The MECCA Products My Friends Want Me To Bring To Paris

Every December, I’d stuff a suitcase with bottles of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, vacuum-sealed Le Beurre Bordier, salt from Camargue and tea towels from Merci.

These wouldn’t last long upon arrival in Australia and a roomy tote is often all I need to transport my summer wardrobe back to France.

However, more recently, check-in baggage for the return journey has become a matter of necessity, thanks to the sheer amount of MECCA products requested by my friends back in Paris.

The holidays are usually long gone by the time I touch down in the New Year, but you wouldn’t know it, seeing the giddy excitement in their eyes!

For interior architect Ania, it’s the MECCA COSMETICA In A Good Light Face Tint with SPF 30 – discovered when an Australian friend visited her.

“I don’t often wear foundation,” she says, explaining, “In Paris, the approach to makeup is so often about a natural kind of effortlessness, so I shy away from heavy coverage.

“What I like about this tint is that it’s really subtle and gives a fresh, glowing kind of finish. I like that it's sheer; I still look like myself.”

Another friend, Amandine, requested the MECCA COSMETICA Nourishing Hand Wash and Hand Cream.

The UX designer says she’s used to seeing luxe soaps line the sinks of all her friends, and wanted “something that no-one else has here”: “They are so beautiful… The design is so chic and minimal, black and white – very Chanel,” she laughs.

“But I also really like the avocado oil – it keeps my hands really soft.”

Stylist Laetitia often receives products to sample from her beauty editor friends, but she always asks me to pick her up the Naked Sundays SPF50+ Glow Body Mist.

“I really love the smell of the watermelon and [Kakadu] plum ingredients in this one,” she explains. “There’s something about having such a high SPF but also this really dreamy texture. It’s not sticky but it’s not dry.

“I think Aussies just get sunscreen!” she adds.

Admittedly, I always feel a buzz seeing a dear friend’s eyes light up with a product that feels exotic and special.

However, it’s more than just stuff; it’s a newfound tradition of shared appreciation, a connection between worlds and a celebration of the little things that make the commute between continents that bit sweeter – even with extra baggage in tow!