summer in Provence with L'Occitane!

Provence was such a magical trip! it's everything i ever thought the South of France would be... and more! Robbie and i have both been working with L'Occitane since last year and it was such a dream when they invited us on this trip {the L'Occitane factories and fields are in Provence}. i've shared so much of the trip already via IG, but i'm super excited to bring you along in-depth with a photo diary, more info about the brand itself, and every single little thing we did while there! come along!

my favorite L'Occitane products:

Lavender Foaming BathAlmond Shower OilPeony Overnight Perfecting MaskShea Butter Hand CreamShea Butter Ultra Rich CreamAqua Réotier Water Gel CleanserAqua Réotier Ultra Thirst-Quenching CreamAqua Réotier Fresh Moisturizing Mist

we started off with a flight from SF --> Montreal --> Marseille, and after almost 15 hours of travel, we were so happy {albeit exhausted} to arrive in such a gorgeous place. our ride from the airport to our chateau, the Le Couvent des Minimes, was about an hour. we had lunch al fresco at the restaurant on property {which we both tried not to sleep through}, showered, and laid down for a nap. we snapped a few outfit photos before dinner, including my unintentionally matching yellow bathing suit + pool shots! the welcome dinner was that evening and as you can see below, Provence provided the prettiest sunset backdrop! i wore this sherbet yellow little number {curvy sizes here} and it was the perfect first night dress. L'Occitane provided lots of fun goodies in our room, which helped with the adjustment {eye creams, body cream, lavender pillow spray, etc}.

the next morning, we woke up bright and early to see Provence from a hot air balloon! it was seriously so, so magical. Robbie and i have been in a hot air ballon before over Napa {also so beautiful}, but there was just something about gliding over golden morning light and being able to see the entire Provence valley and several large lavender fields that made it extra special. well worth the early wake up call!

after, we headed back to the chateau for breakfast and to change! the main event for the day was heading to explore the L'Occitane lavender fields via vintage Citroen 2CVs {how cute are they!?}. i've been dying to see these fields for years and let me tell you, they did not disappoint! the summer is peak season for lavender, before it's harvested in August. the fields were the most beautiful, saturated lavender color and it took my breath away. nothing quite like frolicking in the lavender fields with the love of your life in the South of France! a pinch-me moment for sure. what most people don't know is that the fields are literally humming with bees. it made me really nervous, but no one in our group was stung, thankfully! i'll be sharing more lavender field photos in another blog post, but below are a few of my faves! i couldn't resist wearing a matching lavender dress and lavender shoes.

we then had lunch under the most gorgeous French tree {no really, it's won awards!} and learned so many amazing things about L'Occitane. the brand truly cares about its community, the ingredients used in its products, and the people who work for them. it's so humbling to see a major, worldwide brand care so much for what it stands for. in fact, the lavender in Provence is of the highest quality in the world, called the PDO {Protected Designation of Origin}. as mentioned above, L'Occitane holds itself to a high standard when it comes to its ingredients and truly cares for those in their communities all over the world who work for them {remember this blog post when i shared all about the shea butter and how L'Occi helps give back to the Burkinabe women who produce it to help them learn to read, write, gain a secondary education, and pursue their entrepreneurial endeavors and ambitions!?}.L'Occitane feels very strongly about corporate responsibility {and it shows!}, continually innovating ways to battle climate change, and be as environmentally friendly as possible. every little piece of nugget i learned about L'Occi made me love the brand even more because they truly do go above and beyond.upon returning back to the chateau, us girls had a workshop all about a brand new product L'Occitane is releasing in August! i can't wait to share more! i've been using it since the trip and LOVE it. we then all headed to the L'Occitane Spa for a facial and i'm pretty sure i was in that sleepy-awake relaxation state the entire time! it was so relaxing after a long {but amazing!} day to be pampered by all L'Occitane products. dinner that night was al fresco again {how else do you do it in France?!} and it was such a fun dinner getting to really chat more in-depth with all the incredible women on the trip.

the next morning started off with another workshop and learning about how to relax the muscles in your face/neck and a tour of the chateau's gardens. we headed into town to have lunch with L'Occitane founder Olivier Baussan himself! he doesn't speak a lot of english, so a translator was there to help. but you could just tell how much passion and love he has for his company! Robbie and i sat directly across from him at the long lunch table, and we really enjoyed asking him questions, telling him about the products we love, and getting to know such an incredible man.

we then headed to L'Occitane's innovation factory to see where the products are extracted, tested, etc! it was a really cool experience to see the actual science behind all the products. the company has been around for 40 years, and every single person we asked absolutely loved his/her job. it's really inspiring to see a company thrive and succeed based on passion and love! we then had a bit to stop into the town and take a few photos and/or pick up some souvenirs.

dinner that evening was at an olive oil vineyard and the golden light was so, so dreamy! i think my favorite part about all the meals in Provence was all the fresh cheese, haha! we had a lovely evening with the other bloggers, L'Occitane hosts and rS gals. it was the most perfect way to end our trip! we had to jet set off the next morning to Miami for Swim Week, but Robbie and I can't wait to return and explore more of Southern France.

huge thank you to L'Occitane for such an incredible trip to Provence! it makes my heart swell to think about the memories made and the knowledge gained. as someone who was already a huge fan of the brand, i'm now even more so an advocate because of the passion, love, and sense of community L'Occitane holds its values to!

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thanks to L'Occitane for sponsoring our trip and this blog post!