When we were in St. Martin, I made a wonderfully random decision. I decided to shop at the French pharmacies on the island (half is French, the other half Dutch) to purchase some fancy beauty products. I have no idea where the thought originated because I am truly the last person on earth to spend lots of money on myself, especially on girly stuff from a drugstore. But boy am I glad I did. So glad, in fact, that now I stare longingly at my bottles of delicious and feminine smelling French oils and sprays and wonder how I could ever do without them.
It’s not entirely accurate to say I don’t know how I got the idea because it actually came from reading two of my favorite blogs, Goop and Design Mom. Gwyneth Paltrow wrote about her favorite French products, and then Gabby purchased them and wrote about her favorites (here and here) within GP’s original picks. However, I had read both posts a year ago and never thought of them again until I saw theย bright green neon sign. I guess they had made an impression on me!
I’m sharing the three products I purchased, plus one that I received as a sample and mourned the quick passing of. I’ll just share the links to where Design Mom discusses them because there’s no need to redo their work.
1. Huile Prodigieuse: It calls itself a “multi-purpose dry oil for the face, body, and hair.” My hair would look like I hadn’t bathed ever in my life if I sprayed it on, but it works wonders on Charlie’s curly and somewhat frizzy locks. I, on the other hand, spray it on my body after I take a shower and bask in the lovely aroma. It truly is dry, in that the moment I stop rubbing it in, I don’t even need to wash my hands. I mean it when I say I love this stuff so much, I almost don’t even want to tell you about it. The fact that I can get it on Amazon is LIFE CHANGING. It’s only $33, and it lasts forever. Trust me (and Nate!) when I say if you are a woman–or if you are a man who is married to a woman–you need this in your life immediately. It would make a great stocking stuffer too.
2. Bioderma Crealine H20 solution micellaire: Nothing on this bottle is written in English, but it is an eye makeup remover. I like it better than my normal stuff because it never stings, doesn’t smell, and doesn’t take as much wiping to get the makeup off. Incidentally, we also used to it to take the sting out of Nate’s hands after he chopped a bunch of spicy peppers for me to pickle. It worked like a charm.
3. Avene Eau Thermale: As far as I can tell, this is just a can of water, but it feels amazing after I’ve been in the sun all day or if I need to perk up in the morning. GP and Gabby say they use it for keeping makeup in place. I honestly have no idea what this means. Maybe it’s for people who wear foundation. You can get it on Amazon, but I would stick to buying it in the store if you’re ever in a French-speaking country.
4. Meso+ anti-aging serum by Laboratories Filorga (not pictured): This is the sample I received, and it smells almost as good as the Huile Prodigieuse and is even better on my face. It’s like rubbing your face with a rose and leaves it feeling soft and moisturized but not oily. I can’t say that I will spend what it takes to replace it, but the dream was heavenly while it lasted.
Are you still reading? Anyway, in the past I have struggled with the idea of what beauty is and what lengths I should go to in achieving it. Now I think I have struck a good balance of not becoming too obsessed with transient beauty but also spending a little money and time on myself to be more comfortable in my skin.
What do you think about beauty products? Do you have any you can’t do without? Do you feel guilty spending money on yourself?