L'Occitane Peony Fragrance and Makeup collection - May 2010

I was recently invited to an event to introduce an upcoming fragrance and makeup launch by L'Occitane. I was very interested to see what the cosmetic launch would be like (L'Occitane haven't done makeup in years) and I like L'Occitane a lot generally, so I jumped at the chance to attend.

The fragrance is lovely; a light green floral blend that is very spring/summer appropriate. If you like scents like Jo Malone Red Roses, L'Occitane Paeonia is worth a sniff.

The makeup is beautiful. It would have been easy to put out a collection of pink/peach/lilac cosmetics, stick a stock photo of a pretty flower on it all, and that would've sold well for Spring/Summer. L'Occitane have gone that extra mile though, and based their collection around the peonies grown in the Riviere Nursery, which has been breeding and cultivating peonies in the Drome region of France for 160 years.

Each item in the makeup collection is inspired by and named after a specific breed of peony, and is packaged in a 'seed packet' which pictures the breed. The cardboard and paper packing is, in my opinion, eco-packing done very well. The products all contain a peony extract with softening properties, and are paraben-free too. The collection is priced between £8 for the lip balm and £19.50 for the illuminating and bronzing face powders.

I'll be posting some swatches and pictures applied of the products that were in the bag given to those attending the event. The collection launches in May, and the makeup will be available for a limited period; the plan is that L'Occitane will introduce seasonal makeup collections.

Update: for pictures and swatches of some of the collection, please see this post.

Please note: product pictured was provided in launch event bag, free of charge.