French Pharmacy Part 3

Avene

Avene is one of my top picks from the French pharmacy (now stocked pretty widely in the UK). Like La Roche-Posay, their products target quite specific skin types to make your skincare personally tailored to your needs. It's mid-range in terms of price and you can guarantee their products are only packed full of seriously good stuff.

For moisturiser I always turn to Avene. I particularly love this light hydrating cream with SPF 20 for day time as it sinks in really quickly, works well under make up and most importantly has a decent amount of sun protection. It also comes in a rich hydrating version which is good for those with drier skin. It's a simple product that does a very good job at what it claims to do.

Bioderma

Another no nonsense skincare brand is Bioderma. You're likely to have heard of Bioderma's micellar water which caused a storm in the online beauty world. Micellar waters have been around in France for a long time now but have only really picked up the pace in the UK within the last two years. However, it's not their micellar water that I want to rave about today, I think the internet is saturated enough on that front.

Bioderma's hydrabio range is seriously good stuff for anyone with dehydrated skin. I love this hydrabio serum which can be used alone as moisturiser or can be used under your regular moisturiser for times when you need that extra boost of hydration. I use this pretty much every night and my skin drinks this stuff up. As it's a serum it feels weightless on the skin but packs a real punch.

Filorga

Filorga is a brand I had actually never tried before wandering into a French pharmacy. It is a lot more on the pricey side than the other brands I've featured but I think you can really tell when you use their products. The brand as a whole is certainly marketed as a kind of fresh from the dermatologist's lab kind of products.

Filorga's Sleep and Peel resurfacing night cream is an overnight treatment that contains six hydroxy acids (AHA and BHA) that help cell renewal and smooth the skin's surface. It's basically a very gentle way of exfoliating dead skin on your face and means you can wake up and your face looks brighter, smoother and healthier. The main thing I have noticed with this cream is that my make up applies really nicely on mornings when I've used this so, it must be doing something right. Don't let the scary name put you off and the fact that the phrase 'peeling effect' is plastered all over the packaging. In fact, it's not really as intense a product as it's marketed as and even on my sensitive skin I only felt the slightest tingle for a few minutes after applying and that was it.

Mixa

From the highest end of the price spectrum to the lowest, Mixa is a great affordable skincare brand that can be easily found in pharmacies and supermarkets across France.

I wear waterproof mascara most of the time so I need a really heavy duty eye make up remover which can be quite difficult to come across. This one from Mixa does a really good job of removing all traces of waterproof mascara and it's a really decent price as well. It is one of those duo phase make up removers, part water, part oil based, so it effectively removes make up but in the most gentle way possible.

Avene and Bioderma are now stocked in Boots, Filorga can be found at Marks & Spencer and Mixa can be shipped from beautyspin.co.uk.

Feelunique Beauty Haul

With Summer just around the corner, I decided it was time to bring in the big guns and make an order on feelunique - my favourite online beauty store. This haul features an oldie but a goodie as well as some skincare and make up essentials for warmer weather.

Sun Protection

For some time now I have been on the hunt for a day cream with a decent sunscreen factor that also doesn't leave my skin like a grease ball (I am so low maintenance, I know). I stumbled upon this one from Avène, a brand I already really admire. Their hydrating cream with SPF 20 is available in light for those of us who fall into the oil/combination category and rich for dryer skins. I have been using this for a week now and I am a huge fan. It has a beautiful, light texture that sinks in quickly, moisturises enough (for me anyhow) and leaves a matte/demi-matte finish. I feel now I've killed two birds with one stone so I can rest assured my skin is moisturised and protected from the sun everyday. In hot climates, however, when I know my skin will be exposed to the sun more, I will bump up the SPF and go for something like the Avène Very High Protection Cream SPF 50. Nonetheless, I'm pretty chuffed with this new discovery.

Lashes

I purchased Maybelline Lash Sensational a while ago and haven't been reaching for anything else since. I love how it gives tonnes of volume without clumping your lashes together. I buy the waterproof version because my lashes get easily weighed down by regular mascaras and end up falling flat. This definitely holds a curl really well, plus, I don't have to worry about any smudging. Like most mascaras currently on the market, however, it's certainly not without pitfalls. I find it dries out quite quickly which is rather frustrating, but, I guess that's just because it's waterproof and to be expected. I'll just have to let that one slide.

Flush

If you read my fresh Spring make up look you will know I am having a bit of a love affair with cream blushes. This watercolour blush in Cherub by Daniel Sandler is the perfect blush for a natural, healthy-looking flush of colour for that just-back-from-a-brisk-morning-walk look. Although the liquid formula looks intimidating, it is really easy and quick to use. Simply shake the dinky little bottle, pour about two drops onto the back of your hand then use a brush (I use the real techniques stippling brush) or even your fingers to dab it onto the cheeks. Et voilà! You've got pretty pink cheeks that will stay put all day. I'm now itching to try the other colours in the range.

Self-tan

Lastly, we have a safe and reliable way to bronze up your skin - the ever-evolving self-tanning cream. Caudalie is such a great brand for high quality skincare for all skin types, but, unlike it's French pharmacy counterparts, it has a sense of luxury about it. I really like the Clarins Liquid Bronze for the face, however, even on my pale skin I feel it is a bit too gradual. When I put a self tanner on my face I want to wake up and look like my head has been to the Bahamas for a week. It's worth noting that my skin is extremely sensitive especially to false tanners and I have endured some traumatic mornings, waking up and looking like the elephant man after taking an allergic reaction to a fake tanning product. Thankfully, when I used Caudalie Soleil Divine I had no such reaction and woke up with a natural and evenly bronzed complexion. It made my skin look so much better that the next day I even skipped foundation (gasp!) and just used concealer (I'm only human). I have to admit there is the dreaded self tan biscuity smell but I personally don't see the issue because it doesn't hang around for long and I'm asleep while it develops.

Before you go

 Avène is currently on offer at Boots and feelunique ships worldwide. Now I'm done.