L’Occitane 2017 Holiday Collection – Gift Sets & Skincare

Last night I was at Yorkdale Mall celebrating the grand opening of the new L’Occitane Boutique. As you enter the store scintillating fragrances envelop you and the entire ceiling is covered in fresh flowers from Provence. I was reminded of my vacation to the South of France - feeling the warm breeze on my skin and gazing at the sparkling sunshine over the coast. If you are searching for the perfect holiday gifts this season, I encourage you to stop at one of the many boutiques around the city and sample the luxurious skincare but be warned, you might become totally addicted.

When people ask me what I use on my skin to achieve a flawless complexion, one of the brands I always recommend is L’Occitane. The ingredients are incredible and the formulas are extremely nourishing. One of my favorite Christmas treats is the Advent Calendar ($69.00) full of irresistible surprises, one for each day of the month.

The beautiful decorative box includes a range of bath, body and lip products to pamper you from head-to-toe and it is also a great way to discover which products you can’t live without (for me it’s the hand cream, face cream and shower gel).

If I had to recommend one collection in particular it would be the Almond line because the scent is warm and mouth-watering (I literally can’t stop smelling it). To help you relax and unwind after a long day, the Almond Shower Oil ($25.00) hydrates, and cleanses with a lightweight, milky lotion. Simply lather-up and rinse away impurities to reveal soft, silky skin.

Terre De Lumiere ($89.00) might be the best fragrance L’Occitane has ever concocted. This elegant gourmand is fresh, warm and sweet, showcasing robust notes of lavender, honey and almond – suitable for day wear and formal occasions.

Everyone loves a good pull-cracker especially when they are filled with delightful skincare goodies. The Festive Trio ($34.00) comes with 3 fun gifts that are great for stocking stuffers and each includes 3 products (hand cream, body lotion, soap or shower gel).

The small bottles are great for travel and the bright crackers look fabulous with your holiday decor.

To conquer dry winter skin the Shea Collection is a must! Enriched with a very high concentration of organic shea, these formulas soften, moisturize, heal and instantly alleviate dry, flaky skin. The Hand Cream ($32.00) protects, nourishes and treats rough cuticles and brittle nails with 20% shea. It is so effective that you don’t need to reapply frequently and it absorbs quickly with no oily traces. The Ultra Rich Body Cream ($49.00 with 25% shea) takes care of itchy, uncomfortable skin so you feel velvety smooth all day. The texture is more like a thick body butter that feels light, non-greasy and supple once applied. I love the Comforting Cream ($39.00 with 5% shea) for face and neck care. The moisturizer drenches parched skin in lush, fortifying layers and promotes a radiant, healthy complexion. These products are suitable for both men and women so don’t forget the guys on your list.

At night I like to layer the Immortelle Divine Youth Oil ($114.00) with my other skincare to create a reparative mask that rejuvenates my complexion. The formula consists of ultra-concentrated, natural oils that plump, illuminate, firm, fight signs of aging and protect against damaging external aggressors. It melts in quickly and forms a silky sheen that regenerates, evens textural irregularities and promotes elasticity.

To find a boutique near you or to browse the holiday collection visit the website at loccitane.ca.

L’Occitane Almond Collection Review

Bath and body products always make fabulous gifts, especially when they are luxurious, decadent and hydrating. During the summer I attended L’Occitane’s press event to check out the great gift sets that would launch this holiday season and my favorite by far is the Almond Collection. These products are warm, nutty, rich and irresistibly delicious! The only problem is that the scent is so delectable you probably won’t want to give them away and I can’t seem to get enough!

Aside from this line being among the best smelling body products I have ever come across and enriched with real almonds the products are also incredibly pampering and conditioning. The Cleansing and Softening Shower Oil transforms into a lush foam when it comes in contact with water and the suds cleanse skin thoroughly to remove dirt and excess oil with an alluring, mouth watering aroma that helps you relax and release tension. The shower oil is also infused with an amazing blend of grape seed, bergamot, rosemary, sunflower and other natural ingredients to leave skin feeling incredibly soft instead of stripped, tight and dry like many drugstore formulas.

If you prefer bar soap this exquisite scent also comes in a delicious exfoliating bar that helps slough away dead cells and increase circulation to leave skin feeling smooth and moisturized. The shower oil retails for $48.00 (per 500 ml) and the bar is $6.00.

The Body concentrate infused with powerful almond extracts is irresistible! It has a rich, silky texture that melts into skin for ultimate suppleness and up to 48 hours of hydration! The lush blend of protein and walnut seed oil stimulates cellular renewal and helps maintain elasticity for firmer looking skin. The Almond Milk Concentrate retails for $59.99 (per 200 ml) and although I have other body creams that cost upwards of $200.00 I am totally obsessed with this indulgent formula. The cream scents my skin so nicely that I usually reserve it for special occasions when I want to smell fantastic at an event or party and the light fragrance is unisex so men will enjoy it too!

The sumptuous Body Oil made with over 50% almond oil pampers my skin after a warm shower and quenches dryness, peeling and even flaking with layers or rich almond goodness. You don’t have to use a lot to notice a big difference in the resiliency of your skin and it works wonders on the feet and cuticles as well. The small bottle is great for travel and stocking stuffers!

Last but not least is the Almond Milk Hand Cream which comes in the perfect purse size tube and nourishes rough, dry hands and damaged nails with rich butters and oils. The hand creams from L’Occitane are some of my favorites and for the winter they are essential! They retail for $12.00 each and the almond scent makes hands smell yummy!

I highly recommend this collection if you are looking for an extravagant skincare gift and you don’t have to purchase everything individually. The Almond star gift set retails for $76.00 which is a great deal! You can find these products and more at L’Occitane stores and online by clicking HERE.