Alix has been kind enough to allow us an intimate look into her bathroom. I suggested this as I have always wanted to know, as maybe you have too, what beauty products real French women use to maintain their effortless chic.
Alix has of course great style and taste and I knew she would have some quintessentially French products in her beauty repertoire!
Here is the exclusive list of French beauty product must -haves:
The classic little tin of Nivea cream- Apparently this beauty classic is in almost every French woman’s beauty repertoire, even grandmothers and they use it for many different purposes; as a face cream, body cream, hand cream and even as a hair styling cream. It’s a classic product that works and smells wonderful.
Le Petit Marsellais– A line of quintessentially french products that can be bought at the local Monoprix in France (which is kind of like Target here but of course more chic and with more food). Great shampoos, shower gels and Alix loves this body oil made with Shea butter and scented with chamomile and Fig to keep her skin soft.
Bioderma Crealine solution micellaire- a must have to remove makeup thoroughly without drying your skin. I have been a huge fan of this product for a few years now and keep it in my makeup kit to erase mistakes and to remove makeup from models when they have come from other jobs. Removes even waterproof mascara.
Nuxe Merveillance expert– The French particularly love this brand for it’s natural ingredients and effectiveness. Alix loves this anti-aging cream for it’s texture. She also loves her geleé exfoliante douce (not pictured) as an excellent exfoliant.
Homeoplasmine- This multipurpose cream can be used for chapped lips, burns, irritations, when your skin is fragile in the winter when it’s cold. It’s homeopathic , made by the same laboratories ( Boiron) that make Occilococinum that great treatment you can take at the onset of symptoms of the flu. I have tried this product on my chapped lips and they were healed by the second day!
La Roche Posay Cicaplast – For small dry spots or irritated skin. La Roche Posay is an ingredient driven cutting edge French brand, In particularly love their sunscreens.
Sanex deodorant- I have always wondered why my French friends insisted on buying their deodorant only in France! I mean, we have a whole aisle of deodorants here at Walgreens, but they told me that nothing compares to the French ones….so I had Alix bring me one back from her trip and I have to say I’ve been converted! Not only does it smell great but it’s paraben free, alcohol free and MOST important it doesn’t leave those dreaded white marks on your clothes!
Cattier clay mask- French women are big fans of clay masks and this one is Alix’s favorite!
Avibon– Another French classic, this cream has been around for many years. It can be used on the lips as a kind of gloss and also on dry skin. Apparently it manages to keep wrinkles at bay!!
Leonor Greyl- Huile de palme for hair- This line of hair products is very popular in France and not without reason.The scents are absolutely divine and the nourishing hair oils are incredible. Alix uses this one on the ends of her naturally curly hair or as a protectant before going in the sun.
Nivea lait hydratant douceur with shea butter- Nivea seems to be popular in Europe! Alix loves this body cream for it’s skin softening ability and it’s scent.
Mixa Bébé- ( not pictured) Or just Mixa is a French brand , originally for babies delicate skin, is a line of products that are great for sensitive skin.
Biafine- This amazing cream is in everyone’s bathroom in France. It does wonders for burns and sunburns.It immediately relieves the pain and gets absorbed by the skin. It has also been used for post laser procedure irritation. They have recently come out with a line of cosmetics.
Dyptique Vinaigre de toilette- This product intrigued me…I know the Dyptique candles but vinaigre?? ( vinegar?) Well Alix assured me it smells divine and you can use it as an eau de toilette ( scented spray) or as a rinse for your hair to make it shiny!
Guerlain perfumes- It seems the French have an endless choice when it comes to perfumes, but many tend to favor Guerlain, a classic French perfumer. One bottle particularly caught my eye ( see photo below) A gorgeous glass bottle covered in tiny gold bees!! It is L’eau de cologne Imperiale de Guerlain, the very first eau de cologne made by Guerlain in 1853 for the Empress Eugenie. A beautiful scent packaged in a bottle that can be refilled for other purposes and is a beautiful keepsake as it can also be customized with your initials!! Oh Paris…
The French seem to take a gentle but effective approach to caring for their skin with nourishing creams and oils, all deliciously scented of course adding to their natural allure.