L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil: Product Review

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil available here 

I received this shower gel as a gift from my friends at work and boy do they know me well! I love L'Occitane and I was recommended this product by a former L'Occitane employee, so I had high hopes.

Well she seriously undersold this product to me! At first, I was unsure whether I really needed a shower oil as I usually use a shower gel. However, as soon as I used it I realised that I had been mising out.

The Hype

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil is described as follows: "This shower oil, when in contact with water, transforms into a lavish, softening foam--original and unique in texture--that leaves a satin-like softness all over the body. Enriched with almond oil, it respects the hydrolipidic film and leaves a subtle and mouth-watering scent of fresh almond, for a delightful skin!"

The Product

Using just the tiniest amount of product, I applied this in the shower and watched as it magically turned into a creamy, rich, in-shower cleanser. With the same gorgeous scent as the rest of the Almande/Almond collection, this smells amazing.

What's even better is that the scent lasts all day even after you've showered, leaving a subtle, lingering sugared almond scent behind. My skin was so smooth that I could get away with not moisturising afterwards, although I did out of habit, and my skin stayed soft and smooth all day.

The Verdict

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil retails at £17.50 for 250ml. Compared to an average shower gel, that is quite a bit more, but I have to say I think it's worth it. Provided you like the scent, although it is available in a few other scents too, this is a great luxury shower product. Personally, I love the smell of sweet almonds, and I love the way that this lathers, leaves skin scented and genuinely soft and conditioned. A treat, but it's worth it.

Would you be tempted to buy something like this?

November 2012 Magazine Freebies - Marie Claire In Style Benefit and L'Occitane

Do you ever feel like it's feast or famine when it comes to magazine freebies?

Some months there's nothing, and other months I end up blowing loads on multiple copies of the same magazine just so I can get the gorgeous products they come with.

This month was a definite feast! I purchased In Style and Marie Claire (three times, I'll explain later!).

First up is In Style with Naomie Harris on the cover.

I bought this for the Benefit products it came with as I wanted to try out Sun Beam. For the £3.80 cover price there is a choice of Benefit Sun Beam, Cha Cha Tint or Benetint. These are all 4ml in size.

Inside, there's also a voucher for a free sample of Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara which I've pictured with the magazine.

Next up is Marie Claire with Taylor Swift on the cover. I knowingly purchased this twice. The first copy I got is the full sized edition which came with the L'Occitane 30ml Mango Flower Hand Cream. In some places it seems you also get a free 50ml sample of a Dove product which doesn't seem to be advertised in the magazine. I got Dove hair Therapy Conditioner Colour Radiance.

I then bought the travel sized edition to get the Rose Petals Hand Cream.

When I actually started reading Marie Claire I realised it was looking really familiar. Which is when I realised I'd started a subscription for Marie Claire (it was a special offer of 3 issues for £1) but had received the magazine ages ago and forgotten all about it. Needless to say, the subscription version doesn't come with a freebie which is one reason why people are often put off subscribing.

Marie Claire is also meant to come with a three sample packet of Tresemme Split Remedy Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave In Treatment, but I only received this once with my travel sized edition from in store. But I'm glad I;ve got one sample at least and I'll definitely be trying it out.

Which magazines did you get this month?