L’Occitane Divine Harmony
L’Occitane Divine Cream – as its many, many devotees know – scooped a Beauty Bible Award for being the highest-scoring miracle cream we’d ever trialled. This is a two-stage regime (for which Jo, for one, swept aside all other skincare on her bathroom shelf – pretty much a first – to give it a go). It’s as sensorially heavenly as the original Divine – and if you love that aromatic, immortelle-powered fragrance, you’ll find this familiar and comforting. There’s a soft-as-silk serum – one generous drop does the face and neck – which you follow with a sublimely nourishing cream rich in plant oils chosen for their age-defying powers.
The famous immortelle oil features, alongside something called Jania Rubens, which is a red algae. The regime’s designed to multi-task, working to smooth expression lines, improve elasticity and firmness, immediately make skin softer and brighter (we can absolutely attest to that), enhance facial contours and make cheeks appear plumped and defined – and we’ve definitely witnessed this on one particular tester, who happens to live nearby and popped in to trumpet: ‘Look, look, look!’ And yes, we could see the difference.
Last but not least, it sets out to reduce the appearance of skin irregularities like pigmentation – and Jo, for once, is convinced that her skintone is more even. Make no mistake: this is a luxe-priced product – certainly the most luxurious that L’Occitane has ever produced. But the attractive, ombré gold and burgundy packaging is refillable – an example we’d like to see every brand follow. (The refills are accordingly less pricy – though this is relative.)
This is currently out with our testers (in anticipation of the Beauty Bible Awards 2017, which you’ll be able to read on our site) – and based on our own experiences (file under ‘love, love, love’), we’ve high hopes.
L’Occitane Divine Harmony Serum/£139 for 30ml; L’Occitane Divine Harmony Cream/£126 for 50ml – or buy the two together: L’Occitane Supreme Divine Harmony Collection/£198 (worth £265)