FREEBIE FRIDAY L'Occitane En Provence celebrating 40 years gift box product review

I was lucky enough to claim a freebie goodie bag from L'Occitane en Provence recently and I hadn't got around to publishing the review until now. There were a few boxes going around with various goodies inside. My gift box included the following: L'Occitane En Provence Dry Skin Hand Cream with Shea Butter (which retails at £19 for a 150ml tube), a small tester post of their Crème Divine moisturiser which retails at a whopping £74(!) for the 50ml tub, Gel Douche Verveine Verbana Shower Gel £15 for 250ml and the Shampooing Shampoo essential 5 oils which is about £17 for a 30ml bottle. Quite an expensive freebie gift to celebrate 40 years of L'Occitane! I love the travel size bottles as they make it so much easier when travelling. I won't be reviewing the L'Occitane En Provence Dry Skin Hand Cream with Shea Butter as I already know I love it (see it here).

First up I tried the Crème Divine moisturiser which comes in two versions, a lighter formula which has SPF15 in the formula and the version that I tried. I loved this little moisturiser, it really works to rehydrate the skin. A little goes a long way with the Crème Divine moisturiser as it spreads really quickly. Like the name suggests the formula is super creamy although there was no overpowering scent just the smell of moisturiser when I opened the pot. I loved the Crème Divine moisturiser as it made my skin feel refreshed and hydrated. I can definitely see why it's so expensive but I won't rush out to stock up when I run out, I can't afford £74 for a moisturiser!

Next up was the Gel Douche Verveine Verbena Shower Gel which had quite a pleasant lemony scent. I'd definitely take the travel size version of Gel Douche Verveine Verbena Shower Gel away with me in my toiletry bag. The small 30ml bottle is perfect for when you have to travel light and limit your liquids to under 100ml! As for using the Gel Douche Verveine Verbena Shower Gel on a regular basis however, I'm not sold just yet. The Gel Douche Verveine Verbena Shower Gel doesn't foam up like most shower gels so I didn't really feel like it cleaned my skin. This is a definite downside if I was to take this away on archaeological digs. The Gel Douche Verveine Verbena Shower Gel is perfect for holiday's but it's quite pricey considering that I don't think it cleans very well.

Lastly, I tried the Shampooing Shampoo essential 5 oils which I was reluctant to try out and with good reason. Previously, I've tried out shampoos that are packed with oils and found that they dry my hair out and overload my hair with product. The Shampooing Shampoo essential 5 oils was no different as my hair felt heavy and dirty, particularly greasy and laden with product. I really disliked the Shampooing Shampoo essential 5 oils and I wouldn't recommend it for long, thick hair. It just doesn't work to clean the hair and seems to sit on the hair instead. (The picture below is only temporary so I will get a better one when I have a better camera and re-post this!)

Two out of four products weren't bad especially as they were free but I wouldn't rush out to replace the dwindling supplies of the products any time soon. Did you get a freebie 40 year anniversary box? What did you think and what was your favourite product? Let me know in the comments below xx

L'Occitane En Provence Almond Shower Oil product review

If you're a regular reader of The Beauty Blog then you'll know that I don't like to spend a lot of money on skincare or cosmetics. I often opt out for the cheaper option because let's face it the cheaper brands do just as good a job as the expensive brands sometimes. I am by no means a regular customer of L'Occitane but I have taken advantage of their freebie skincare days to get some of their products.

My friend used to work for L'Occitane and she absolutely swears by L'Occitane En Provence Almond Shower Oil. She once described it like being 'crack for her skin' so I thought I'd buy it to see the hype. Priced at £18 for a 250ml bottle it is by no means cheap but I also bought it through cashback so technically it only cost me £3. The larger 500ml refillable and recyclable plastic bottle is a little dearer at £26. The 500ml comes in a cool squeezy pouch which I assume you use to refill the bottle because otherwise I don't know how you would use it in the shower.

Of course I have numerous bottles of shower gel in the bathroom cabinet that I have yet to use. What I really need is a shower gel that soothes shaved skin as often moisturisers or even some shower gels aggravate my skin post-shave. L'Occitane En Provence Almond Shower Oil does exactly that. It leave my skin feeling so silky smooth and soft especially when I use it instead of shaving foam. L'Occitane En Provence Almond Shower Oil doesn't lather up like foam but once applied to the skin it becomes a kind of milky formula. I found it a bit tricky to use on my legs in my tiny shower as the oil slips and slides out of your hands. As L'Occitane En Provence Almond Shower Oil is more like a body milk it has quite a weird consistency but it works as a shower gel, moisturiser and shaving barrier. I love this shower oil and I'm even tempted to buy it again although it is pricey. Reviews online have also stated that it can be used as shampoo but I'm not entirely convinced that it would clean the hair. From past experience using hair oils my hair normally ends up clogged with product and greasy to the touch so I won't be using L'Occitane En Provence Almond Shower Oil on my hair anytime soon.

L'Occitane En Provence Almond Shower Oil has won a couple of beauty awards within the last couple of years so it's clearly a well-loved product. It's a steep price for what it is but it really does soften skin.

P.S. If you've noticed that my picture quality has improved that's because I've started using the actual images from retailer websites. My phone and camera are absolutely shocking in quality so for now I'll stick with the professional images until I get a better camera.