Skincare Review | French Pharmacy Favourites

I’ve been getting a lot of promotional emails from Escentual at the minute about their French Pharmacy month so I thought I’d chat today about my favourite French Pharmacy brands and products before the up to 1/3 off offer is over this Sunday!

Klorane Ultra Gentle shampoo and conditioner with Oat Milk* currently £6 and £7.50

I was introduced to this brand just before Christmas and I absolutely love how gentle it is! The shampoo is a lot more watery than any other brands I’ve tried and lathers up better on the second wash. My hair always feels super soft and looks shiny when I use these but what I’m most impressed about with these is how much less tangled my hair is! I’ve never used anything that makes it as easy to brush through as when I use this! The scent is really gentle too and not overly perfumed and the range is so gentle it can be used on all ages!  

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk for dark hair* currently £6

I’d never tried a dry shampoo for dark hair until this and I’m impressed. It doesn’t spray tinted but I leave it for two minutes like its recommended then give it a quick rub into my scalp and brush through and my once greasy second day hairs looks shiny again with no white cast! I love the scent of this too; it’s really refreshing and instantly recognisable as Klorane!

Eucerin Complete Repair Intensive Lotion* currently £8.66

I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about this countless times but I can’t be without it in my body care stash! It’s not a fancy moisturiser but I sometimes get itchy legs at the most random times for no reason whatsoever and this is the only thing that calms my scratching down and offers me relief! It also helps with any dry skin patches I get and it’s so basic but 100% effective and another product I always stock up on!

La Roche Posay Serozinc Spray currently £5.66

This is a really refreshing, calming spray that I use either as a toner or just after toning my face before applying moisturiser. It works really well with my blemish prone skin and targets excess oiliness as well without drying my skin out!

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Power Serum currently £15

This is another old favourite of mine and one I have went more bottles than I care to remember! It’s so hydrating, lightweight and smoothing and I think everyone should have this in their stash!

It sinks in really quickly and I always go back to this as it works so well with my oily/combo skin! I talked about it in this Forever Repurchased post too!

Avene TriAcneal currently £17.25

Excuse the really old packaging of this and I’ve probably had it longer than is recommended but a little goes a long way and I don’t like throwing out things when they still work! This helps dry out spots without drying out the skin around it and is something I always go back to when I have a stubborn spot that just won’t budge! I’ve linked the newer version which I haven’t tried but I’m sure it’s just as good and I really like the Cleanance range from Avene in general!

That’s it for my French Pharmacy favourites! I’m trying to save money at the minute (it’s not going well this month!) but it’s so tempting to stock up when Escentual do this 1/3 off promotion! Definitely take advantage of it if you want to try anything new!

If you liked this post you might also like my post on the Best UK Beauty Sites and how to save!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure here.

Danielle xx

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Skincare Saviours

Although I've used a scarf as a background this time round, these skincare items are saviours for me all year long not just in Autumn and Winter!

Eucerin AQUAporin Active SPF 25 UVB + UVA Protection* RRP £16.50

As a big fan of Eucerin skin and body products I was excited to give this a try when it arrived a few weeks ago! It promises to provide deep 24 hour hydration to dehydrated, sensitive skin. This is right up my street this time of year when my usually oily/combination skin starts to play up with the change in weather/heating etc. and dry patches pop up! I recently took a reaction to a face tanner I used and my skin got really dry and flaky and none of my usual moisturisers were working so I gave this a whirl and have been so happy with the results! At first, although this moisturiser has SPF I though it would be too rich for me during the day but since my skin was so dry I piled it on anyway and was surprised by how well it soaked in, soothed and smoothed my skin. I didn’t use a primer and felt it gave a good base for my makeup too! I love the fact it has both UVA and UVB protection and will definitely be taking this on a short trip away next month (thank God for hold luggage)! There is a whole scientific explanation as to how this hydrates involving the skins aquaporin’s which you can read about here. The Eucerin range can be found at Boots, Look Fantastic, Escentual, Feel Unique and some independent pharmacies!

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask RRP for 100ml is £23

I got this in a set last Christmas and its one of the first Origins products I've tried and loved. The activated charcoal in it is meant to act like a magnet to draw out anything clogging your pores like dirt and pollution through daily life. I like to use this about once a week for a real deep clean and my skin always feels amazing afterwards! It really softens it and seems to draw out any impurities by drying up spots and blackheads! Plus I love how quickly it dries in! I like to rinse this off just in the sink with my hands, I found when I used a facecloth it stained really badly and didn’t come out in the wash but other than its great! I’ll then follow up with a moisturiser like the Eucerin one I’ve mention above as I find it can dry my skin out a bit but it’s totally worth it!

Top to bottom - Avene Triacneal, Eucerin AQUAporin Active SPF 25 UVB + UVA Protection, Origins Clear Improvement

Avene Triacneal RRP £23

This has become my Holy Grail spot product! It’s pricey at £23 but it lasts ages! The product itself is a yellow paste that is not greasy in the slightest and helps eliminate severe imperfections. I use this over active spots at night where it helps to dry them out and also over old acne scars which I find it helps to fade. I have a funny feeling this is being discontinued as unfortunately as it’s out of stock on a lot of sites, this seems to have happened to a lot of products I love over the past few months! Avene did just bring out a new product called Triacneal Expert and their Cleanance Expert is also targeted towards spot prone skin so they would work well too!

Alpha H Liquid Gold RRP £33.50

This is one of my favourite treatments and I have gone through various bottles of it! It’s an overnight chemical exfoliator and I bloody love it! It claims to resurface the skin and help to diminish wrinkles, pigmentation and sun damage. I totally bought this because of the hype and its one I’m happy to say completely delivers on its claims! I can’t quite put my finger on it but my skin just looks better the morning after I’ve put this on. It’s clearer, more even, and plumper and my old acne pigmentation doesn’t look as pronounced. Couldn’t be without this now! Available at Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty and Look Fantastic among others!

Have you tried any of the products I've mentioned? What are your skincare saviours?

P.S. I also just got Twitter and Instagram and they are embarrassingly empty at the minute but links are below if you feel like saying hello :) 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.

Danielle xx

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Product Empties #2

Ok, slightly ridiculous amount of empties here yet again, it never looks that much until I go to write the post about it!

Hair Products

Batiste Dry Shampoo

Ah, good old Batiste where would I be without you! Perfect when you can’t be bothered washing your hair, I always have a bottle of this and a backup! It does leave a bit of a white cast if you don’t rub it in properly but for the price it is a constant repurchase!

Garnier Ultimate Blends The Strength Restorer Honey Treasures Shampoo

I did a full review of the Garnier Ultimate Blends range here and while I liked this shampoo it’s not my favourite and I prefer the other products in the range therefore I won’t be repurchasing!

Perfume, Nails and Makeup

Soap and Glory Eau de Toilette

I’ve had this bottle for absolutely ages! The Mist you Madly scent from Soap and Glory which this perfume is based on is my absolute favourite smell. Seriously, if you’ve never smelt it before, do the next time you have a chance! Anyway, I much prefer the actual body spray to this and find it lasts all day on my skin. This perfume is slightly stronger and as I have both the Mist you Madly body spray and fragrance mist which are cheaper for more product I wouldn’t buy the perfume again!

Opi Nail Envy

I recently talked about this in my manicure post here so I won’t bore you anymore but I love this stuff, it makes my nails so shiny and I have since repurchased this! There is a tiny bit left in the bottle but I hate trying to tip the bottle to get the product to one of the sides to get it out and find it doesn’t give as even an application so to the bin it goes!

Kick Ass Concealer in Light

This is my favourite ever concealer and I have a post coming up on this soon! It has two shades to suit undereyes and blemishes plus a mini setting powder and mirror so perfect to keep in your handbag! Already repurchased!

Revlon PhotoReady Powder in Fair

I talked about trying to get this finished up months ago in this post and I have finally succeeded! I used to love this powder but it’s just not working with my skin anymore so I won’t be repurchasing!

Skincare

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum

I absolutely love this serum, this is my second bottle of it! It is very cooling on the skin, hydrating, quite runny and the bottle lasts ages. I always get it on offer with at least 1/3 off the price so it works out quite reasonably! I haven’t repurchased this just yet because sometimes when my skin gets used to a specific product I find it stops working so if you have any recommendations for another hydrating serum please leave me a comment as I want to give this one a break!

Garnier Express 2 in 1 Eye Make Up remover

I use waterproof mascara daily and this oil based eye makeup remover is the best I’ve ever tried! It is so gentle on my eyes and removes mascara and other eye makeup so easily! Already repurchased and using!

Avene Rich Skin Recovery Cream

This is my second tube of this and I love this moisturising cream when my face feels like it needs a little TLC and I just want to use something simple that does what it says! It’s so gentle and dries in quickly! I haven’t repurchased but I will when I get a few other products used up!

Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm Pink Sheer tint

I am a massive lip balm user (as you will see from the next products too!) and because my lips dry out so easily I like to add a bit of a tint to them to stop them looking the same colour as my face! This is so moisturising and lasts quite a long time on me meaning it is a constant repurchase! I usually swap between the pink and the peach one!

Burts Bees Original Mint Lipbalm and Pomegranate version

Possibly my favourite lip balm of all time, I love the minty smell of the original and usually have one in my handbag, one on my bedside table and one downstairs at all times and I was quite impressed with myself I finished these two at roughly the same time! Don’t worry though I also had several backups to replace them with!

Caudalie Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet

Got this in the Caudalie set I mentioned in this haul and I really liked the formulation and cooling effect it had on my skin and it dried in very quickly too. Probably wouldn’t repurchase as I don’t feel I saw much of a difference!

Vichy Idealia Life Serum

Again, nice serum but I definitely prefer the Vichy Aqualia Thermal over this and the sample size was so small I couldn’t see any difference to my skin. This was creamier than and not as runny as the Aqualia Thermal and I also think it’s a lot more expensive. Wouldn’t repurchase!

Nuxe Crème Fraiche

I really like this cream; it feels luxurious and is a nice treat at night time for some extra moisture! I use it a bit like I would the Origins Drink Up Intensive mask and already have another one of these, I think I got them in two separate beauty boxes so I’m sorted for now!

Bodycare

Nivea Smooth Nourishing Hand Cream

Like lip balm, hand cream is another product I cannot live without. The hand cream featured in this post is the one that sits by my bed while this one was in my handbag. I have repurchased this so many times I have lost count; it smells amazing, dries in so quickly and makes my hands so soft. I love it! I will repurchase this forever!

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter moisturiser

This is one of my favourite body moisturisers scented with my second favourite Soap and Glory scent, Original Pink! It is so thick and creamy yet dries in quickly, moisturises really well and leaves a lovely smell on my skin! Already using a backup!

Soap and Glory Clean On Me Shower Gel

This is the shower gel that matches the scent of the Righteous Butter and I love using these together to get a really long lasting scent! I love the Soap and Glory shower gels, they are such good value for money, the pump is so handy, they lather up really well, don’t feel like they strip the skin and smell amazing! Forever repurchasing this!

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel

As this is limited edition I like to make it last! I love the smell of this so much it’s so sweet and I look forward to getting a bottle every Christmas :)

Apologies again for the ridiculous length of this post, I will not let my next empties stash get that out of hand! Have you tried any of the products I mentioned? What did you think of them? See my last empties post here!