My fiance and I most recently went on a charming trip back to Paris, France for our second time. He is Canadian and I am American. Coincidentally, the first time we both went was with our parents when we were both teenagers. Now as adults with more of a bigger shopping budget, we both wanted to find souvenirs to buy back that were niche, tailored to our tastes, and held heritage.
Pro tip: Always ask if they can do VAT refund and bring your passport with you if you’re going to go shopping and do major damage!
Caudalie Skincare Products at CityPharma Pharmacie
Some brands to consider getting from Pharmacie are Caudalie (of course), La Roche Posay, Avene, and AVR. At Sephora, the prices of Cauadalie are marked up so high in the states, almost like 40% more so I saw so many women go crazy at Pharmacie. The brand itself is like a drug store brand, though it’s perceived as extremely high quality in the states. For La Roche Posay, I was already a big fan as their products are high quality and have all their lotions. They are sold at Walgreens, but a bit pricier so I got some products from Paris as well.
Due to my deep TikTok research, there’s one shop that has plenty of goods at discounted prices. It’s at CityPharma at 26 Rue du Four, 75006 Paris, France.
It’s probably the largest Pharmacie and is quite popular with tourists. You should note: Pharmacie prices range from each location, and CityPharma has the best discounts from what I’ve seen. If you’re okay with big crowds, it’s a good store to go to. Just go on a weekday and earlier in the day so you don’t deal with people. I went on a random Thursday though it was still quite crowded. Just come prepared with a list of items you know you want. It’s quite nice that there’s so many employees walking around because you can ask them for help and they can give you recommendations on what you should be buying for your skin.
Le Tanneur French Leather Bags
After doing tons of research online and reddit, I decided to buy a tan leather bag from Le Tanneur in the first photo from the left. Le Tanneur has collections for women and men, with shops around Paris. For 125 years, they have been designing and crafting premium and essential bags. Talk about history! I went into the store to try on bags and fell in love with the Emilie bag, which you can see on their store too. The bag itself is full-grain, pebbled calf leather and has royatly blue fabric lining.
The storekeeper kindly also gave me a blue leather card holder, which was perfect because I have a pebbled blue wallet already. She told me that the brand has always been around and has been a quite luxury; however, due to social media and new marketing, it’s become quite popular with younger generations and she’s seen many Americans come into the store to buy these bags even from the Midwest.
On the way right below, I saw someone on Reddit also post about getting all three bags; I’m pretty jealous as I wish I got more, but maybe for my next trip! The green is adorable and black is just a classic. I love the T clasp as it’s not found elsewhere and the logo is politely small. My bag was roughly 550 Euros from what I can recall. My fiance had bought it for me, but it’s definitely cheaper than buying in the US.
When you touch the bag, you just know it’s quality.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that French women actually did not wear bags like Chanel, YSL, or Hermes around the city. Instead, they were wearing seemingly no-name brands that were chic, well made, and beautiful. Though my fiance said he could buy me a Chanel bag, I was interested at first, but then the idea faltered when I realized the silliness of buying a 10K+ bag I would barely wear back in the states. I aimed for something more niche and quality, where only some people would know the bag if they were French or had the same bag. That’s not to be negative, but I couldn’t see myself wearing a Chanel even if I wanted to. It just wasn’t me.
A lot of the shopping done at high end luxury brands were all done by tourists. French women, on the other hand, were donning bags like Sezane, Polene, tote bags, and other names down below. They were always so effortlessly chic, and not wearing things that screamed brand names.
I also bought a french Ateliers Auguste bag back in San Francisco, and wear it out for date nights or a girls’ night out. I find that french bags have high leather quality and are well-made. I didn’t have time to go to their location, but wish I did! I probably would have bought another bag..to be honest.
French Watches (Yema and Herbelin – ranging $400-1000 Euros)
My partner and I spent a majority of our Europe trip trying to track down a black reverse panda watch from Yema. Both us are from Bay Area California, and wanted to get something tasteful, had heritage and history, and decently priced. Yema and Herbelin are both French brands, which made this purchase even more special as they’re harder to spot in the United States and we both bought it together as a pair.
On Yema’s site, it states, “YEMA is an independent French watchmaker located in Morteau, the cradle of French watchmaking. YEMA is managed by a third-generation family of watchmakers, the Bôle family, who are surrounded by a team with more than 40 years of experience in watchmaking. Design, prototyping and assembling are proudly and precisely carried out by highly experienced traditional French watchmakers within our Morteau workshops. Since its inception in 1948, several recognized entrepreneurs contributed to YEMA’s heritage.”
Herbelin was founded in 1947 by Michel Herbelin in Charquemont, France, as an independent, family-owned watch brand focused on quality, precision, and affordable prices. The brand expanded into the international market after Michel’s sons, Jean-Claude and Pierre-Michel Herbelin, joined the company. In 2022, the brand rebranded from Michel Herbelin to Herbelin, launching its first global flagship store in Paris and continuing its legacy under the third generation of the Herbelin family.
When I wore my Herbelin dual-tone watch with a black strap, it felt so gorgeous on my wrist. Mine is below, from the LUNA collection. In their own words, “Between classicism and modernity, the LUNA collection embodies a subtle French chic, unveiling feminine watches with enchanting reflections and a delicate allure.”
We went for one watch and ended up leaving with two. It’s a great watch store if you’re looking for quality European watch brands and you can call them in advance to see if they have it in stock.
Pokemon Cards from France
I followed my fiancé through every Pokémon store in Paris, but fair, he did accompany me to like 10 different Pharmacies. He even found a Pikachu card from Indonesia wearing batik, their traditional clothing. Such a unique find.
📍The Fuji Store – Paris
Address: 6 Rue Rampon, 75011 Paris, France
Some of these cards sell for up to €5,000, which blew my mind. If you’re visiting, their online store is great, but Americans get hit with a 15% tariff. Find their shop here: www.fujicardshop.com. Now if only these stores had comfy seats for patient partners waiting around haha!
Nutella Biscuits and Snacks
I realize you could probably get these in the states, though it says it’s $14 USD on Amazon, which is insane. I bought one for 2 Euros and ate them on the train from Nice to Barcelona. They are a tasty treat, with nutella in the biscuit. I wish I bought more of these biscuits, as they would taste amazing with a cup of coffee.
