French Pharmacy Picks

There's no denying the outstanding quality of French skincare products. I've been to Paris twice but that was in my days as a young'un when I only cared about going to Disneyland so I never visited any of the amazing French pharmacies. Luckily the Internet solves all problems & nowadays you can very easily order French pharmacy products online. For some items I stick to eBay because you can find things pretty cheap on there. Plus you can get your hands on products that aren't available in the UK yet. Otherwise Escentual is always a good place to pick up things. Throughout March you can get up to 1/3rd off selected French pharmacy brands on their website. Boots & Space.NK carry a lot of these brands too. I've put together a list of some of my favourite pharmacy products. Vive la pharmacie Française!

CAUDALIE: Everyone should try their Beauty Elixir. It's a cult toner/refresher for a reason. It helps to calm & hydrate my skin after cleansing. I adore the smell of this stuff & it always perks me up when I'm feeling a bit tired. I also love Divine Oil. I do appreciate an oil that comes with a spray pump. It makes it so easy to get the right amount of product. I like to spray this all over my body after showering for some lazy girl moisturisation. It's great at sorting out any dry patches. I also use it on the ends of my hair to add some healthy shine. A lot of oils can be too heavy for my hair but this is just right. It works on dry hands & cuticles too. Although you can use this on your face, I prefer to stick to just using it on my hair & body. The best part is it smells absolutely incredible!

I originally tried the Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum in an old Glossybox and it was the only product I received that I went on to buy a full size version of. This serum features organic grape water & hyaluronic acid to deeply rehydrate your face. The texture is quite creamy & it really helps to soften your skin. If you're not a fan of Hydraluron you might like this instead. It works brilliantly with the Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet. This is such a lovely moisturiser for sensitive skin. It immediately calms & soothes my skin leaving it feeling perfectly hydrated.

LA ROCHE-POSAY: By now you should all know how much I adore Redermic R. This is a retinol product so we're getting into hardcore skincare territory here but it treats my blemishes better than anything. Not only does it help to either brings spots to the surface or dissipate them, it heals any scarring too. It puts paid to any congestion or bumps under my skin and makes everything feel super smooth. If you don't suffer from spots then you can use this as it was intended - as an anti-wrinkle treatment. This is one of the best retinol products you can get without a prescription & it is contained within a moisturising base so it won't dry out your skin. So many of my friends have bought this & all of them love it!

If you want more of a regular spot treatment then I would recommend Effaclar Duo. It's one of those 'you either love it or you hate it' products because it will either sort out all of your skin problems, do nothing or make things worse. I've only tried the old version but they've recently brought out a new & improved version which now helps to prevent scarring as well as treating spots. Oh Serozinc, how I love you. This product is a little awkward to get hold of as you'll have to order it off eBay but it's well worth it. This is a hydrating spray toner that contains a zinc sulphate solution. It helps to calm down any redness, irritation & blemishes. You can even use it to treat razor burn & nappy rash. Brilliant stuff! Cicaplast Baume B5 is a multi-purpose soothing & repairing balm. It features a winning combo of copper, zinc & manganese to aid skin recovery. It is suitable for even the most sensitive skin & can help treat a number of different ailments. I mainly use it on my eczema as it offers instant relief to any itch & adds some much needed moisture to those areas.

NUXE: The Reve de Miel lip balm is one of the best I've ever come across. It makes your lips feel amazingly soft & hydrated. It's one of the few things I can rely on whenever I get dry & cracked lips. I love the matte finish & it has good staying power for a balm. It comes in both stick & pot form. I would recommend picking up both - one to keep in your handbag & one to keep with the rest of your skincare. I get a lot of use out of both of them. Another star NUXE product is their Huile Prodigieuse. This is a lightweight dry oil that you can use on your face, body & hair. It is incredibly moisturising without ever looking greasy. I like to mix this in with thick foundations like the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer to give my face a natural dewy glow.

LIERAC: I always spot Lierac products in TK Maxx and that's where I picked up two of their eye creams - Diopticerne & Diopticalm. I'm more into eye gels these days but if you prefer a cream formula then Lierac's offerings are some of the best. Diopticerne is a hydrating eye cream that intensively treats dark circles. Diopticalm is a soothing eye balm that will calm & de-puff your eyes. You can also apply a thick layer of it as an eye mask.

BIODERMA: No French pharmacy list would be complete without the inclusion of Bioderma Crealine H20. If you need a good makeup remover then this is the one to get. Micellar waters are far more effective than regular makeup removers as they use tiny oil molecules suspended in water. These molecules grab onto makeup & dissolve them without leaving any residue. It removes even the most stubborn waterproof eye makeup & is very gentle on the skin. Nothing compares to you Bioderma.

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