I wasn't going to begin my Christmas reviews until the first week in November however, having frequented a few shopping centres recently, I've noticed that many of the shops including L'Occitane have their Christmas windows displayed already. Secretly this thrills me, as quite simply I love Christmas and can't wait to crack on with reviews.
It's understandable why L'Occitane have their windows decked out in their festive products earlier than some, as they put on such a good display, and often many of the goodies are snapped up as they showcase incredibly savings. This year, the packaging has surpassed previous years with gold gilt boxing and a slight Scandinavian contemporary look. The great thing about the packaging is that you don't really need to wrap it up, and the gilt makes it look rather luxurious.
The Seasons Workshop Advent Calendar RRP £55 worth £101
The pièce de résistance this year is of course their stand-out 'The Seasons Workshop' Advent Calendar. With an eye catching design giving hints to the environment and nature, this delightful calendar has 24 doors each one begging to be pressed and opened, as they reveal miniatures of the best selling products L'Occitane offer. I always have a dilemma when reviewing calendars as I don't want to ruin the element of surprise. However, they do show on the back of the box just what you will be getting, so look away now if you don't want to see!
Included are a selection of shower gels, hand creams, shampoo, conditioners, skin treatments and I can also tell you that the sizes are quite decent too. I visited a hotel in Turkey this year, that stocked L'Occitane miniatures, the same size as in the calendar and they lasted me a whole week. Many are perfect for travelling and ideal if you are going away for a long weekend. I would be quick, as I can't see this one staying in stock for long! You get over £101 worth of products for just £55, and whilst I can't see anyone wanting to part with any of the pampering miniatures, you can actually gift them on and pop into your own crackers!
My Softening Essentials Bauble RRP £12
This year their baubles come in a variety of ranges, grouping together their most popular scents such as Verbena, Cherry Blossom, Men Essential etc. The Almond Bauble pictured above (the packaging does slightly differ from the website), contains a trio of:-
- Cleansing and Softening Shower Oil - contains Bergamot Fruit Oil, known for it's anti-bacterial qualities and helps treat skin conditions such as acne. It also contains Rosemary Leaf Extract that helps tone the skin.
- Milk Concentrate with Almond - made with Sweet Almond Seed Extract, this is incredibly nourishing and ideal for dry skin types.
- Almond Hand Care - featuring an abundance of skin softening ingredients such as Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil and Coconut Oil to help really nourish dry hands, prevent flaking nails and encouraging healthy nail growth.
These sample sizes are ideal to get several pamper treats. The boxes themselves hang nicely from the tree, as quite light so don't pull down the branches. There's a bauble to suit everyone, and for the price these make wonderful 'Secret Santa' gifts and tree gifts.
Surprise Firecrackers Collection x 4 RRP £22.50
These 'Festive Crackers' make a wonderful alternative to table crackers. Filled with blissful delights that you will actually use (unlike the plastic toys in traditional crackers)! They also make wonderful crackers to place on the Christmas tree, as again are quite light so will fit snuggly in between branches.
You get 4 in a box each one containing 2 mini products of both Shower Gel and Hand Cream, in their best selling fragrances. This makes for amazing value for money at just a little over £5 each for 2 products! Of course you can gift someone with all 4 or, like I intend to split the box and place amongst the Christmas Tree.
Each Cracker houses one of:-
- Cherry Blossom Bath & Shower Gel 35ml/Cherry Blossom Hand Cream 10ml
- Verbena Shower Gel 35ml/Cooling Hand Cream Gel 10ml
- Shea Body Shower Oil 35ml/Shea Dry Skin Hand Cream 10ml
- Almond Shower Oil 35ml/Almond Hand Care 10ml
As with all the L'Occitane products the ingredients are nourishing and actively work to aid better skin health, and of course smelling utterly delicious!
Shea Golden Latte Light Hand Cream 150ml RRP £22
This limited edition 'whipped' hand cream is lighter than the other versions. It has a luscious milkshake, fluffy consistency and this reflects in the scent that has an underlying nurturing base, with a little kick of spice. Ingredients include:-
- Shea Butter - nourishing and anti-inflammatory, it contains high doses of both vitamin A and E so helps protect hands from environmental aggressors such as cold weather, smoke etc.
- Castor Seed Oil - rich in ricinoleic acid a natural moisturiser for the skin. Castor Oil has many benefits including being anti-microbial so helps prevents fungal infections in cuticles and nails.
- Turmeric Root Extract - anti-inflammatory and has many anti-oxidants that help protect hands from bacteria. It also contains curcumin which can help brighten hands and reduce pigmentation.
- Sunflower Seed Oil - ideal for sensitive skin and helps keeps hands hydrated.
The L'Occitane Hand Creams have a huge fan base, there is a scent for everyone and they make perfect gifts for those who are hard to buy for. The reviews on their website and other stockists are always glowing with many comments citing 'leaves hands feeling soft', 'not greasy', 'smells delicious', 'soaks into the skin fast' -the positive reviews just keep coming.
Verveine Mandarine Eau de Toilette 100ml RRP £54
Buying fragrance for someone is usually very hard, as you may not know how that person wears it, different skin textures suit different notes etc. Well if I tell you that I have tested this today and had the approval of my 14 year old son, my 19 year old daughter who wanted to take it, and my boyfriend who said 'is that the Jo Malone one I got you last year'.... It is, without a doubt one of the best combination fragrances I've smelt in a long time. If you love the unusual combinations of Tom Ford and Jo Malone then you will love this. It's woody, spicy notes give it an initial warming scent however, there is a burst of citrus orange that is sharp, crisp and sparkling.
Indeed L'Occitane was inspired to create this fragrance from winter nights, crackling open fires and the fresh oranges often found in Christmas stockings. It's epitomises all of this, and the cosy Christmas evenings, without reverting to the usual pine and berry scents we see on the shelves. The scent lasted most of the day and so I didn't need to reapply. The glass bottle is simple, classy and whilst you should store your perfumes in a dark cupboard away from sunlight, this actually looks rather nice displayed on my bathroom shelf!
L'Occitane have a huge range of Christmas goodies and I would urge you to check out their website, as there is most certainly something for everyone. Visit here at www.uk.loccitane.com
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