An example of Monoprix’s new aesthetic from their Champs Elysees store


It’s that time of year, or rather one of the time’s of year, Monoprix’s 20% off pharmacy sale. For those of you not blessed with a big box Monoprix, certain Monoprix locations sell more than just groceries and clothes. Select Monoprix also have a pharmacy in them. And every couple of months they give an extra 20% off all pharmacy items.

I’m not a makeup girl. Nor am I skin care obsessed. My skin care routine only has 3 steps (wash, serum, moisturize), but it’s a very pricey skincare routine. And unfortunately France makes it too easy. There are just so many brands. Over the years I’ve narrowed down my likes to La Roche, Filorga and Lierac, but everyone will be different. I’m actually going to need to rethink La Roche as I found out they’re owned by L’Oreal and after reading The Bettingcourt Affair I refuse to give my money to them. Unfortunately Filorga and Lierac are the most expensive brands out there.

For whatever reason I am not privy to the announcements of these sales. No doubt I blocked their daily emails. I kind of just show up and it’s like oh, so that’s happening. As was the case this weekend. I went to Montparnasse in search of Habitat. I needed some sheets and as much as I would love to go wild in Yves Delorme, I opt for Habitat. I choose to penny pinch in the strangest of ways. 

But when I got to Montparnasse I was SHOCKED. For one thing most of the stores have gone out of business. Even worse they turned Habitat into some kind of destockage nightmare. On the ground floor it was a swap meet. They were selling those 2 for 20€ handbags like you see outside the metros on the not so good side of town. And downstairs it was a mish mash of used furniture. I was heartbroken. I liked the ease of the Montparnasse location. Now I’ll have to stick to Wagram, or worse Pont Neuf. 

To console myself I decided to drop serious coin on skincare. After first stopping by Eric Kayser (j’adore leurs brownies) I went to my happy place: Monoprix. Walking through the revolving doors is an automatic exhale of all of life’s stress. Seeing 20% plastered all over the pharmacy was like the universe telling me sorry for leading you to believe that trekking, by foot, in the rain that Apple failed to predict, in my canvas Golas instead of my leather Vejas was a good idea. My shoes are completely ruined and J.Crew no longer sells them *le sigh*.

The boulangerie counter at Montparnasse. It’s more enticing in person.

But even more shocking they had completely updated this Monoprix. It looked like BHV. There were pop-up restaurants and fancy boulangerie counters. I was completely flabbergasted. Had anything stayed the same?

The one thing I love about France is that their department stores are insanely beautiful. They are merchandised so that you want to live in them. Truly “lifestyle” stores. The displays are gorgeous. Everything is laid out like an adult candy store. 

Monoprix really upped their game with this one. The reason I loved BHV was because it was such a beautiful store. Monoprix totally stole that concept and turned this location into BHV on a smaller scale. If anyone cares this is the press kit they created for the new location: Dossier-de-presse-Monoprix-Montparnasse-VF

Right now is Monoprix’s sticker sale (no idea what it’s called in French, the le remise sale?). Monoprix is calling it 9 Jours. It’s when they put these red, purple, teal tags on their items. The color of the tag tells you how much you save. It’s best to shop at the end when the discounts are 60% and 70% FYI. 

One thing Monoprix implemented while I was gone was something called Monopflix. It’s a subscription service that you can sign up for monthly, bi-annually, or annually. You get 10% off everything and free delivery. The delivery alone isn’t enough to sign up, as they always offered free delivery on 50€ or more, but the 10% is. If like me Monoprix is your go to, 10% isn’t a bad thing to have. And as I am now too lazy to actually shop in a grocery store delivery is a plus for me. 

The sale will be until the 18th. I wholly advise stocking up during this time. My skincare came out to 220€ after the reductions (the 10% can be combined with the 20%). My products usually last 3 months, so as you can see it’s an expensive luxury. Although at this point if I try to use anything else on my face it’s wrecks havoc so it’s no longer a luxury but a necessity. As prices around Paris are comparable (there aren’t any stores that are deeply discounted), that extra savings is nice to have.