Help! What do I need from France that I haven't already tried?

As usual, I have left important decision making until the last minute. My parents are returning from France this weekend and I need to put my order in now for any beauty related items. My mind is drawing a complete blank though.

Last year when I was on holiday, I bought the following items: Bioderma face wipes, Bioderma Crealine Cleansing Water, Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentré, Gemey Eye makeup remover, Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, Sanoflore 24H Sans Concession Deodorant, MUFE Smoky Lash Mascara, BcomBio Organic Intense Triple Action Eye Contour, Mavala Nail Polish Remover and Avibon Vitamin A Pommade.

I used up the Bioderma face wipes, Klorane dry shampoo and Mavala polish remover all quite quickly. Both the Klorane dry shampoo and Mavala are worthy of re-purchasing but you can buy both of these in the UK and I know that I can purchase the nail polish remover in a larger size online. The deodorant, MUFE mascara and Avibon ointment are things I wouldn't purchase again, so they are instantly off my list.

I've recently finished off the Bioderma micellar water and Gemey eye makeup remover. I loved the Gemey remover as it's really gentle and feels very much like a cleansing water. However, I bought this in duplicate so I don't need a replacement for it yet. I'm a bit more ambivalent about the Bioderma. It's ok for cleansing when you're feeling lazy but I always have to wash my face after I've used it as I dislike the sticky feel. It is great for touch ups but I do wonder whether it would be worth trying different micellar water cleansers? I do have the travel size bottle left too.

I rate both the Embryolisse cream and the BcomBio eye serum and think these were my best pharmacie purchases. I've not run out of either of these yet and I don't feel I need backups at the moment. If only the Embroylisse contained an SPF, it would instantly be re-purchase worthy.

What french fancies am I forgetting? I'm sure there must be an important must-have or two that I have missed? I am particular interested in skincare items but my Mum should have opportunity to go into Sephora at Cite Europe, so makeup is a possibility too.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Intense Triple Action Eye Contour Cream from BcomBIO Organic

This does have a very long name and I'm still not sure I've written the brand name correctly but this eye cream is worth mentioning, so I'll crack on! I bought the BcomBIO Organic Intense eye cream on my trip to France last year. I was actually searching for their firming serum but I picked this up as an alternative: eye creams are something that are sadly lacking in my routine. I've had some strange reaction to eye products in the past and I will admit that I tend to be forgetful about applying them regularly.

I've been forgetful about using this too and it has sat neglected in my bedside cabinet for months. I randomly pulled it out the other day after another broken nights sleep and it felt blissful! I'm not the only one who likes it either. The pump got a little jammed up having sat unused so I accidentally dispensed too much and generously donated the excess to Mr MB (I don't like being wasteful). Later that day he randomly commented on how nice it had felt and he's been using it regularly since then.

I can't really comment on the efficacy: I've not been using it for long enough plus using any cream is going to make any improvement to my eye contour area as it was definitely dehydrated. What I can say with conviction is this feels very soothing and refreshing and that feeling lasts after the initial application. It has a pleasing fluid texture, it's a somewhere between a gel and a lotion in feel and it doesn't cause any puffiness. You can find more details about the active ingredients here.

If you're going over to France over Easter or even over the summer, I can recommend having a look for this brand. I bought this from the pharmacy within the Carrefour at Cité Europe but I imagine you will find it in most of the larger pharmacies. It costs 18.90€ which is approximately £16. I noticed that can buy it from leguidesante.co.uk and www.mondebio.co.uk if you're in the UK but I can't vouch for either of these sites as I haven't purchased from them myself.

PS. If you fancy bit of French pharmacy shopping without leaving home, don't forget that Escentuals.com have a 1/3 off Avene, Vichy, La Roche Posay, Klorane and A-Derma until the end of this month.

French Pharmacy and Sephora Haul

I mentioned in my return home post that I had managed to do a bit of beauty shopping on holiday. I was actually a little surprised when I put altogether at how much I'd managed to pick up! Browsing pharmacies in France is an enjoyable pastime for any beauty junkie as there are so many fantastic brands available. Well known french brands such as La Roche Posay, Lierac, Caudalie and Nuxe are readily available although the prices are similar to the UK. I find I go a bit 'product blind' when faced with so much choice so I compiled a little shopping list. What I bought really is a mixture of items that I have wanted for ages and products that I discovered when researching french pharmacy must haves.

Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentré
This was actually quite tricky to find. A makeup artists favourite; I didn't want to leave France without it. It's only available in certain pharmacies, so it's worth checking their website for stockists if you're paying a visit. I bought this in the pharmacy within the large Carrefour Supermarché at Cité Europe and it cost €10.65 for 75ml.

Gemey Cils Demasq
This was a bit of a random purchase whilst food shopping. Gemey are Maybelline by another name and I seem to think I've read good reviews about this eye makeup remover in the past. Time will tell if my memory has failed me.

B Com Bio Organic Intense Triple Action Eye Contour
I was actually looking for a serum from this brand that I had seen mentioned in a blog post. It was nowhere to be found that and I was keen to give this line a try. I hope this will encourage me to use an eye cream on a regular basis as I'm still shockingly lax in this department. B Com Bio Organic had a large range of products and seems to be a really nice brand and I wish I had picked up a couple of other things to try.

Sanoflore 24H Sans Concession Deodorant
This is another product I came across through online research. I routinely use Lady Mitchum and I thought this would make an interesting alternative with the promise of 24H No Compromise! It's alcohol, paraben and aluminium salt free and carries the ECOCERT label. I've used it a few times now and I really like it. It has a nice, delicate fragrance and, although I don't think it's as powerful as Lady Mitchum, it is pretty effective.


MUFE Smoky Lash Mascara
I was so excited when I spotted Sephora and the MUFE stand. I've had my eye on various MUFE items for such a long time. I only had a few minutes in which to shop though so I opted for Smoky Lash as it didn't require a shade decision. If I'd had more time I would have chosen one of the HD blushes or the cream eyeshadows. I'm pleased I know about the Sephora at Cite Europe now, I feel a future day trip in the making!

Avibon Vitamin A Pommade
Avibon is an ointment meant for the treatment of skin irritations. It contains Vitamin A (Retinol) hence it's appeal as an anti-ageing treatment. It's a greasy ointment (lanolin, vaseline) so I have yet to smear it on my face but I'm intrigued. This is usually stocked behind the counter so you will need to ask for it but there's no prescription required. I'm not sure yet whether it actually contains sufficient Vitamin A to be an effective wrinkle treatment.

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk
I've never tried Klorane before and I saw this particular dry shampoo recommended on a couple of blogs. I'm really looking forward to giving this a try to see how it measures up to Batiste. In particular, I'm hoping for less of a synthetic scent.

Mavala Nail Polish Remover
This was another Sephora purchase. I'm always on the look out for nail varnish removers that don't strip the nail of moisture and I've read some encouraging reviews. I had hoped to find a stand with their nail colours whilst I was in France but strangely I didn't spot any.  

Bioderma Crealine H2O Cleansing Solution (150ml)
This is actually something I picked up for someone else but I couldn't resist showing you the bottle as it's so cute! I've never seen the travel bottle before and it was a harder to find than the 250ml and 500ml sizes which you find in every pharmacy. Again, I found this at the big Carrefour pharmacy at Cité Europe. If you're heading to France, it's certainly worth picking up a bottle of this cult favourite.

Some essential reference material!

I came home only to realise I'd missed the opportunity to get both a Helena Rubinstein mascara and the new Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara. Having said that, my husband is taking a trip to Spain next week, so my thoughts are already turning to what I can add to his shopping list. If you know of any Spanish beauty must-haves, feel free to make suggestions! Do you have any favourite finds from holidays abroad?