BODY | L’Occitane La Collection de Grasse Iris Bleu & Iris Blanc Body Milk and Hand Cream Review

Two years ago, I fell in love with L’Occitane’s La Collection de Grasse especially the scent Jasmin and Bergamot. This past spring, La Collection de Grasse welcomed a new floral fruit scent composed of blue iris from Grasse, France and white iris from the Mediterranean together forming Iris Bleu & Iris Blanc. I feel like this could even be the name of some sort of psychological thriller as even the combination of the two flowers is somewhat unexpected and yet inviting.

I saw the word “iris” and just assumed floral, but there are in fact top notes of blackcurrent and citrus with a heart of iris, ylang ylang and peach followed by a strong base of iris, cedar and white musk. The newest collection consists of: an Eau de Toilette (75mL/$75.00 CDN), Body Milk (250mL/$32.00 CDN), Shower Gel (250mL/$26.00 CDN), Hand Cream (30mL/$12.00 CDN) and a Perfumed Soap (75g/$8.00 CDN). Both iris extracts are cultivated and harvested with a sustainable farming approach which is a practice I have always loved about L’Occitane.

FRAGRANCE | L’Occitane Pivoine Flora EDT

In anticipation of the, soon to be released, Pivoine Sublime perfecting skincare line, L’Occitane has re-released the Pivoine Flora EDT ($55.00 CDN/75mL)* in a new, pink rounded bottle with softly engraved petals. I love this packaging so much more with its soft gradient and bright pink box. As for the scent, this must be a sign of the times as I swore I was not a floral gal and have had samples of Pivoine Flora before with no olfactory success. I spritzed this on my wrists the moment I got it and it wore beautifully. The peony (extracted from the south of France) is light, floral and incredibly fresh-smelling which is what pulled me in right away. I am immediately transported to open fields of flowers in France, despite never having been there! I suppose that’s part of the appeal of fragrance – being able to experience another country and culture all in one bottle.

I think mom would love something like this, don’t you? Or get one for yourself and one for mom for Mother’s Day!

BATH & BODY | L’Occitane Shea Ultra Rich Body Scrub Review

 I have mentioned on many occasions throughout this blog how much I love the L’Occitane Shea Butter collection both for its scent and moisturizing properties. This scent has been in my life since a L’Occitane store opened up close to my old work in 2011 and from there it was all over for me and my wallet. I started with the hand cream, moved on to the face and now, the BODY. I am an exfoliant fiend when it comes to my skin and on average I go through about one body scrub/month! I knew I would love the L’Occitane Shea Ultra Rich Body Scrub* ($48.00 CDN/200mL) just from the description and once I had scooped it out into my trembling hands I was sure I would love it!

Using walnut shell powder and shea butter, this is a very creamy scrub. The walnut bits are fairly dispersed so while this isn’t an overly gritty scrub like others I have used from other brands, it does keep skin feeling smooth and free of blemishes (Yes, body blemishes!). This is a scrub intended for very dry skin so having a gritty scrub probably isn’t ideal anyway and the smell is of course just HEAVENLY.

Final Verdict: I felt like I was putting on moisturizer in the shower when using this scrub. I forget to do this a lot, but this scrub really worked best for me when applied to dry skin. Sometimes applying a a gritty scrub to dry skin can feel a little uncomfortable, but because this is shea butter-based, it feels positively luxurious! I still had to use moisturizer after my shower, but was able to skip less dry areas like my arms and torso and moisturize just my legs. You also do not need very much as this is so creamy, it just glides across your skin allowing for maximum surface area coverage. Efficiency. I love it. I have had this for over a month and I haven’t even gotten to the halfway point in the jar which is HUGE. Usually I power through 200mL like nobody’s business!

The Shea Ultra Rich Body Scrub can be found at all L’Occitane boutiques and online stores.

HANDS | Shea Love with L’Occitane Ultra Soft Balm and Nail & Cuticle Nourishing Oil

When it comes to scents, I love orange, peppermint and the scent of L’Occitane’s Shea Collection as every single product smells and feels so rich and creamy on my body and face. For those of you who read my blog, you know that I take my nails VERY seriously. I make sure my hands are moisturized at all times and that my cuticles aren’t dry and red because with those nail close-ups, angry cuticles can be hard to look at. Right at my desk is where I have the L’Occitane Ultra Soft Balm*($6.00 CDN) and the Nail & Cuticle Nourishing Oil ($22.00 CDN). Two things I apply a few minutes before taking photos so that my cuticles look soft.

SKINCARE | L’Occitane Immortelle Oil Make-Up Remover

I used to blog about L’Occitane A LOT when I first started blogging mainly for haulage purposes (#1, #2, #3, the list goes on!) and I don’t know why I haven’t actually reviewed any of the items I have purchased since I have so many L’Occitane goodies in my office (yes, that’s where I have to keep everything). That stops today because although I am a die hard Shea Butter user (face, body and hands), I have a HUGE soft spot for cleansing oils. Although the new Immortelle Oil Make-Up Remover*($32.00 CDN) says “make-up remover” on the label, this can also be thought of as a cleansing oil effective enough to remove even waterproof mascaras.

Made without water, but with a base of sunflower seed oil (first ingredient ya’ll!) along with immortelle flower and apricot oil, this oil cleanser looks watery at first glance and easily sloshes around the bottle. Different story once it’s on your face though! There is barely a scent to this with maybe a hint of “plant” when sniffed closely.

Oil cleansers work best when applied to dry skin and become milky in consistency when water is added. This can be an odd change for those of us used to some massive foaming action from the classic facial cleanser. Foaming cleansers generally give skin that squeaky clean feel while oil cleansers leave skin feeling like well, skin and possibly even softer which was the case with this Immortelle oil cleanser! For use around the eyes, keep your eyes closed as ANY kind of oil getting in your eyes is incredibly uncomfortable and for mascara, just get a little bit on the tips of your thumb and forefinger and just gently roll your lashes. This will minimize any oil from seeping into your eyes.

Final Verdict: Imagine a cleansing liquid moisturizer because that’s what this is. The moment you begin to massage this onto your skin you can feel how thick this cleanser really is. It’s not watery at all and you can really feel how smooth the oil is over your skin. My favourite part was washing this off because your skin feels so soft and hydrated even though you’re throwing water at it! My skin felt almost…creamy in texture but clean which sounds like an odd combination, but there’s something to be said about not feeling squeaky clean. We all know that squeaky clean eventually leads to tightness, but I know that some of us are so used to that feeling that we don’t feel clean unless our skin *squeaks*. As I age (gracefully), moisture will be a fleeting friend and oil cleansers my favourite way to cleanse.

Who is terrified of using oil to cleanse their face?