Talonted Lex

French Pharmacy Beauty Haul

French Pharmacy Beauty Haul

French Pharmacy Beauty Haul

Those who’ve followed me for a while will know that my parents live in France which means I take every opportunity to stock up on French beauty products. I posted my last big haul HERE if you want to see what I already have.

I didn’t have a chance to go over to France before Christmas because of work, but my dad kindly said he would pick some things up for me. He ended up traipsing round 8 pharmacies on his day off and roping countless shop assistants to help him. He’s so cute. I am so glad I stocked up on the essentials (Bioderma and LRP stuff) and also asked him to get some additional things for a small giveaway when I reach my first Bloglovin milestone…!)

The pictures above show what he picked up for me:

  • La Roche Posay Serozinc – I bought this in my last haul, and this time I asked my dad to get me 3 (including one for my friend Jen). You can find my review of Serozinc HERE. They were about €5 each.
  • Bioderma Micellar water – this is a given when you’re anywhere near a pharmacy in France. There’s a review HERE. I got three 500ml bottles for about €8 each.
  • La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo – This anti-blemish cream has been on my wish list for ages as it is raved about by so many people. This was about €9.
  • Caudalie Huile Divine – A dry oil spray that smells incredible. It was roughly €20.
  • Darphin Intral Redness Relief Recovery Balm – I need to do a proper review of this product as I LOVE it. It is wonderful and smells amazing. This was the only item that wasn’t that much cheaper in France, at about €40, but I love it so much that I don’t mind.
  • Embroyolisse Hydra-Masque – the Embroyolisse moisturiser I got in my last haul is so good that I needed the mask as well, I haven’t tried this yet so I might give it a go tonight. This was €10.
  • La Roche Posay Redermic R Eye cream – I have tried so many eye creams and this one is my current favourite. This was €20.

I am so happy with my haul. My dad did an excellent job and I’m so grateful that he wasted his day off to wander round pharmacies in Toulouse!

What French products do you swear by? Any you would recommend for my next haul?

Lex

French Pharmacy Beauty Haul French Pharmacy Beauty Haul

Follow:

Avene 50 Plus SPF Cream

Avene 50 plus SPF Cream

Avéne 50 plus SPF Cream

I love summer, but it doesn’t tend to love me. I am very fair and burn if I even look at the sun, so I am very careful with my skin protection in the summer months. I have tried lots of different face creams with high SPFs, but they have all aggravated my rosacea by being too heavy or full of irritants.
This is a very high SPF cream which protects my hyper-sensitive skin from burning, but Avene products are also rich in Avene thermal spring water, which means it’s soothing and non-irritating. I wear this every day in summer, in other seasons I wear it if I know I’m going to be outside for an extended period of time. It isn’t a super lightweight cream but I didn’t find that it made my skin feel too heavy or smothered. They also do an emulsion version, which in hindsight would have been better for my oily skin, I think the cream version is aimed at dry skin types.

It is quite white and you do have to rub it in to make sure you don’t have white patches – however I’m very pale so maybe that would be more annoying or noticeable if you are more tanned.

This comes in a 50ml size, so you can throw it in your hand luggage if you’re going away for a sunny weekend. It also has a pump dispenser which I much prefer to a squeezy tube, which tend to explode all over me on planes!

This was another French pharmacy purchase. I usually wait for Escentual to do one of their amazing sales (you can buy it HERE), or wait to stock up when I go over to France.

Have you used any other Avene products? What’s your summer skin care saviour?

Lex

Avene 50+ SPF Cream

Follow:

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil

This dry oil is from another of my recent French pharmacie hauls. I had heard great things about this oil and was desperate to try it. In the UK you can get this in Marks & Spencer’s for £21 HOLD THE PHONE I have just seen that you can get it on Look Fantastic for £17. I got it in France for about 15 euro – bargain – so if you’re planning on going to France I’d wait and stock up!

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil is a multi-purpose oil: you can use it as a moisturising body oil on dry skin or put it in your bath as an all-over body treat; a pampering facial oil; use it on your cuticles; or on your hair as a conditioning step. I prefer to use it as the latter as it smells absolutely divine – I have been walking around sniffing my hair like a crazy person! It’s a great product to take on holiday for all of the above reasons – you only need one bottle to do all of those jobs!

Have you tried anything else by Nuxe?

Lex

Follow:

La Roche Posay Serozinc

La Roche Posay Serozinc

La Roche Posay Serozinc

I have been lusting after Serozinc for ages but it’s not available in the UK (update on this below!). So it was the first thing on my list when I got to the French pharmacies. La Roche Posay Serozinc is a toner in an aerosol spray. I use it after cleansing and if my skin is ever feeling tight due to my rosacea. But Serozinc can apparently be used on any kind of skin irritation, including razor burn and sun burn: everyday’s a school day!

And the best part? This was under 5 euro! Perfection. I have already put my repeat order in with my parents. I can’t ever bear to be without it.

Have you tried Serozinc?

EDIT: Amazing news! La Roche Posay Serozinc is now available in the UK! Rejoice! Alert the Elders! You can buy this wonder product HERE.

Lex

La Roche Posay Serozinc

Follow:

Bioderma Crealine H2O Micellar Water

Bioderma Crealine H2O Micellar Water

Bioderma Crealine H2O Micellar Water

Bioderma Micellar Water has been a secret weapon of many make up artists and knowledgable skin care obsessives for a long time but it was only available in France. Luckily, it launched in the UK this year to much fanfare! It’s still a lot cheaper in France so I stock up whenever I go over. Bioderma hoarding formed a big part of my French parapharmacie haul which you’ll be seeing a lot more from on the blog in the coming weeks.

Micellar water is a gentle cleanser with microscopic oil molecules. It doesn’t foam, it doesn’t need to be washed off and you can do it in bed. What more could you possibly want? You apply it to a cotton pad and it takes off all make up in a few swipes (even stubborn mascaras and eyeliner). Washing my face with normal, foaming cleansers aggravates my rosacea sometimes so this option is wonderful.

I think you can get this for about £10 at Boots but this was about 5 euros so I am still going to stock up whenever I nip over to France!

Has anyone else tried Bioderma, or any other micellar water cleansers?

Lex

Follow:

Welcome to Talonted Lex, the go-to online destination for anyone seeking guidance and inspiration on managing rosacea.

From rosacea skincare tips and sensitive skin makeup tutorials to lifestyle adjustments for rosacea relief. Whether you’re looking for the best rosacea treatments, gentle skincare routines, or just a supportive community that understands your skin concerns, Talonted Lex is your ultimate guide.

Where to next?