French pharmacie haulin'

Not going to lie, the part I was most looking forward to of this year abroad was la pharmacie française. I don't know if you can tell, because it's not like I blog about it or anything, but I'm a product junkie. I love skincare and trying new things out, and so far, some of the best stuff I've used has been French. They just know skincare. Walking around the streets here in Grenoble, you can see that all the French women have absolutely perfect skin because they take damn good care of it with really good products. So the first chance I got, I got my French pharmacie shopping on.


My host mom and I went to le supermarché and I just picked up some basics that I didn't have when I came to Grenoble. I have yet to post my June Empties video, but when that goes up, you'll see I finished quite a lot of things and needed to replenish. The supermarket itself was really cool. It had a large food store inside where you can buy all sorts of amazing things, but there were a bunch of little stores surrounding the food store, like the pharmacy, a clothes store, an electronics store, etc.

The pharmacy part was like everything I've dreamed of. And yes, I know this is stupid, but I have had a dream about shopping for makeup and skincare... It was full of products from brands that I know pretty well but are impossible to find in the states or are super expensive there. It took quite a lot of restraint to keep myself from buying everything I've ever wanted to try.

But here's what I managed to walk away with...

I've tried Klorane hair products before (the Mango shampoo and conditioner, which were only okay), but I wanted to try the Papyrus formula for frizzy hair. I just used it in the shower, but I haven't seen what my hair looks like upon waking up, so we'll have to see. I like the lather of the shampoo, and it smells like grass, but nice grass. The conditioner is a bit thinner than I'm used to, but it doesn't have a shed load of silicones like conditioners do in the states. It had a pleasant, perfume-y smell, but it was still light at the same time.

I have expressed my love for the Caudalie Fleur de Vigne showel gel before, but I mentioned it was too expensive, so I wouldn't buy it anytime soon. Not here. I need to stock up on these babies before I head out of France in June 2014. Like get a suitcase full. I love this stuff. It's about 5 euro in France (depending on where you go), and they have more scents! The Peach one is absolutely divine. If I had to drown in a pool of this, I think I'd be okay with that. The scent is light, sweet, and fruity, but not cloying, just natural. The lather is amazing, the formula non-drying. It's the shower gel of my life.

Cool thing about where I went? They gave samples. Oh yeahhh. I've heard great things about Avène, but I have yet to try their products, so I'm looking forward to this mask. I'm also really getting into hydrating masks lately, so I'm excited. As for the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, this stuff has cult status, so I definitely can't wait. 

Now a bit random and boring, but still necessary, I needed a toothbrush. I actually forgot to get this at the supermarket, so I had to go into a random pharmacie for it. I got it without really looking at the price. Bad idea, because it was super expensive (4.10 euro for a toothbrush??). However, I just used this, and mon dieu, it is the best toothbrush I have ever used. With this and my trusty Marvis toothpaste, my teeth are squeaky clean. Love.

 Trust me, there are many more French pharmacie hauls to come. I'm obsessed. And I know you can't really get these products in the states unless you pay a lot more, but if you're interested right away, drugstore.com/beauty.com has a bunch of them.

Au revoir!