While the days of riffling through our friends’ make-up bags may have gone from a daily occurrence to something you might only enjoy a couple of times a year, the memories of sticking my hands inside the treasure trove of someone else’s make-up, emerging with a pot or tube of something exciting and asking, very nicely, if I could please put it all over my face, have stuck firmly with me. A decidedly unhygienic practice (mascara wands should never be shared), the thrill of using something shiny and brilliant and ‘not mine’ never wore off. Within my gaggle of friends, there was one brand that made the rounds every single day – I’m talking, of course, about the French beauty brand, Bourjois. 

Rumoured to be manufactured at the same factory as a leading luxury beauty brand, Bourjois remained a staple in our shared make-up rituals throughout school, university and beyond. At any one time, someone could be found using the radiance-imbuing Healthy Mix Foundation (that somehow worked for oily and dry skin), the chocolate bar-shaped bronzing block or the sweetly round powder blusher pots. Highly pigmented, versatile and long-wearing, the products couldn’t be faulted – hence our efficiency at trading them between ourselves. 

Then, in 2019, Bourjois exited the UK market and a large, nostalgic hole was left. Founded in Paris in 1863 by cosmetologist Joseph-Albert Ponsi, Bourjois had bridged the gap between hard-working formulas and budget-friendly prices with iconic products used by professionals and novices alike. 

Well, today, Bourjois is officially back. Available exclusively at Superdrug, the brand has relaunched a collection of its most popular products – including the Little Round Pot Blusher, Rouge Velvet Lipstick, Contour Edition Lip Liner and Healthy Mix Concealer. 

Priced at £12 and under, the range champions classic shades and revived formulations, as well as a handful of new-to-the-UK products. One Bourjois Twist Up The Volume Mascara is sold every 1.7 seconds in France and it’s now available this side of the Eurostar for the first time ever. Featuring a two-in-one wand, the novel mascara can be adjusted depending on the desired volume and lash separation. 

For me, the return of Bourjois feels like a wave of fuzzy nostalgia and zingy excitement, tinged with happy memories of sharing the joy of make-up with my friends. It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

Main image: courtesy of the brand