French Pharmacy Part 2

Caudalie

Next up on French Pharmacy Appreciation Week, it's another one of my favourite pharmacy finds, French beauty giant Caudalie. You are likely to have already heard of Caudalie's famous Beauty Elixir which has amassed many celebrity rave reviews as an in-flight beauty staple, but today I'm going to big up some of their other, perhaps lesser known, products.

A similar product to the Beauty Elixir, the Grape Water spray claims to soothe and moisturise and I definitely agree. I actually find it to be much more hydrating and calming than the Beauty Elixir. It's also a lot cheaper too, probably because of the more straightforward packaging. I love using this as a toner after cleansing, before moisturiser as an extra layer of hydration, under make-up and over-make-up to freshen up foundation. It's a great multi-purpose product and, therefore, great for keeping in your travel bag for on the go.

French pharmacies do some excellent tanning products and this is one of them. Caudalie's Soleil Divine gradual self-tanning cream is used in place of a night time moisturiser. I have sensitive skin that often reacts badly to facial tanners so I need to err on the side of caution when wanting to bronze up the old visage. This works really well for me and gives my deathly pale skin a healthy tan over night. It does, unfortunately, have the dreaded fake tan biscuit scent but personally it doesn't bother me and it definitely doesn't stick around all day. It applies evenly and can be used for consecutive nights to deepen your colour.

La Roche-Posay

I feel out of all the French pharmacy brands, La Roche-Posay is one of the most well known. This French skincare brand has finally made the perilous journey across the English Channel and can be found on our shores on the shelves of Boots! It's a famous brand for a reason. It has a no nonsense attitude to skincare. La Roche-Posay use gentle ingredients that effectively target very specific skin concerns such as rosacea, acne and eczema. While it might not have the most flashy packaging, the stuff inside means serious business.

One of my favourite from la Roche-Posay is Serozinc, a zinc sulfate solution that cleanses and soothes (yes, I did read that straight from the bottle). This is a hailed product for keeping angry spots at bay. I have combination skin so I like to keep this spray at hand to get rid of any bacteria that might be lingering on my face at the end of the day. I find it is most effective used sprayed onto a cotton pad and then pressed onto the face (focusing on the areas you are likely to get spots). I have also found this really useful for calming redness.

La Roche-Posay's Effaclar range is great for oily/combination skin, especially if you suffer from acne. This Effaclar Mat moisturiser is such a rare find because it is nourishing and hydrating for your skin but makes sure you won't look overly shiny. It controls shine and minimises pores while still giving your skin that drink of moisture it needs.

Caudalie can be found at John Lewis, Space NK and Cult Beauty whereas La Roche Posay is stocked in Boots and on esentuals.com.