Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Do you know about this magical French oil?

Second Avenue in New York City may not have the same panache as Madison Avenue, or even Lexington or Third, but it now forever holds a spot in my francophile heart.

Striding down the sidewalk the other day, I caught a glimpse of something so totally French in a storefront window that I stopped in my tracks and entered.  It was a hair salon, and they were selling Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse Or, a product I had never seen outside of France. 

It had been a staple in my batterie de maquillage in France. Tested chez des copines, forever enamoured of the little bottle of gold. A little on the cheekbones.  A little on the hair. A little mixed in with the body lotion for that overall glow.  My French friends all knew the subtle beauty secret.

I had assumed that I'd have to wait until my next trip to France to re-stock. (Because, in a moment of  extreme maternal generosity,  I had offered the rest of my precious bottle to Miss Bee, who loved the stuff SO much.)

But.... how could I have presumed that Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Or was not available in the U.S.?  Silly me!  This is New York.  New York has everything.  

But the best part?  I entered the salon, Marianne Vera, a beehive of activity, and headed straight for the Huile Prodigeuse in the window display.  The owner approached me and didn't even attempt English.  "Bonjour, je suis Marianne, je peux vous aider?"

We started jabbering away in French, and I was happy to have a new acquaintance in the neighborhood who understood French beauty products (and maybe, eventually, my hair?).

"But... but...  how did you know to address me in French?" I asked, bewildered.  "This never happened to me in France! Despite my efforts, I am always pegged as an American."

"Simple," she replied.  "Only Parisiennes see it in the store window and stop to buy the product.  Les Americaines don't know what it is."

But now you do.

8 comments:

Sigrid said...

I'm still not sure how to use it on my hair correctly. The lady in our pharmacy here in Paris (!) was very vague when I asked her. She said something about "apply on wet hair, then wash out", but it was clear that she had never done that herself.
Also, Nuxe is very reluctant with giving proper instructions. So how do you use it?

toko baju muslim said...

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maryse said...

I found it on amazon! In both the regular and spray version.

twoclippedwings said...

I bought several Nuxe products recently on Beauty.com. Love the quality.
Thanks for posting this.

Diary of Why said...

Ok, they should really pay you a commission, because after reading this (and assorted other online reviews), I just bought it on Amazon. Can't wait to try it!

Polly-Vous Francais said...

Sigrid, Every day I squirt a bit in the palm of my hand and apply to cheeks/temples and lips. What is left in my hands I rub my hands together and apply it to the end of hair strands (already dry hair). It makes them glossy and shiny. When I am using after-shower body oil (like Neutrogena or Caudalie) I add a spritz of Nuxe to the mix for a subtle glow.
Diary of Why, I hope you love it as much as I do!

Polly-Vous Francais said...

Oh, and p.s.: in summertime, a little on the collarbones. Stunning!

Deanna said...

I just added it to my Amazon wishlist. :)

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