L’Occitane is about to launch an exciting new collaboration with master French pastry chef Pierre Herme who’s infamous for his macaroons. He created two bespoke Mediterranean-inspired fragrances for two new collections – Jasmine – Imortelle Neroli and Pamplemousse Rhubarb – that’ll be in store come 4 November.

To celebrate the launch L’Occitane had MaMere Confections create bespoke macaroons reflecting their scents. I’d like to tell you I made those macaroons last a few days but they didn’t survive until sundown. The sugar-dusted lilac-covered lavender one, just so you know, was perfection. But let’s get back to the fragrances, shall we?

Jasmine – Immortelle Neroli is a feminine floral that opens with fresh, sparkly top notes of pink pepper and lemon before revealing a white floral heart (jasmine, orange blossom and immortelle neroli) resting on a base of amber, wood and musk. To me, it smells soft and comforting in a way that makes me think of Bvlgari’s original fragrance – Bvlgari pour Femme. It’s the kind of fragrance others won’t smell unless they get up close to you and it would be almost impossible to offend anyone while wearing it. A truly delicate delight that would suit any women of any age.

As for Pamplemousse – Rhubarb, this is a zesty mix that sports grapefruit, rhubarb, lemon and cypress top notes, a spicy heart of clove, nutmeg and lavandin and a woody base of cedar and vetiver. I wouldn’t exactly describe it as ‘masculine’, but it’s very much an uplifting, tonic of a scent. Of the two, it’s my favourite (but only by a nose) and I think anyone who likes scents fresh, clean-smelling scents like Arden’s Green Tea or Clarins eau Dynamisante will appreciate it too.

Moving on, let’s take a look at those soon to launch Christmas gift hampers shall we?

The brand will have some real gems in store come 24 November and many of the price points are seriously good value.

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See anything you’d like to put under the tree? There’s so much more to choose from than what I’ve featured so make sure you step into store come 24 November to experience everything for your yourself. Also, while gift wrapping is free at L’Occitane, they’ll have donation boxes on site if you’d like to make a donation towards their charity of choice, the SA National Council for the Blind. They’ll also be donating R50 from every R1000 ‘star gift’ purchased towards visiting an underprivileged school in Gauteng to do eye care screening and provide glasses to those who need them.

Love, love

Leigh