My Current French Pharmacy Favourites

Bonjour and happy new year to you. We hope things are fabulous in your world, and that 2022 has started exactly the way you wanted it to. Having said that, we know that so many of us around the world suddenly find ourselves more impacted by the pandemic than ever before. So if your 2022 has started with a wave of illness, grief or loss, please know we’re sending you all our very best wishes xx

Now, on to our first post of 2022. I don’t know if this is happening for you too, but the question I’m being asked most often at the moment revolves around how I’m coping not visiting France. It’s well over two years since we last set foot on French soil, and travel from Australia still has a large number of challenges, so I think the question is fair enough. Anyway, the short answer to this particular question is ‘poorly’. I know the exact  trip I want to do next time we head to France (and most likely, the trip after that). But there is no clear point on the horizon where I can see us travelling. 

So in the meantime I’ve been consoling myself with wandering around my suburb with my Filt string market bag, watching the second season of Emily in Paris and using as many French beauty products as I can get my hands on. 

Thank goodness so many French pharmacy and big name brands are now more readily available in Australia. Ten years ago, I had to stock up on my favourites while I was in France. But today, I can get many of my go-to French products delivered to my door. It’s been quite a while since I posted anything French pharmacy related, so the time feels right to share my current French pharmacy favourites with you. And because this beautiful community is scattered all over the globe, I’ve included products that work across seasons. Hopefully that way I can cover all the climatic conditions we might be encountering right now.

My Current French Pharmacy Favourites

I’m a huge fan of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse®. The packaging says you can use this dry oil on your face, body and hair. And while I find the scent and the formula delicious, I find it works best as a body moisturiser. Sometimes I use it on its own and other times I mix it with other products to amp up their moisturising capabilities. For the summertime, I like the one that has sparkles – for whatever reason it reminds me of the French Riviera when I see the golden colour. 

Australians tend to avoid the sun these days, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate a tan. And that sentiment applies all year round. Although we make many awesome self-tanning products out here, my go-to product is a French pharmacy brand. The Ultra-Moisturising Progressive Tan from Topicrem is an ideal fake tan. The colour is super natural, it doesn’t streak and it doesn’t smell bad. With this many things going for it, I’m really surprised that I don’t see more people raving about it.

I still have the July 2007 edition of Gourmet Traveller where I first read about Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre. (No, I haven’t kept the magazine because of a moisturiser. I’ve kept it because it inspired our first trip to France, which is a story for another day.) And on our initial trip to France in 2008 I purchased my first tube of this iconic product. It’s celebrated by make-up artists around the world as an excellent base for your foundation. But I tend to reach for it whenever my sensitive skin flares up. The formula is basic and the texture is rich. And apparently that’s the exact combination my skin needs when it wants to be difficult. I smear this on and I find my skin settles almost immediately.

Alright, so I might have to admit a bit of an addiction to Guerlain’s Météorites powder. I fell in love with them as a youngster, when this pearlescent makeup seemed incredibly exotic to a teenager growing up in a regional area. They were also way outside my budget, so I never actually purchased any – I just loved them from afar. Today though, I have Guerlain Météorites in numerous shades. No matter the season I use this powder to set makeup, as a bronzer and as a blush. Technically, I don’t suppose that LVMH owned Guerlain counts as a French pharmacy brand. But due to the fact that I wear a version of these things everyday of my life, I have to include it here. I also love Guerlain’s fragrances, although the older classics are becoming harder to source in Australia.

Like my Guerlain addition above, Lancôme’s Hydra Zen BB cream probably doesn’t really count as a French pharmacy product, as it’s owned by L’Oréal. But given I find the product fabulous year round, I really couldn’t leave it off this list. I use the medium tint and find that it’s the only foundation in need for most summer days. It keeps my skin hydrated and has enough pigment to even out my skin tone. And in winter it adds a touch of summer colour to my relatively pale skin, while keeping any redness under control. A little bit goes a long way, which is always a good thing. It also comes in a very travel friendly container.

I’d love to know what your current French pharmacy favourites are? Please share them in the comments section below so that we can all check them out.

And until next time – au revoir. 

Please note. This is an unsolicited post. No compensation of any kind has been received by Distant Francophile from the brands mentioned.