Cheryl Shops

One of my favorite places on earth is Paris, and one of my favorite things to do there is to raid the pharmacy, particularly Citypharma in the 6th arrondissement. If you are a beauty junkie like me, it's like being a kid in a candy shop—French pharmacy beauty brands tend to be natural (or "clean" as we call them here), effective, and affordable, and while mainstays like Caudalie are easy to find at places like Sephora, some of my favorite brands like Nuxe and Panier des Sens are much harder to track down, particularly in U.S. stores. So in between trips to Europe, I've found that Amazon is actually a great place to score French pharmacy beauty products, since they work with smaller-scale importers and distributors. It's not quite the same experience as a wine-fueled haul in a foreign country, but it's a convenient way to replenish your favorite products. As a bonus, all of the products I'm featuring in this post make great gifts—obviously I'm writing this post during the holidays, but file it away in case you need birthday, anniversary, Mother's day, or even thank-you gift ideas. Here are my favorite French pharmacy beauty finds on Amazon—oh, and did I mention they're all under $30? (They are!)

The Black Friday sales have already begun, which is both a blessing and a curse. Thankfully, I find shopping for holiday gifts for women—friends, sisters, moms, and so on—to be the next best thing to shopping for myself. So go forth, be generous, and take advantage of all those promos flooding your inbox!

1. Cuyana makes the most quietly beautiful leather goods, and even better, they're incredibly well priced. This is pretty much the perfect bag, and it comes in three colors, as well as a larger size.
Cuyana smal hobo $195

2. Gap makes this sweater every year, and sales from it are probably propping up the company year-round, but, hey, if it works, it works.
Gap crazy stripe sweater $34.95 (on sale!)

3. Think of this as the new stress ball—moving your hand back and forth to change the pattern of the sequins is incredibly mesmerizing and calming. Also, it's just a darn glamorous pillow.
Levtex sequin pillow $39.99

4. Bite Beauty's lipsticks are made of food-grade ingredients, which is a good thing, considering you actually swallow most of the lipstick you put on. I am a huge fan of the deeply pigmented hues, too.
Bite Beauty perfect bite set $25

5. Pretty much every cool girl I've seen recently has been wearing a pair of sculptural metal statement earrings like these. Bonus: they look great on women of all ages.
Madewell sculpture earrings $25.50 (on sale!)

6. Who doesn't love athleisure? These leggings will make her the best-dressed woman at barre class (and even afterward at brunch).
EXP Core watercolor leggings $34.95 (on sale!)

7. The older I get, the more I'm learning the power of good lighting. This iPhone case ensures every selfie (or conventional photo) will be shot in flattering light.
Lumee iPhone case $69.95
8. Do you have a friend with a pricey kombucha habit? (I'm talking $7 a bottle, or more, people. The struggle is real.) This will let her brew her own, minus the random yeast globs.
Kombucha brewing kit $48.95

9. These boots were probably not made for walking, but they are made for dancing—and they're a tenth of the price of those YSL runway beauties.
Shellys London sequin boots $228

Have a happy Thanksgiving, and an even happier Black Friday and Small Business Saturday! I'll be back next week with more gift guides!