So it seems like the whole blogging community have done a French pharmacy haul in the past couple of weeks and that’s all because over at www.escentual.com they decided to offer up to a third off on the aforementioned, not for a few days or even a week, but for the entire month of March. Yes, all thirty one days of it. As a result, I’ve been shopping (Quelle surprise!) and I’m ashamed to say more than once and even more ashamed to say that it was more than twice! Three times!!! Not all on the same day of course but spread throughout the month which is why I consciously waited until the end of the month before I decided to share with you my purchases (me and escentual.com are pretty much on first name basis now).
In no particular order, I picked up the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +. This is my second purchase of the tube (not even half way through the first yet), but I had been pretty impressed with the results. It’s one of those rare product finds which actually delivers on it’s promises and in a speedy manner too. It literally halted my breakout to the extent that it caused my skin to get a bit dry and flaky ( I have normal/combination skin). However, a regular moisturiser layered on top rectified the situation and I’m still using it at the moment to rid my skin of the reminders left behind from my outbreak in the form of scars.
You know when you hear about a product so much that your curiosity gets the better of you and inevitably you end up purchasing it? well I could say that about the Nuxe Reve De Miel. I was getting fed up with my winter chapped lips (lipstick and flaky lips do not sit well together), and thought it was high time I gave it a go. Now after having used it, I don’t know why it took me so long in getting around to trying it. It’s unique smooth but matte texture is addictive and has proven to be the perfect remedy for my have-seen-better-days lips.
I had been looking for a new day cream for a while as my Biotherm AquaSource Gel is almost coming to an end. So naturally I pick up two products (just couldn’t stick to one could I?!). The first of them being the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat which is a moisturiser with a long lasting hydrating formula but one that is also oil-free, anti-shine and supposedly acts as a bit of a blotter to mop up any excess oil and unwanted shine. This might be one just to use on my t-zone as the rest of my face is pretty normal but I’ll give this a go and see how I get on with it.
The other one I picked up the Caudalie Vinosource Moisturising Mattifying Fluid (are you sensing a trend here?). Like the Effaclar Mat, I hadn’t heard much about this product but was drawn to it because it has the word “mattifying” in the name (such a sucker for marketing). I guess what I’m looking for with these two products is a light weight moisturiser that will hydrate but isn’t greasy or shiny and if it is able to mattify, then even better. I’ll get back to you with how I get on with these two.
The next product is another one from Caudalie and one that every beauty junkie would have heard of (and probably bought or tried). It’s the Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I’m not sure if I am entirely sold on this product but again this is another product where curiosity got the better on me and a highly enabled purchase by the beauty blogging community. From what I understand of this product is that it is a bit of an all rounder (like the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream you could say). It can be used to sooth the complexion, decongest and tighten pores, help to boost your skin’s radiance, set your makeup, the list goes on. I have been using this in alternation with the La Roche-Posay Serozinc as the step after my exfoliating toner but also like a quick spritz over my makeup before I leave the house. It’s got quite a unique smell (in a good way), a little bit fruity, a little bit minty and feels so refreshingly cool on the face. I’ve not really noticed that it’s made any difference to my skin or the way my makeup looks but it’s just one of those products that is nice to have.
Staying on the subject of sprays, I spotted the Avene Thermale Spring Water Spray with a third off at £2.36 for the 50ml (when it’s that cheap, why the hell not?). I remember seeing one of the makeup artists from AOFM using this as a toner in her kit and is basically used to help sooth the skin particularly for those with quite sensitive skin. I figured this would be a nice addition to my kit.
Another addition to my kit was the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Riche Soothing Protective Cream. I hadn’t got any skin care products for my kit and was just making do with mini samples of moisturisers I had laying about. I struggled quite recently when I did makeup for my friend who had really dry skin, particularly so on her cheeks which were also quite red. Her skin literally drank all the moisturiser I applied and reapplied and reapplied some more. Hence why I was prompted to look into buying a moisturiser pronto and one that is specifically aimed at those with very dry skin. On the subject of dry skin, we can’t ignore the lips particularly at this time of year. Although we are just about entering into Spring, the weather is still pretty cold at the best of times. So with that in mind, I also picked up La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Lips.
So not only did Escentual.com offer up to a third off of their french fancies, they were literally giving away the Bioderma Sensibio H20 in their BOGOF promotion. I hadn’t even finished my 500ml one thats been going for ages (and not to mention the mini 100ml bottle I have on standby) but £9.99 for two 250ml bottles? It would be rude not to. This is one of the non- negotiables in my skincare routine and now I have enough to see me through to the end of the year.
I don’t actually own a loose translucent powder as I didn’t ever think I needed one. I use Rimmel’s Stay Matte Pressed Powder in the shade Transparent to set my makeup and carry around with me my Chanel Poudre Universelle Compact because it comes with a mirror inside the compact. I guess I don’t need a loose powder but with the brand Vichy popping up over at Lisa Eldridge’s and Ruth Crilly’s channels and coupled with the third off discount, I didn’t need much more persuading. The Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder was added to my virtual basket in no time.
Now onto the sexy subject of flaky scalps. I suffer from a very sensitive, highly irritated scalp. Some days I can be fine, other days it can start to itch even though I’ve washed my hair the very same morning. I was not really aware that there were hair products out there that could be used to treat it that doesn’t seem too medical, and doesn’t carry a toxic scent. I’ve heard a few people talk about the Klorane range so when I “accidently” landed on their page on the Escentual site, my eyes were immediately drawn to the Klorane Peony Shampoo for Irritated Scalp. Not yet tried this but I will be sure to keep you posted if I think theres anything worth knowing.
Did you stock up on your French pharmacy products, if so, I’d love to know what you got and any product recommendations you may have.
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