It's almost time for peonies! I saw some red ones last week at the market, but they didn't look very full and I went for Persian Buttercups instead. L'Occitane knows the power of the peony and recently introduced their new Pivoine Sublime skin care line. Pivoine Flora is a fragrance they launched a while ago in 2010 and it's been very successful, but peonies definitely have more to offer than just their scent! After multiple years of research l'Occitane has developed a perfecting peony extract from peonies growing in the Drôme Region of France and now use it in several great skin care products.



I have been using the Pivoine Sublime Perfecting Cream the past few months right before I apply makeup and it's wonderful: a great moisturising base for my dehydrated skin. It has quite a thick texture but applies beautifully and leaves a velvety feeling - a great starting point right before applying foundation. I often leave quite some time between applying my serum and moisturiser and the application of my makeup, so this is the perfect pick-me up for dehydrated areas. The formula is high in glycerin to moisturise, but also contains dimethicone to create that velvety base. It's not just a moisturiser but more of a moisturising primer and it does a wonderful job on me! If you don't like silicones in your primer then you might want to skip this one, but I personally have no problems with them and quite enjoy the smoothing effect. There are also a few limited edition lip balms in the collection which come in a pretty peony packaging with a handy screw cap. There are three tinted shades (of which I have Rose Nude) and one clear balm, and all of them contain that same peony extract, shea butter and SPF25 protection. It's definitely much pricier than their other lip treatments - which I assume the peony extract and the tint are the reason for. I really like how moisturising it feels on the lips, but I probably wouldn't purchase this myself - if I do go for a tinted balm then I like a bit more punch to the colour.

The Pivoine Flora eau de toilette has been around for a few years but now comes in a beautiful new round bottle with engraved peony petals. The top notes are made of bergamot, grapefruit and green notes; the heart notes are peony and rose and the base notes are sandalwood and white musk. All of this comes together as a very fresh and feminine rosy scent that is perfect for a Spring or Summer day. If you love light floral scents you'll be a fan of this one - it's not heavy at all but still has that citrusy punch that'll keep you interested. There's also a candle in the fragrance collection that I think I'd really love!