Being from Texas, I know my way around makeup. It was once a printed statistic that our neighborhood Neiman Marcus sold more tubes of lipstick a year than anywhere else in the world. (Tales are also oversized in Texas, but by my family’s and friends’ known contributions alone, I can see it.)
I think that’s why I’m a little bit over make up, Texas cheerleading and Dallas performing arts camps really welcomed the fun of a faux face (some days I think my skin is still recovering). But even in high school trips over to Europe, I marveled at the super natural and stunning Euro girls in fresh skin, plumped with Evian on the inside and just the right blends of natural ingredients in simple bottles from the European pharmacies on the outside.
The European pharmacy, my Gemany Apotheke, was always my Mom’s first raid upon arrival, and by the time we were on the plane back to the States after an end of summer Euro trip, we were loaded on summer clearance Zara, fresh air and food and the best European pharmacy products on our face at night. The girl I was last school year was dead to me. I was revitalized.
Now when I go home to the States, I bring a tote loaded with all the things I find at the Germany Apotheke. It’s a little game to match my self-care finds with my friends I love. Little lotions or bath salts that feel so great, are sustainably made and bring out our natural vitality using the smells and salves of nature are how I say thanks for being my friend through this crazy move. Natural beauty is really what Germany is all about, from the forest to the food and civility, and my pharmacy finds are a way to bottle that feeling up for the people I love at home.
Now that I have my friends at home hooked, I had to find what the magic is inside these products and where to find it in the States! If you’re coming over, here’s your list of what to buy at the Germany Apotheke.
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turtleneck sweater // jeans // sneakers
sunnies // headband // leather travel backpacks
What to Buy at the Germany Apotheke
Rosemary Oil
Anytime I’ve had this Weleda Cellulite Body Oil around friends, they read the label and want to use it. Which is exactly how I felt when I read the label myself. They seem to have us listening at cellulite. And it flies on the shelves, and it seems to do the job from what I’ve seen.
Maybe it’s just the nice feeling of loving your bits with an oily run down after the shower that keeps women looking so young here. Supposedly though, it is birch and rosemary that perks it up a little, which I also came across in my favorite face spray here.
Broccoli Oil
My skin guru friend of mine kept pointing out Broccoli Oil as an ingredient she was finding in German skincare products. Then I couldn’t stop noticing it myself! I recently ordered this Living Libations Ensorcell Serum from a German site and chuckled when I saw it also had Broccoli Oil! I learned it is high in fatty acid without clogging pores while being able to be sustainably made – a huge motivator for shoppers here, which I love to see.
Sea Buckthorn Oil
Around two years ago, I switched to only washing my face with Living Libations Sea Buckthron Oil, and there’s life before and after that change for me. It feels so much better for me to be balancing rather than stripping oil off my face. I love seeing the ingredient in popular Weleda products here too.
Grape Water
I don’t think I’m the only person reading this that thinks there is something just so different and amazing about Caudalie skincare. It’s simple but fancy and so consistently good with no hangover. I’m fascinated by the grape water ingredient, which is supposed to have the same anti-oxidant/prebiotic benefits of snacking on a fresh bowl of grapes.
Chamomile
I first grabbed this bottle of hand cream here because it’s so prevalent in shops, has the Chamomile/Daisy look my grandmother was fond of, and (I hate to tell you this, but) cost $1.50 here. Just like a warm cup of chamomile tea, this hand cream is so soothing I love it for winter hands, burns and to give manicures to little girls working on not picking their nails.
But the real MVP of my skincare journey here has been Weleda Skin Food. After having a bad dermatitis flare up here last year while adjusting to the water/climate/life, I tried every Weleda Skin Food product, from body butter to lip balm, and I am a lifer now, I assume. Sometimes it’s cliche because it’s true.
Rose
One of the most recommended products for winter skin upon landing was Dr Haushka Rose Day Cream. It reminded me of the Living Libations RoseGlow Creme I had used in the States, but even richer. I also spotted rose in this Weleda eye cream (I love eye cream in a tube!! It’s my thing.). I mean it makes perfect sense when you are inundated with rose blooms in the spring here and can feel their petals up close.
Sugar
One metaphor for German life here is the dry brushes are three times harder than the ones I ever bought at home – tougher for more efficiency. The winter kills it all and it must be taken off. I am extremely proud that Kneipp skincare products are named after a famous natural physician in Germany named Sebastian Kneipp. And our family’s Black Forest flat is in his former clinic! I really believe, putting my loyalty aside, that their sugar scrubs are the best. It’s like taking the old things off while putting the best things in at the same time.
Spring Water
Water is the real deal here. Get a bottle of strong mineral water and it will taste like drinking the earth – but it also feels like that in a good way? It’s so replenishing. Markus was recommended this Avene skincare line at the Apotheke and feels boastful about how quickly I stole it. It’s like you drank 12 bottles of mineral water the day before getting a great night’s sleep. It’s so good in their moisturizers or just their spray bottles of it that are famous for flights.
Arnica Oil
In the Black Forest, we can blame it on the hiking but really, it’s after the long days of shopping on cobblestone streets that I need some muscle relief. Arnica Oil is a big anti-inflammatory that is heaven in a foot rub oil after a long day.
and my favorite fun find!
My little hero in a tube is this Labello Cherry Shine chapstick. Just as the name suggests, it has the perfect flavor and tint. I dab it on my lips and cheeks all. dayI love it even more than some of the upscale tinted balms I’ve bought before. I also comes in watermelon and blackberry for the pink and mauve girls.
I hope I only keep finding what to buy at the Germany Apotheke!
What do you have to grab from the pharmacy when you land in the EU?
SHOP THE LOOK
turtleneck sweater // jeans // sneakers