Salut !
Today, a very practical and down-to-Earth topic: How to buy make-up in France!
When in France, you may want to buy some make-up to bring back home to your best friend or just for you.
And trust me, when you enter a shop with pretty young shop assistants and have NO idea what you’re looking for, it hurts your ego.
Good news, I’m here to help.
And yes, this is based on my experience of feeling stupid while miming what I wanted in a shop. 🙂
Et toi?
Have you ever bought make-up in France?
What tips do you have for other members of the Community?
Which products are your favorites and which ones can you not find at home?
Gros Gros Bisous,
Géraldine
Salut Géraldine ! J’aime beaucoup tes vidéos et je me suis améliorée grâce à tes conseils . J’étais en France ce juillet pour un mois pour un échange et oui, j’ai acheté le vernis, le gloss et c’était une très bonne expérience car la vendeuse était très sympathique .
Bonjour Géraldine!
j’ai trouvé tes vidéos très utiles, tu a chaque fois des idées originales! La dernière fois que je suis venu chercher du rouge à lèvre pour faire un cadeau à maman, j’ai eu un moment difficiles en les expliquant le ton du rouge que je voulais ! 😛
Late in posting this comment as I have not been able to watch this video until now, but wanted to say that I find Sephora one of the best shops in France and their own products are excellent and reasonably priced. For skin care the pharmacy is the place to head, Nuxe is an exceptional product and they have gorgeous, gold-flecked oil which is fabulous for summer (and to make you feel good!) Sephora’s reward and discount programme is excellent, too.
Thanks for sharing, Jackie!
Bonjour Géraldine , J’ aime vos messages ! Pourriez-vous le suivi avec votre leçon sur le maquillage à la façon de communiquer avec un styliste de cheveux? Par exemple , comment voulez-vous poser pour les faits saillants ? Merci!
Merci pour une leçon vraiment utile, peut-être que vous pourriez faire vocabulaire pour une visite chez le coiffeur!
Bonjour Maggie,
Regarde ici : http://www.commeunefrancais… 😉
Salut Géraldine,
Et toi, quels sont tes produits de maquillage / de beauté préférés ? Est-ce que tu as des recommandations ? 🙂 Merci beaucoup !
Catharine
J’aime bien Bourjois en maquillage (et Chanel bien sûr mais c’est plus cher !) et Clarins en crème. 😉
Merci beaucoup ! 🙂 Moi aussi j’aime beaucoup Clarins !
Bonjour Geraldine.
Merci pour Le video maquillage, dit mois quel nom pour “eye pencil” for thé
Eyebrows s’il vous plait
Merci, au revoir
Merci
Eyebrows are “les sourcils”, Valerie. 🙂
Geraldine, I enjoy your posts very much. I will be in France later this year to attend a French Language School in Rouen, for about 7 weeks and then travelling in France. During that time I will need to have my nails and hair done. I want to know how to ask a nail technician for pale pink acrylic infill with clear gel over the top? How do I ask a hairdresser for a hair cut and colour with some foils?
J’attends avec impatience votre réponse.
Anne (J’habite en Australie)
I was just living in the north of France for 3 years and loved getting my hair done there (cut and highlights done) because the stylists are so knowledgeable, they have access to some of the best products (which are not so expensive coming from France) and the price is so much cheaper than here in Québec where I live now (the tax is included in the price and tips are not expected the same way as in North America). For a cut, I would make an appointment (“un rendez-vous”) for a cut (“une coupe”) and highlights (this could be either “des mèches” or “un balayage” which is a particularly lovely French technique where the highlights are ‘painted’ or ‘swept’ on the hair). Go for the balayage technique as something newer and different “et très français”! Not sure how many salons there do the foil technique as much anyway…for the nail question, not sure about that vocabulary as I don’t do that on my nails. Also, be aware that France does not really have a “nail culture” like some countries. Perhaps in the south of France, but knowing what I know about Rouen, I imagine you might be hard pressed to find a good nail salon there. Ask some of the women working at the school when you arrive though…and be aware that in nail salons in France, the price does NOT include the nail polish (“le vernis”)…an application de vernis is usually an additional 5 to 10 EUR cost (crazy to me, but typical there). Bonne chance et bon voyage!
Thank you Pamela for the information about hairdressers. It will be very useful to me whilst in France. I guess I will have to do my own investigating regarding my nails. Unfortunately, my nails without the acrylic are quite weak and break very easily and look really awful, hence the reason I have them done.
Bonjour Pamela,
Wow, you are 100% right, we don’t have a big “nail culture”.
It’s coming slowly to “invade” France (I say this in the good way because I love having beautiful nails too) but not as common (and cheap) as abroad.
As I read lots of demands on that topic, I’ll add it to the list of ideas. 😉
I understood everything written in French for these questions and answers. The problem for me is that I cannot speak it! what would be helpful? A French boyfriend perhaps!!
Salut Geraldine!
J’ai une question. Quand j’étais en France, j’ai essayé d’acheter de la vaseline pour la peau. La femme ne connaissait pas la frase “gelée de pétrole” alors je l’ai dit “vaseline”. Après, mon amie m’a dit que vous ne achetez pas de vaseline parce que c’est pour les couples.
C’est vrai?
Merci,
S
Salut S
ah yes! Vaseline has a strong social meaning in France as I understand, never ask for Vaseline in shops, they give you a very strange look!!
Indeed! She gave me a very curious look.
Can anyone explain this? Vaseline dissolves latex so I don’t understand the association. I have very dry skin and use vaseline as a moisturizer!!!
Thanks to everyone.
Geraldine has covered this in a previous video. In FRance Vaseline is a sexual lubricant only!
I have seen several references to topics that have been previously covered. Where are they? Is there a list or index somewhere? I would love to know so that I do not make so many bad mistakes….
Salut Simone – pas de index mais organised into playlists here:
https://www.youtube.com/use…
Enjoy!
Thanks Gill! It’s on my todo list. 😉
Bonjour Simone, pour la vaseline, je te renvois à cette video
Geraldine, thank you for all of these wonderful tips. I love your videos. Please know that the United States is in full support of France and its lovely people in this time of tragedy. You are in our hearts and prayers.
Cette vidéo est très à propos pour le moment car j’enseigne le vocabulaire de toilette et les verbes réfléchis (comme se maquller). Merci bien (et pour celle de Charlie H aussi)!
Merci Geraldine! I wish that you also make a video aboute hairdresser’s! i don’t know how to explanain the haidresser if I wish to wash, cut, colour, etc, my hair . Bisous. Filipa
Already done – see here – https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Geraldine HAS done a video about this and also referred to it again in her anniversary video this year. I often rewatch her videos and recommend you seek them out!
its good to know , we see the name of the make up every single day in our products(there are always in french all around the world) but , the pronunciation is always important to ask something properly!!!!!
ces mots 🙂
Merci Geraldine! Cettes mots sont tres important!
I have lived in france for 6 months now and I remain too intimidated to go into the makeup shops. :-/ These words will help!
How do you ask for a product for sensitive skin?
Merci et a mardi!
Sensitive skin is “Peau sensible”, Gretchen. Good luck!!
I froze up completely at the cosmetics counter of Bon Marche in Paris. But now I know what to ask for! Merci, Geraldine. I like to use French skin care products from Avene, which have fewer preservatives. Now I can find them in pharmacies here in New York City, also Bioderma and La Roche Posay.
I love La Rose Posay too!
Je n’ai achete’ pas du maquillage en France, mais j’en avais eu besoin de acheter tissu a un pharmacie et je ne sais pas comment dire tissu parce que j’avais pense’ tissu est “fabric.” Le cassier devine’ ce que j’ai besoin avec mon mauvais francais.
On appelle ça “des mouchoirs”. 😉
Bonjour Géraldine,
Bravo pour cette semaine après les évènements si tragiques.Un bon sujet.
Souvent je me souviens que quand je suis allée dans une pharmacie en France ça me bloque! C’est mieux maintenant. Le vocabulaire d’abord d’avoir c’est important. merci et bon courage ‘Comme une française”.
We found the best time to buy perfumes etc was just before the shop closes – once in Arcachon we actually got locked in after the shop closed and finally left with a huge bag of samples!
As for Charlie then, while very sad and an outrageous attack on free speech, I do feel that making fun of people and their religion, no matter which one, is bound to be a recipe for disaster. To put the death toll into some sort of perspective, there are 1.25 million people killed on the world’s roads each year, but we see no rallies against that – people just want to get where they are going as fast as possible without regard to others – is that not also terrorism of a kind?
No. That is not terrorism.
Let us simply offer our deepest sympathies to ALL the people of France
Chere Geraldine,
As always, you are so very charming and engaging.
Best wishes for putting not only your best foot forward, but face as well !
I giggle at your positive ways as you remind me of the times in my little village when I call in the local travelling coiffeur !
Surement amusé!!
Bisous,
Jilly
Merci bien Géraldine.
In few days I’ll visit Paris, so your practical tips will come in handy! I’ll share my experience later 😉
Great! Let us know how it goes!
Salut Géraldine
Très instructif pour les dames, mais le rouge à lèvres et ongles vernis ne conviennent pas à moi. qu’en est-il des produits masculin ?
Phillip, Comme une Française c’est pour les filles! Mais ne vous inquiétez pas, il ya beaucoup de choses que vous pouvez utiliser de cette vidéo. Vous pouvez étudier les mots pour lime à ongles, crèmes pourla peau et pour les yeux, fond a tient (peut-être?) et gommage. Ou, vous pouvez acheter un cadeau pour quelqu’un…
Merci Simone!
Pas d’inquiétude, Comme une Française, c’est pour tout le monde. 😉
Bonjour Philip,
Excellente question!
Tu as la mousse à raser, l’après-rasage, le gel douche, le shampoing et la crème hydratante ! 🙂
Salut Géraldine,
First I would like to thank you and all your fellow french people, for the way you have shown the world how to react, when horrible things happen. What a beautiful manif !
And then it is good to see that you, Géraldine, have not lost your spirit and humour. Your remark about going from zombie to princess reminds me of a sticker on the back of a car in Copenhagen. It read : “I go from zero to bitch in 3 seconds”!!
Keep up the good work. We love you.
I’d love to see such sticker!
Salut Geraldine. A good subject this week thank you. One we can all relate to. Sometimes it is hard enough in UK to go in to beauty shop as the assistants are always so well made-up and make you feel quite inferior but in France with the language problem as well, even worse! I am going to stick little labels on my pieces of make-up so I see the french words every day and then maybe I will learn them. Merci beaucoup, a Mardi, au revoir.
Bonjour Christine,
Great idea!!!
Hi Geraldine,
I understand your dilemma but the best way to show how we feel and that they cannot destroy our way of life or crush us , is to carry on as normal . For a woman too, continuing to take a pride in your appearance shows you still have your standards and dignity no matter what!
Yes! We will not live in fear. We will not stop living. Thanks, Geraldine!
Merci Géraldine, c’était (comme tujours) un excellent vidéo. Évidemment, tu n’as pas besoin, mais un peut d’information au concernant des produits ´anti-aging’ pourrait être d’intérêt de quelques femmes……..(comme moi!)
Pharmacies in France are a wonderful source of products for skin care. Makeup artists have been aware of this and stock up on Bioderma Crealine H20, the best makeup remover that exists, , Embyolisse for their fabulous creams also La Roche Posay. Homeoplasmine is excellent for lip moisturiser. Some have used Biafine as an enriching face mask. However, I am sure Geraldine knows more about these “French secrets” than me ! Good to carry on after the terrible events in Paris, we all need something to keep up morale up in these times !