots on my hands and cuticles. This product also receives accolades for use as a makeup primer but to me it seems too thick to use it as an allover face treatment for day.
Caudalie Grape Water - This mist is very fine and about equally as refreshing as other thermal water sprays, but what makes this one special is it’s ability to relieve redness! I’ve taken to spraying this on after cleansing and before moisturizing during my morning routine and I love the way it takes the edge off the pink in my cheeks. I’ve always kept a bottle of thermal water spray on hand as a refreshing mist, but this one has totally dethroned any other for it’s added calming skincare benefits. I will be repurchasing!
Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre - Thankfully this is one product that is easier to get here in the states, because it’s a great, basic cream that does what it says it will: moisturize. Much like my beloved Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, this is a basic moisturizer without any extra bells and whistles or anti-aging claims. Instead it’s a simple, soothing moisturizer that does what it says it will. This product has a light texture that absorbs fairly quickly. I’ve taken to using this during my daytime routine as I love the way it sits under makeup.
Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream - This is a lovely hand cream, not too heavy and not too light, with a fresh scent (it smells slightly of citrus but is not too heavily perfumed). While I usually apply hand cream at night, this one is velvety and light enough to be applied throughout the day. What makes this cream a must-have is how quickly it absorbs. After applying, like magic, your hands are visibly smoothed but dry to the touch. I love that I don't have to waste product by wiping off excess after applying!
Nuxe Reve de Miel - This lip balm has a really pleasing, ever so slightly gritty texture that smoothes after application and is a pleasure on the lips. I find this somewhat less moisturizing than Homeoplasmine when used as an overnight lip mask, and instead prefer to use this as my daytime intensive lip moisture treatment that I apply during my daytime moisturizing routine. To me this is a must-have product because of the scent, which is TO DIE FOR. It smells a little like honey, a little lemony, and just a touch floral, and since you're applying it on your lips you get to enjoy it for as long as the product lasts. Love!
Caudalie Lip Conditioner - This is my all-time favorite tube lip balm ever. No joke. It’s amazing. I rarely find hard lip balms (the kind that form a stick rather than balms you apply from a pot) to be moisturizing enough. This one, though, does a fantastic job or delivering light lip conditioning while smelling amazing and being a treat to apply. This is an all-day moisturizer for me, an on-the-go product to use when I don’t want to stick dirty fingers into a clean lip balm pot. This is another product I’m completely converted by and will not go without!
Klorane Dry Shampoo - Easily accessible in the states, this cult favorite dry shampoo is a must-have because it is so much less expensive in it's home country, France! This does a fantastic job of volumizing and cleaning up oil but leaves the least residue of any dry shampoo I've ever tried! I'm completely converted. If you have dark hair, though, be careful to get the formula for brunettes. The original comes out as a very stark white.
Biafine - This cream is actually a drugstore product in France (but a prescription only product in the US) that is meant for treating burns or skin abrasions for it's ability to stimulate cell regrowth. Some makeup artists herald this product as a face cream, but I've found that using it of particularly dry spots or sunburns is my preferred use! It's done a wonderful job of smoothing out my seriously scaly spots on my hands (I wash my hands just slightly too much). I really love it for that job!
Argiletz ArgileVerte - The French girls love their green clay. I LOVE mud masks, so when I learned that I had to try this. They don't just use it cosmetically, either, they DRINK it too! Short of that, I had to try this ready made mask (most green clay comes in powder form, I was sooo tempted but too worried about a suitcase explosion). This mask dried quickly and gave me lots of tightening sensations when it was on and after wiping off. It left my face visibly smoother and more even toned, though it did leave me with some redness. While I still don't feel this mask compares to my beloved Kiehls Rare Earth mask, this is a must-have because it is a very affordable (6 euro I believe), solid, clarifying mask, plus you get to try out French green clay!
All the french names make these products seem so luxurious, despite the fact that they came from a drug store! It would be so neat to try different products.
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