SKINCARE SHOPPING IN PARIS // WHERE, WHAT & WHY

We all know that every blogger and their mum loves French pharmacy cosmetic brands, and will go to any lengths (including day trips to France) to get them! But why are they so popular? The French know how to do skincare. The products are organic, clean, have multiple benefits, target almost any skin problem and are also, extremely affordable. I could go on for a while, mulling over the various ingredients and their properties, but I wanted to keep this post primarily about what to buy and where from. Boots have started stocking La Roche Posay & Avene, Marks and Spencer offer NUXE and it is certainly easier to pop down to your local high street store and pick a few up, but they are almost double the cost.

Where: Don't buy from the first small pharmacy you see, they know the drill, and put up their costs. Find the nearest City Pharma (in Paris it's 26 Rue du Four, 75006 Paris), and if you can battle the crowds of tourists, you will find rows and rows of your favourite items for and shockingly good price. I got two huge bottles of Bioderma for €15 and minis for €2! It's basically like heaven for beauty lovers. If a trip to France isn't on the cards (it really should be), you can also find French like pharmacies right here in London. There are ones off Oxford street with competitive prices, 'Zest' in Soho and  'The Garden Pharmacy' on Mercer Street in Covent Garden.

 ☆

Bioderma & La Roche Posay 

What: Without question, the first products I ran towards and threw into my basket was Bioderma. I picked two of the biggest bottles, that are always on a duo offer, and 3 of the minis, as I always need these when going away. There are countless blog posts that explain why this watery clear solution is the perfect makeup remover, cleanser and toner, so I won't ramble on about that. But what I will say is, this stuff is addictive. Once you have experienced the effortless sweep away of makeup with Bioderma, you won't want to go back!

What: After loading my basket with Bioderma, I pushed past the crowds of excited beauty lovers to the La Roche Posay aisle. If you read my October favourites blog (link here), you will see that their 'Effaclar Duo anti blemish cream' has worked wonders on my skin. Recommended by Tanya Burr, I first purchased this off feelunique.com as I couldn't wait until my paris trip. From boots, this product is £15.50. In Paris however, I got this for €8! You can read up about this through online reviews, and I will simply say, if you have oily problem skin, this stuff is just what you need in your night time routine.

What: Another La Roche Posay product that has been raved about online is their 'Serozinc'' (review linked here). I had never heard of this, but as my online-skin-guru Caroline Hirons recommended it, I knew it must be good. It's basically a zinc sulphate solution that aims to cleanse and sooth the skin. You can spray it directly on your face (my preferred method) or use a cotton pad and wipe it on. This really helps tackle problem oily skin. 

If you want to look into other products, I would look at NUXE lip balm, AVENE thermal water spray and BIODERMA wipes! Have a look at this site for other french pharmacy skincare products (link here). 

Morgan Alice

x