The Paris beauty field report

If you haven’t gotten sick of me talking about my recent trip to Paris, yet, you’re in for a long recount of all the beauty I browsed and shopped. I basically shopped till I dropped exploring Paris’s epic shopping scene, and I still feel like I barely scratched the surface. It also helps that the nearly 1:1 exchange rate between the USD and EUR softens the prices.

This was such a fun trip to visit Teresa, one of my dear friends I’ve made through Instagram talking about beauty. If you don’t follow her, you should! She does the best comparison swatch posts and is an absolute delight. We got to spend a week going into deep dives about makeup (my favorite type of deep dive) while eating and shopping our way through the city.

This is less a shopping guide and more of a report back of all the places I shopped because I have nowhere near the familiarity with Paris to guide anyone anywhere. Follow along virtually to find out where to shop in Paris for beauty but god help you if you if you want to retrace my steps because it usually looks like walking in circles around the same 5 blocks with your eyes glued to Google maps.

There’s so much to share with you and this post includes too much to fit in an email so be sure to read this online or in the app to read about all the goods!

Fragrance was one of the big categories of beauty I really prioritised in my beauty shopping, and I really came away with some gems.

My first stop was the Etat Libre d’Orange (69 Rue des Archives, 3rd arr.)in Le Marais, the ultimate it girl shopping neighborhood and one of the best shopping districts that I could spend literal days shopping through. The brand has been on my radar but I’ve never really explored a lot of their scents, and now I feel like I’ve been missing out! I tested out nearly every scent in the store, and the sales associate in the store was so friendly and helpful while walking us through all of their fragrances. I highly recommend a stop in the store as you shop your way through Marais because they have so many more fragrances that we can get at retailers in the US.

It came down to a couple of strong contenders – I nearly came home with Experimutum Crucis, which is a complex and intoxicating blend of lychee, honey, apple, and rose, but ultimately I came home with Clean Suede , which I can best describe as a fresh and clean leather with a subtle sweetness. Leather scents are very on brand with me, but the freshness of the aldehydes and lemon top notes are not my usual notes and it definitely lifts the heaviness of the woody notes and suede to make it a very approachable day scent. It reminds of stepping into a warm car with leather seats on a brisk winter day after a fresh coat of snow, and it’s the perfect winter scent for me. It also seems to be on sale at Saks Off Fifth for even cheaper than the 100€ I paid, so lucky you if you’re curious to try it!

Another brand I’ve had my eye on is BDK Parfums, who is most known for Gris Charnel, a gorgeous sensual woody tea scent. However, I came away from this counter inside Le BHV with a much softer everyday scent: Vanilla Tonka. It has vanilla, orange blossom, and almond, and basically smells like marzipan. It’s soft and comforting and the type of gourmand comfort I want to drown myself in for the holidays.

I bought the mini because I thought the mini sizes weren’t available in the US but it turns out Neiman Marcus sells the minis for pretty much the same price as they are in Euros so you’re not missing anything by not flying all the way to Paris for this! If you want to try more from the brand, this set of 3 minis is actually a great deal and not much more than the price of 2.

Although I could easily spend my entire life savings away at Byredo, I prioritized buying Christmas gifts because Byredo is one of those brands that’s so much cheaper in Europe, and I was also able to receive the 12% VAT tax refund when shopping at Le Bon Marche. A 50 ml bottle is 165€ and with the exchange rate, it pretty much works out to be about $170 vs the $225 that they retail for in the US. Girl math means I made money, right? (“no,” whimpers my wallet desperately, but for my US friends, I have good news! Net a Porter has a huge selection of Byredo fragrances for 30% off, dropping them to an even better price than what I paid for in France)

Anyway, I bought Animalique for my boyfriend – it’s a bright zesty bergamot and lemon scent with violet, amber, and suede notes that really make it smell intoxicating. If I were buying a perfume for myself, I would have gotten Mixed Emotions, a perfume I’ve been hoarding samples of because I’m absolutely obsessed with it. It’s warm with notes of mate and black tea lifted by cassis and although it has woodsy notes, it all blends together into a lush sweet and smoky scent that I can’t get enough of. (Note: I just bought this from Net a Porter on sale so it’s a win-win perfume day for my boyfriend and me!)

The last perfume that I snagged at duty free at the airport was Hermes Barenia, a newer chypre scent that I was totally surprised by. I tried it earlier in my trip and convinced myself to walk away from it, but I couldn’t resist when it was over 30% off American prices at 67€. The main notes are not notes I usually gravitate towards – miracle berry, lily, oakwood, and patchouli, but it all translates into something like nectar backed by oak. Again, nectary floral notes are not really my type of perfume profile, but I really encourage you all to try it out in person because it’s a really unique and elegant fragrance.

We all know makeup is my first love in beauty, but makeup is one of the few categories that I think we get spoiled with in the US because we have access to so much. Nevertheless, there were a few brands I had my eye on.

My first stop for makeup was Le Bon Marche (24 Rue de Sèvres, 6th arr.) an absolute dream for any shopping and truly one of the best places to shop for beauty in Paris, and I had a blast wandering through their beauty section – their perfume selection is incredible, too! While a lot of the beauty brands are the same as the ones you’d find in the States, I was still able to see Violette FR products in person for the first time (though oddly they were more expensive there than they are in the US). Like many stores in Paris, they offer tax free shopping for tourists and the process is so easy (read here for all the steps) so be sure to keep your passport with you when you shop!

I ended up spending some time at Suqqu, a Japanese brand that is not available in stores in the US – though you can order them from Cult Beauty. There was another lovely sales associate who helped me try on a few things I had my eye on, including their new holiday collection.

Although I was tempted by quite a lot, I ended up with just a few things that I’m really excited about. This siena brown blush from the holiday collection is right up my alley, and the sales associate applied it on me using the deeper shade as a contour and the lighter shade as the actual blush, and I was sold right away. We love versatility! And the formula of Suqqu blushes is so creamy and silky for a powder blush.

I also picked up 2 brown lip products I’ve had my eye on – this liquid matte lip cream that feels like the lightest weight mousse-cream formula that stays comfortable all day, as well as the famous glossy Moisture Glaze formula that really is the best of light glossy lip creams I actually have been layering both formulas with each other so I get both the long wear of the lip cream along with the slight sheen of the glaze, and they make a great 90s-esque lip combo. I bought shade 07 in the lip fog and shade 06 in the Moisture Glaze, which is apparently their best seller!

I didn’t buy this powder, but the sales associate used it on me when doing some of my makeup and I couldn’t stop staring at how smooth my skin looked while looking like there was a soft focus on my skin. I’ll be back for this!!

The only other makeup I purchased was at Rouje (11 bis Rue Bachaumont, 2nd arr.), one of those quintessential effortless French makeup brands with an it girl vibe, and everything they make is basically like kryptonite for me. Their store is absolutely stunning and a complete dream to shop in. They also have a gorgeous selection of shoes, clothing, and handbags but I was laser-focused on the beauty.

Their Signature Lip Palette is one of my most worn lip palettes and ultimate travel lip products, along with this perfect warm neutral tinted balm, but the brand recently launched a new shade combination filled with lighter and more toned down shades from their existing range. These shades feel fresh and approachable for an everyday look for those who are more color shy, while the Signature colorway has deeper tones that I love for an evening look. I couldn’t resist the newer shades to add to my collection.

While I was at it, I completely fell in love with this lipstick Emilie, and as soon as I tried it on my lips, I felt that much closer to embodying that effortless minimal French vibe because it’s truly such a subtle color not too pink and not too pale pinkish beige and pulls my whole look together without any obvious color.

For my last beauty stop, I went around the corner from Rouje into Oh My Cream! (78 Rue Montmartre) a store with a lot of ‘clean’ beauty, and while I didn’t pick up anything there, they also had a selection of Rouje, as well as other brands like Ilia, and Violette FR, and Vyrao.

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THE PHARMACY

Any French pharmacy is a skincare/bodycare treasure trove but the City Pharma in St. Germain (26 Rue du Four) has its own cult status. It is filled to the brim with the most iconic French skincare brands with everything from Avene to La Roche Posay to even Skinceuticals, and the prices there are just so good.

I made my first pilgrimage over 10 years ago when I was already very into makeup, but not that interested in skincare and I think at that time I only walked away with a bottle of Bioderma, which was still not available anywhere in the states at the time. These days, I will never pass up an opportunity to pick up some sunscreens, which have far better filters and formulas in Europe (and Asia!) than in the US.

I picked up quite a few formulas and some of these were to give to other people. I’ve tried many of these but some I picked up because they looked interesting in the store – I’ve linked what I can from websites that ship to the US but just know that I definitely still prefer to stock up at a physical store because it’s so much cheaper than paying for shipping!

ISDIN is a brand that I’ve seen on the radar in Sephora but it was so much cheaper in France. I picked up the Fusion Water Magic Light (18€), which has a super light watery feel with a sheer tint and I think it’s their formula that’s better suited for oily skin. I also couldn’t resist the tiny little SPF stick to keep for touch-ups in my bag.

The Nuxe Body Oil (13.50€) is a cult favorite that gives effortless glowy skin with a dry touch and I always stock up on when I’m anywhere in Europe because it’s so much cheaper abroad, but this time I also picked up a little spray SPF to keep for on the go touch-ups on my face or quick spritzes on my body. I’m saving this for when it gets a little warmer so stay tuned for when I try this out

This Avene Reflexe Solaire SPF (10€) is actually what I packed with me on my trip, thanks to my friend Natalie of My Skinterest, who gave me a bottle of this earlier this year (and actually inspired most of these SPF purchases). It’s super light and dewy and blends in almost instantaneously, and I like it so much that I repurchased another bottle. For any of my oily skin friends, it’s definitely too dewy for me to be a summer spf, but it performs great in chilly fall/winter weather. Plus, the super slim bottle makes it easy to slip into any compact travel bag.

This cute little credit card sized SVR sunscreen spray (10€) is a spot touch-up miracle worker. This one really will fit into even the tiniest slimmest of pouches, and while the small bottle means this probably not the most efficient everyday spf to wear all over every single day, I do love this for targeted re-applications on spots like my nose or my forehead, or even on my hands right after I’ve finished wishing them.

La Roche Posay has some of the best sunscreens on the market, and while the American formulas are already quite good, their European formulas are just that much better than their American versions. The Invisible Fluid (14€) is a great everyday option that has a bit more emollience to it, while I finally picked up their Oil Control Gel Cream formula (15€) after hearing so many great things about it.

Other delights –

Obviously, I always stock up on Caudalie because it’s so much cheaper in France and I always make sure to get backups of my favorite Fig Body Oil Elixir, which is only 15€ for a small bottle, which isn’t even available in the US unless it’s in a set.

Deodorants are not really a passion area of mine, but Natalie convinced me to try this one from Vichy, which according to her is phenomenal, and I’ll report back when I try it! While I was at it, I picked up this one from La Roche Posay which helps no one because it has apparently been discontinued. Oops.

That’s it for my grand beauty tour of Paris, and honestly I feel like I only scratched the surface. I could spend weeks discovering new fragrance brands but unfortunately my time and bank account were limited. If you have any other favorites I absolutely need to check out next time I go, please spill all below!

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