L’Occitane Treats For Your Handbag

 

I have a long-standing love affair with L’Occitane – there’s just something about it, both as a brand and the wonderful range of products.

The very essence of French beauty, L’Occitane has remained a firm favourite of mine throughout the years. Beginning with the bath and body ranges, to then discovering the most iconic of all L’Occitane products, the multi-award winning Shea Butter hand cream – one of which is sold every three seconds around the world. Today, I’m sharing two more products from L’Occitane – Fleurs de Cerisier lip balm and the Roses et Reines Roll-On Intense, both are new to me but equally feminine. Perfect for gifting or even as little treats for yourself.

My personal favourite of the L’Occitanne fragrance family is Fleurs de Cerisier (Cherry Blossom) for which I have my own love story – It’s said that men love the scent of Cherry Blossom so with this in mind, I chose it for my first date with Dan and four years on – the rest, as they say, is history. Obviously, it was my personality which won him over eventually, (I hope) but the Cherry Blossom certainly helped. Fragrance triggers a sensory cue and can transport us back to place or time – a lasting reminder of our first date. I’m staying with Fleurs de Cerisier today but this time in the form of a lip balm.

 

Fleurs de Cerisier Lip Balm

L’Occitane say, this delicate lip balm is enriched with shea butter moisturises and softly beautifies the lips. Contains a cherry extract from Luberon, Provence.

This colourless balm feels soft and nourishing on the lips, It’s not sticky or gloopy as you might expect and given its loose consistency I found it actually lasts well. The scent is unmistakably Cherry Blossom of course, yet subtle. As with any lip product, tasting it is unavoidable, I found It unsurprisingly sweet and with a hint of cherry. Altogether delicious.

 

Roses et Reines Roll-On Intense

Described by L’Occitane as an intense version of our fresh and velvety fragrance, a floral tale that celebrates the flower of queens. The muses that inspired this fragrance, the four daughters of the Count of Forcalquier, all cherished roses: the flowers that were said to have made them queens.

Their favourite roses – the Grasse rose, Bulgarian rose, Moroccan rose and Turkish rose, are brought together in this precious scent, enhanced by a unique rose extract from Haute-Provence with delicate fruity notes.

The fragrance opens with the citrus freshness of bergamot and blackcurrant leaves. Intense heart notes reveal the floral, silky encounter of four varieties of roses (from Bulgaria, Turkey, Grasse and Morocco) and the fruity notes of the precious rose extract, obtained by enfleurage, coloured by raspberry and blackberry. This harmony is prolonged by a woody base of white cedar, which mingles with the softness of heliotrope and musk.

The Roses et Reines collection uses rose extract derived through enfleurage, a traditional process made innovative by the L’Occitane research team. The freshest of rose petals are steeped in oil, allowing it to become saturated with the natural fragrance of the rose, resulting in a fruitier scent.

I’ve always been fascinated by the art of perfumery and how a scent evolves.

Your first impression may not be a lasting one as those top notes evaporate, allowing the middle or heart notes to drift through. Your final impression will be that of the base notes – those which linger on the skin once the top and middle notes have dissipated.

Roses et Reines Perfumery Notes

Top notes: Bergamot, Blackcurrant Leaves

Middle notes: Roses Grasse, Bulgaria, Morocco and Turkey, Raspberry

Base notes: Blackberry, Cedar, Musk, Heliotrope.

The packaging for the Roll-On Intense is sublime, housed in an unfussy, deep red embossed box which would appeal to all ages. I love the unusually styled twist-off lid which is easy to use and not at all fiddly. The sturdy glass bottle feels luxurious and is something a little different for a handbag sized product. In terms of the fragrance itself – initially, I expected a sweeter scent, along with that of the typical “Turkish Delight” scent we tend to associate with rose. However, Roses et Reines is a “grown-up” slightly fruity version, with those first notes of blackcurrant and bergamot immediately coming through. If you’re looking for a delicate, feminine fragrance this one is for you.

I often find Eau de Toilette doesn’t linger on my skin as long I would like, but since this product is so enjoyable to use, re-apply as needed to enjoy the beautiful fragrance throughout the day. The ball bearing roller feels cooling on application – dab it onto the pulse points and prepare to be uplifted.

 

 

L’Occitane also kindly Included three sample sachets in my parcel which was so thoughtful. I particularly liked the best-selling Immortelle Divine Oil.

 

 

The lip balm retails for £9 and the Roll On for £18. Both products are available to purchase directly from Perfumes L’Occitane

Which are your L’Occitane favourites?

*Sponsored by L’Occitane. Views and opinions are my own. Read full disclosure.