Last Minute Gift Ideas For Your Sweetheart!

Valentine’s Day is this Friday and some of you may still be scrambling to find the perfect gift for your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband and/or best friend. Here are some stellar suggestions for any special someone on your list!

FOR THE BEAUTY QUEEN:

L'Occitane Hands Full of Flowers Trio

Join L'Occitane and Richart Chocolates for a Most Delicious Valentine's Day Celebration! (And A Giveaway)

Join L’OCCITANE and RICHART to kick off Valentine’s Day weekend and the launch of the L’OCCITANE’s Red Cherry Fragrance. Guests who shop at L’OCCITANE’s 86th Street flagship boutique on Thursday, February 13th can indulge in RICHART confections as well as cherry-inspired cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Also, guests are invited to get a little pampering with complimentary signature L’OCCITANE beauty rituals such as hand massages, mini-facials and fragrance layering.

Banish Winter Skin Woes with L'OCCITANE's "Tiny Tins of Delight!"

L’OCCITANE recently introduced three new Shea Butter Creams to help shield your skin from winter while enjoying the scents of spring. Available in a Zesty Lime, Rose Heart and Vanilla Bouquet, these Shea Butter Creams are packaged in colorful tins that bring a luxuriously bright splash of color t o your day. {Product provided for review}

Top Ten (Cream) Facial Scrubs! (Mama's Best of Beauty 2013)

I'm a firm believer in exfoliating your skin regularly. In fact, I've discovered that for my oily skin, daily exfoliating works wonders! Here are my absolute favorite (cream) facial scrubs from this past year: there are some for every budget and most skin types and issues. {Products sent for review}

Gifts Pour Homme...

If your guy is anything like mine, it can be a really difficult task to pick out gifts for him! Don't fret - here are some {my hubby approved} gifts that are perfect for any discerning man, in a variety of price ranges! {Products sent for consideration}. 

Fab Five Fridays: Fragranced Body Lotions! (Plus Great Gift Ideas!)

I like to smell good and I hate to be ashy, so fragranced body lotions are among my favoritest beauty products! Lately, I've had the chance to try quite a few scented lotions and these are my favorites! {Products sent for consideration}

Haute Gifts for the Holidays: Join L'Occitane to Celebrate Their Favorite Days of the Week! (And A Giveaway)

L’Occitane will celebrate their favorite days of the week - Thursday and Friday! Guests shopping any L’Occitane retail boutique nationwide on Thursday, December 12th and Friday, December 13th will enjoy complimentary signature L’Occitane beauty rituals such as hand massages, mini-facials and fragrance layering. Also, with any $65 purchase, shoppers will receive a chic L’Occitane Thursday Friday Tote Bag while supplies last. Shop in style for everyone on your gift list at L’Occitane!

And now for the giveaway!

Protect Your Color (and Curls) with L'Occitane!

{Product was sent by PR for review consideration}

We all know that L'Occitane carries a wide and wonderful selection of fragrance, skin care, and bath and body goods-but did you know they offer hair care as well? It's just as luxurious as the skin care I've been raving about lately {hello, Divine Lotion and Iris Angelica Sublime Essence}! Here's an overview of my favorite hair care line from the French luxury brand, the Aromachologie Radiance and Color Care Collection!

Fab Friday Favorites: Hand Creams! (Fall Into Beauty)

My hands have always been notoriously rough. It's just the way they are. But over time I have discovered that the right cream can make them look good and feel smooth {even if not quite soft}. Plus, regular use of hand cream is sort of important if you plan on taking pictures of pretty polishes on your nails from time to time {which I am wont to do about once a week, usually on Mondays :) }. These are a few of my tried and trues - conveniently separated into drugstore and luxury categories, plus two that I'm dying to get my hands on {particularly because I've tried other products from the brands that are just FANTASTIC}! {Products that were sent for consideration will be noted with {c/o} } 

Fall Into Beauty with L'Occitane's Lavender Bounty!

The Lavender fields of Provence have just finished a wonderful season. Capture the aromatic essence with L’Occitane’s Lavender Collection, and let the fresh scent transport you to the hills of the south of France. I'm usually not a big fan of lavender scents because they come off chemically to me. But L'Occitane has found a way to bottle up the herbaceous flower  in such a way that it is just like plucking a sprig from one of the lavender bushes in my front yard. {Product was sent for review/editorial consideration}

New Pretties from L'Occitane! (Fall Into Beauty)

From two brand new collections: L'Occitane Vanille & Narcisse Body Milk and Shea Butter Jasmine Hand Cream {products sent for review} 

Y'all already know I'm all about the French beauty goodies! L'Occitane is one of my all time favorite brands-not only do they have an established history of quality, luxury, and effectiveness, they regularly come out with new scents and formulas that make you take another look at the brand. For example, these two new moisturizing beauties...

My Current Skincare Routine (Fall Into Beauty Edition)

From l-r: shu uemura Skin Purifier cleansing beauty oil premium a/i, Amarte Daily ExfoliPowder, Zensation Radiance Brightening Cleansing Cream,  and L'Occitane Divine Lotion

The last time I shared my regular skin care regimen was in May and for the most part {I switched some items in and out as I received them} it stayed the same. But as I've discussed before, my skin tends to go bonkers when the seasons transition from Summer to Fall, so I try to head it off at the pass by adjusting my skin care regimen. While the basic regimen stays the same {precleanse/exfoliate, cleanse, moisturize, and treat}, I switch to richer, thicker formulas, those that care for sensitive skin, and thanks to this awesome job o' mine {and the fact that I am getting older}, products that skew more towards higher price points {not that there is anything wrong with drugstore/affordable skin care! I still incorporate quite a few budget buys into my regimen. But there are days when I have to force myself to wash my face and it makes the experience that much better when I'm using a more luxurious product #dontjudgeme}. That being said, yes-these products were sent to me for review. Some of them are newer to my collection than others, so this will be more of an overview of what I'm currently using than a review {I'll post a review of products individually as I get a better feel for what I think about them. If you see something that you are particularly interested in, please leave a comment and let me know!}.

Fab Five Fridays: Skin Care Emergency Edition!

My skin has gone absolutely haywire this past week: I had an allergic reaction to a lip balm {and now I have puffy, dry, irritated lips}, a bad reaction {though I don't think this was an allergy related} to some wax strips I used on my upper lip {don't judge me}, and some other general tomfoolery going on along my jawline. So I took some decisive action last night and went in to emergency mode with my skin care while the lil bits bathed. Some of these products I've used before and are sort of tried and true, others are new, so while I'm not quite ready to do a full review on them, I have to share, because this morning I woke up to a markedly improved complexion!

Winning with L'Occitane's New and Improved Website! {Giveaway}

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know that I'm a big fan of French beauty goodies, particularly those from L'Occitane. Using their products is like having a bit of Parisian luxury incorporated into your everyday routine. And now shopping from the brand is even better, thanks to their newly updated website!

It's a L'Occitane Summer!

It's no secret that I'm a fan of all things Parisian, especially French beauty goods, including the wide variety of goodies available from L'Occitane. One of the side effects of being a beauty blogger is  not being able to repeat products {trust me, I'm not complaining though}- because of my reviewing schedule, I have to rotate products fairly frequently and often don't come back to a product after I've completed the review. But if you'll notice, some of these products have been featured on the blog already {I'll include links to original posts/reviews}. I realized that the products that I've received to review from L'Occitane are among my favorites and they have made their ways into my regular rotation {despite having a copious amount of other similar products to use as well}. So here are some of my favorite L'Occitane products, guaranteed to help me make through the summer {and beyond} cool, calm, collected, and coiffed!

Treat Your Feet with L'Occitane Almond Foot Care

The countdown to sandal season has officially begun! L’Occitane’s latest addition to their ever-popular Almond Collection, Almond Foot Care, is a spring must-have.

Experience Parisian Spring in a Spritz! (Spring Fragrance Roundup)

I know it's not the case everywhere, and given the schizophrenic nature of Georgia weather it may not even be true here in a few hours, but right this very instant-right outside my window, Spring is in the air! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's not absolutely frigid out! So I'm going to celebrate with a series dedicated to one of my favorite beauty/cosmetics categories: fragrance!

L'Occitane's Spring Cherry Eau de Toilette from the Limited Edition Spring Cherry Collection

100 Ways Shea Butter Makes You Beautiful (and How a Splash of Lavender Can Melt the Stress Away)!

How cute is this mini tin of 100% Pure Shea Butter from L'Occitane!?!

Shea Butter is one of those wonder ingredients that has use for a vast number of purposes: traditionally, it's been used in Africa not only for cosmetic purposes, but also for cooking/eating, and as a prophylactic (interesting, huh?). But we'll focus on the cosmetic uses for now!

L’Occitane’s NEW Immortelle Brightening Mist AKA: A Preview

I don't know if I've shared this with you lovelies yet, but I sort of LOATHE the winter time. I mean like most things, the season has its ups and downs. I suppose snow is pretty, and a little nip in the air is nice when you have a cozy fire, a warm cup of something yummy, and a special someone to cuddle up with. But damp air (that's not full of salty ocean and sunshine) and grey skies are not the business. That's just my two cents. So saying that I'm looking forward to the spring would be a huge understatement.

I Have Something in Common With Carrie! AKA: AnnaSophia Robb at L'Occitane

So, I'm not gonna lie-my oldest daughter will be 13 this summer and the "tween" years have proven to be a bit of a challenge. Don't get me wrong, Pey is a sweetheart: into beauty, fashion, reading, and too much social media for her own good. But I think her changing hormones are affecting us all in ways that we did not foresee.

My beautiful baby girl