l’Occitane have launched their winter fragrance, Arlésienne, and I have to tell you that I know more backstory on this fragrance than on pretty much any other beauty product I’ve ever tried. (Apart from CoLab, of course.) Earlier in the year I visited Arles in the South of France to learn about the mysterious Woman of Arles, or Arlésienne, the inspiration behind the new perfume and body range, and it was a real eye-opener to discover just how much of an important figure she was – and still is – in the region. The Arlésienne has inspired artists (Picasso, Van Gough, Bizet) and is held as a kind of mythical feminine ideal – mysterious, beautiful, strong, fiery, independent and graceful all at the same time.

The Arlésienne fragrance was inspired by the many facets of this mysterious woman and, as a result, it’s actually quite a surprising and unusual scent. It’s certainly not what you’d expect from a winter perfume release – there’s no heaviness or spicy, woody undertone, it’s all quite light and floral. There’s a bit of an edge with the addition of saffron into the mix, but otherwise it’s a feminine blend of rose and violet. There’s a little warmth from the sandalwood and tonka bean, but mostly I get floral, with perhaps something a bit peachy to start with – maybe that’s the mandarin?

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I do very much like the story behind this range – everything from the colourful prints on the box (swirling printed skirts of the Arles women) to the scent itself has been inspired by Arles and its myths and traditions. I’m not sure how much of this backstory the typical harassed Christmas shopper will pick up on, but if you’re looking for some relief from the usual spiced-cloves-and-cinnamon “festive” fragrances, stop by and give Arlésienne a sniff. I’m wearing it now and feeling very uplifted! My pick from the range would actually be the candle – the scent works very well diffused gently throughout a room and – again – something a little lighter and fresher than the traditional Christmas scents.

You can find the whole range online here – prices start at £4.50 for the little hand soap, the candle is £24.

The post l’Occitane and the Mysterious Woman of Arles… appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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September marks the first birthday of the Lookfantastic #LFBeautyBox, so they’ve created a special box to mark the occasion – and what a box it is! The Lookfantastic Beauty Box is only £15, and their box is unique to other beauty boxes as there are no subscription contracts involved; you simply buy the boxes as and when you want them, which is such a good idea as you can wait to see what treats are inside before parting with your money, so you know what you’re getting. If you like the element of surprise with your beauty box, you can order the box as soon as it launches on the 1st of the month so you still have a surprise…

The first item in the box is a 30ml bottle of the Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash (worth £3.50) which is a 2 in 1 rinse-off cleanser and exfoliator for all skin types. It is suitable for all skin types and effectively removes dirt and makeup, whilst gently exfoliating the skin. I’m not a fan of foaming facial skincare products as they’re quite drying, but I’m definitely going to give this one a try as it contains skin softening ingredients which I hope would minimise any dryness. This is a nice and generous size that I imagine would give a fair few applications. Continue reading →