City Pharma haul
More than Eiffel tower, Siene and museums, visits to Pharmacies became must in my Paris trips. In the latest one, I managed to visit the much popular Citi Pharma in Rue de Four (few mins walk from Mabillon metro station). I specifically booked bus from London to avoid luggage restrictions of air travel and packed light to leave enough space in my suitcase - after all, shopping is one of my main motives to go to Paris🛒.
I planned my visit during first half of the day as everyone unanimously suggested the best time to shop there is at the opening time🕙. Coincidentally, I went on a weekday and its is not very crowded - shopping assistants are able to spend time with me and billing queue is not not very long. It is quite evident that the store could easily be overcrowded and I am glad I planned to visit at the right time.
There are few products which already are in my list🧾:
Bioderma micellar wipes and BB cream: Bioderma micellar water is my all time favorite and I couldn't wait to try their wipes. They are available in England too, but are more expensive💷. I read in few reviews that the wipes don't perform as well as the water version, however I find them quite effective and handy. I still prefer water version for regular use, but couldn't think of better wipes for lazy days🥱. They are smoother than any other wipes I tried and quite effective in removing the makeup. Definitely in my re-purchase list. Another purchase from Bioderma is the BB cream as I want to switch my face products to skincare products.
Sunscreen sprays: They are requested by my sister for travelling, so I bought one from my favorite brand Bioderma and another from la Rosche Posey (La Roche Posey sunscreens are widely recommended by dermatologists👩⚕️). I couldn't get smaller bottles and, even if available, I don't think they will be as cost effective. They aren't so hands free as they seem as I would still use my hands to spread it out👋. Even though sprays seem interesting, I prefer cream versions probably with screw caps rather than flip ones so they don't spill out during commute💧.
Hair products: most of the hair products I bought are for my sister as she shifted to Mumbai and facing hair issues, more than usual 😪. I explained the situation to the SA and she gave CATTIER mask and corresponding shampoo. Since they could make hair dry she gave another shampoo from BioRecept. What I liked about this shampoo is that it is highly concentrated and bottle is quite small, however, bottle isn't leak proof - even securing with tape, it still managed to spill a bit🧟. I bought Klorane products for me - their most famous oatmilk dry shampoo and mango conditioner. I slightly increased the use of dry shampoos and I like that these are made with lesser chemicals. Mango conditioner is quite mild and did it best to tame my super frizzy hair. It got lovely mango yellow color and a light mango fragrance. Consistency is thicker than other conditioner I used, but it didn't cause any hair fall👍(my expectations of conditioners are quite low 🤷.
Face washes, mists and moisturizer: Mostly bought Avene products in this category. I wanted to try their famous cleanance gel wash for a while. I thought of buying the bigger pack, but this size seemed perfect trial version. Also I got pack of 2 in offer🤑 - the face wash is quite mild and well suited to calm down my skin which gets easily irritated. I will get bigger one next time. Avene face mist is my old favorite, so bought 2 of those and one Uriage one for trail. Couldn't decide about La Roshe sorozinc sprays as they are easily available in India - thought of getting in smaller packs, but they are not available so ended up getting 2 of these😁. Embryolisse moisturizer is something I saw in almost every french pharmacy related post and video but I thought it would be too rich for my oily skin. So I bought 30 ml pack for testing and it turned out to be very light. Being a multi-tasker is another plus of the product. I may not get the bigger pack, but would definitely get smaller one and the price difference is phenomenal.
Eye cream and soaps: Eye cream was in my list as I assumed it would weigh less. However, SA convinced me to ditch Vichy one I added to my cart and pick up this BioRecept one instead. I thought of putting it aside at billing counter it as it is quite big and heavy, but the bill came just below 175 euros which is required for VAT refund (I didn't get it which is explained towards the end of this post) and I purchased it. It's not bad though - 3 in 1 product, lasts longer and I could use it for 12M as opposed to 6M of most eye creams⏳. I always get soaps for my parents as they don't use body washes. Though they seem heavier, it works for airlines which allow heavier hand luggage where liquids are not allowed. I don't have specific brands in mind, so I bought few which smelled good👃🤧.
Miscellaneous: There are bunch of other things I bought which I didn't plan to buy. These cute tiny hand Sanitizers are best buy. SA tried to convince to buy bigger ones as they are cheaper, but I liked these bottles so much - we don't get such tiny bottles so easily🧐. Hair ties are something I don't use so often, but these are too nice to pass. I passed through shelves of Rodger & Gallet fragrances without giving them a thought and didn't plan to buy this time either. However, I forgot my deo and had to pick this Orange blossom one. It impressed me enough and I will be getting pack of 3 in next visit😊. Cotton pads is something I use regularly, so picked 2 of their organic packs. They are easily squeezed and don't weigh much, environment friendly and super soft on skin - whats not to like😘. Last but not least is the Marvis toothpaste - I heard so many reviews about them and, though not in my list, couldn't resist. Instead of full size tube, I bought this pack of 3 travel size tubes and one extra travel size tube.
Citi Pharma also gives GST refund form for purchases more than 175 euros and customers should produce their passport at the time of billing to avail this form. I was told at the counter that I could get the refund in any airtport within European countries but not in UK. However, I couldn't get the refund in Europe, as my return to India is booked from London and I didn't get time to try that in Heathrow. Nevertheless, for 189.5 EUR, I got a cabin suitcase full of products.
I couldn't do a full on price comparison, as most of them are not available in India, but the Avene gel wash, face mist and Embyolisse moisturizer I bought are priced 4230 INR in Bangalore whereas I paid 17.75 euros which is close to 2700 INR worth of savings📟. The same difference might not apply to sprays (Sorozinc sprays barely have difference of 100 INR), so I suggest checking the pricing of the products you wish to buy in your home country before your Europe visits, so you can limit your purchases to get more savings💰.
There are few products which already are in my list🧾:
Bioderma micellar wipes and BB cream: Bioderma micellar water is my all time favorite and I couldn't wait to try their wipes. They are available in England too, but are more expensive💷. I read in few reviews that the wipes don't perform as well as the water version, however I find them quite effective and handy. I still prefer water version for regular use, but couldn't think of better wipes for lazy days🥱. They are smoother than any other wipes I tried and quite effective in removing the makeup. Definitely in my re-purchase list. Another purchase from Bioderma is the BB cream as I want to switch my face products to skincare products.
Sunscreen sprays: They are requested by my sister for travelling, so I bought one from my favorite brand Bioderma and another from la Rosche Posey (La Roche Posey sunscreens are widely recommended by dermatologists👩⚕️). I couldn't get smaller bottles and, even if available, I don't think they will be as cost effective. They aren't so hands free as they seem as I would still use my hands to spread it out👋. Even though sprays seem interesting, I prefer cream versions probably with screw caps rather than flip ones so they don't spill out during commute💧.
Hair products: most of the hair products I bought are for my sister as she shifted to Mumbai and facing hair issues, more than usual 😪. I explained the situation to the SA and she gave CATTIER mask and corresponding shampoo. Since they could make hair dry she gave another shampoo from BioRecept. What I liked about this shampoo is that it is highly concentrated and bottle is quite small, however, bottle isn't leak proof - even securing with tape, it still managed to spill a bit🧟. I bought Klorane products for me - their most famous oatmilk dry shampoo and mango conditioner. I slightly increased the use of dry shampoos and I like that these are made with lesser chemicals. Mango conditioner is quite mild and did it best to tame my super frizzy hair. It got lovely mango yellow color and a light mango fragrance. Consistency is thicker than other conditioner I used, but it didn't cause any hair fall👍(my expectations of conditioners are quite low 🤷.
Face washes, mists and moisturizer: Mostly bought Avene products in this category. I wanted to try their famous cleanance gel wash for a while. I thought of buying the bigger pack, but this size seemed perfect trial version. Also I got pack of 2 in offer🤑 - the face wash is quite mild and well suited to calm down my skin which gets easily irritated. I will get bigger one next time. Avene face mist is my old favorite, so bought 2 of those and one Uriage one for trail. Couldn't decide about La Roshe sorozinc sprays as they are easily available in India - thought of getting in smaller packs, but they are not available so ended up getting 2 of these😁. Embryolisse moisturizer is something I saw in almost every french pharmacy related post and video but I thought it would be too rich for my oily skin. So I bought 30 ml pack for testing and it turned out to be very light. Being a multi-tasker is another plus of the product. I may not get the bigger pack, but would definitely get smaller one and the price difference is phenomenal.
Eye cream and soaps: Eye cream was in my list as I assumed it would weigh less. However, SA convinced me to ditch Vichy one I added to my cart and pick up this BioRecept one instead. I thought of putting it aside at billing counter it as it is quite big and heavy, but the bill came just below 175 euros which is required for VAT refund (I didn't get it which is explained towards the end of this post) and I purchased it. It's not bad though - 3 in 1 product, lasts longer and I could use it for 12M as opposed to 6M of most eye creams⏳. I always get soaps for my parents as they don't use body washes. Though they seem heavier, it works for airlines which allow heavier hand luggage where liquids are not allowed. I don't have specific brands in mind, so I bought few which smelled good👃🤧.
Miscellaneous: There are bunch of other things I bought which I didn't plan to buy. These cute tiny hand Sanitizers are best buy. SA tried to convince to buy bigger ones as they are cheaper, but I liked these bottles so much - we don't get such tiny bottles so easily🧐. Hair ties are something I don't use so often, but these are too nice to pass. I passed through shelves of Rodger & Gallet fragrances without giving them a thought and didn't plan to buy this time either. However, I forgot my deo and had to pick this Orange blossom one. It impressed me enough and I will be getting pack of 3 in next visit😊. Cotton pads is something I use regularly, so picked 2 of their organic packs. They are easily squeezed and don't weigh much, environment friendly and super soft on skin - whats not to like😘. Last but not least is the Marvis toothpaste - I heard so many reviews about them and, though not in my list, couldn't resist. Instead of full size tube, I bought this pack of 3 travel size tubes and one extra travel size tube.
Citi Pharma also gives GST refund form for purchases more than 175 euros and customers should produce their passport at the time of billing to avail this form. I was told at the counter that I could get the refund in any airtport within European countries but not in UK. However, I couldn't get the refund in Europe, as my return to India is booked from London and I didn't get time to try that in Heathrow. Nevertheless, for 189.5 EUR, I got a cabin suitcase full of products.
I couldn't do a full on price comparison, as most of them are not available in India, but the Avene gel wash, face mist and Embyolisse moisturizer I bought are priced 4230 INR in Bangalore whereas I paid 17.75 euros which is close to 2700 INR worth of savings📟. The same difference might not apply to sprays (Sorozinc sprays barely have difference of 100 INR), so I suggest checking the pricing of the products you wish to buy in your home country before your Europe visits, so you can limit your purchases to get more savings💰.
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