La Vida Dulce: French Pharmacy: Loves & Flubs

Bonjour!

Last month I had the chance to spend one- yes one- night in Paris by myself on my way from Miami to Madrid. So naturally, I strolled down Champs Elysees, basked under the Eiffel Tower, and headed into tons of famous French Pharmacies.

I couldn’t believe that there was literally a pharmacy on EVERY corner, it was almost overwhelming. However! I went in prepared, I had done tons of research on beauty guru blogs and youtube videos to create a list of recommendations on what I had to bring home. Below are the products I bought, the prices (in Euro) and my reviews.

1. Bioderma- 12€- Everyone, I mean EVERYONE, raves about Bioderma and every pharmacy had shelves on shelves of this chubby pink bottle. For those of you who don’t know Bioderma, it’s a micellar water that acts as a cleanser/makeup remover. I LOVE it, it takes my face of makeup off so effortlessly and it doesn’t feel oily at all. I use a couple of cotton pads and a few drops go a long way. Even though it’s cheaper in France, you can find Bioderma in the states on sites like this.

2. Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream- 8€- I love this hand cream, it’s super moisturizing and soaks into my skin quickly. The scent is a little strong, some people either love it or hate it. To me it smells quite herbal and fresh.

3. Caudalie Eau de Thermal Grapewater Spray- 10€- I love refreshing mists typically, I always carry an Evian spray in my bag especially when I’m traveling, but this one was kind of a disappointment, I don’t a difference with using this product and the mist isn’t as fine as I would like. Overall it’s an okay product, nothing to write home about.

4. Caudalie Beauty Elixir- 12€- Even the name of this is magical. I LOVE this spray, I apply it all over my face morning and night as a toner, it’s super gentle since it’s formulated without parabens or sulfates, but still leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean. Again, this has an herbal scent to it that’s pretty strong, some people like it some people don’t. I personally love it and feel like the scent makes it seem medicinal in my mind, like it’s really working. Is that weird?

5. La Roche Posay Serozinc- 8€- This was recommend by Amelia Liana (absolutely love her blogs and vlogs), I use it as a toner but not every night and so far I really like it. I used it when I was breaking out during my visit from Aunt Flo and it really seemed to calm my skin. I also use it when my T-zone is feeling especially oily and it does a good job of soaking up the oils. I’ve heard it’s great for razor burn too, haven’t tried it for that yet but I’m completely satisfied with this product and I definitely wish I had picked up more cans so that I wouldn’t have to use it so sparingly!

6. Klorane Mango Oil Spray- 8€- After living in Miami for a year my (already color treated) hair was not feeling the love from the sun. I had noticed that my hair began to feel somewhat straw like, which horrified me because I’ve always had pretty good hair. I picked this oil up because I read that the mango oil in it is supposed to help treat sun-damaged hair- seemed like a no brainer. I wouldn’t call this a “miracle treatment” but I spray the oil pretty sparingly along my ends (from the middle of my hair down, avoiding the roots) and I definitely noticed that my hair felt softer when it dried!

7. Klorane Dry Shampoo- 8€- Totally disappointed with this product! :( I had read great reviews about how this product was not chalky and blended well. I can’t say I disagree with those two points…but that’s because this product doesn’t do much for my hair at all! I’m a big fan of dry shampoos, especially when I’m traveling or on the go. Compared to my trusty Batiste, this just doesn’t hold up. Bummer!

8. Nuxe Dry Oil- 22€- When I saw the price on this I was like “okay this better be good”, and it honestly is! It’s almost like a dupe for the NARS Body Glow, it even has a similar scent- but it’s half the price! A little bit goes a long way with this oil, I apply it after I shave to get that J.Lo look legs-for-days look. My only wish with this product was that I had purchased the spray bottle instead of the regular bottle that you have to shake to get the product out. One satisfied customer!

9. Nuxe Reve De Miel- 6€- I actually bought this while I was in Spain..but it’s a french product so I’ll throw it in here for good measure. This stuff is great! It’s super duper moisturizing but isn’t sticky and has a great honey scent to it. I can’t wait to whip this bad boy out in the harsh New York winters and see how it tests!

10. Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre- 22€- Oh. My. Lanta. This is the holy grail. I LOVE this product. I know what all the raving is about now, this is the “go to” product for make up artists to the stars and I can see why. This tube was so incredibly hard to track down but I am so insanely glad I did. I ended up stumbling into a little pharmacy on my way to the Eifel Tower (I wish I remembered the street!) where the very sweet pharmacists barely spoke English and stared at me as I tried to pronounce the name in my best faux-french accent (awful). Thankfully and miraculously, he understood me and pulled out the box from the back of the pharmacy. What an amazing moisturizer! I have combination skin with an oily T zone and this product balances everything out and leaves my skin feeling super soft and supple and not too tight. Love. Love. Love. Love. Thank you Embryolisse. This product is also available at Sephora and Beautylish.

Overall? If you could only grab a few things from Paris or just want to try out a few skincare faves I strongly recommend: Bioderma, Caudalie Beauty Elixir, Serozinc and Embryolisse!