French skincare & Sephora haul

March was a busy month for travelling. Not only did I visit friends all over the country, I also travelled to France... twice!
I hadn't been there in five years, so I was very excited to admire the beautiful French architecture, pretend as if I were a true Parisian for a few days (or am I the only one who does that?) and, of course, have easy access to French skincare brands and Sephora.

While in Paris, I picked up two sheet masks from Sephora, as I remembered being impressed by the Rose version. The Pomegranate face mask is perfect for days when you haven't had a lot of sleep or want to revive dull-looking skin. I can definitely see myself using this in the morning after a rough night. I've had face masks with pomegranate before and they were great for brightening the skin. The Green Tea mask helps soothe blemished skin and promises to mattify. I'm not sure if a mattifying finish is something I'll like in a facial mask, but I'm glad to have this product in case of a painful breakout or severe skin irritation. It was my first time shopping at Sephora, so naturally I couldn't resist the minis! My friend introduced me to Benefit's They're Real mascara earlier that weekend, which I really liked, so I got the travel version. It's a bit tricky applying mascara with such a tiny wand, but I think this mini version is very handy for on-the-go.



French skincare is the best. I love that I can either get luxurious facial treatments that'll do miracles or I'll find very simplified formulas from the pharmacy and they are awesome on my sensitive skin too. The French have it figured out. The first thing I picked up is a backup of my favourite La Roche-Posay moisturiser. I always use the light formula, yet since my skin has had to endure a lot of rain and wind in Belgium lately, I opted for Hydréane Riche this time. Two products I've wanted to try for a while are Caudalie's Beauty Elixir and Bioderma's Hydrabio Eau de Soin. They are water-based facial mists, each targeted to tackle specific skin issues. The Beauty Elixir smoothes and adds a burst of radiance to the skin -- although I don't like the strong scent, I have already fallen in love with this product. With or without makeup on, my skin instantly looks and feels better after using it. Bioderma's Eau de Soin spray, on the other hand, hydrates, sets makeup and offers anti-UV protection of SPF30. I am intrigued there's a product that protects against sun damage without having to apply sunscreen multiple times a day. This spray makes it so easy; the bottle is small enough to take in my bag so I can reapply SPF and refresh the skin throughout the day.

A quick stop by the KIKO store in Lille resulted in buying more eyeshadow! KIKO products are amazing price-quality wise. I haven't used any other eyeshadows since buying a couple back in October. This time around, I got one with a matte finish (n°130 Satin Beige Cream) that matches my skintone and a pearly shimmery shade (n°139 Pearly Salmon) which makes a beautiful subtle highlight on the cheekbones. Finally, more face masks from Sephora! I got the Avocado sheet mask, which repairs and nourishes skin, something I think will be great for those days spent either running around or in the sun and my skin needs some serious calming down. The brand also has sleeping masks. I have the Honey version to balance and nourish skin overnight.

Have you done any beauty shopping lately?