Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet: Orangutans in Paris make for poor gondoliers

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The sunshine might be fading from our passion fruit punch but we're looking forward to what autumn will bring.

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Just a quick query- has anyone on here used Easyparapharmacie? I’m after replacing my Melvita skin cream and it is considerably cheaper on their site than to buy it in store in France. Is this normal ? Is there a catch?

Bob, EPP is pretty much the default supplier on the Fantastic Skincare threads. They're CS is decidedly French though, they're slow to recognise their mistakes but once they do they do rectify it. Otherwise no issues at all, I believe the shipping to the UK is free over £29 (but not to the rest of Europe )

If you're still in France, Powersante is good too and often have 10% off promotions. They usually work out cheaper for me as shipping to NL is less with them.

WRT how normal it is and if there's a catch, I think the French now pretty much all buy pharmacy needs online, the number is ridiculously high, something like 80% as the prices are so much better. If you look at www.beaute-test.com/ you can even price compare between all the online retailers.

Thanks @Bo for this rapid response. I’m no longer in France. While there I was in quite a rural area hiking and carrying all gear so not much opportunity for shopping! Really interesting re the French buying pharmacie stuff online as a lot cheaper. The price difference is really marked. Will try and do links for example’s sake.

www.easyparapharmacie.co.uk/melvita-nectar-de-miels-baume-reconfortant-bio-175ml.html

This product is 28 euros on the Melvita France website.

And it’s a much smaller jar on the French website too. 50 ml as opposed to 175ml.

Are you sure it's not a body version? EPP also sell a 50ml version (it's sold out) similarly named for £22.03.

www.easyparapharmacie.co.uk/melvita-nectar-de-miels-baume-confort-haute-nutrition-bio-50ml.html

The directions on the 175ml version also confusingly just say 'no'

Oops you’re absolutely right the 175ml is a body cream. It was too good to be true! Thanks for looking into it before I made a silly mistake. I’m quite happy with Aveeno body cream.

missing you all! Last post 36 hours ago, so I've got my fingers crossed that the Melvita cream has been found. There was briefly a store in our town but in a poor location so it folded.

I'm not buying anything much except vintage as I have filled in so many odd gaps this year. And I haven't spotted any vintage/2nd hand bargains that lifted my soul. On holiday in a fortnight and have everything I could need to cover a small island and lazing in a deckchair, except enough books on my Kindle. Anyone got any recommendations to pass on?

Xing my top reads lately have been, appropriately enough, the Discovery of France by British historian Graham Robb, and An African in Greenland by Togolese author Kpomassie.

Very different, but do you know Dorothy Sayers? I adore and keep rereading her Peter Wimsey series. Highly entertaining and deeply impressive in many ways. Also outside the copyright period and at least the last book is freely available for Kindle on the Guttenberg Project site (but you get more out of it if you know the characters).

The backstory from the previous books, I mean.

I suppose it depends what type of books you are interested in, Xing? I'm currently (re)reading The Highly Sensitive Child, to try to better understand dd1 as she is entering adolescence. But that's maybe a bit heavy going and niche!

Oh, that's a good website, bo. I noticed that Boots had a lot of their "expert skincare" on 3 for 2 offers yesterday, presumably to compete with those kind of prices. But I don't always want to buy 3 of something.

I took a couple of Kate Atkinsons on holiday, neither of which I read. In fact I can't even remember what they were But I like her stuff - well written, entertaining and thoughtful without straining the brain.

Unless the cobbler can't save my ankle boots I'm not planning to buy anything new now until the sales. There's still one thing I'd like but it's expensive so I need to either save up or hold my nerve until the price drops. Feel free to remind me if I fall off the wagon. (Obviously second hand doesn't count.)

I like Kate Atkinson too. I'd also highly recommend A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I'm currently reading "Born to Run" which is not really my thing, but I'm quite enjoying it.

I switched my wardrobe around to winter stuff (it's been very mild here) so I'm try to wear a good bit of it and identify any gaps.

I've posted that already haven't I?

Time for coffee.

I'm reading the latest VI Warshawski from Sara Paretsky - love them.

Also re-reading The House of Mirth.

In Brittany again for a bit.

I love VI Warshawski - is Paretsky still writing them and has VI aged? An elderly kickass female detective would be really interesting.

Thanks for all the recommendations: I knew you could be trusted to hit the spot. You've got my taste down so accurately that I've read most. Will look at The Highly Sensitive Child, thank you Quirky, as I also have one of those, but not a child anymore.

VI has definitely aged, Flo; in the last I read, she lamented her increasing frailty. I shall collect the newest Kate Atkinson and will investigate Elle's idea's of Celeste Ng and Hanya Yanagihara which are new to me. (I thought Born to Run was good, but I'm a fan).

An African in Greenland sounds intriguing and promising, Peregrane.

Off to God's waiting room to visit DMiL for a few days, so shall be hors de contact and offline (no broadband) for an enforced digital detox. The possibility of good vintage is always alive on the Sussex coast.

She's got a family? I clearly need to catch up.
Enjoy Sussex - hope you come back with something lovely.

I'm a very eclectic reader, not sure how beach appropriate they are:

Current/recent:

American Wife, Curtis Sitterfield
Pachinko, Min Jin Lee
The White Book, Han Kang
Lullaby, Leïla Slimane

More in theme with this thread:

Fashion Climbing. A New York Life, Bill Cunningham
I'll Drink to That, Betty Hallbreich
Grace. A Memoir, Grace Coddington
Dress Like a Parisian, Aloïs Guinut

Non fiction:

The Telomere Effect, Dr Elizabeth Blackburn (it's a very accessible read despite the assumed complexity of the subject, it's also really cheap as an ebook)
The Angry Chef: Bad Science and the Truth About Healthy Eating, Anthony Warner

Meaning to get to:

French Exit, Patrick Dewitt
Theft by Finding: Diaries: Volume One, David Sedaris

A Little Life mentioned above absolutely broke me. I still don't know whether to hate it or love it. I felt somewhat emotionally manipulated by it, which I accept is an odd accusation against a book.

Antwerp sample sales are coming up so I'm attempting restraint. Did end up getting a very dark denim Levi's shirt at TKMaxx and am contemplating a Vivienne Westwood black washed silk shirt from them (they had 3 in my size, so can afford to wait it out). Still need to get to those pictures. Also bought a Mes Demoiselles sweatshirt that's ridiculously comfy and oversized from a consignment shop. Was a bit of a rare find, they had lots of Rundholz in too, none that suited me but did make a mental note to check in there more often. I do seriously need to get on the bra situation but my boobs keep changing size on me

Ah you said frailty, not family. That coffee clearly hasn't worked yet. Not that I begrudge VI a family but it sounded quite a leap from when I last read her.

Poo, I took too long typing and now Xing is away from keyboard...

quirky, meant to add I'm also rereading the HSP (not the children's version though). My rereading was actually prompted by MN as there was a rather odd thread bashing HSPs as snowflakes and it did leave me wondering what's so offensive about it.

I really didn't love Theft by Finding near as much as Sedaris' other books.
Lots of books I'm adding to my reading list here - thanks all!

VI has definitely aged, Flo. And the stories have got better as she has.

Good to know Elle, I've been a bit hesitant about DS since Squirrel Meets Owl. As in, he's fallible. Me Talk Pretty One Day is still my favourite and I think his earlier work has set the bar ridiculously high as a result.