L'Occitane Almond Oil - Possible Cheaper Alternative?

Hey guys!  As you may be aware, I am obsessed with oils for both my hair and skin and I am always on the lookout for the latest and greatest.  I prefer natural oils with really good ingredients ESPECIALLY for my skin.  I have noticed the L'Occitane Almond Firming and Smoothing Supple Skin Oil at Sephora for a while now, but have never caved and up picked it up due to the $42 price tag.

I think $42 for 3.4oz is just crazy!  And since I love oils as much as I do, I'm afraid if I tried this I'd probably love it and then I'd be out $42 every time I turned around, lol.  And then it hit me one day, I use Almond Oil all the time!  Why on Earth would I spend that much $$$ on a product when I already have one that is similar to it?  The one that I use is by Aura Cacia and I get mine from Vitacost.

This all natural oil is cruelty, color, fragrance, and synthetic preservative free.  The best part?  Even though this is such a good quality oil, you get 16oz for very little $.  I paid $11 or $12 for mine when I got it from Vitacost.  The retail price on their site is $17 for the 16oz bottle, but it is always on sale.  I don't think I've ever seen it not on sale on their site!  Right now the price is $11.89.  Sooooo much cheaper than the L'Occitane oil!

The ONLY things in it are natural almond oil and natural vitamin E, which adds up to lots of skin-nourishing fatty acids and lipids.

Almond Oil is a carrier oil so it is safe to use directly on the skin alone, or you can mix a few drops of your favorite essential oils in it to give it an extra boost.  The L'Occitane oil does contain some essential oils in it, but you could always add those in if you wanted to.  I usually use mine plain, straight out of the bottle, when I get out of the shower.  As with most oils they are easier to apply when your skin is slightly damp.  Although if I am feeling especially dry I apply this anytime - midday, nighttime, etc. - and it totally sinks in and is fully absorbed within just a couple of minutes.  I have several essential oils that I own and use quite frequently, and if I was going to add any to this I would probably use Carrot Seed or Frankincense.  My skin tends to love both of those.

Hope you guys found this useful!  If you are not into oils then I highly recommend giving them a try.  Your skin and hair will love you for it!  Even though I love fancy items and products as well, sometimes these basic all-natural products are quite lovely too.  Even though I've not tried the L'Occitane Almond Oil I feel pretty safe in assuming my all natural Almond Oil is quite comparable.  Lemme know if you've tried one or both of these oils and what your opinions are.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!