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An Insider’s Guide to Makeup Shopping in Italy

by 80 Comments

Italian Beauty Products

I don’t know about you, but being the beauty lover that I am, whenever I travel to a foreign country I’m always on the hunt for makeup products I can’t find back home. No fridge magnets for me; lipsticks are my favorite souvenirs! 😉

Follow me today on a little virtual shopping spree of Bologna, so that the next time you visit Italy, you’ll be perfectly capable of finding your way through the Italian beauty jungle on your own.

Let’s go to the old town then, shall we? Since there’s a lot of variety in terms of stores, it’s definitely the best place for shopping, and we can do a bit of sightseeing too… I’ll see you by the Neptune Fountain, Bologna’s most popular meeting point.

Neptune Fountain Bologna Italy
Neptune Fountain and Piazza Maggiore, the main square, in the background

If you’re interested in high-end cosmetics, we should go to a profumeria (beauty store). Most profumerie belong to big retail chains, like Sephora, Limoni or Douglas, but quite a few independent stores still survive. Some of these are called bioprofumerie and only carry natural and organic products. Would you like to check one out?

Limoni Beauty Store Bologna Italy
This Limoni beauty store used to be a church, and it was built in the 18th century. Can you see the décor inside? Pretty cool, eh?
Limoni Beauty Store Bologna Italy
Another Limoni store right next to a fishmonger. There are lots of amazing independent food stores in this area. Would you like to have a look around?
Tortellini Pasta Bologna Italy
Tortellini on display, one of Bologna’s many specialties

Oh, you’re saying you’d rather go to a makeup counter? Well, actually, here we don’t really have makeup counters. Our department stores are usually smaller than those in the US, and most of the time their beauty departments only have self-service aisles instead of counters.

IMG_1786
Coin, AKA the Italian Macy’s

If you’re looking for what you’d call ‘drugstore makeup’, we can’t go to a drugstore.

Why, you ask me? Well, because our drugstores (farmacie) are very different from American ones and don’t sell much else other than medicines. The only beauty products you can find there are French pharmacy skincare (Bioderma, La Roche Posay, Avène, and the like), so if you’re interested in Maybelline or similar Italian brands, we should go to a supermarket instead.

Here, all supermarkets have a beauty corner where you can find products in the drugstore price range. The same types of products can also be found at Acqua & Sapone or Tigotà, two retail chains that specialize in cleaning supplies and personal care items.

I don’t know if you have something similar in the US, but they kinda remind me of drugstores, minus the drugs!

Italian Drugstore Bologna
A farmacia (drugstore) on a pedestrian street in Bologna’s old town

KIKO Store Bologna Italy
In the old town there are nearly 25 miles of porticoes, which will keep us sheltered from any kind of weather


Of course we’re going to KIKO! Being an Italian company, their stores here are literally EVERYWHERE. There are also a few other standalone stores of similar brands you may want to check out. One I personally know and like is WYCON, but the other day I set foot in a Flormar for the first time and saw they had this big selection of colorful nail polishes you might also enjoy… Total eye candy!

Wycon Store Bologna Italy

Flormar Store Bologna Italy
Perusing Flormar’s display for the first time

If you’re tired from all the walking and shopping (it’s a hard life, I know), we can stop for a little lunch whenever you want. May I treat you to a nice selection of local cheese and cold cuts?

Italian Cold Cuts

OK, friend, now that our stomach is full, I think we can call it a day. I hope you enjoyed our little beauty tour of Bologna. Let’s do it again sometime!

Carolina Braina


Hey, ladies (and gents), it’s Carolina here, reporting live from Bologna, Italy, to bring you the latest and greatest in beauty from the good ol’ continent! For an extra dose of that timeless Italian glam with a touch of humor and self-irony (because, you know, laughter is the best makeup), come say hi at carolinapage.eu and Instagram.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Thank you! This was wonderful. I want to visit Italy very much. My lucky daughter has been to Italy twice on school trips and has returned with wonderful stories of food, friends and laughter and an overstuffed suitcase from shopping.

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  3. Hi Carolina! Great post! I went on a family tour last year and we made several stops in Italy – Bolzano, Venice, Tuscany (San Gimignano), Rome. I looked for Kiko, but our time was limited and it was hard to find shopping time at all. Hope to get back there some day in the not too distant future!

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  4. What a lovely and detailed post! I love Bologna, I’ve been there 20 times and my dream would be to live there. From the morning coffee, to the delicious food, from the charming old city to the people kindness, everything is right for me! It is an ancient city with a young heart ♥ But, for the time being, there are no jobs for us. I could find a job, but my hubby couldn’t 🙁
    Maybe some day!
    Nati recently posted … Cuccio Naturalé extraordinary butters

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  5. Carolina,
    Ciao! Whenever I go to Italy I always go makeup shopping and I always go to Coin! I also go to the farmacia to find cool stuff! That’s where I discovered Berocca!
    Nice to have you while Karen is “busy”!
    xoxo
    Anne Marie

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  8. Fun read! I’ve never been to Italy, but I love shopping for cosmetics in Europe as an American! (Typically France, since I speak that)

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  9. thank you! Oh I miss Italy! I was stationed in Aviano from 89-91. I have never recovered from shrinking an emerald green wool Benetton (remember them!) sweater when I came home. It would fit Barbie. My mom had thrown the wash in the dryer for me, and that was that. I could never find much in the way of makeup, but now I know why. The food and clothes at the time, so worth it! I miss the weekly Mercato! The fun of finding awesome clothes and the challenge of trying to try them on in the back of a van (with 4 other women also using said van, it’s too short to stand up, and no dividers). Easier when you are 20 ad limber. I was figuring out where the really awesome stuff was when I left.

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  12. What a wonderful guest post! I enjoyed every bit, including the non-makeup photos. I have actually visited Bologna and all of those makeup shops. Thank you for bringing back fond memories!

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  13. This was very helpful! I was in Italy in 2013 and didn’t know where to begin to search. I kept hearing about Kiko, but never saw a store. I plan to return soon, so this will point me in the right direction.

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  14. Did a study abroad there for a few months, and love your post. I love seeing the city and the neat tidbits about beauty. When I went I didn’t research ahead of time, so I missed out on the “drugstore” make up in Italy. But I think I bought out all of the Kiko shop in Verona 😛 Great post and keep it up!

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  15. A beautiful virtual tour; thank you for taking the time to show us around! I visited Spain a decade ago & have longed to return. I also have an expat classmate in Rome; you’ve definitely triggered my wanderlust!

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  16. I would so love to go to Italy! Everything seems so different but it makes sense and the street shops look so cool. Bologna seems like a beautiful place to visit and I certainly have to add a visit to my bucket list. I haven’t tried too many European beauty brands but I’m definitely looking forward to trying some things as I’ve heard such great things about them. Especially Kiko. Thanks for the lovely read Carolina!
    Fancie recently posted … NARS x Steven Klein Despair Cheek Palette Review

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  18. Interesting! I always wonder how day to day life (like shopping for makeup) is different in other countries!

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  20. Wow I loved this so much! It felt like I was actually walking around and being there! This was a very fun and enjoyable post; such lovely pictures and atmosphere! I look forward to seeing more cool posts from you~~!

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  21. Thank you so much for this, it’s bringing back so many memories of my 6 month stay in Bologna. Such a beautiful city!

    I can’t wait until I get another opportunity to go back there!

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  24. Welcome Carolina! Great post, beautiful pics! This is a helpful post…I’m newly living overseas from the US and Canada and nearly fainted when I discovered there was no Sephora!! I have discovered KIKO though! Fun to see new parts of the world…and food! 😉

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  25. Thanks for the great tour, Carolina! I love Italy but have only been to Bologna once, briefly. Your post definitely makes me want to return and explore more. 🙂

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  27. I used all my savings a few years ago to go to Italy for a few months. I rented an apartment in Rome and went all over the place on the weekends. The biggest regret of my life was coming back to Canada. I should’ve stayed in Italy and the second I have the chance to move there, I will without hesitation.

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  30. Dear madmimimama, congratulation for your sweeeeet little daughter to you and your maddaddy, hope it was not too hurtful even though you must have forgotten the pain rigjt after the birth. It s the most wonderfully unregrettable happiest moment when the baby is born. And I wish you peaceful :-)) quiet days and nights as much as possible. Kisses and hugs from the baltic sea germany. Wiebke

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  31. I thought my shopping for beauty “souvineers” might be considered a little strange (since I’ve gotten the side-eye more than a few times about it) so I’m glad to see I’m not alone. I figure since I’m going to get something I can USE and enjoy, it’s nice to have a nice travel memory connected with my purchase. Never anyplace as exotic as Italy but I still enjoy my beauty purchase memories.

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  32. Hello from Switzerland, not very far away from Bologna 🙂
    I enjoy very much reading Caren’s blog but your today’s insight is fantastic, thanks a lot for this :-)! Beautiful pictures of food….che buoni! I’ve been to Bologna once, many years ago and enjoyed it very much, especially the food, ma che cucina buonissima e specialmente genuina! Seeing now this mouthwatering pictures makes we want to go there again…although we find nearly any italian speciality to buy here in Switzerland it not the same as when you it them in Italy (and i am not only talking about the prices we must pay here)…
    it’s the air, the water, the joy, the love and passion italians put in everything they do which is missing… 🙂
    The cosmetic stores in Italy are awesome…By the way… a new KIKO Shop opened in Switzerland….not too far away which is in Zurich Airport, about an hour drive by car…. As a make-up lover I’ve been there already and I must say:
    their nail polishes, lipsticks and lipliner are superbe, of such reasonable prices and good quality too! Wow, can recommend it to anyone. Ciao!

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  33. As controversial as it may be, I always bought my cosmetics in Italy at Conad. I know some people consider a big store like that an affront to Italian culture, but being American the one stop shop was nice! Of course I still bought most of my produce and meats from specialty dealers.
    Erin recently posted … Unsung Hero 2014 Shiraz

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  34. Ciao, Carolina! Thank you for giving us a run down of where to shop. I don’t know if I’d be able to remember what stores are for what brands. I like that Italians enjoy having a snack after a “hard day” of shopping. Ha ha! I’ve been to Italy twice – to Roma, Venezia, Florencia, and Catania.

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  36. I have than exact same blue colistar nail varnish in the pic! You didn’t really talk about them as a brand, I thought their stuff was really nice, on a path with Estée Lauder type cosmetics. I got mine in Sardinia last year and you could find it in the main high end pharmacy in town.

    Will keep an eye out for more ideas, I’m only a few hours from Italy and in Sardinia most summers.

    Reply

  37. I love this little tour around Italy, a great first post on MBB, Carolina!

    Italy is a lot like Poland (where I used to live), except there is no Kiko there (unless something has changed in the last two years since my last trip there).
    Agata recently posted … My Concealing Weapons

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  38. This is such a wonderful post! I have visited Bologna before but never shopped for any beauty products while I was there – what a mistake! Perhaps I will return to Bologna one day and thanks to you will know exactly where to get my make up fix.

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  40. I agree with Bologna being a great place for shopping, I’ve gone once to centergoss (a huge wholesale place for the textile wholesale industry) and it was great. I have also used a buyer in Italy (www.sourcingitaly.com) who helped me getting some cosmetics items to my country. Italy is a marvellous place for shopping, and so is all Europe to be fair, I love France and Spain as well.

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  41. I’m kicking myself for not researching shopping for makeup while in Italy sooner! We’re going on a cruise and we have a stop in Ravenna. We decided not to go to Bologna 🙁 I would have dragged everyone to Bologna had I seen this firt. 🙂

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  42. Thank you for such an informative tour! Can you recommend any of those places that will service hair and makeup in Roma? I want to get glammed up. Interested in visiting a store in lieu of paying for an artist to come to me. Your recommendations are wanted!

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  43. Thank you so much for this info! I’m currently living in Bologna, and I really need to buy a bottle of foundation- the one that actually will perfectly suit me. Can you suggest some brands which have good staying power and are for oily skin?

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  44. Hi there! I’m a Spanish beauty addict visiting Rome this week and besides Kiko and other makeup stores that I find here in Spain I’d like to know about some traditional italian brands for classic eau de cologne, soaps and that kind of stuff that I can’t find here. Those classic brands that every italian know, you see. Thank you so much.

    Reply

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