L'Occitane Almond Velvet Hands Hand Cream

As far as I am concerned you can never have too many tubes, tubs or sachets of hand cream and if you are like me, there will be at least one in every handbag you own, one on your bedside table, one on your desk, one in your desk drawer and a few spare just in case. I am a huge fan of L'Occitane hand creams and until now could never pick a favourite, until now. L'Occitane Almond Velvet Hands Hand Cream is the newest release from L'Occitane and it is just amazing, more so that it includes SPF15!

Packaging on L'Occitane products is always something special and this hand cream has the traditional outer box that I recognise from the Almond range but the tube itself is a lovely light pastel pink metallic tube with a plastic lid and it is rare I meet someone who doesn't have a bashed up tube of L'Occitane hand cream in their possession.

Did you know that the Almond Tree is the first to be reborn t the end of winter when its native cells trigger the renewal buds?  Well with that in mind, L'Occitane draws upon the regenerating power of the almond native cells which help to renew and revitalise the epidermis cells of the hands. On the hands, the cream is incredibly rich and silky and it is also non-greasy and as soon as it comes into contact with your skin, it begins to absorb itself.

The hand cream has a triple-action formula which smooths hands, evens out skin tone and protects against UV rays. Enriched with an almond complex which has a blend of three active ingredients which help to stimulate collagen production and smooth the skin on your hands.  Your skin tone is evened out, fine lines reduced and there is an instant nourishing feeling.  What I love about the hand cream aside from the fact it makes my hands feel so soft and smooth is the scent.  Not forgetting that L'Occitane Almond Velvet Hands does have SPF15 which will help shield the skin against environmental damage, premature signs of ageing and of sun induced brown spots.

Anyone who knows me, will know I adore the Almond range from L'Occitane and have worked my way through two jars of the Almond Velvet Balm and two bottles of shower gel, which for me is unheard of. The hand cream is just as divine and has quickly become my favourite and a 75ml tube, which is just massive (they are usually 30ml) only costs £18, though you will have to wait until April to get your hands on it ha absolutely no pun intended.

Laura Geller The Sweetest Thing

Just before Christmas, I was really lucky to be invited along to brush with the fabulous Laura Geller to learn more about the lady herself and her fantastic makeup range.  I always find it so interesting to find out why people start their own range and with so much enthusiasm, it was hard not to fall under Laura's spell, she totally understood the value of Bloggers and our value as well as having a plan of action for her range.

This was my first introduction to Laura Geller Makeup and I was very lucky to be able to take home a beautiful pink sparkly bag with a range of products inside to play and get acquainted with. 

Today I am sharing with you The Sweetest Thing which is a 6 piece collection in Pinks and Purples and inside there are six different products to play with.

The first item is the Baked Balance-n-brighten colour correcting foundation, I have shade medium which is too dark for my pale skin, but when mixed with my moisturier it works  to not only give good coverage but also correct any imperfections that I have and it also works well to give a slight bronzed look on my cheeks when used alone.  It is also mineral oil and paraben free.

Baked Blush-n-Brighten in shade pink buttercream is just beautiful. Again it works to give you that natural flushed look and it doubles up as a highlighter to give you a bit of a glow too as it has swirled with copper and gold flecks.

My favourite product in this box is the Baked Highlighter and I have shade Golden Rose and it is just beautiful, it isn't too over the top to make you look shiny but it is buildable depending on how much highlighting your skin needs.

Then we have a baked eyeshadow in Opal/Violet and this is one product I haven't used as yet as I am not too sure I can pull off either shade, but it is a beautiful little duo and it ca be used wet for a more dramatic colour.  It hosts Vitamin E conditions and Centella Asiatica and White Tea Extract provide antioxidant protection.

Next we have the Colour Drenched Lipgloss in shade Pink Lemonade which is a really pretty pink gloss which is neither tacky or sticky and it isn't as pink as it looks in the tube, it is quite much softer. The formula with emollient oils and Vitamin E helps protect lips from environmental damage and there is a ach shade is a really subtle coffee aroma.

The final item within this box is a double-ended Foundation and Highlighter brush. The Foundation Brush is suitable for use with all-over face powders and the Highlighter Applicator is perfect for face application, though I tend to use it for applying my concealer as I find it works perfectly.

I think this is such a fabulous set, it has everything you possibly need and everything is so versatile that even if it designed for one job, you can guarentee it will do something else too.

Have you tried anything from the Laura Geller Make up range?