Life is Beautiful

A house in Gourdon with well manicured vegetable garden.

During a vacation in the South of France, I was so inspired by all of the houses that I saw in every village and city that we visited.  Stone houses has been my favourite style of house for so long. I find it so cosy and natural. The bonus here was that I got a glimpse of their wonderful gardens too. Some filled with flowers or just plants and just like the first picture above, a well organised vegetable garden. I love that the products I discovered here in Provence were mostly hand made and used the most natural products that were abundant in the region like basket weaves, kitchen wares made of wood, lavender products, french linens to name a few.  The culture, the lifestyle, the products, culinary offerings, the homes and gardens of the region of Provence and the South of France are just like the new Lancome perfume, La Vie Est Belle/Life is Beautiful. Just like the Lancome perfume, composed of so many good things that come together perfectly to make life beautiful, fragrant and happy. 

St. Paul De Vence

Tourrettes sur Loup

Tourrettes-Sur-Loup is another of the dramatic and charming villages perché in the Provence region. It is located near Gourdon in the Loup Valley. The village is also full of medieval stone buildings and houses. It is a beautiful village to explore with its stone houses with displays of plants, flowers, some fountains and secret caves and nooks to wander around. The shops are fantastic too with lots of locally made products.

Tourrettes-sur-Loup

A Roman Aqueduct which was also transformed to a roadway and a view of Provencal houses in the valley.


Luberon Valley

Viscount David and Viscountess Serena Linley.  David Linley is the son of the late Princess Margaret and a nephew of Queen Elizabeth II. David Linley owns the luxurious and bespoke Design and Furnitures shop Linley in London's Pimlico Road while Serena has established her own business called Serena Linley Provence, featuring beauty and skin products made from their own Lavender fields at their Provencal country estate.

An elegant indoor and outdoor interiors.

The Swimming pool with a glorious view of the Luberon Valley.

The lavender fields in the Linley's Provence Estate. It took them five years to cultivate these Lavender fields.
To read the article and view more pictures of Lord Linley's Provence House, The Country Life.
Photo credits of Viscount Linley's House: Architectural Digest December 2005 and Vogue UK, November 2011

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L'Occitane En Provence

Shopping at L'Occitane En Provence is a delightful indulgence for me. It is one of my favourite stores here in Toronto. L’Occitane Provence was established in the Haute-Provence area in 1976. The company produces Natural Beauty and skin products for both Men and Women using the most natural ingredients from the Provence region, namely, Lavender, roses, olives, almonds, essential oils and other infusion of fruits and flowers from the Provencal region. Then in 1989, L’Occitane has initiated a sustainable development project with the African nation of Burkina Faso to further develop the production of shea butter which is one of their bestseller products besides their Lavender products.

I use their products all the time. As I am quite sensitive to certain scents, I have to buy beauty and skin care products that will suite my needs and also not cause any allergic reactions. Also most of the products that I have been featuring here in my blog are the ones that I have tried and tested and use in my daily life. I love their Extra Gentle Lotion for the Hands and Body, their Extra Gentle Soap in Milk, Verbena and Lavender soaps are divine and during the Fall and Winter seasons, I use their Almond Shower Oil. The brand practise their strong values: "respect for both man and the environment, with an emphasis on exchange and sharing” by establishing retail stores all over the world which makes their natural products easily accessible and also allows the brand to promote sustainable development program through their products. Discover here some products from L’Occitane Provence.

The Lavender products line. 

Verbena Gift box. Aren't their gift boxes a perfect gift for Christmas?

I highly recommend the Almond Shower Oil. I use them during the Fall and Winter season as my skin gets dry due to the winter and cold temperatures here in Canada. It is so fragrant and really softens the skin. There is also the Almond Milk Concentrate Body Creme and Soaps.

More Gift sets from L'Occitane.

Rose Products Line.

The new Cannelle (Cinnamon) line.

Welcoming flowers from the L'Occitane store.

I hope I have inspired the start of your week with these lovely products and flowers!

Have a fabulous week ahead!


Thank you to L'Occitane Bloor St. Toronto Store for allowing me to photograph their products in the store.

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Weekend In Èze

The Village of  Èze is always described by guidebooks as a dramatic village perché in the Alpes-Maritime region of the South of France. I agree with the guidebooks' description because  Èze is a hilltop village, 427m above sea level and facing the Mediterranean Sea. On top of the village is the Church built in the 18th Century towering over the whole village.   Èze is an interesting stopover from Nice, France all the way to Monaco. Then between Nice and  Èze is the ritzy town of St Jean Cap Ferrat where the billionaires' Villas are located and their private yachts are anchored. 

To enter the village, we climbed more stairs which is common among villages perchés in the region. Then we walked along narrow alleys and stairs to discover a cluster of ancient buildings, some shops, restaurants, the Jardin Exotique then on the top is the Notre Dame De L'Assomption which also offers a grand view of the Mediterranean Sea and the surrounding Southeastern region  of the South of France before reaching Monaco. It was a really a dramatic drive with its winding roads along the Moyenne Corniche, which is one of the world's most beautiful coastal highways. We drove along the mountain side with endless views of the Mediterranean Sea, driving through tunnels under Mountains and some bridges connecting these mountains. Definitely so dramatic. 

Here's me again before climbing those stairs again to explore the village perché. As the sign beside me shows, climb up to reach the Restaurants, Galleries of shops, the view, the Jardin Exotique and the Church. 

Inside the village are narrow alleys and stairways.

Here I am again exploring around the village, up and then down.

Finally reached the top to explore the Eglise Notre Dame de L'Assomption built in 1764. The facade of the church was designed in the Classical style with corinthian columns. The whole church was designed by Italian Architect, Antonio Spinelli.

  The interior of the church is more elaborate and designed in the baroque style. The crystal chandeliers are so elegant.

Our Lady of the Assumption in the Main Altar.

One of the shops that is like a cave. 

Some doggies and piggies that caught my attention. So cute!

Aerial view of the Jardin Exotique.
This is actually a rooftop garden full of these exotic animal sculptures, some olive trees, some cacti plants and many different kinds of roses. This garden is  facing the Mediterranean Sea.

A photographer, some dolphins and a crocodile.

A Giraffe in  Èze.

 Since I have been featuring Fragonard in my blog too much, here I am in front of the Fragonard Store in  Èze.

My dream collection of cars. The Black car is the Mercedes Benz Mclaren SLR, Porsche 911 and Audi Q5.  It would be fun to drive one of these sports cars in the Moyenne Corniche, the coastal highway from Nice, France to Monaco.  Behind the Audi Q5 is the view of the Jardin Exotique and the Mediterranean Sea. Which car would you wish to drive?

Entrance to the Village of  Èze.


Thank you to all for taking the time to read my travel adventures.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

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