[paris breakfasts] City Pharma, Les Deux Magots

[Paris breakfasts]

Some clever travelers know Paris is a Mecca for makeup and City-Pharma is their bargain land Holy Grail.

26, rue du Four 75004

I met up with two clever ducks Cheryl and Debbie last Tuesday because they'd ordered the Archive of 6 Paris Sketch Letters and they wanted to pick them up while in Paris (so no shipping and instant gratification). 

They raved about the goodies they bought at City-Pharma and even shared a bed shot of their magnificent haul. Yum Yum

I pass this corner (rue Bonaparte and rue du Four) dozens of times a week but never venture in.

I have always been mystified by French cosmetic and hardly put anything on my face but cold water and a dash of makeup. Well that's changed. French girls don't put water on their faces because of the calcite.
 

It's best to go early as possible. CP opens at 8:00 am everyday but Sunday.

Other customers seems to know what they want and are busy checking off lists like Santa Claus.

The only shopping bag I ever filled to the brim was full of macarons...hmmm

I do love gazing at French packaging.

Aren't these bottles pretty?

At last a product I know thanks to Veronique Marot who said I must get Bioderma Crealine H2O to remove makeup. I still have a few drops from the bottle I bought after my photo shoot with Carla Coulson and Veronique. Time to replace. City-Pharma has bargain bins, so I picked up a Bioderma for 2,98. Clean off your makeup at night with this stuff and you look like a newborn in the morning. It even did  swell job cleaning my macaron bracelet. I'm def going back for the big 2-bottle deal (15€). Their prices are lower than Monoprix FYI.

Everyone swears by Nuxe so I invested in this little trial packet. Their ads in the shops say, 

"Je suis Prodigieuse"

Which always makes me think of religieuse (close spelling).

Here's my mini haul. I was looking for baby powder and grabbed liniment instead(1,98). For some unknown reason toothbrushes cost a fortune in Paris. At City-Pharma only 1,90€. Chewing gum too is pricey. Here just 1,98. You can see I didn't go the full French beauty traitement route. I need to study up. A good place to start is THE CUT's Must-Have list of what to buy at City-Pharma.

These his and her bath mitts are Not on The Cut's list. But I see French girls scrubbing themselves with mitts like crazy post-pool in the showers. They bring tons of lotions. Must take notes next pool visit...

One big problem with shopping at City-Pharma is the lines. This is the downstairs line going round the corner.

They offer 17 caisses (cash registers) one flight up but I didn't see them.

True you can get prescriptions filled here but it's still crowded as heck.

Whilst searching for non-existent baby powder I was directed to the back and down the stairs.

There I discovered a short, fast line and a back entrance. Shhhh

I convinced Cheryl and Debbie to hop over to cafe Les Deux Magots for quick coffee and a short walk from City-Pharma. They'd never been.

Deux Magots is one of my favorite cafes in Paris and they couldn't be nicer. Just a tener for a cafe crème, a divine croissant and jam.
More Deux Magot pictures on Flickr.
The perfect place to unwind after foraging for treasures at City-Pharma non?
More City-Pharma pictures on Flickr.

--
Posted By Paris breakfasts to paris breakfasts at 10/08/2014 09:26:00 AM