If you ask us, when it comes to supplying chic, simple skin and body care, France reigns supreme. The proof is in Le Couvent des Minimes, a collection of skincare, fragrance and bath and body products inspired by ancestral traditions and made with proven natural ingredients. With it's beautiful packaging, rich history and centuries old recipes at affordable prices, Le Couvent des Minimes had us hooked from the get-go. Click through the slideshow for a French escape and quick look at the brand that we can't get enough of.

When we said rich in history, we meant it. Before Le Couvent des Minimes, there was a convent built in the village of Mane in the South of France that brought shelter to the botanist monks of the Minims 400 years ago. The monks used there plant expertise to tend a garden of herbs and flowers. Fast forward a few centuries later, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary took over the monks' work and used the power of plants to heal the community and restore people in need using food recipes. The Missionaries' philosophy is what brought Le Couvent des Minimes to life. The brand utilizes the convent's heritage and tradition to create powerful, yet natural, products that replenish the skin and body. Sold yet?

Le Couvent des Minimes combines ancestral traditions with natural ingredients and age-old phytotherapy and aromatherapy practices to provide your skin with only the best benefits. It uses ingredients like floral waters, plant extracts and high quality botanicals to replenish the skin and nourish it through nature in the simplest and most effective ways. Most products even feature the original recipes! The brand is still in touch with the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, who give their imput and approval on every product.

Sure, roses are beautiful and smell divine, but did you know that have amazing skincare benefits, too? Roses are extremely popular among the monastery gardens for that reason. Le Couvent des Minimes' Beneficial Rose Skincare line features four types of refreshing and renewing roses to target dryness and irritation. The main product, Complete Moisturizing Cream, is created from the original recipe of gallic rose and wild rose seed milk, damask rose floral water, musk rose oil and wilde rose hip polyphenols. The 10 product line includes: Rinse-Off Cleansing Cream, Gentle Cleansing Milk, 3-in-1 Micellar Water, Face Polishing Cream, Complete Moisturizing Fluid, Complete Nourishing Cream, Regenerating Serum and Complete Eye Cream.
 

Le Couvent des Minimes' bath and body collections are made up of three types of recipes: Energizing, Nourishing and Relaxing. The Energizing Recipe, made with verbena, lemon and horsetail, is an ode to the Minims Brothers of Mane and the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary for their generosity, energy and the gardens they built. The convent of Mane was home to 12 bee hives, which were cared for by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. To keep the tradition alive, the Nourishing Recipe features ingredients like shea butter and honey to keep the skin soft during all seasons. The Relaxing Recipe was created based on the convents' and monastaries' ability to care for people's well-being. Lavender essential oil and acacia extract promote relaxation of the body and mind. Each line features products like Pure Vegetable Soap, Comforting Shower Gel and Invigorating Body Splash.

Fun fact: Colognes were once called "miraculous waters" and were first distilled in convents in the 14th century. Le Couvent des Minimes is bringing miraculous waters to the modern day with their collection of botanical colognes. Eau des Minimes is based on the original recipe of grapefruit, blood orange, lemon, rosemary, wild pansy, burdock, mallow, neroli and benzoin. It uses various distillation tools to honor the heritage of the convent and includes the Botanical Fragrance as well as an Everyday Deodorant with Alum Stone and Eau des Minimes Soap Bar. Eau des Missions pays tribute to the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary for their philanthropy in Madagascar, Indonesia and the Americas. The Botanical Fragrance and Soap Bar are blended with vanilla, benzoin and Virginia cedar to soothe and calm the skin. Finally, Eau Aimable (aka Botanical Cologne of Love) features the orange blossom floral water distilled in various convents around the south of France, which is known to heal the skin. The collection includes a Botanical Fragrance, Beneficial Care Oil and Soap Bar.

Dry, cracked hands are no match against Le Couvent des Minimes' Gardener's Hand Healer collection. The original recipe, made with shea butter, mimosa, chamomile, marshmallow, calendula, lemon balm, rosemary and verbena, is based on the tradition of caring for the gardens and plants at the convent of the Minims of Mane. Later on, the missionaries continued to care for the land by harvesting plants and helping missionaries returning from tropical climates. The Gardener's Hand Healer line features The Gardener's Hand healer hand cream, Nail and Cuticle Fortifying Salve and Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser.

Throughout centuries, the convent was a resting place for travelers looking for comfort and care. They were welcomed with open arms so they could relax and cure their aching feet. Le Couvent des Minimes foot and leg collection is based on those traditions with products like Hiker's Foot Healer foot cream, Foot Polishing Cream and Leg Smoothing Lotion. The original recipe is blended with ingredients like borage oil, shea butter, grapeseed oil, wintergreen, ivy, tapioca, peppermint, lemon and litsea cubeba that nourish, soften and soothe tired feet.

If there is one thing that we can say to describe the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (based on our knowledge), it's that they provided happiness and smiles to everyone around them. The Smile Lip Balm pays tribute to just that with an original recipe of honey extract, shea butter, beeswax, royal jelly and honey. The line features Smile Lip Balm tubes in Pear, Orange Blossom and Mint, and a Smile Lip Balm Honey pot. Brace yourself for a seriously supple pout.

"Healthy growth depends on care that starts at the root." Gardeners have known this for centuries and this fortifying hair care collection uses this wisdom to promote healthy, shiny hair from root to tip. The original recipe features ingredients like rosemary, sage, mint, nettle and soy protein for a beautiful mane. The collection includes a Gentle Fortifying Shampoo and Conditioner and Fortifying Hair Mask.

The missionaries left the convent in 1999. It was unoccupied for a few years until the entire location was transformed into a tranquil hotel and spa. Stunning, right? Now, anyone can take a trip to the south of France and walk the same halls as the Minim Brothers and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. There are plently of leisure activities, as well as restaurants and bars to keep you occupied after your spa day. Visit the Le Couvent des Minimes Hotel & Spa website to book your trip!