FRENCH PHARMACY SKINCARE

I was having a bit of a romance session with skincare a few weeks ago and I went a little nuts on Escentual. They were doing that 1/3 off French pharmacy thing and I have no back bone. Besides, who doesn’t like French pharmacy skincare? I mean come on. It certainly tickles my pickle and I bet it tickles yours too. So let’s enjoy tickling our pickles together shall we? God you’re filthy. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not really going to go into any detail about the products because I haven’t even had a chance to use all of them yet, but I just wanted to run you through each of them. 

Bioderma Hydrabio Exfoliating Cream:
I decided to go for this one because I’d seen a fair few beauty bloggers give it love (Nouvelle Daily, Kate from Gh0stparties) it sounded like a nice combination of exfoliating and hydrating properties. I tried it on the back on my hand, but not my face yet, and it did feel nice and creamy. The beads felt a little bit harsher than I was expecting, but I’m going to have to get back to you once I’ve given it a real go. 

La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume:
Yes I have talked about this a few times before. So the product isn’t new to me, but this tube is. I got another one because they’re so cheap on Escentual and they cost about four times as much in Canada. I’ve been rekindling things with Retin-A and that stuff will just absolutely molest your face. It’s a peel fest everywhere. Not nice. This balm is one of the only things that helps to stop the peeling before it gets out of control. Geeerrosss, but true.

Nuxe Multi-Purpose Dry Oil:
Oh heavenly creature. I almost didn’t buy this because it is, if I’m being honest, the least practical buy of the bunch. I don’t really need an expensive bottle of oil to rub on my limbs, but goldarnit, I’d buy it a hundred times again. To borrow a couple of lines from Jerry Maguire, “(it) completes me” and “(it) had me at hello.” This was another Kate inspired purchase. It feels so lovely and light and the smell is unbelievable. It’s a lovely light, floral, sweet scent. If you’re like me and traditional perfumes are often too much for you, then you might like this. The smell doesn’t last all day, but it’s just so good.

La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra:
I love the Toleriane Riche Moisturizer, but the packaging makes me rage. Once you use the first half of the tube it becomes flippin’ near impossible to get the rest of it out. So I decided to try the Toleriane Ultra this time because it has the lovely little pump that won’t make me want Hulk smash it. So far it seems great. It’s also quite rich and thick feeling, like the Riche version, which I’m happy about.

Avene Cleanance Mask:
I haven’t given this a go yet, but I liked the sound of it because it’s a clay mask with chemical exfoliants in it. Plus it kind of turns into a scrubby face wash when you rinse it off. I’m hoping that since it’s Avene it will be suitably gently for sensitive skin, but simultaneously help to draw out some of the blackheads and other junk in my skin. We’ll find out.