I used a freight forwarder to get Summer Fridays Birthday Cake in France the easy way

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Estimate Shipping For Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm (Birthday Cake)

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Buy It For Me

• Why I had to have the Summer Fridays Birthday Cake balm
• My strategy for buying from US stores
• Shipping estimates for France
• Letting comGateway handle the logistics
• Handling import tax and customs in France

Why I had to have the Summer Fridays Birthday Cake balm

I kept seeing the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Birthday Cake all over my TikTok and Xiaohongshu feeds. In early 2026, it remains one of the most difficult beauty products to find in Europe. Every time I checked Sephora France, it was sold out. The scent is iconic, and the sheer pink shimmer is perfect, but the scarcity is frustrating. I noticed that US-based retailers like the official Summer Fridays site and US Sephora restock much more frequently than local shops in Paris.

I didn't want to wait months for a local restock that might never happen. Instead, I looked for a way to shop us store sites directly. I found that the easiest path was to use a freight forwarder to bridge the gap between a US warehouse and my home in France.

My strategy for buying from US stores

When I buy limited-edition items, I always check us trends to see which stores have the highest inventory. For this specific lip balm, the US Summer Fridays website is the most reliable source. Since they don't ship directly to France, I used a tax-free us address provided by my freight forwarder. This allowed me to checkout just like a US resident.

If you find that a US store doesn't accept your French credit card, you can use a proxy shopping service. This is often called buy for me, where the service handles the actual purchase on your behalf. I personally managed to use my own card, but it's a good backup for the more restrictive US beauty sites.

Shipping estimates for France

Before I committed to the purchase, I needed to know the logistical details. A single tube of lip balm is light, but shipping costs can add up if you don't plan ahead. Here is the data I used for my calculation:

I used the shipping calculator to see how much I would pay. For a single item, international shipping can feel high, so I usually wait until I have two or three items to ship together to get better international shipping rates.

Letting comGateway handle the logistics

My goal was to spend the least amount of time possible on paperwork. Once my Birthday Cake balm arrived at the US warehouse, comGateway notified me immediately. I logged in, selected my preferred carrier, and they handled the rest. I prefer DHL international shipping for beauty products because it usually clears French customs faster than other methods, though FedEx international shipping is also a solid choice for reliability.

If you have questions about how long they hold your packages, the FAQ section on their site is very straightforward. I found their international shipping service much simpler than trying to find a friend in the US to mail it to me manually. It’s a very hands-off process.

Handling import tax and customs in France

Shipping to France means dealing with the import tax (VAT). Since 2021, all items entering the EU are subject to VAT regardless of value. I chose to pay these fees upfront through the freight forwarder portal. This is the "lazy method" I prefer because it prevents the package from being held at the local post office while they wait for payment.

I checked the latest international shipping tables to ensure I wasn't surprised by any handling fees. By paying everything in one go, my package arrived at my door in Lyon without me having to fill out a single additional form. If you want this viral balm in 2026, this is the most direct way to get it without the headache of waiting for local French stock.