RETAIL THERAPY: French Pharmacie Haul (#1?!)

Bonjour mes amis! As some of you may or may not know, I recently moved to Paris to study abroad for a semester.  Which explains the a) lack of blog posts and b) the French pharmacie haul!!!  I knew that one of the first things I wanted to do when I got here was check out the famous pharmacies to hoard some French skincare goodies that have been hyped in the beauty world...and well, I was pretty successful. 

Bioderma is definitely one of the most well known French skincare products. So, so, so many youtubers and beauty bloggers rave on and on about how amazing this product is, and it definitely lives up to its expectations.  This product is like a miracle make up remover.  I mean, I've never been quite picky with my make up removers.  Anything will do, usually.  But when I use this soaked in a cotton round, my make up, even my water proof mascara, literally glided off my face.  I just hold the cotton round to my eye for a few seconds and, poof, as soon as I swipe the round, my make up is practically gone.  It's extremely gentle and doesn't irritate my eyes or my skin at all.  I plan on seriously STOCKING up on this before I head home to the States.  

There has been a ridiculous amount of hype for the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, as well.  I actually purchased a small bottle of this while still in the States but immediately returned it when I read that you could buy it for about half the price in France.  So, I waited patiently and made sure to pick it up on my first trip to the pharmacie.  This product is basically just a toner spray/make up setting spray/beauty spray.  I spray it on my face after I wash it and once again after I apply my make up.  It takes away any tightness I might feel in my face and also takes away the powdery look that I may be left with after setting my make up with loose powder.  It's got a very fresh, herbally scent that is really soothing and relaxing.  Some people will simply spray the product into their hands and cup their hands around their nose and mouth to relax them throughout the day.  It's been a really nice, refreshing little treat after a long, hot day in Paris. 

My skin has been extremely dry recently.  A couple of weeks ago, I tried out a couple of new products and realized that my skin reacted very badly to them, therefore causing my skin to become really dry, flakey, and red. Normally my skin is quite oily/normal, so all of my skincare products almost made it worse.  I decided to purchase this Cold Cream by Avene after some research on products that help soothe dry skin.  So far, it has been a huge help.  It's a very thick, creamy moisturizer and leaves my skin feeling less tight and uncomfortable when I wake up in the morning. 

The last product I made sure to get from the pharmacie was the Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm.  I heard so much about this product from essiebutton on youtube and was really interested in trying it out.  I love lip balms and am always really eager to try new ones out.  I recently fell in love with Blistex, but found that it made my lips a little bit too slick and greasy.  I heard that this lip balm was a bit more matte and worked well when layered under lipsticks.  I am seriously in love with this lip balm now.  It's the PERFECT lip balm for people who feel like usual lip balms make their lips much too shiny and glossy.  It's just a great every day lip balm that instantly moisturizes my lips without feeling too greasy.  

I'm so sorry for such a long absence, but now that my life has settled down a little, I plan on getting back to a normal updating schedule. 

xx,

Jordana