French Apothecary ointments

I just got back from an amazing holiday in the south of France, specifically the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It was stunning, the small vineyards and fields of wheat, all with pre-industrial proportions, patchworked across the hills and valleys took my breath away every time. It truly is a glorious part of the world, and the women all have stunning skin to match.

Call it a twist of fate, or whatever, but as i queued for our budget airline flight at 6am in the morning (we had to get up at 3am - *urgh shudders*) i spied a free copy of the Stylist magazine, and what do you know, it was the Paris issue. Later on the plane I was flicking through all the Parisienne stories and interviews with Karl Lagerfeld and other designers when i came across the beauty notes section, Paris chemists: Skincare's best kept beauty secret. This really caught my eye as i remembered reading a similar article on Gwyneth Platrow's blog GOOP a while ago (The French Pharmacy) and thinking i would have to check the pharmacies out. This may sound strange, but i love pharmacies and supermarkets overseas. I know at least one friend shares this interest; i am not alone. I am just as keen to check them out as i am the Pont du Gard. Unfortunately, my husband isn't so keen on the supermarkets, etc as me, so i usually have to get in and out pretty quick. So, a list of products all set out for me, that i could run in, grab, and run out again was very appealing (er, i only run out after paying obviously!). Armed with GOOP on my iPhone and my Stylist magazine and no French to speak of (pun!) I visited several French pharmacies - this is what i got.

My first acquisition was this very medical looking tube of Homeoplasmine. Don't let the fact that it looks like something you would find in the feminine hygiene isle of Boots put you off (i admit, i was dubious at first). Stylist mag said to use this as a lip balm, but Gwyneth Paltrow said she used it for skin irritations, particularly winter ravaged skin. I think you can use it for a bit of both. It reminds me of an Aussie staple, Lucas' Papaw Ointment, so if you hail from that part of the world, you don't need to jump on the next plane to France just yet. It feels nice, and lasts a long time on my lips, but it lacks any colour, so it wont replace a coloured gloss or lippie.

Avibon is like Lancome's Nutrix, but times a million. My skin was very dry when i got back to London, and I started wearing this as a moisturiser. It is the thickest, most amazing ointment (I say ointment, because it isn't a cream, more a thick balm, translucent and yellow in colour) and it fixed my dehydration and sensitised skin within a few days. I wear this every night, especially around my eyes. I have little lines around my eyes (i like to think this is because i smile a lot), when i apply Avibon, they disappear. It actually seems to 'plump' up my skin. According to trusty Google Translate, it does in fact contain Lanolin (wool fat) which accounts for just how incredibly thick it is (and why it reminds me of Nutrix, but at a fraction of the price). But despite this thickness, it applies really smoothly. On top of all of this, it has a lovely delicate scent. I already feel panicked about how and when i will be able to get my next tube of this stuff. When i do get back there for some more, i am definitely picking up some extra tubes of this for my mum.

Embryolisse's Lait-Creme Concentre is not only a lovely light moisturisers, but you can also use it as a cleanser and a primer. According to GOOP, it is very popular with makeup artists and i can see why - it really does give your skin a wonderful smooth appearance and feel that makes for easy makeup application. It says it is an "Emollient oil and combination of natural ingredients: Shea butter, beeswax, aloe vera and soy proteins". Usually, I find ingredients like Shea butter a little greasy, but this cream is so light with a very gentle scent that reminds me of jasmine tea. Suitable for all skin types, this really is a wonder cream. Again, one i would make the trip back to France for alone.

From what i can see, all of these products are paraben free and made with natural products, something I am finding increasingly important these days.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse is a dry oil for face, body and hair, and it smells divine. It is a little bit too heavy for my hair, all oils are, but i have still used it a few times when i wanted to give my hair a helping hand in the shine department. It looks great for the first 12 hours or so, but starts looking heavy and greasy after that, but like i say, i have very fine hair prone to greasiness. I have mainly been using this oil on my legs and arms, it soaks into the skin so quickly after a shower so you don't feel oily at all. Again, the lovely scent is just perfect for bedtime, and subtle enough for during the day.

This makeup remover is A-MAZE-ING! Seriously, i have never used anything like it before. It feels and looks like water, and yet, when you wipe a soaked cotton pad across your face it removes absolutely everything! EVERYTHING! I had pretty much given up on makeup remover, it didn't matter what i tried, nothing seemed to get rid of those last determined traces of eyeliner (my family nicknamed me panda-eyes because of it), so i was a bit of a 'I will just cleanse and hope for the best' kind of girl. Well, not any more, i am a complete convert. I use this stuff even if i am not wearing makeup, just for the satisfaction i get feeling like i have the cleanest skin in the world. Even though it says it is for face and eyes (visage & yeux - yeux is eyes right?) I thought the 500ml bottle was a bit overkill, and had searched the shelves for a smaller bottle, but i am so glad i have the monster bottle as this stuff is like liquid gold to me. I am in love. Phoebe loves Bioderma Crealine H2O Solution Micellaire 4 eva!

All of these products cost me around €60, which when i compare to what i spend on similar products, I think this is ridiculously good value.

Finally, i have been an enormous fan of the Mont St Michelle colognes ever since i was a little girl. My mum and my granny would dab me with their Lavande and Naturelle scents on hot summer days after a bath when I was getting ready for bed. They are, I think, generally intended for men, as aftershaves, but to me they are feminine, delicate scents that remind me of times past. I usually stock up on bottles when i go home to Australia - you can find them in the men's section in Priceline sometimes, but i have never been able to find them in London. Seeing as France isn't that far away, i would have thought that they might have made their way across the channel to the UK, but unfortunately for me, they have not. So, i was overjoyed when wandering down the main street in a provincial French town i spotted a name that sounded familiar from my online searches for the colognes - Monoprix. I darted inside and was overjoyed to find three of the four varieties available in store. I bought a bottle of the Lavande, a soft Lavender scent, and another of the Fraicheur, a lemony, fresh scent reminiscent of a traditional cologne. (I have never been able to find the Naturelle version my granny had. It smelt of lemons and bergamot too and i remember it very fondly. Has anyone seen it somewhere?) They were so cheap, at around €10 each for the 250ml bottles. The cut glass bottles are so pretty and i love to sit them on my bedside table. They are intended to be used as a splash, but i decant some into a small atomiser that i carry around with me so i can spray it on whenever i like. I have sprayed the Lavande all over my favourite summer scarf and i think it would work beautifully as a linen fragrance too. I still splash them on after a shower and before bed, a ritual i hope to pass onto my own children one day. These fragrances are an absolute treasure for so many reasons.

Merci beaucoup France.