A local’s guide to the best makeup stores in Paris, from skincare brands to indie shops – all the must-visit places to buy beauty products in the city!
The question keeps coming up in the mouths of makeup addicts: where to buy cheap makeup in Paris?
I learned how to become a makeup artist at the Make Up For Ever Academy in Paris, so the city will forever feel dear to my heart.
I remember very well all that we have in terms of makeup shops in Paris, and I thought that today, I was going to share all that with you.
The Best Makeup Stores in Paris, Skincare and Beauty
Paris is the city that gave me the tools to become a fashion makeup artist, and the tools to build my makeup artist kit as well.
I trained there and worked there in various cosmetics shops.
Saga Cosmetics, Kiko Milano, Sephora and MAC Cosmetics were all my employers at one point, and I have been able to test a very large number of brands thanks to that.
Whether you’re looking for proper French makeup brands or even American drugstore makeup brands, you will find them in Paris, and here’s where!
Affordable Makeup Stores in Paris, France
Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Presty Women
I know two cheap makeup stores in Paris well, the Presty Women shops in La Défense and Bercy.
These shops are known by those who take the tube to work, and they are a bit like Poundland as far as prices go; everything is around one euro, two euros, rarely more except for certain toiletries.
If you’re looking for cheap makeup in Paris, this is definitely a chain to know.
You can find really pigmented lipsticks and eyeshadows there, but of course, the makeup brands you can find at Presty Women are of lower quality compared to MAC Cosmetics, Sephora or Kiko Milano.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Hema
Hema makeup… I love it.
It’s actually something I miss when I’m looking for new makeup in London, because I think Hema is just top notch when it comes to colors and staying power.
If you are looking for the best Hema in Paris, I would like to recommend the boutique on rue de Rivoli as well as the one in Châtelet.
Although they are close, I find that they complement each other well in case one is out of the makeup products you are looking for.
Moreover, Hema is one of the cheap makeup stores in Paris you can really count on.
Lots of nail polishes, eyeshadow palettes, super long-lasting eyeliners…
I am yet to find a Hema makeup product that will fail me!
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: American Makeup Brands
Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Monochrome Beauty
The Monochrome Beauty makeup store is located not far from the BNF (Bibliothèque François Mitterrand), and it’s a paradise for anyone who follows makeup trends on YouTube and social networks.
Here, we have a few makeup brands you cannot find anywhere else in Paris.
Between Danessa Myricks, a few end-of-line products from the Italian brand Nabla Cosmetics, American and foreign brands such as Lemonhead, duochrome products from Karla Cosmetics, or even Cozzette, you can find plenty of cool makeup products to have fun with.
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Professional Makeup Stores in Paris
Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Kryolan
Kryolan is one of the best professional makeup stores in Paris, and I have spent quite some time in there.
Located in Saint Paul, near Le Maris, one of the cutest neighborhoods in Paris, the shop is large enough to offer everything; lipsticks, eyeshadows, loose pigments, lip liners, and lots – lots – of special effects makeup.
When I was living in Paris, I happened to stop by Kryolan a lot of times just to see what new products they had.
My two star products at Kryolan are the gel eyeliners, which are much easier to handle than regular eyeliners, as well as the duochrome loose pigment eyeshadows.
In terms of price, we are of course on something more expensive than Hema makeup or other makeup stores in Paris, but Kryolan is a classic in terms of quality, pigmentation, and wear time.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Plein Fard
At Plein Fard, located rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, not far from the Champs-Elysées, you have everything you need in terms of professional makeup.
Certainly, if you are looking for cheap makeup stores in Paris, Plein Fard is not the place for you.
On the other hand, if you are ready to pay the price, Plein Fard products are of tremendous quality, whether for a professional makeup kit or for everyday makeup.
Between eyeshadow and nail polish, we have everything there.
Some brands that makeup artists might be interested in include Chantecaille, Maqpro, and RCMA, which is the perfect foundation palette brand and otherwise only available online.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Paris Berlin
Paris Berlin, boulevard Richard Lenoir in the 11th arrondissement, is a Parisian makeup shop made for both professionals and makeup enthusiasts.
In terms of price, you’ll find products that roughly cost the same as MAC Cosmetics or certain makeup brands that can be found at Sephora; around €17 for a lipstick and €11 for an eyeshadow refill.
It seems to me that Paris Berlin is one of the lesser-known makeup stores in Paris, and when you pass the threshold, it really feels professional.
The powder shadows are very easy to work with, and for lovers of lip palettes, Paris Berlin offers two color stories at a great price of €30 for 8 colors.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris
Best Makeup Stores in Paris: MAC Cosmetics
MAC Cosmetics is the reference brand in terms of excellent make-up in Paris.
I worked at the MAC boutique on the Champs-Élysées for a year before moving to London, and honestly, I loved every moment leading up to my departure from Paris.
If you are looking for cheap makeup in Paris, I would suggest you consider Black Friday or the annual sales.
During those, MAC Cosmetics not only sells limited editions for less, but also classic products in a limited edition packaging, such as the famous Russian Red, Heroine or Ruby Woo lipstick.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Sephora
I worked at Sephora for a few months and had all the time in the world to try new products here and there.
What I like about Sephora is their wide range of cheap makeup and other more expensive products – the Sephora makeup products are really amazing considering the price point.
What I don’t like is this jealous exclusivity that means that all exclusive brands do not benefit from coupons, which we would really need in times when purses are gradually closing to the luxury of makeup.
The Sephora makeup brand offers nail polishes, lipsticks, eyeshadows, liquid matte lipsticks… and these really are must-tries.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Kiko Milano
A while back, I unveiled all the best Kiko products, and there are so many that it can be hard to keep track of – especially with all the limited edition collections.
Whenever you’re looking for cheap makeup in Paris, you will come across a Kiko Milano store.
This Italian makeup brand offers lipsticks and lip liners which start as low as 3 euros, with amazing pigmentation and natural colors.
The Kiko 3D Hydra Lipgloss range is one of my favorite for lipglosses that aren’t sticky – and the eyeshadows are also great products to try.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Marionnaud
Marionnaud offers the same vibe as Sephora, with a storefront and interiors that feel much more French and local.
You will find some really famous makeup brands there, with some Jeffree Star eyeshadow palettes and the store’s own makeup brand.
I used to own a few of the Marionnaud eyeshadow palettes, and can vouch for the quality – their metallic eyeshadows are incredible.
You’ll also find some true blue French makeup brands at Marionnaud, such as Guerlain and Yves Saint Laurent, and the Italian brand Collistar.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: NYX
I’ve talked about quite a few of the best NYX products here on The Working Line, with good reason.
There are several branches in town, from La Défense to the shop on Rue Vieille du Temple, and NYX offers lots of seasonal collections.
Whether you’re looking for metallic eyeshadows or a MAC Soar lip liner dupe, you’ll find them there.
There are lots of MAC lipstick dupes in the Suede Matte lipstick range to check out if you want to save some money.
You’ll also find plenty of possible NYX lip liner dupes for MAC in various collections and finishes, which are all super pigmented and long-lasting.
If you’re looking for cheap makeup in Paris, the American brand offers lipsticks and eyeshadows which start around 6 euros, so you really get a bang for your buck.
The NYX Butter Gloss and lip liners are some of my personal favorite makeup products ever, and some you should really try for any occasion!
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Make Up For Ever
I was trained at the Make Up For Ever Academy, the first year the brand moved from Paris Est to Boulogne Billancourt, and hey – I like their products.
In my opinion, Make Up For Ever oscillates between an edgy, indie makeup brand vibe and a high-end vibe.
I studied makeup for 6 months at the Academy, and found that their lipsticks and lip liners were some of the best products.
The Make Up For Ever eyeshadows’ formula was upgraded sometime after I graduated, and some of the foundations are also excellent.
Really a good brand to check out if you’re looking for the best makeup stores in Paris; one you’ll find in brick-and-mortar shops as well as Sephora.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: ArtDeco
ArtDeco is one of the best-known German makeup brands, and we have one of their stores right in the heart of Paris.
If you are looking for cheap makeup stores in Paris, go another way; ArtDeco is rather expensive to build a good makeup kit.
On the other hand, it is true that the ArtDeco makeup is well pigmented and certain colors and products, especially for eyeshadow and lipstick, are really interesting to wear if you want to create natural looks.
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Best Natural Makeup Stores in Paris:
Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Aroma Zone
Aroma Zone is to me one of the best makeup stores in Paris, but you’ll find much more than makeup there.
It is true that I have shopped there for the famous loose pigments and DIY makeup kits but Aroma Zone, in addition to offering inexpensive makeup, also offers everything you need to take care of yourself in a natural and organic way.
Loose pigments are really very inexpensive, around €2 each, but I promise you that when you go to Aroma Zone for the first time, you won’t know which way to turn.
Between natural oils of all kinds, organic pigments to be used to create lipsticks, pressed eyeshadows, lipglosses, it’s a beauty addict paradise!
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Avril Beauté
Avril Beauté is one of the only makeup stores in Paris with natural makeup at low prices.
I used to have a good number of Avril products in my makeup bag, and I really liked their nail polishes as well as their lip liners.
In terms of foundation, it’s always a bit difficult for me to recommend a particular brand.
Aside from MAC Cosmetics, RCMA (a professional make-up brand made for movies), The Ordinary, and a few brands like Estee Lauder, I’ve never ventured into them too much simply because I don’t like foundation and don’t wear it.
In any case, Avril’s strong point is the array of colors, which suits just about everyone – except for really dark skin, I must say.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Lush Makeup
I must admit that since I live in London, I’ve been visiting Lush on Oxford Street quite a bit.
It’s the largest Lush store in the world and from bath bombs to body lotions and solid shampoos, you can really create a beautiful skincare routine at Lush.
Even if Lush is much smaller in France, it is still one of the best makeup stores in Paris if you want to get into clean makeup, a vegetarian beauty trend that is good for the skin.
My favorite products from Lush are the eyeliners (the Courage shade, a turquoise eyeliner, is absolutely gorgeous), the very vintage lipstick refills and the Feeling Younger cream highlighter.
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Best Makeup Stores in Paris: Couleur Caramel
Couleur Caramel is one of the best makeup stores in Paris if you want to create an organic, natural makeup kit for yourself – in short, a healthy routine for the skin.
It’s not necessarily cheap, but Couleur Caramel is one of the most famous brands in the world when it comes to natural cosmetics.
Heck, even if you’re looking for makeup in Barcelona, you will find Couleur Caramel products!
You can find everything there ; organic lipsticks, eyeshadows, nail polish as well as beauty and manicure accessories.
Expect to pay €16.90 for a matte eyeshadow, and around €19 for a natural lipstick.
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The Best Makeup Stores in Paris, Skincare and Beauty
There you have them, all the best makeup stores in Paris to check out for natural makeup, affordable and high-end makeup brands!
Hopefully, you’ll have found here all you want to suit your budget.
All that’s left to do is pay a visit to these makeup shops, and why not pop by an instagrammable coffee shop to relax afterwards?