I love the French food and culture, the language and their skincare products are no exception from this list. They are known for being simple yet really effective. I started out by trying some of the La Roche-Posay products (which are now sold in Boots and on Feelunuique.com) as I'd heard many good reviews of the products from top beauty bloggers like Tanya Burr and A Model Recommends as well as from skincare expert Caroline Hirons.
Lets start with probably the most well known product from the brand, Effaclar Duo (+) which is a treatment product for oily, blemish-prone skin. It reduces blemish marks left behind on the skin. Its formulated for sensitive skin too meaning that it is very gentle.This is fast becoming a holy grail skincare product for me. I recently left it at someones house and was without it for over a week and it was dearly missed by my skin! But as soon as I added it back into my daily skincare routine my skin seemed back to normal almost instantly! It is such an amazing skin treatment product.
The whole of the Effaclar range from La Roche-Posay is targeted for problem skin. The second product from that range that I love is the Effaclar Mat, this is essentially a moisturiser with a matte finish. I have fairly combination skin so I love that with this moisturiser I can get the added hydration yet it keeps my skin balanced. It has a really lightweight formula and sits perfectly under makeup, so is ideal for use in the morning. However it has to be noted that it lacks SPF.
Next up is Toleraine Riche, which is a really hydrating, soothing moisturiser. It has a thick creamy texture and is very soothing on the skin at night. It is marketed for intolerant, dry and irritated skin and is meant to hydrate the skin whilst also protecting it. I would 100% agree with this statement. Also a little goes a long way with this product, if I feel like my skin needs a bit of added hydration or is a bit irritated for one reason or another I massage this into my skin and by morning the problem is gone, and I mean completely gone. It works wonders over night.
My final skincare favourite from La Roche Posay is their Eau Thermale Spray. Now I know some of you may be saying, why pay for water in an aerosol? Well, yes it may seem like a bit of a gimmick but it is enriched with essential minerals and nutrients for the skin to remain healthy and balanced. It can be used as a toner as the second step in your skincare routine or as a general refresher throughout the day (especially good in the summer months or on holiday!). The mist is also incredibly fine, meaning you don't get water dripping off your face! You can also use it to set your makeup, to lock everything into place, alternatively if you feel like you are looking a little 'cakey' and want to un-do that look, a spritz of this will make your skin look very natural again. So yes, its mineral water in a spray, but you'd be surprised how often this will come in handy! I keep one in my bag as I never know when I'll need it!
I recently tried the La Roche-Posay Physiological Cleansing Milk. This is the only product from the range that I've tried that I really didn't like. I think I should have perhaps done some more research on the product before buying it as it is formulated for dry to very dry skin sensitive skin, and I bought it to use when my skin is going through one of its very dry phases, I do also have fairly sensitive skin too so thought it would be handy to swap with my normal cleanser every now and then. But for me it just left too much of an oily residue on the skin. I thought it would be more of a naturally moisturising facial wash but it left a layer over the skin and I got to the point where I would actually go in with another cleanser to wash that off. Overall, it really didn't suit my skin type and I wouldn't repurchase it. Perhaps it would work for someone who has really dry skin all the time? But for me it was a big no.
Now onto other French pharmacy brands. The Avene Eau Thermale is much the same as the one from La Roche-Posay, so if you can't get your hands on that one then give this one ago. There isn't really that much of a difference between the two if I'm honest - I love both!
I've already dedicated a whole post to probably the most well known, and well loved, French skincare item Bioderma (
link here). It can be difficult to source in the UK but it is sold on
Escentual and can be found in a number of London Pharmacies such as
Zest which is located very close to Oxford Street, but it can also be bought off of their website. I soak a cotton pad in a little Bioderma and press it gently onto my eyes to remove all makeup, including waterproof mascara. It works very quickly and feels just like water. For more of my thoughts on Bioderma head over to my post on it, linked above.
Moving onto Ren, I've only tried one of their products so far and I have to say it was love at first use. I'd been wanting to try a higher end cleanser for a while and when perusing the isles of Zest Pharmacy the other week I decided to give their Rosa Centifolia Gel Cleanser a go. I usually go for cream cleansers, occasionally the odd gel, but I now think I have been converted to a gel cleanser lover. It left my skin feeling so clean, as if I'd just had a full on spa facial yet, really fresh and not at all stripped, it felt nicely balanced. I'm now very excited to try some more from the range!
And last but not least my little pot of lip heaven. The Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm that I mentioned
here. It smells deliciously like honey, as the name would suggest - for those of you who speak French! It isn't a particularly glossy lip balm, I would almost go as far as saying it was matte in finish yet still really hydrates and soothes the lips, because of this it looks very natural.
Overall, I've been very pleasantly surprised with the quality of these French products, and will be looking to try more in the future!
Do you have any French skincare product recommendations? I'd love to hear them - leave them in the comments below!
