You may associate L'Occitane with delicious shower gels, hand creams, and body butters (I've been known to carry a tin of shea butter in my roomy purse) formulated using the finest natural ingredients, but the botanically inclined brand continues to flower as time passes — and now, it's hoping to entice more fans with its newly launched paraben-free Pivoine Flora Makeup collection.
Inspired by the graceful, fragrant, and romantic peony flower, the Pivoine Flora Makeup collection consists of lipsticks, glosses, eye shadows, and creamy cheek colors in the rose, baby pink, fuchsia, plum, lilac, peach, and violet range, so that the convergence of hues resembles a spring bouquet. Formulated using natural mineral pigments, color-boosting oils, and peony extract, which softens and soothes the skin and gives the eye shadows compacts a velvety soft texture, the Pivoine Flora eye shadows offer just a hint of luminous color that can be used to create understated, natural, feminine looks or can be layered and blended with other hues for a more dramatic effect. All the powder-based products are made using micronized mica talc to give them a satiny soft feel and Lauroyl lysine powder to give them greater longevity and hold. The lipstick hues, meanwhile, include antioxidant-rich grape seed oil and vitamins C and E so that they moisturize your pout while providing free radical protection.
After the jump, you'll find stills of all the products in the collection (yes, ladies, all of them!), as well as swatches and thorough descriptions of how each product performs. Best of all, I created three looks using products from the collection: a subtle day look, a coquettish day-to-night look, and a smoldering evening look. Read on!
PETALS EYE QUARTET
This dainty eyeshadow quad holds the coveted Prima Donna spot in the L'Occitane Pivoine Flora makeup collection. The packaging itself is simply gorgeous: a flip-top case with a watercolor-like illustration of four ballerinas along the top, each wearing a stage-ready ensemble in one of the eyeshadow shades in the palette. Once you open the palette, you'll find that the top lid holds a rectangular mirror. The base, meanwhile, features a strip of four pans with eye shadows embossed with peony-like designs.
The quad includes: a bruised plum purple color with a dusky, wispy finish; a luminous, pearly pink reminiscent of blush peony blooms; a shimmering nude shade with pale apricot undertones; and a chalky, mother-of-pearl pale pink. Check out the four hues below:
Here's another look at the shadows in the Petals Eye Quartet:
L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Petals Eye Quartet, $26. Available at USA.Loccitane.com
DUO EYESHADOWS
In addition to the lilac-and-pink quad shown above, the collection includes two eye shadow duo options. Each of these compacts comes in a square case with a flip top, again featuring a mirror along the inside and on the exterior, a watercolor-esque design of a ballerina twirling, this time wearing a skirt in one of the colors in the palette and a top in the other hue. The two eye shadows are encased in semi-circle pans that face one another, with an applicator featuring a sponge on one tip and a brush on the other end positioned vertically between the two shadow pans.
The two eye shadow duo options consist of: Blanche Etoiles, which features a velvety soft, matte black charcoal color and a damp-looking ivory shae with just a tint of sparkle; and Envolée Lilas, which includes a beachy, ultra soft, peachy nude, and a wispy lilac hue with an all-over sheen.
Below, check out what the shades in the Envolée Lilas look like on skin. When you mix the two together, you get a third color: an iridescent, violet-tinged pink with gold and magenta micro particles.
Next, check out what the two colors in the Blanche Etoiles duo look like on skin. When blended together, these colors yield a pale, stormy gray.
L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Duo Eyeshadow, $16 each. Available at USA.Loccitane.com
LIPSTICKS
Moving onto lips, the collection includes four lipsticks that glide as easily onto lips as the most emollient lip balms. Enriched with grape seed oil, vitamin C, and vitamin E, the lipstick formulations keep your pout soft and hydrated throughout the day. In terms of pigmentation, these yield only a light, glaze-like, sheen-heavy color for a subtle effect.
Four colors are available: Rose, a pale peachy-pink; Cuivre, a tawny nude; Fuchsia, a light pink veil with an all-over sheen; and Cerise, a sheer crimson red.
Check out a swatch of the Fuchsia lipstick below:
L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Lipstick, $15. Available at USA.Loccitane.com
INCREDIBLE LIP SHINE
This squeezable tube packs a clear gloss with just a hint of pink. When you first swatch it, the color will look completely pink but, when you apply it to your pout, the color will transform into a delicate rosy shade that looks completely natural. Rather than so many glosses that are packed with shimmer, this one yields a glazed, vinyl-like effect that's icy and delicious. Plus, thanks to the plant oils in the formula, the gloss doesn't feel tacky, sticky, or uncomfortable.
Check out what it looks like on the skin below (and notice the pink undertones beginning to surface along the bottom of this droplet):
L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Incredible Lip Shine, $12. Available at USA.Loccitane.com
LIP SHINES
If you're a fan of shimmering glosses, then you'll be drawn to the Lip Shine offerings in this collection, all of which include grape seed extract, as well as vitamins C and E. These glosses are available in four colors: Brun Pirouette, which delivers a toffee-like caramel color; Rose Ballerine, which delivers an earthy, peach-tinged color; Peche Farandole, which offers a pale, coral-y tint; and Pointe Grenadine, which offers an acerola red tint.
Below, you'll find swatches of the Rose Ballerine Lip Shine:
L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Lip Shine, $14. Available at USA.Loccitane.com
HEALTHY GLOW FACE POWDER
Roasting in the sun is no way to treat your skin, gals! Instead, opt for a healthy glow with a bronzer such as the Healthy Glow Face Powder, which includes a light brown shade with yellowish undertones that will remind you of the rocky expanses in the Grand Canyon and a darker, golden ochre color. These two shades are separated by a gold foil color so that, when you blend all three hues together, the result is a golden baked bronze.
Below, you'll find swatches of the two shades in the compact:
Next, check out the two colors look like when blended together.
L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Healthy Glow Face Power, $28. Available at USALoccitane.com
FACECOLOR CREAM DUOS
Cream colors are beyond handy for summer, when you want to scale back on the foundation, powder, and heavy makeup. These Facecolor Cream Duos allow you to blend the desired blush color onto the apples of cheeks and a lighter, complementary, shimmering shade to highlight cheekbones and sculpt the face.
The Facecolor Cream Duos are available in three combinations: Rose, Abricot, and Beige.
Below, you'll find swatches of the two colors in the Rose cream duo (my fave!), which includes a vibrant fuchsia pink blush shae and a much lighter, tutu-worthy, glistening pink highlighter color.
Next, take a look at the two shades in the Abricot duo: a peach cobbler blush shade and a seashell-worthy, pearly golden peach to contour cheeks.
Last, check out the two colors in the Beige duo, which provide a bronze-like finish. The main color is a pale terracotta color, while the highlighter shade is a glistening ecru color.
L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Facecolor Cream Duo, $16 each. Available at USALoccitane.com
LET THE FUN BEGIN! CHECK OUT THESE THREE SAMPLE MAKEUP LOOKS CREATED
1. SOFT AND UNDERSTATED DAY LOOK
First, I created a very demure and natural look that's appropriate for everyday use and incredibly easy to achieve. Check out the photos below:
Here's how to get this look:
1. Apply the Facecolor Cream Duo in Rose to cheeks, smoothing the darker pink color onto the apple of cheeks using your fingers and then layering the accompanying highlighter color over it, using diagonal strokes and moving from the top of cheekbones to the apples of cheeks. These angular movements will contour cheeks and slim your face.
2. If you still want more of a glow, follow this step by blending together the shades in the Healthy Glow Face Powder and brushing all over the face, focusing on the ridge of the nose and the cheeks.
3. Reach for the Duo Eyeshadow in Envolée Lilas and apply the lilac hue to lids, concentrating on the lash line area and softening the color as you move upwards along the lid.
4. Next, reach for a crease brush and apply the peachy nude shade all along the crease of the eyes, brushing the color along the brow bone region.
5. Blend the lilac and peachy nude shades at the crease thoroughly, so that you'll create an iridescent pink color that contours the eye.
6. To highlight your arched brows, apply a tad of the highlighter color in the Facecolor Cream Duo in Beige immediately below the eyebrows.
7. Apply the Lipstick in Fuchsia to lips and squeeze a droplet of the Incredible Lip Shine to the very center of your pout to make them appear plumper.
8. Add a coat of your favorite mascara, spritz on some makeup setting spray, and get ready to rock!
2. PLAYFUL DAY-TO-NIGHT LOOK
This look is a bit more intense than the previous one, since it incorporates darker shades of purple and lilac, but it's still soft enough to wear during the day. That being said, it's the type of look that can go from day to night so that, if you have a drink date after work, you don't have to stress about switching up your makeup.
Check out the photos below:
Here's how to get this look:
1. Apply the lighter bronze shade in the Healthy Glow Face Powder to cheeks.
2. Open the Facecolor Cream Duo in Abricot and smooth the lighter, shimmering peach color along the ridge of the nose and along the cheekbones.
3. Take the darker peach cobbler-esque cream color in the Abricot Facecolor Cream Duo and rub it onto the apples of cheeks. To add a rosy tint, layer on the lighter pink color in the Rose Facecolor Cream Duo. Blend the two colors together for a flushed effect.
4. For the eye look, you'll need the Petals Eye Quartet. Start by applying the peony pink shade to lids and crease. Apply two or three coats of color for a more intense look.
5. To contour the eyes and sex them up a bit, brush the dark purple look to the outer half of the lids and brush into the crease, creating a rounded "V" shape at the outer corners of eyes.
6. Blend the pink and purple colors together along the crease to create a gradient effect.
7. Apply the near-white, ultra-light, pearly pink shade along the crease to soften the look and illuminate the eye area.
8. Apply two coats of black mascara to lashes.
9. To counteract the rosiness of the look, apply the Lip Shine in Rose Ballerine to lips. Done!
3. SULTRY EVENING LOOK
If you have an evening rendesvouz planned, you'll probably want to play up the sex kitten vibe and add an air of mystery to your look with some smoky eyes. Since it's summer, though, you'll likely want to tone down the look to make it a bit more natural.
Check out the photos of the look created:
Here's how to get the look:
1. Blend the shades in the Healthy Glow Face Powder together and brush them all over your face for a sun-kissed effect.
2. Apply the ashy black shade to lids. The color will look like pulverized charcoal -- chalky, matte, and powdery with the slightest hint of sparkle (like what you'd find on an asphalt street path). Make sure the color extends to the crease.
3. Brush the luminous white color to the crease. Once you've applied two layers to the crease, take your eyeshadow brush and mix the velvety damp shadow with the black hue, then smooth this combination onto the crease. The result will be a sooty gray hue that's literally reminiscent of smoke clouds.
4. Add a coat of mascara to lashes.
5. Apply the Lipstick in Cuivre to lips so that the nude shade will counteract the darkness of the eye look.
