I had a lovely weekend in Paris with my Mummy to celebrate the end of my A levels. I was most excited about going to the pharmacies and discovering the French skincare brands. It is no exaggeration to say that there is a pharmacy everywhere you look but I had heard that a very popular one was CityPharma on Rue Du Four. We went in our fair share of different pharmacies around Paris and can definitely say that this one was the cheapest and had the largest variety of brands. I was warned by other bloggers that it was going to be busy but I can safely say that I have never had a shopping experience like it! If you do not suffer with claustrophobia and can cope with squishing into the into the tiny aisles with about a hundred other people bashing you with their shopping baskets, then I would say it is definitely worth it! I ended up making almost all of my skincare purchases here and have been trying them out for around 5 weeks so I thought that it was about time that I review them.
 |
| 28 Rue du Four, 75006 Paris, France |
Right at the top of my shopping list was Serozinc by La Roche-Posay (it is now available in the UK but is cheaper in France). I picked up two because I had heard the likes of Caroline Hirons (Click here to view!) and Amelia Liana (Click here to view!) raving about it so thought it had to be good. They actually didn't have it in CityPharma but nearly every other pharmacy stocked La Roche-Posay. It is a zinc sulphate facial spritzer that claims to be a cleansing and soothing toner for oily problem skin. I have incorporated it into my evening skincare routine as a step after acid toning. I like using spritzers for layering moisture and refreshing the skin. I especially enjoyed using it when I recently went on holiday to Spain as a clarifying and hydrating to make my skin feel extra clean and refreshed before bed. Although I haven't necessarily noticed a reduction in the amount of blemishes I get, I have seen that they don't look as raw and heal a lot quicker.
Another French pharmacy essential that I just had to try is the Bioderma Crealine H20. I would never use this as an all-over cleanser because I feel that an oil or a cream cleanser is better for my skin and a lot more effective at removing make-up. One thing that I did notice about the French pharmacy brands was that they are very hot on foaming cleansers which dry your skin out and are especially not good for spot-prone skin. I did find the odd cleansing milk but none that really convinced me. Anyway, this micellare water is lovely and gentle and great for removing eye-makeup. The small bottle is also really cute and perfect for travel!
I had run out of my eye-cream and fancied trying a French one. I had never heard of A-DERMA but figured that French skincare is renowned for being some of the best in the world so I couldn't go too wrong. I was drawn in by the words 'soothing', 'decongesting' and 'delicate'. I have quite sensitive eyes so I wanted something that would be gentle and soothing but would still be effective at making my under eyes look healthier. This is super soothing yet really nourishing. The texture under my eyes is more even and hydrated. I will definitely be stocking up next time I go to Paris!
They are made by Sephora and we weren't expecting much but they were actually really nice. They were completely saturated in product and after leaving them on for 15 minutes, you massage the remaining product into your skin. They made our under eyes feel amazing!!! They were a perfect treat after a tiring day shopping in Paris.
Another Bioderma pick was this Hydrabio Riche Moisturising Cream. This is one high-tech moisturiser that claims to do wonders so I thought I had to give it a go. It is fast becoming one of the best moisturisers I have ever tried. It is right up there with the Clinique Moisture Surge. I definitely much prefer the packaging of this one because it is a really neat and compact tube with a pump. Besides the packaging, my skin drinks it up and just makes my skin feel and look a million dollars. It is really hydrating without being too rich and I am totally in love!
I couldn't resist this cute little hand sanitizer. I am unashamedly a hand sanitizer addict and just thought this would be perfect for my handbag and I could decant some of my bigger tubes of gel into it once I have used it up. It smells yummy too and not too strong like some others. A bit of an impulse purchase but I love it!
 |
| 26 Rue de la Constitution, 50300 Avranches, France |
We spent every waking moment shopping in Paris and if a shopping holiday is your idea of bliss then I would definitely recommend visiting Galleries Lafayette. There's every luxury, designer brand under one rather spectacular glass roof. We just were in awe of the beautiful interior and the huge price tags! There's also champagne and macaroon bars but we ended up having a drink in MacDonalds on the top floor!!!
Amelia Liana filmed a brilliant video on her French Pharmacy Favourites (Click here to watch!). She had high praise for the Dermophil lip balms so I picked up a double pack for my mum and I to try. My mum is a frequent lip balm user whereas I am hopeless at remembering to apply it throughout the day. She really loves it and it has become a staple in her handbag. It is a lovely smooth balmy texture that feels really lovely on your lips. I am not a big fan of the smell but I certainly understand why Amelia loves it so much; it is very medicinal and very effective at curing extremely dry lips.
We had a wonderful long weekend in Paris and I hope this was useful for any of you who are looking to visit this beautiful city. Thanks so much for reading!
