A most excellent evening

I am finally home happy and exhausted. The Marie Claire / L'Occitane night was truly a brilliant evening and I can't recommend it enough. For a £10 ticket I have been made to feel worth a million. As regular readers will know I have a soft spot for this company, but tonight they went from a company I have a soft spot for to a company that truly values it customers.

You may or may not read about these evenings when they are offered in the fashion magazines. Where you buy a ticket and get a late night opening, with some offering treatments or discount shopping and maybe a token goody bag. Well I have never been to one and last month I spotted it in the magazine. So once I counted the beans so to speak I realised I could afford to go, and booked my ticket. After a very pleasant phone conversation I was informed as I was currently of limited mobility my mother come carer would be allowed to attend free of charge. Today was the all important day and after I made a courtesy call to confirm my attendance with mum, we set off to Clapham.

I was smart and planned our route to a tee including allowing extra time for me on my sticks, which turned out to be a good thing as one of my legs wasn't playing nice. Yet we still made the hour and half journey in time enough to allow me a tea stop at Mc Donald's before we went in. Tea drunk we were the 1st to arrive which wasn't a bad thing as the shop was a cosy size and it gave me a chance to hop around and have a good look.

There was I mission was on, I needed to get a person a Christmas present on a restricted budget. Before the crowds arrived I had in already got it down to a short list. That said I had also already also drunk the glass of complimentary wine, and begrudgingly turned down another  due to my medication. Although had I not been on tablets I would have happily accepted another it was a quality wine, as were the canapes on offer. From the moment I had walked in I had been made to feel special, nothing was too much trouble or effort for them, and mum was offered the same courtesy, being offered all the same refreshments as a paying ticket holder. Having made a couple enquires about my short list I knew what I wanted to buy. Even then there was no pressure for me to hurry up or spend more, instead I was offered a free hand treatment with two of their products which was delightful and relaxing.

Then when I was looking with mum at the new skin range I was offered a free consultation on skin care which I jumped at as my skin is trashed with all the medication. After talking to me about my skin problems the lady tried one product and then instantly change her mind after feeling my skin as she was applying. Instead then she changed the range trial and did a full routine on me, cleansing, toning, spritz then applying a day cream. I looked in the mirror and swore I had lost 10 years. But that was my bias opinion until mum said exactly the same thing. Needless to say I now have a very long shopping list for after Christmas and a completely different skin routine. After a good hour I made my purchase with the promised discount, and was given a few relevant samples, a gift card for myself for after Christmas. I was also given the advertised goodie bag and was I in for a shock.

I have experience with goodie bags from events like balls but never a fashion or style event, so this was virgin ground for me. Some how I managed to hold back until the two hour journey home had been made. Then the bag was opened. For a start it had more items than shown in the magazine and a couple had been substituted, for the better. The advert showed 3 items from the lavender range including a hard soap and 6 other items .When I opened it up for a start there were 10 items, yes there was one lavender item, a travel sized (75ml) body lotion which mum happily accepted for her effort. If she likes it she will be helping me spend in the new year. There were 2 items from the  Pioine Flora range (peony) a 75ml shower gel, and 75ml beauty milk. Then there was 35ml almond shower oil, 30ml Essential water from the Immortelle range an two 3ml samples again from the immortelle range, the precious cream in both day and night versions. Then there was the shea body 5% shower cream 75ml To finish with there were 2 hand products a verbena cooling hand gel 15ml and a cherry blossom hand cream again 15ml. The goody bag was said to contain travel sizes and they weren't skimping, I have seen smaller travel sized products in the shops to buy. Although the day and night creams were the smallest they still contain enough for probably a weeks use.

The items I was treated to in store were the lavender purifying hand gel £6.50, a very pleasant improvement to antibacterial hand gel, and the shea butter 15% hand cream at £8.50. With in 5 minutes I had hands worthy of a lady with no sign of hard skin caused by endless use of crutches. The hand gel was new to me and despite the fact you can pick up antibacterial gels a lot cheaper none will feel as nice on your skin. Like the hand creams there was no tacky feeling or residue.





 My facial started with a shea cleansing milk £15, although this felt wonderful, it proved too rich an heavy for my skin at present. We moved on the Angelica range with a fantastic result, the cleansing gel £16, facial toner £16, hydration face mist £15 and finishing with the ultra matte fluid £24. I hadn't anything about this range but the results were by far the best I have come across. Even an unobservant husband noticed the result.

The evening was the best I have had in a long time, I left feeling like a princess and looking glowing. Now I can look forward to another trip to the shop knowing exactly what I want and not worrying about any after effects on my skin. The staff were beyond caring and a quality product was only surpassed by the quality staff.