The photograph above has such a lovely story behind it. Shea Butter is harvested by hand in a place called Burkina Faso, West Africa. It is then made into the beautiful creams, lotions, soaps, and other products at the L'Occitane factory in Provence. The striking design of the three Limited Edition Shea Butter Hand Creams and the four Lip Creams recalls the baskets made of natural materials used by the women who harvest the shea butter. The colours and patterns of each product are inspired by these hand-made baskets and the blazing African sun. I think this is just beautiful. L'Occitane really appreciate and highly value their suppliers, allowing them to physically be part of the design of the packaging of their products, just as the Burkina Faso women are to these gorgeous hand creams.
There was something really special about this evening. The staff were so approachable and attentive, taking our coats as we walked in, and offering us a glass of bubbly and a selection of canapés including macaroons, sushi, olives and much more. Of course I didn't hesitate to tuck in to the macaroons. They were delicious! The evening begun at 6.30pm with a talk from the Manager about the company and what the L'Occitane beauty evening would consist of. As we all stood there, lights beaming down on us, heads turning at all the displays, we couldn't wait to walk round and check out the products. The evening was very sophisticated and was very much all about the customer which was perfect. The staff offered one to one consultations and expressed their knowledge of the products, which was next to none. Through their mannerism you could immediately tell they were proud to be part of L'Occitane. I couldn't fault them.
As I walked round trying all the products and creams on my skin I was soon coated in the luxurious silk scent of the L'Occitane products. I tried the One Minute Hand Scrub at the basin followed by a hand massage with the Shea Honey Hand Cream. The hand scrub was like nothing I had ever tried before, the phase of organic brown exfoliating sugar felt ticklish to begin with but after a minute of rubbing it through my hands, when I washed it off I couldn't believe they were my hands. They were super silky soft. The hand massage was so relaxing, and the shea honey felt really indulgent, enhancing the smoothness of my skin. I would really like to praise the staff who I felt really looked after everyone at the evening. The were concerned and really cared about your needs for your skin. You could tell them any skin complaints/problems you had and they would really home in on this, making it an important factor of the evening, advising and providing you with possible reasons, and offering a product that would specifically suit your skin requirements. The staff really knew the L'Occitane products well, and provided me with an insight into how some of the products ingredients are sourced and made. I remember the staff saying it was like a family, you felt you were not only connected with the founder Olivier Baussan, head office and the other employees, but you felt connected with the suppliers who produce the products.
There just seems to be this magical history behind L'Occitane, about how the ingredients for the products are sourced, where you find these products, and what kind of terrain they grow in.
The lovely L'Occitane also presented me with a goody bag at the end of the evening and I also purchased something truly fabulous.
I was mesmerized by the Milk Concentrate based products and the Almond Milk. So in search of this I opted for the Almond Milk Concentrate All Over Body Cream £34, along with an extra 15% off on the evening. To sum it up: it is heaven in a jar. The cream is so light and luxurious and your skin absorbs it straight away, leaving a beautiful scent of almond, along with silky soft skin. What more could you possibly want from a cream? And then the L'Occitane products presented to me at the end of the evening including a selection of bath and shower creams, hand creams, shower oil and their profound and precious Immortelle precious cream, night cream and essential water.
And here's the L'Occitane products that caught my eye and the lucky ones I really want to get my mitts on:
Left to right Marvellous Flowers Eau de Toilette 75ml £35
Marvellous Flowers Dry Shimmering Oil 75ml £22
Shea Cleansing Milk 200ml £15
One Minute Hand Scrub 100ml £13
Volumising Mask 250ml £20
Shea Butter Mango Flower Ultra Rich Body Cream 100ml £16
Ultra Rich Body Cream 200ml £27
Shea Honey Hand Cream 30ml £8
Visit their site here. They have some wonderful stocking fillers! Click here for their Christmas Limited Editions. I hear that Provence, where the L'Occitane products are made, is the ultimate Christmas destination. Magical! See it here
