Paris Files: French Skincare Heaven

Everyone raves about French Pharmacy products. I mean, how could they not? They are some of the best in the market, particularly in skincare. Big brands like Bioderma, La Roche-Posay, and NUXE have been pumping out crowd pleasers for years and they are crowd pleasers for a reason. They cater to every skin type, their products are mostly no-fuss no-frills, and most importantly they actually work!

When I went to Paris, one place that was on my list of places to go was City Pharma, the big pharmacy that everyone shops at for the best deals on beauty products. It was a bit out of our way but there was no way I was missing out on this stop! When you enter the shop, you'll notice the tall shelves and packed aisles that you have to squeeze through because of the amount of shoppers (it all adds to the charm of the place). We went on our third day in Paris and by then I had realised that on every street there are at least two pharmacies easily identifiable by the flashing green digital cross that hangs above the shop. It was heaven for a beauty lover like myself!

Now, on to the products; I have tried all of these products so I can give you all a quick little review as well. Some products I've used more than most but nonetheless I have formed a pretty solid opinion for them all. At City Pharma I picked up the highly coveted La Roche-Posay Serozinc (two bottles in fact), another mini Bioderma Crealine for the stash, and a moisturiser from BioRecept Laboratoires. I was on the hunt for a new moisturiser to suit my sensitive combination skin and the wonderful and helpful staff highly recommended the BioRecept Hydra'Fluide moisturiser.  I found it unusual that this moisturiser had ingredients that were not very conventional to have in a moisturiser for combination skin (sesame seed oil, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil) but I quite like it! It's a natural moisturiser that isn't heavy despite the non-oil free formulation. It has a rather gel-like liquid-y texture. It dries to a tacky finish at first but give it 5 minutes to sink in and it becomes a great base for makeup. I've been really enjoying  La Roche-Posay's Serozinc which I spray on as a toner whenever my skin gets a bit spotty. It's very gentle, non-drying, and it keeps everything in check. I wish I had gotten more than 2 bottles! And you all know the deal with Bioderma Crealine Micellar Water so I won't talk about that here.

From other smaller pharmacies I picked up the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk for brown hair. I'm a big fan of the original oat milk formulation and as someone with dark hair, white dry shampoo isn't necessarily my best friend so I thought this could be a great product for me. We definitely don't have this here in Australia so I have no idea how I'm going to get a hold of this once this can is finished so once again, I'm using this sparingly! The product that is dispensed isn't white, but rather a fine light brown powder that doesn't show up too much on my dark roots.

I wasn't too big a fan of the NUXE Reve de Miel lip balm in the pot (not a fan of orange scented products!!) but I was interested in the stick formula. It's quite waxy but it did soothe my windburnt lips and it was nice to have something easy to swipe on during the day.

Paris' winter weather (and my mother's never ending hunt for a hydrating serum) inspired me to pick up the Bioderma Hydrabio Serum. It's a gel-like, slightly scented serum that is not tacky and absorbs quickly when applied. I don't find that it is heavy at all and my skin hasn't broken out from it. The weather at the moment is quite fickle so I haven't gotten much use out of this but I can see it becoming a part of my evening routine come the cold and winter time. 

Finally, the star of the show: Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this product, some people swear by it while others think it's an overpriced gimmick. I bought this on a whim for 9.99 Euros. I saw the gold box sitting by the counter and grabbed it at the last minute and I am so glad I did. It's a wonderful moisturiser that's left my skin feeling velvet soft, moisturised, and ready for makeup. I like using this as a night cream but occasionally I reach for this during the day when the weather is a bit cooler. I only need a slightly-bigger-than-a-pea-size amount for my entire face so this big tube will last me a long time.

Overall, I'm quite happy with my French Pharmacy purchases. Sadly a few of these products I won't be able to pick up (not for a long time at least) but I will enjoy them while they last! Now tell me, what are your favourite French pharmacy products? Let me know below!